Over 460 bullets found in river SURAKARTA, Central Java: Local police found on Monday 462 live 5.56 mm bullets in Sragen regency, Central Java. A police officer said on Saturday that they had also discovered 25 7.62 mm bullets. The bullets have been transferred to the forensic laboratory at Central Java Police Headquarters, Sragen Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Charles Himler Ngili said. "The owners of the bullets have not yet been identified," he said.

International programs promote student autonomy Simon Marcus Gower, Contributor, Jakarta The role of the teacher in a classroom is quite often a difficult one. Trying to lead a group of students in their classroom studies consistently requires a balancing act of establishing and maintaining direction and being responsive to students' needs. A class ideally should be a group of like-minded people who share the same aims, and intention to learn, but this is not always possible.

Indonesia still struggling with ABCs of education Leo Landep, Contributor, Jakarta, leolandep@yahoo.com The Indonesian government is failing to uphold the Constitution. That sentiment was not expressed by the late founding father of Indonesian education, Ki Hadjar Dewantara, who was famous for his struggles with the Dutch colonial government for fair laws, especially those relating to education for Indonesians.

Ronald V. Gaghana roaring on empty Syahmedi Dean, Contributor, Jakarta Ronald V. Gaghana, 43, is one Indonesian fashion designer whose creations are always eagerly awaited. On April 28, he, again, represented his latest ideas with 60 designs featured in a fashion show held in the ballroom of the Mulia Hotel in Jakarta.

Indian food festival at Bali Hilton The Bali Hilton International presents a famous Indian chef for its Indian Food Festival from May 1 through May 15. Mohammad Afzal will prepare all the Indian cuisine to satisfy guests during the festival. The 26-year-old chef comes from a family that has traditionally prepared Indian food for noble men in their homeland. Afzal honed his cooking skills while working at several international hotel chains, like Holiday Inn and Inter- Continental Hotel.

Malaysia desperate for RI maids Loong Meng Yee, Asian News Network, Shah Alam, Malaysia Tens of thousands of households are in dire straits, waiting in vain for their Indonesian maids to arrive. The usually ready supply has now been reduced to a trickle, according to the Malaysian Association of Foreign Workers Agencies (Papa).

Teenagers behind bars While most teenagers spend their time having fun with their peers at malls or cinemas, some are behind bars, in youth penitentiaries for a range of juvenile offenses. This series of photos highlights teenagers at the youth penitentiary in Tangerang, Banten. These youths were jailed after being convicted of crimes including drug trafficking, theft, robbery, sexual abuse and murder.

Rexy to coach in Malaysia: Report KUALA LUMPUR: Former Olympic doubles champion Rexy Mainaky will become the new "high-performance coach" for the Malaysian badminton doubles team, a Malaysian newspaper reported on Saturday. Malaysia's national head coach Yap Kim Hock said Rexy, currently coaching in England, had agreed in principle to take up the coaching post in Malaysia, The Star reported. "Basically, Rexy has agreed to the terms of the offer.

Ethical dilemmas in Indonesian television Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The rampant programs on television depicting violence and sex begs a question: Are people in the TV industry equipped with any knowledge of ethics? Magazine journalist Ferdiansyah, an alumni of the School of Communication at the University of Indonesia, said that he had only received brief instruction on ethics in communication during his four years of study. "We were taught ethics and philosophy in communication.

Over 25 schools take part in Bogor spelling bee Gerald Donovan, Contributor, Bogor At 06:30 a.m. There were still two hours before Sekolah Bogor Raya's inaugural interschool spelling bee, but Nadia Firdaus, 12, was already preparing herself for the day's event. "P-e-r-c-e-p-t-i-b-l-e" she spelt under her breath while uncovering the word in the dictionary to check her accuracy.

'People power' needed to push for TV ethics A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Sex and violence color television shows every day, with most TV stations screening programs with such content. Apart from relatively low production costs, the programs are among those most watched. However, many members of the public are concerned about it. The Jakarta Post's Sunday edition discusses the issue.

JP/7/let New Criminal Law If the interpretation of the new law given here is correct, the points elaborated on are a total farce. Criminal charges for those who criticize government officials gives those people immunity and they will continue with their corrupt practices. Dear President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, if you sign this bill you are propelling Indonesia back to the stone age.

Four top designers display wedding gowns Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta What happens if four renowned Asian designers stage a joint fashion show? Serious glamour, that's what. Some of Hong Kong and Indonesia's top threads went on show on Wednesday at the Mulia Hotel's Grand Ballroom when Hong Kong designer Barney Cheng and three Indonesians, Sebastian Gunawan, Didi Budiardjo and Adrian Gan, displayed their evening and wedding gowns at the Designer Party 2005.

'I, Chairil, and I': Between literature and the visual arts Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta "I want to live another thousand years" and the battle cry "Bung, Ayo Bung!" are slogans that have braved the change of time. They are slogans once said by no less than Chairil Anwar (1922-1949), the country's preeminent icon considered to have released poetry from the bonds of traditional forms and language.

