Archive: 1 November 1999
46 articles found
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Airlines' load factor rises, passengers drop
Airlines' load factor rises, passengers drop JAKARTA (JP): An association has said local airlines had recorded an increasing load factor this year but the number of passengers was steadily declining. President of the Indonesian National Air Carriers Association (INACA) Soelarto Hadisoemarto said local airlines were currently operating at an average load factor of 65 percent, higher than the 40 percent recorded in 1998.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
RP oil firms cut price hike
RP oil firms cut price hike MANILA (DPA): Oil companies in the Philippines on Saturday told President Joseph Estrada they would scale down impending increases in petrol and petroleum products. But the oil companies rejected Estrada's request to hold off petrol price increases, citing the drop in value of the Philippine peso and the rise in crude oil prices on the world market.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Family agonizes over lack of ICU space
Family agonizes over lack of ICU space JAKARTA (JP): The lack of an available space in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta has left a man's family fearing that he will die from injuries suffered in a vehicle accident. "Parulian suffered terrible injuries. We are afraid he will die if he is not moved to the ICU soon," Pamahasa Nainggolan, an uncle of the patient, said at the hospital on Sunday.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
KL's central bank to open inquiry
KL's central bank to open inquiry KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysia's central bank will investigate its officers after a former senior official said he cooperated with ex-finance minister Anwar Ibrahim in setting up political slush funds, finance minister Daim Zainuddin said. Daim was quoted by the Star newspaper on Sunday as saying Bank Negara would investigate its own officers following the allegations on Thursday by former assistant governor Abdul Murad Khalid. They were denied by Anwar.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Blessings on the duumvirate
Blessings on the duumvirate From Rakyat Merdeka The relationship between Indonesia and the United States, which went rather sour during the administration of B.J. Habibie, seems now to have improved with the congratulations that President Bill Clinton has conveyed to the duumvirate of President Gus Dur and Vice President Megawati.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Southeast Asia bouncing back in recovery
Southeast Asia bouncing back in recovery SINGAPORE (AFP): Key Southeast Asian economies are expected to bounce back with strong growth rates in 1999 in a stunning export-led recovery from recession, regional experts say. The resurgence is fueled also by higher fiscal spending and domestic consumption as well as lower interest rates and weaker currencies.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Singapore retailers upbeat as tourists flock back
Singapore retailers upbeat as tourists flock back SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore retailers are beginning to see a pick up in sales as tourists flock back to the region's premier shopping centre and domestic consumption is buoyed by economic recovery, analysts say. With rising turnover, retail companies expect their bottomline to improve even as retail space in the land-starved city state gets more expensive.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Indonesia loses $4b to illegal fishing
Indonesia loses $4b to illegal fishing JAKARTA (JP): Illegal foreign fishing in Indonesian waters costs the country an estimated US$4 billion in lost revenue every year. Newly appointed Minister of Maritime Exploration Sarwono Kusumaatmadja noted that foreigners were getting more out of Indonesia's maritime resources than Indonesians themselves. He pointed out that Indonesia was only earning some $2.2 billion from its fishing sector.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Police say no head scarves for policewomen in Jakarta
Police say no head scarves for policewomen in Jakarta JAKARTA (JP): The City Police said on Friday that it strictly prohibits Muslim female officers to wear headscarves, unlike the recent ruling in Aceh forcing female officers to wear them. "It's not permitted. It's also not practical in Jakarta," City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis said.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
East Timorese celebrate as troops leave
East Timorese celebrate as troops leave JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of East Timorese flocked the streets of Dili on Sunday to celebrate an annual religious ceremony hours after the last Indonesian troops sailed out of the harbor. Crowds lined the harbor promenade as a colorful procession led by Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo followed behind a statue of the Virgin Mary mounted on a jeep belonging to the International Force for East Timor (Interfet).
