On fuel price hike I have two questions concerning articles that appeared in The Jakarta Post on March 1 concerning the fuel price hike: The article concludes with the statement that alternate forms of fuel should be used to offset the burden of price hikes. It seems to me that the author should name a few those fuels that will take the place of petroleum-based energy. Concerning the article that states a buffer zone of trees to prevent a future tsunami: How can that be?

Old problems, new burdens Every time the government raises domestic fuel prices closer to their real economic cost, businesspeople always raise a rumpus, urging the government to deal firmly with the old problems of red tape, illegal levies, and corrupt tax and customs services to offset the additional burden on business. This was also the case after the March 1 fuel price hikes.

JP/17/SIDE checked by JSR Yogya to launch kids' radio station YOGYAKARTA: As part of its master plan to build a representative study center in the city by June this year, the municipal government of Yogyakarta has also scheduled for next month the launch of a radio station specially designed for children. Built at the compound of Taman Pintar, as the center is to be named, on Jl. Sriwedani, the radio station will function as a laboratory for children to learn more about journalism.

JP/17/KOTA Kotagede restores its past glories Tarko Sudiarno The Jakarta Post/Yogyakarta Eight kilometers southeast of Yogyakarta, Kotagede is an area blessed with priceless treasures, as it used to be the center of the Mataram kingdom. Now the city has become a prominent destination for tourists in Yogyakarta, mostly because of its outstanding silver and gold jewelry industry.

JP/5/ELECTION Spirits high in Makassar ahead of direct election Andi Hajramurni The Jakarta Post/Makassar The direct elections of regional government heads are scheduled for June this year. And, in some places in the country, residents are gearing up for the main event by voting for their community leaders. In Makassar, South Sulawesi, a community unit (RW) recently held a direction election for its head. The election system was based on that of last year's presidential election.

Rupiah Rates March 10 Banknote rates TT rates Selling Buying Selling Buying Australian dollar 1 7,851.39 7,052.12 7,490.12 7,413.30 Brunei dollar 1 6,085.42 5,465.61 5,805.41 5,745.54 Canadian dollar 1 8,186.43 7,353.06 7,809.75 7,729.65 Swiss franc 1 8,531.20 7,663.32 8,138.65 8,055.80 Danish krone 1 1,777.49 1,595.56 1,695.70 1,677.28 Euro 1 13,231.68 11,884.14 12,622.85 12,492.79 Poundsterling 1 19,992.97 17,062.01 18,119.05 17,935.84 Hong Kong dollar 1 1,262.28 1,133.99 1,204.20 1,192.07...

Slowly but surely, Mandarin becomes second foreign language Evi Mariani The Jakarta Post/Jakarta After four years of freedom for the expression of Chinese culture, the Mandarin language has started attracting Indonesians, as private schools begin to provide Mandarin courses in response to popular demand. "The interest in Mandarin is growing in Indonesia. Not very fast, but steadily," said Michelle Vivi, the owner of Hua Mandarin Language School.

JP/7/HASAN EU has become important market for ASEAN products Hassan Wirajuda Jakarta On behalf of my ASEAN Colleagues, let me begin by extending our warmest welcome to the European Union Delegation to the 15th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting. This is the first time that our meeting is convened in the format of an open-ended troika. We agreed to have this format during our last meeting in Brussels, because we wanted to ensure a sufficient level of participation in our meetings.

Kediri relies on cigarette company for progress ============================================================= The East Java town of Kediri has been named as one of the two cities considered as the most attractive investment destinations in the country for 2004, according to an annual survey conducted by the Regional Autonomy Watch, a non-governmental organization specializing in research on regional autonomy implementation. The Jakarta Post's Indra Harsaputra went to the city to find out more.

Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on March 10, 2005 ______________________________________________________________________________ Shares Close Change Trading Volume ______________________________________________________________________________ Abdi Bangsa Tbk 275 0 0 Ades Alfindo Tbk 2,200 0 14,500 Adhi Karya 1,030 10 7,930,000 Adira Dinamika 2,450 0 0 AGIS Tbk 130 15 4,445,000 Akbar Indo Makmur 370 0 45,000 AKR Corporindo Tbk 1,150 0 1,298,000 Alakasa Industrindo 165 0 0...

French paedophile suspect seized in Bali A Frenchman wanted in his homeland on child sex charges has been arrested in the Indonesian resort island of Bali, police said on Thursday. Michel Heller was seized at a bungalow in Bunutan village in the east of the island on Wednesday, said Sri Harmiti of the Bali police's information office. Police said a young boy was in the house at the time.