JP/16/John Looking for John de Rantau Zhuang Wubin Contributor/Singapore Writer-director John de Rantau, 35, presented the world premiere of Mencari Madonna (Looking for Madonna) -- his first cinematic feature depicting the HIV/AIDS situation in West Papua -- at the 18th Singapore International Film Festival.

Pop music's growing power For those of you who don't follow the latest developments in the country's less than interesting mainstream music scene, it might be good to know about a rather unsettling episode that unfolded over the past two weeks, and it was not about music.

Jazz quartet tours Jakarta, Surabaya The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A jazz quartet led by pianist Eric Watson will perform in Jakarta and Surabaya on May 10 and May 11 respectively. The quartet, which launched their latest album Road Movies in September last year, comprises Watson, saxophonist Christof Lauer, bassist Sebastien Boisseau and drummer Simon Goubert.

Susilo calls for end to abuse of maids abroad Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has instructed Minister of Religious Affairs M. Maftuh Basyuni to seek ways to put an end to abuse suffered by Indonesian maids working in Saudi Arabia.

Far from the madding crowd Martin Jenkins, Contributor, Jakarta Bali's tourist industry is currently enjoying a resurgence as large numbers of foreign tourists are once again visiting Indonesia's best-known holiday destination following a number of lean years in the wake of the devastating Kuta bombings in October 2002.

Women players want to stand up and be counted Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta When it comes to strategy for the Sudirman Cup mixed team competition next week, the national women's players barely earn a mention. The focus is squarely on securing victory from the men's singles players, men's doubles and mixed pairings in Beijing on May 10-15. For their part, the women are content to wait until the big day to prove themselves.

Giving access to world's top universities Most international schools in Indonesia, particularly in Jakarta, have designed their programs to give students access to the world's top universities. The schools not only adopt their national curriculum but also offer internationally respected curriculums such as International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP) and Cambridge International Examination.

1. Ronald (1 x 32) Ronald V. Gaghana roaring on empty JP/9/Ronald Roaring on empty Syahmedi Dean Contributor/Jakarta How far is a theme useful in the creation of fashion? Is it a source of ideas or even a boomerang? The answer can be found in Ronald V. Gaghana's annual fashion show. Ronald V. Gaghana (43) is one of Indonesia's fashion designers whose creations are always awaited.

Cooking class at Borobudur Hotel Have you ever thought about having lunch and learning how to cook at the same time? If your answer is yes, then you should visit the Bruschetta Italian Restaurant at the Hotel Borobudur in Central Jakarta. The five-star hotel offers a "Cooking Class" on May 14 at the Italian restaurant. For only Rp 85,000 per person, visitors can learn to cook and to enjoy the lunch.

Decentralization of education often misinterpreted Alpha Amirrachman, Contributor, Sydney In his article published on The Jakarta Post on April 16, Mateus Yumarmanto raised concern that the government had adopted an approach that groups schoolchildren according to their intellectual abilities and the financial capacity of their parents. According to him, this is against the principle that the competency of all students should meet minimum national standards.

Former president Soeharto hospitalized The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Former president Soeharto has been admitted to a hospital, but one of his lawyers said his condition was not serious. Lawyer Juan Felix Tampubolon said Soeharto was admitted to Pertamina Hospital in South Jakarta on Thursday morning. "His illness has not been clearly identified yet. When I visited him on Thursday, he was lying down in bed, looking weak, and he talked little," the lawyer told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

JAKARTA (Antara): Former president Soeharto has been admitted to Pertamina Hospital in Jakarta, where he has been receiving treatment for the past three days.

The pluses of National Plus schools Debbie A. Lubis, Contributor, Jakarta With their international orientation and bilingual classes, National "Plus" schools have gained wide popularity in Indonesia. With the approval of the Ministry of National Education over a decade ago, these schools have provided a learning environment that meets international education standards for Indonesian as well as expatriate children and children of mixed Indonesian- expat marriages.

Dao wins Japfa chess match in sudden death Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta It came down to the wire, but in the end Vietnamese Dao Thien Hai was too experienced for teenage GM Susanto Megaranto in their best-of-six matchup. Trailing by a game going into Saturday's final match, the Indonesian fought back to even the score 3-3 in the Rp 80 million Japfa Chess Festival.

Teaching at international schools... why not The number of schools offering international programs continues to grow in the country's major cities, particularly in Jakarta. The increase in the number of these world-class schools not only offers parents a wide range of options to provide high- quality education for their children, but also creates attractive job opportunities for would-be teachers.

The many hats of Haji Johansyah Martin Aleida The red shop-house in the area locally called kedai panjang (long shop) is known among the residents of our small town as the only vendor of kupiah, rimless caps usually worn by male Muslims. No sooner had the Muslim daybreak prayer finished than the shop turned into a house of mourning. Haji Johansyah Kuala died suddenly. He said Assalaamu 'alaikum (Peace be with you) to his right and to his left, then he groaned.

Zoellick inks $73.7m aid package for RI Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A top U.S. envoy said Indonesia should further improve its domestic business and investment climate as part of efforts to strengthen trade ties between the two countries. Visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick signed on Saturday an agreement to provide US$73.7 million in economic development aid to help Indonesia achieve those goals.