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
President visits former NU head
President visits former NU head JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid visited ailing Idham Chalid, a distinguished politician and former head of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), at his residence on a relaxed Sunday afternoon. There was little exchange of conversation between the two as Idham, 78, weak and was confined to a wheelchair due to long-term illness (photo left). Presidential aides said Abdurrahman was keen to seen Idham who is ailing due to his of aging.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Racing against time
Racing against time Just one week after his installation as Indonesia's fourth President, KH Abdurrahman Wahid and his team are finding themselves confronted by challenges in almost every area -- some inherited from the old administration, others created by Gus Dur (President Abdurrahman) himself. Among the challenges that have arisen as a result of the new government's own policies is the unrest that is at present brewing in (two) liquidated ministries.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Student first aid teams enter the fray
Student first aid teams enter the fray JAKARTA (JP): Student-organized medical teams have taken on a crucial role in treating the injured from student protests and clashes with security personnel. Amid a reluctance of official medical personnel to venture out into the danger of the violence, the student-organized teams and their makeshift convoys of vans-cum-ambulances provide first aid to victims hurt in the protests and transport casualties.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Govt urged to react over Aceh finding
Govt urged to react over Aceh finding JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights in Aceh urged the government on Sunday to take necessary measures in response to a new finding of rights violations in the restive province. Chairman of the commission, Iqbal Farabi, told Antara the finding could serve as the evidence the government required to open a trial on human rights crimes which claimed at least 51 lives in July in Beutong Ateuh subdistrict in West Aceh.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Manila, Kuala Lumpur nearly came to blows over Spratlys: Reports
Manila, Kuala Lumpur nearly came to blows over Spratlys: Reports MANILA (AFP): Malaysian and Philippine aircraft nearly engaged while flying over a Malaysian-occupied reef in the disputed Spratly islands last week, in what Filipino defense chief Orlando Mercado downplayed Sunday as a "normal occurrence." The incident occurred Thursday morning when two Philippine air force OV-10s on a reconnaissance flight were met by two Malaysian Hawk fighters in a brief standoff over the Malaysian-controlled...
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Hubert Neiss visit 'may influence JSX'
Hubert Neiss visit 'may influence JSX' JAKARTA (JP): The planned meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) director for Asia Pacific Hubert Neiss with the new Indonesian economic team early this week may influence the share trading on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX), according to security analysts. They said market participants would closely watch how the meeting develops. But they admitted that it would not significantly influence the JSX index.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
RI niche in world furniture market remains small
RI niche in world furniture market remains small By Berni K. Moestafa JAKARTA (JP): In spite of an almost unlimited supply of wood and rattan, Indonesia has so far only managed to carve a less than two percent share in the global furniture trade. Foreign buyers and local producers attribute Indonesia's failure in fully exploiting the export market to ignorance about their consumers.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Calls for House to publish PwC report intensify
Calls for House to publish PwC report intensify JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives must publish as soon as possible the full PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) audit report into a high profile Bank Bali scandal in a bid to regain international support in recovering the country's crisis-hit economy. An economist at the prestigious think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, Pande Raja Silalahi, said, "The PwC report must be published immediately.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Fund scarcity curbs efforts for flood relief
Fund scarcity curbs efforts for flood relief JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso admitted that a shortage of funds in the city budget has meant his administration is unable to combat flooding effectively. "We have to admit that we haven't handled flooding problems optimally and integrally due to a scarcity of funds," the governor said on Friday in a written speech read by Deputy Governor for Social Welfare Affair Djailani.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Astra, Fuchs launch lube
Astra, Fuchs launch lube JAKARTA (JP): Publicly-listed automotive component maker PT Astra Otoparts has launched two brands of lubricants produced by German lubricant producer Fuchs Oil -- Fuchs Titan Sports and Fuchs Titan Ranger -- onto the domestic market. Company director Eko D. Haryanto said in a statement on Friday both types of lube were good at preventing corrosion, rust, oxidation and premature breakdown.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
End of an episode
End of an episode East Timorese independence leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao could not have put it better. Paying a brief visit to see off the last Indonesian Military (TNI) contingent in East Timor as the soldiers were making preparations for their flight home from Dili airport during the weekend, Xanana clasped hands with the Indonesian officers and bid them farewell. "This ends an historical error. A mistake between two countries.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Restructuring the energy industry
Restructuring the energy industry By Ian Scott JAKARTA (JP): The underlying importance of the energy industry in Asia is perhaps only surpassed by that of the banking sector, with its critical need for restructuring and the management of non-performing loans. Countries in the region are either major energy exporters, like Indonesia and Malaysia, or heavily dependent on imports, like Singapore and the Philippines.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Gus Dur amidst the pluralistic 'pesantren' chain
Gus Dur amidst the pluralistic 'pesantren' chain By Ainur R. Sophiaan JOMBANG, East Java (JP): It was the afternoon of Oct. 20 when close relatives of Abdurrahman Wahid, affectionately called Gus Dur, gathered in a modest house on Jl. Imam Bonjol 25, Denanyar, Jombang, some 70 kilometers west of Surabaya. They were following the ballot counting of the presidential election on television. All the viewers in the house were emotionally involved.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Why A.S. Hikam?
