RI tycoons in China to repatriate $1 billionRendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, BeijingIn an effort to help ease pressure on the rupiah, Chinese-
Indonesian businessmen have agreed to gradually repatriate U.S.
dollars that they parked overseas in late 1997 during the Asian
financial crisis. More ...
Luxury shopping & nationalismFrom KompasThe news that House members conducting comparative study tours
abroad has aroused my concern. Shopping for luxury goods of
famous brands has been the practice of legislative and executive
delegations since the New Order period. More ...
Optimism for Indonesia amid global terrorismS.P. Seth, Sydney Is Indonesia turning the corner? It depends on: What is meant
by "turning the corner"? But, by any reckoning, the news about
Aceh is optimistic. More ...
Official says local people crucial to forest conservationTheresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, BogorTo support the government's forest protection program, the
participation of local people living in the vicinity of forests
is crucial to sustaining ecosystems and biological diversity. More ...
Three injured in students clash MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: A clash broke out among students at
Hasanuddin University in Makassar on Wednesday at noon, following
a predawn attack on the university's School of Social and
Political Sciences building.In the predawn attack at 2 a.m. More ...
MUI condemns action against Christian houses of worshipTony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThe Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has joined the chorus in
condemning the much-criticized forced closure of dozens of
neighborhood churches in West Java, saying that such acts were
intolerable. More ...
'It's stupid to buy diploma'As the legal proceedings over an unlicensed educational
institution go on, implicating many leading figures who have
obtained diplomas from the institution, The Jakarta Post
interviewed residents about the issue. Rizky KD Ntoma, 24, works at a foreign embassy on Jl. More ...
Lawmakers may deal Aceh peace agreement a blowTony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThe government brushed aside on Wednesday any possibility of the
Aceh peace agreement faltering despite foreseeable political
moves in the House of Representatives that may keep the accord's
details and principles ... More ...
Industries summoned over river pollution BEKASI: Bekasi Council will summon four companies that
allegedly pollute Bekasi river, Tempointeraktif.com reported on
Wednesday. More ...
Surabaya mayor inaugurated SURABAYA: Newly reelected Surabaya Mayor Bambang Dwi Hartono
and his deputy Arif Affandi were inaugurated into office by East
Java Governor Imam Utomo at the Surabaya city council on
Wednesday. More ...
Thuggery willnot be stopped by arrest: SociologistsBambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThis is the fifth and last in a series of articles on thuggery,
which has increasingly haunted Jakarta residents in the past few
years. More ...
Fireman Subandi dies hero's death in Blok M blazeThe Jakarta Post, JakartaSubandi drove his 16-year old daughter to school on Monday
morning. He gave her some money. "Here, this is for two days," he
said. She never thought that they would be the last words he ever
spoke to her. More ...
The worrisome decline of the Japanese populationGwynne Dyer, London The Japanese have known it was coming for years, but it still
arrived sooner than anyone expected. More ...
Indonesia: Shifting from monetary to fiscal policy
JP/6/HENDIIndonesia: Shifting from monetary to fiscal policyHendi Kariawan
Jakarta Indonesia began to become more reliant on monetary rather than
fiscal approaches in nation economic policy in the early 1980s. More ...
Paranaque sweeps Inter City bowlingMoch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta With only a game to play, Putty Armein of Jakarta had the gold
within her grasp on Wednesday's opening day of the 19th Asian
Inter City Tenpin Bowling Championship. More ...
Questionable diplomas The disclosure of an additional 19 more unlicensed educational
institutes by the police, aside from Institut Manajemen Global
Indonesia (IMGI), as reported in The Jakarta Post, Aug. 24, has
further startled this nation. More ...
Diarrhea strikes NTT, 21 children die KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: A recent occurrence of children
with severe diarrhea in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province has
claimed 21 lives, mostly children, over the last month. More ...
Lawmakers want the government to withdraw PLN tariff hikesZakki P. Hakim, The Jakarta Post, JakartaLegislators urged the government on Wednesday to push state power
firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) to renege its decision to
raise electricity tariffs for manufacturers during peak ... More ...
Balinese Jegog troupe entertains Japanese audienceI Kadek Suartaya, Contributor, TokyoThe International Sumida Triphony Concert Hall hosted a rare
performance when Saur Agung, a Balinese gamelan troupe from
Jembrana regency, West Bali, entertained the Japanese audience
with its unique and ... More ...
checked -- JSR
Three young photographers on IndependenceEvi Mariani
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta For three Indonesian photographers, Paul Kadarisman, Keke Tumbuan
and Timur Angin, all born in the 1970s, Independence Day in 1945
is remote and must be pondered and understood. More ...