JP/19/aceh Acehnese Rafly in Jakarta for concert Evi Mariani The Jakarta Post/Jakarta As if there were no time to mourn, just days after the tsunami devastated his homeland and swept away his family home, Acehnese musician Rafly took his guitar and serune kale (bamboo flute) and wandered around shelters in Banda Aceh. His songs, composed in Acehnese, tell a lot about Acehnese culture and social situations in the province, which had suffered years of conflict before the catastrophe struck.

Broaching new frontiers in the ASEAN-EU Partnership Benita Ferrero-Waldner Jakarta Today Indonesia is hosting the 15th regular meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU) and of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). It takes place barely three months after the worst natural disaster of recent history took hundreds of thousands of lives and destroyed the livelihoods of millions in coastal areas throughout the Indian Ocean.

JP/5/SOLDIER Malaysian soldiers remain cool despite Ambalat row Nani Afrida The Jakarta Post/Banda Aceh The afternoon heat is stifling and several soldiers from the Royal Malaysian Armed Forces are enjoying their lunch in a tent on the Sultan Iskandar Muda military field in Banda Aceh. "Come, join us for lunch. It's a bit like Acehnese food," a Malaysian military officer said to The Jakarta Post's reporter.

~Labor crunch Having postponed the amnesty period over and again, the government has finally taken the decisive step to flush out illegal foreign workers still lurking in the country. After the raid operation, the construction and manufacturing industries have suffered serious labor shortage; many eateries have gone out of business; sales at sundry shops have dropped drastically; the oil palm industry is in tatters.

Teater Koma looks back at 1978 political ban in latest play Evi Mariani The Jakarta Post/Jakarta Once upon a time, in 1978 to be more exact, Teater Koma staged a play about a rather dysfunctional family. The head of the family, Ario, went insane and declared himself King Dasamuka from the Ramayana epic. Dasamuka was very controlling of his "subjects". He set up a "government department" to oversee anger. Anyone who wanted to get angry first had to obtain a license.

Onshore oil mining a thriving business in Bojonegoro ID Nugroho The Jakarta Post/Bojonegoro The sound of the adzan (call for early morning prayer) has barely ended when Sukardjan starts his day's work. Slowly, the 50-year-old opens the lid of a well and drops a large bucket to the bottom. "Let's begin," Sukardjan tells his workmates. They pull up the bucket containing a mixture of crude oil, rocks and water and pour it into a small ditch before repeating the movement.

Every time the government raises domestic fuel prices closer to their real economic costs businesspeople always cry havoc, urging the government to firmly deal with the old problems of red tape, illegal levies, corrupt tax and customs services to offset the additional burdens of businesses. That was also the case soon after the March 1 fuel price hikes.

JP/18/BANYU I prefer second title if possible... thnks Cinematic chemistry brews a heady concoction in `Banyu Biru' Cinematic chemistry brews groundbreaking genre in Indonesian film Paul F.

JP/17/GUMBRE 'Gumbregan' shows the cow is a man's best friend Bambang M Contributor/Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta For most people in Gunungkidul, some 40 kilometers southeast of Yogyakarta, cows are as important as their neighbors or friends. Cows are considered assets that can see them through difficult times, such as a drought or harvest failure. Cow dung, too, is a good organic fertilizer that does not harden the soil like chemical fertilizers.

JP/5/FOCUS Pekanbaru clash kills one, injures 3 PEKANBARU, Riau: A group of drunken youths clashed with street vendors on Wednesday night in Pekanbaru, leaving one person dead and three others injured. The clash broke out after the group of youths drank themselves into a state of intoxication on a street sidewalk in Pekanbaru. The youths then caused chaos by attempting to expel the vendors from the street.

The political economy of (foreign) language Aziz Munich, Germany Most people when asked to name the international language of business and trade would quickly answer English. And recent surveys show that English is frequently nominated as the most useful and sought-after foreign language in most non- English speaking countries in the world.

JP/6/WIDJO Extradition treaty must exclude terrorism Bambang Widjojanto and Mohamad Mova Al 'Afghani Jakarta Dubbed a "red dot on the map" by former President Habibie, Singapore has become a sanctuary for some extremely rich Indonesian tycoons accused of fraud in Jakarta. In Singapore, they have not only found a sanctuary from prosecution, they have also found a safe port to park their hot money.

JP;WEB;cd; ANPAk..r.. Letter-Malaysia Malaysia wants more JP/7/let 'We must remain suspicious of KL' They did it again! Malaysia has awarded two oil concessions to the Dutch company Shell .. in Indonesian territory. After a successful campaign in the Sipadan-Ligitan island case, Malaysia is now "going forward" to get more. Despite good relations between the two countries, recently Malaysia seems to be "bitchy", at least to some ordinary people in Indonesia.