Why A.S. Hikam? From Republika There is a big question as to why A.S. Hikam was chosen as State Minister for Research and Technology in the "National Unity" Cabinet. It should be realized that the challenge of the free market within the ASEAN region during the next four years (to 2004) is quite obvious. The challenge of the global free market by the year 2010 is even greater.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
TNI in the Cabinet
TNI in the Cabinet From Rakyat Merdeka With reference to a report in a daily in the capital on Oct. 27, 1999, in which it was said that the Action Front of Students for Reform and Democracy (Famred) does not feel happy about the presence of a number of military officers in the present Cabinet, I, a student, wish to counter this statement.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
More technologies and services to support e-business
More technologies and services to support e-business By Zatni Arbi JAKARTA (JP): Remember Eckhard Pfeiffer? He used to be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Compaq Computers, the company that sells the most PCs in the world. Six months ago, he was told to quit. He has just started work at Intershop Communications, an e-commerce company jointly based in San Francisco and Hamburg. In an interview in Forbes recently he says he has not yet fully recovered from the shock.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Dengue, malaria feared in Manado
Dengue, malaria feared in Manado MANADO, North Sulawesi (JP): Local health officials here warned that the province could be in the grip of an epidemic of dengue and malaria fever. The head of the contagious diseases eradication unit at the local health office, Soetjipto, expressed concern on Saturday at the increasing number of patients being treated for the diseases in the past few months.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Winds batter C. Java village
Winds batter C. Java village PEMALANG, Central Java (JP): Strong winds and rain which began Saturday and persisted throughout Sunday destroyed 60 houses and damaged 100 in Walasanga village, Moga district. Officials said 700 trees were uprooted. No casualties were reported as residents were able to evacuate their houses and seek shelter at other locations. "We estimate the losses to be around Rp 100 million (US$14,493)," Pemalang regency official Anurofiq told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Abdurrahman deserves a chance: Expert
Abdurrahman deserves a chance: Expert MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid should be given a chance to prove his Cabinet lineup can work to overcome future challenges, an expert said on Sunday. A sociologist of state Hasanuddin University, M. Darwis, said people should avoid making hasty judgments about the new President's decisions.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Workers protest manpower minister
Workers protest manpower minister PEKANBARU, Riau: Dozens of workers from PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper who are members of the Indonesia Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) remained in the local council building here on Sunday to protest the appointment of Bomer Pasaribu as manpower minister. They demanded that Bomer, who is an executive of the All- Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI), resign from his new post.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Stricter laws on drugs required: Experts
Stricter laws on drugs required: Experts JAKARTA (JP): Government, police and other law enforcement agencies should take strict concrete measures to reduce rising drug trafficking in the capital city, experts said over the weekend. Adrianus Meliala, a noted criminologist from the University of Indonesia, said putting up banners all over the capital as part of city residents' anti-drug campaign was not sufficient to fight the social ill.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Pacific Bank survives test from CLS
Pacific Bank survives test from CLS SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): Pacific Bank Swadesi of Surabaya survived a testing time against city mate Cahaya Lestari Surabaya (CLS) 89-84 after five minutes of overtime in the 1999 A Mild Kobatama national basketball league's fifth series on Sunday. Home favorite Bhinneka Sritex, an underdog in the tournament, stunned defending champion Panasia Indosyntec on Sunday 78-71. Both Pacific and CLS showed their skills in a fast-paced game at Bhinneka Stadium.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Cuscus slips toward oblivion
Cuscus slips toward oblivion MANOKWARI, Irian Jaya: Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) scientists warned here on Saturday that the number of white cuscus (phalanger urinua) in Irian Jaya was dwindling at an alarming rate and the animal was nearing extinction. WWF's Duncen Neville noted that illegal poaching and increasing habitat damage were the reasons for the depletion of the animal's number. He said the cuscus' slow breeding habits presented an obstacle to conservation efforts.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Women clever in covering up extramarital affairs
Women clever in covering up extramarital affairs JAKARTA (JP): Women know how to cover up their extramarital affairs better than men, a noted sexologist revealed. Boyke Dian Nugraha said he was surprised by the fact that women were aware of changes in their sexual organs after extramarital intercourse. "Women are more mature and well-prepared in this matter.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
RI woman charged in Pakistan
RI woman charged in Pakistan JAKARTA (JP): Customs officers at Pakistan's Quaid Azzam International Airport arrested a 29-year-old Indonesian woman last week for allegedly attempting to smuggle 3.4 kilograms of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) out of the country. "Sri Yanti, who is from Jakarta, was arrested on Oct. 23 carrying a passport issued by the West Sumatra Immigration Office," Jakarta Police detectives chief Alex Bambang Riatmodjo said on Sunday.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Firecrackers go off at police station