Thai Embassy clarifies I refer to the article of Thang D. Nguyen titled Thaksin can
learn from Indonesia that appeared in the Aug. 25 edition of The
Jakarta Post, making an analogy between problems in the southern
provinces of Thailand and Aceh. More ...
Schools ignorant of 'genius search'Dyah Apsari, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThe first round of the selection process to find exceptional
students for the newly established DKI Super Class was a quiet
affair on Wednesday. More ...
No paperIn observance of the Ascension Day of the Prophet Muhammad, The
Jakarta Post will not appear on Friday. The paper will appear
again on Saturday, Sept. 3. More ...
GAM prisoners breathe air of freedom
The Jakarta Post
Aceh/Bandung/Semarang
Hundreds of Acehnese rebels were released from prison on
Wednesday following the signing of a decree granting amnesty and
unconditional release to members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
by President Susilo Bambang ... More ...
Bali's tourism industry destroys itselfNyoman Suwela
Singaraja, Bali It is an undeniable fact that Bali's economy relies on
tourism. The former director of Bali's tourist authority, Gde
Pitana, once said that tourism is the bread for Bali. More ...
Don't insult chess From Media IndonesiaIn a demo staged by the Women's Alliance for Electricity
Concern (APPEL) on Aug. 22, its members distributed leaflets with
the words: Eddie Widiono, chairman of Percasi (Association of
Corruption Brokers). More ...
UII lecturer chairs Judicial Commission JAKARTA: Members of the recently established Judicial
Commission has appointed M. Busyro Muqqodas as chairman of the
seven-member group with a five-year mandate.Commission member Irawady Joenoes said that M. Thahir Saimima
was elected as deputy. More ...
Supports for rupiah remain unclearThe Jakarta Post, JakartaThe much-awaited government policy changes on Wednesday to help
solidify the rupiah turned out to be somewhat of an anticlimax as
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced that the government
would wait "until after October" to hike ... More ...
Pertamina hikes Pertamax, Pertamax Plus, Avgas pricesThe Jakarta Post, JakartaUsers of Pertamax and Pertamax Plus gasoline will have to dig
deeper into their pockets as of Thursday, following state oil and
gas firm PT Pertamina's decision to raise the prices of the two
types of fuel. More ...
Prosecutors arrest North Sumatra plantation tycoonEva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Attorney General's Office (AGO) arrested the founder and
president of plantation company PT Torganda, Daulat L. Sitorus,
for converting a protected forest into a plantation. More ...
Indonesia: Shifting from monetary to fiscal policyHendi Kariawan
Jakarta Indonesia began to become more reliant on monetary rather than
fiscal approaches in nation economic policy in the early 1980s. More ...
On pope's message I commend Pope Benedict XVI for his message on Saturday, Aug.
20 to Muslims in Germany calling on Christianity and Islam to
work together to end terrorism, which he said represented "the
darkness of a new barbarism". More ...
Papua problem and the international communityJusuf Wanandi, JakartaJakarta's attention should now be directed toward Papua following
the successful conclusion of the negotiations to resolve the Aceh
conflict.The problem of Papua is not the same as that of Aceh. More ...
Where to go in Jakarta: Saturday, September 3, 2005Exhibitions* Painting Gema Bunga ke Panorama by Sidik W. Martowidjoyo,
Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur No. 14,
Central Jakarta, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Sept. 4 to Sept. 9. More ...
Cak Nur will remain in the hearts of allID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, JombangThe sound of a car approaching from the road that passes
Mojoanyar and Banjarrejo villages in Jombang, East Java signaled
to the crowd that Muhlisah, the younger sister of Nurcholish "Cak
Nur" Madjid, who passed away on ... More ...
'Graduates' fess up to buying titles JAKARTA: Police on Wednesday were questioning four recipients
of phony academic titles from an outfit calling itself Institut
Manajemen Global Indonesia (IMGI) who had paid up to Rp 25
million (US$2,500) for the diplomas.National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. More ...
Optimism for Indonesia in the midst of global terrorismS.P. Seth
Sydney Is Indonesia turning the corner? It depends on: What is meant
by "turning the corner"? But, by any reckoning, the news about
Aceh is optimistic. More ...
Rolling back Jakarta's urban desertRobert Kelly
Jakarta Believe it or not, Jakarta used to be a green city. Surrounded
by lush jungle during its early colonial history, even as late as
the 1950s large swathes of the suburbs consisted of farmland.No longer, of course. More ...
Operators provide busway feeders JAKARTA: Three bus operators have agreed to become official
feeders for the busway operating from Blok M in South Jakarta to
Kota in West Jakarta. More ...
High NPL drags down Mandiri's H1 profitThe Jakarta Post, JakartaIndonesia's largest bank by assets, PT Bank Mandiri Tbk, reported
a sharp decline in net profit on Wednesday resulting from an
increase in non-performing loans (NPL) during the first half of
the year. More ...
Intellectual property rights and perceptions of traditional culturesIgnatius Haryanto, Jakarta In the last month The Jakarta Post published two interesting
articles related to the issue of Intellectual Property Rights
(IPR). More ...
Temporary relief for rupiah The tighter money policies launched by Bank Indonesia (BI) on
Tuesday, though rather overdue, have succeeded in shoring up the
rupiah, which earlier fell to a five-year low of Rp 11,800 to the
American dollar in the morning, to Rp 10,525 at the afternoon
close. More ...
Where to go in Bali for Thursday, September 1, 2005
.TB.30" 1.0" Exhibitions* Art Exhibition Free Transport by Davina Stephens, at Ganesha
Gallery, Four Season Resort Bali, Jimbaran Bay, until Sept. More ...
MPR speaker wants ex-banker put on trial JAKARTA: People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Hidayat
Nur Wahid urged state prosecutors on Wednesday to ignore a
request from a suspect in the Bank Indonesia liquidity support
(BLBI) graft case to halt their investigation in exchange for the
return ... More ...
Riana, UGM's young medical studentSlamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, YogyakartaRiana Helmi is only 14 years old, with a cute, fresh-faced
appearance.As a girl in her early teens, she is fond of going out for fun
and often has a childlike reaction to things. More ...
SBY's economic team 'loses public trust'Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, JakartaPeople are losing confidence in the government's economic team,
who they see as responsible for the current financial crisis --
the worst in this country in over four years, a survey revealed. More ...
AW Air service I tried to buy a return ticket (Jakarta-Bali) by Internet in
May using a MasterCard credit card, issued by Smart Shopping Cash
card (Sumber Kredit). More ...
RI-China seals $20b of trade, investment dealsRendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, BeijingIndonesia and China have signed transactions and investment deals
worth US$20 billion on Wednesday as part of efforts by the two
nations to triple bilateral trade to US$30 billion over the next
five years. More ...
checked -- JSR
Local preference for tea puts Coca-Cola in cold sweat Evi Mariani
The Jakarta Post/JakartaThe first attempt by PT Coca-Cola Indonesia was Hi-C. It failed, without even starting to gain recognition in the
market. The second, Frestea, fared better. More ...
Waste management solution As a consultant working for the government of Indonesia, the
World Bank, the ADB and bilateral agencies for the past 15 years
in Indonesia, I was staggered when I read the article entitled
City plans to use incinerators to handle waste in The Jakarta
Post, 20 Aug. More ...
Pardoned GAM prisoners breathe air of freedomThe Jakarta Post, Aceh/Bandung/SemarangHundreds of Acehnese rebels were released from prisons on
Wednesday following the signing of a decree granting amnesty and
unconditional release to members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
by President Susilo Bambang ... More ...
During the three-decade war between the Indonesian Military
(TNI) and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), burning down schools in
conflict areas was a common occurrence, with the two sides
generally blaming each other for the vandalism.This of course was before the Dec. More ...
Most residents undisturbed by new churchAbdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, JakartaHead of Neighborhood Unit No. 6 in Larangan subdistrict, Ciledug
in Tangerang, Banten Abdul Rosip said on Wednesday that the
majority of people in the area had no objection to church
services being conducted there. More ...
Gas stations to use online bill systemLeony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThe following is the fourth and final article dedicated in
anticipation of the liberalization of the country's downstream
oil and gas sector later this year. More ...
Hardline Islam thrives in IndonesiaMerle Ricklefs, The Straits Times, Asia News Network/Singapore There has recently been a major upsurge in the ongoing contest
between Islamic liberals and conservatives in Indonesia. More ...
JP/ /
The Military's Commercial ActivitiesAwan Wibowo Laksono Poesoro
JakartaSince the fall of Soeharto in 1998, the military has gradually
pulled out of the political arena but has retained its presence
in the economy. It argues that the official defense budget, which is now
around 4. More ...
Bilingual education and the myth of national plus schoolsPieter Van Der Vienhart, Tilburg, Netherlands The matter, and even it seems growing problem for many
Indonesian schools currently, of bilingual education has received
scrutiny from a number of different writers in this newspaper. More ...
Temple aeen as never before with new lighting designSri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, MagelangFrom Wednesday night onward people will be able to enjoy the
beauty of Borobudur temple in Magelang, Central Java, thanks to
night lighting that helps reveal the details of the world's great
heritage sites. More ...