Firecrackers go off at police station PURWOKERTO, Central Java: Six police officers, three men and two children were injured when thousands of confiscated firecrackers exploded at Banjarnegara Police Station on Saturday. The incident occurred when police were interrogating Suhardi, the owner of the firecrackers. It is believed the firecrackers ignited due to the heat when they were placed in buckets on a badminton court in the station compound.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Fishermen need direct access to distribution
Fishermen need direct access to distribution JAKARTA (JP): After years of living in poverty and uncertainty, Jakarta's traditional fishermen have laid their hope on commitments from President Abdurrahman Wahid's Cabinet to develop the country's marine industry.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Rehabilitating East Timor: The daunting task ahead
Rehabilitating East Timor: The daunting task ahead By T.M. Callahan JAKARTA (JP): Responding to the suggestion that East Timor is not viable without Indonesia, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta recently remarked: "One does not have to be an Einstein to do slightly better than those incompetent, lazy, corrupt bastards who managed our country for 23 years.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Where to go in Jakarta:
Where to go in Jakarta: Museums * Bayt Al-Qur'an Museum, at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Bambu Apus, East Jakarta (Phone: 8416466), Monday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. * Adam Malik Museum, Jl. Diponegoro 29, Menteng, Central Jakarta (Phone: 337403), Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. * National Museum, Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat 12, Central Jakarta: (Phone: 3811551), Tuesday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, 8:30 a.m.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Malaysia, Thailand agree to jointly buy natural gas
Malaysia, Thailand agree to jointly buy natural gas ALOR SETAR, Malaysia (Agencies): Malaysia's state-oil firm Petronas and Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) on Saturday agreed to jointly purchase natural gas from an offshore basin in Malaysia-Thailand's overlapping joint development area. The two companies also agreed to build together a gas pipeline system and two gas separation plants at Songkhla in southern Thailand.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
No reason to be pessimistic about RI's economy: Scholar
No reason to be pessimistic about RI's economy: Scholar Economist and observer of Indonesian economic and political affairs, Dr. Howard Dick, Associate Professor at the Department of Management, the University of Melbourne, believes that the new Cabinet has the makings of a strong democratic government and that it is up to the individual ministers, the president as well as the vice-president, to manage the dynamics of the cabinet. Question: What do you think of the new Cabinet?
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
A minister for privatization
A minister for privatization From Pikiran Rakyat Chapter XIV, Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution stipulates the following: 1. The economy is arranged as a common enterprise based on the principle of family spirit, and thus such an enterprise should be in the form of cooperatives. 2. Production sectors which are significant for the state and primarily concern the welfare of society must be under the control of the state. 3.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
An East Indonesia state?
An East Indonesia state? From Media Indonesia The unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia stretching from Sabang to Merauke was established with the sacrifice of blood and the lives of heroes from the whole country, including East Indonesia. As the younger generation we must continue the struggle of the heroes by safeguarding the whole territory of our fatherland. A just government is one of the absolute conditions in maintaining the unity of the territory.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Chinese police arrest RI pirates
Chinese police arrest RI pirates GUANGZHOU, China (Xinhua): Police in south China's coastal city of Shantou, Guangdong Province, have arrested 10 Indonesian pirates who allegedly hijacked a Thai oil tanker off Teiman Island near Singapore. On the night of June 17, marine police patrolling the Nan'ao Island near Shantou of Guangdong spotted the tanker. The suspicious foreign vessel Zhengyang No. 1 had no logbook or documents for the 2,000 tons diesel on board, it was found.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Two killed as violence returns to troubled Aceh
Two killed as violence returns to troubled Aceh JAKARTA (JP): Violence broke the semblance of peace in Aceh when a policeman and civilian were killed in separate incidents, police said on Saturday. Provincial Police chief Brig. Gen. Bahrumsyah confirmed that Sgt. Khairulsyah Lubis was shot dead in Tuwi Kareung village in West Aceh on Friday. Honey trader Hasirin Ginting Baincik was found dead earlier on Thursday in his quiet village of Dusun Danau in South Aceh.
Mon, 01 Nov 1999, 00:00 WIB
Ferry runs aground near Bakauheni
Ferry runs aground near Bakauheni BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung (JP): The Tribuana ferry bound for Merak, West Java, ran aground at Dua Island only two miles from its departure point of Bakauheni Port, Lampung. There were no reports of casualties among the 306 people on board on Saturday night. Almost all the passengers were evacuated by Sunday morning using the Sundari II speedboat. "There are only a few truck drivers left on the ship to watch their vehicles," an official said.