Busway: Six months after It may seem somewhat premature to judge Jakarta's six-month-
old busway system's failure or success. Nevertheless, after that
time span, a thorough evaluation is certainly appropriate. More ...
House ends session, only 13 bills endorsedKurniawan Hari, JakartaThe House of Representatives closed its two-and-a half-month long
session with Speaker Akbar Tandjung boasting that the legislators
had been able to finish deliberating 13 bills. More ...
Revive the student loan scheme The Jakarta Post reported this week that three students from
Java were accepted into the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB). More ...
Police in the dark over Bandung blastsBANDUNG: Police have no leads in two separate bomb blasts that
shook Bandung on Wednesday.Police investigators so far have only been able to identify
the substances used in the bombs and how they were detonated. More ...
Busway: Six months after It may seem somewhat premature to judge Jakarta's six-month-
old busway system's failure or success. Nevertheless, after that
time span, a thorough evaluation is certainly appropriate. More ...
Nahdlatul Ulama politics reinterpretedMuhaimin Syamsuddin
Jakarta The politics of 30-million-strong Muslim organization
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), has been interpreted as the day-to-day
politics of anyone who makes use of traditional Islamic symbols. More ...
Police name project supervisor as suspect in bridge collapseIndra Harsaputra, SurabayaEast Java Provincial Police have named as a suspect Karto Sujono,
a project supervisor, for negligence in the collapse of six
concrete slabs at the Suramadu bridge construction site recently. More ...
Bangkok's grim reminder When did Indonesians last hear about the global HIV/AIDS
epidemic? After the initial fright, came a hush that lulled many
among us into a state of complacency. Then came wishful thinking,
as in the minds of many Indonesians AIDS is something that
happens elsewhere. More ...
It is all a matter of timingMedelina Hendytio, Budi Setiyono and Guy Janssen
Jakarta When the General Elections Commission ordered a nationwide
recount of the ballot, election monitoring groups rightly
expressed their concern there would be no subdistrict-level
representatives of the ... More ...
Monorail changed to avoid disputesBambang Nurbianto, JakartaTo minimize losses ensuing from "social costs" from the
construction of the monorail, developer PT Indonesia Transit
Central (ITC) has decided to alter route of the Blue Line from
Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, to Roxy, West Jakarta. More ...
Deposit insurance bill awaits approvalTony Hotland, JakartaThe government's plan to gradually remove its costly blanket
guarantee for bank time deposits should be complemented with
credible supporting institutions and a clean government,
according to an analyst. More ...
Govt told to better regulate precursor chemicalsAbdul Khalik, JakartaThe government has been urged to regulate the trading of
precursors imported from abroad to stop the misuse of the
chemical substances for the production of narcotics and
psychotropic substances. More ...
Japan upsets Russia to break win drought in volleyball GPEva C. Komandjaja and Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta Japan chalked up its first win at the women's 2004 World
Volleyball Grand Prix while Cuba continued its winning ways with
a 3-1 victory over Germany on the opening day of the second
series ... More ...
Opposition Forces
JP/7/LET50Opposition ForcesFrom RepublikaAlthough the official results of the presidential election are
yet to be announced, the final ranking of all five candidates is
almost certain. More ...
Money talks in April ballot printing contractsMoch. N. Kurniawan, JakartaOfficials from the General Elections Commission (KPU) argued in
April that they lacked the money to better inform the public on
how to properly cast their votes in the legislative election,
which may in part explain the fact ... More ...
Citizenship bill
discussed JAKARTA: A plenary meeting of the House of Representatives
agreed on Friday to further deliberate a bill on the revision of
the Citizenship Law.The bill was drafted by the House's Legislation Body (Baleg)
to revise Law No. More ...
85 more Aceh women get counselingBANDA ACEH, Aceh: The Aceh Women's Empowerment Bureau provided
psychological counseling to 85 women on Friday, bringing the
number of women who have received such counseling to 720. More ...
After Al-Zaytun fiasco, KPU orders repeat balloting in TawauM. Taufiqurrahman and Adianto P. Simamora, JakartaThe General Elections Commission has decided to hold a revote at
a polling station for Indonesian expatriates in the East
Malaysian town of Tawau after the Election Supervisory ... More ...
Mining in protected forests Apparently concerned by the risk of messy litigation, as state
oil and gas company Pertamina is now experiencing in its dispute
with U.S. More ...
Puteh's head on the line: SourceFabiola Desy Unidjaja and Tiarma Siboro, JakartaPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri is reportedly considering a
replacement for Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh as pressure mounts
on her to fire him due to graft charges against him. More ...
Government unlikely to impose tax on shrimpZakki P. Hakim, JakartaThe government is unlikely to apply a 40 percent import tax on
shrimp as suggested by some because it could prompt other
countries to retaliate against Indonesia, according to a senior
official. More ...
Kopassus soldiers sentenced for assaultYOGYAKARTA: A panel of judges at the Yogyakarta Military Court
sentenced on Friday two soldiers from the Army's elite Kopassus
unit to 18 months in jail each for a brutal assault that claimed
the life of civilian Widyo Prabowo, 29, and left another
civilian, ... More ...
Green activists made partner by regencyMulta Fidrus, TangerangIn a new program to fight environmental damage and pollution, the
Tangerang regency has taken on a group of activists from several
environmental watchdogs as working partners. More ...
Teacher summoned for questioningEvi Mariani, JakartaThe Jakarta Police sent on Friday a second letter to summon
teacher Nurlaila from disputed SMP 56 state junior high school,
expecting her to show up for questioning scheduled for next week. More ...
Medan issues new travel policyApriadi Gunawan, MedanThe North Sumatra provincial administration announced on Friday
that Indonesian nationals traveling to Malaysia through seaports
and airports in Medan would not be required to pay a fiscal tax. More ...
Mandiri may join bidding for PermataTony Hotland, JakartaGiant Bank Mandiri has indicated it wants to join the bidding for
Bank Permata if the government sets a reasonable price for the
country's seventh-largest bank."If the price is relatively low, of course we'd be interested
to bid. More ...
Part 1 of 2: The ASEAN model of economic integration Romeo A. Reyes, Jakarta The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has gone a
long way since the original five members -- Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore and Thailand -- signed the Bangkok
Declaration on Aug. More ...
Astra Agro CPO exports soars 127%The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Publicly listed plantation company PT Astra Agro Lestari
reported on Thursday its crude palm oil (CPO) export had surged
by 127 percent on-year in the first semester, primarily due to
higher demand from India. More ...
Strategy for an energy-starved world: Go coal!David Dapice
Yale Center for the Study of Globalization
Medford Amidst continuing violence in the Middle East and political
turmoil in some other major oil-producing countries the issue of
energy security is again on the front burner. More ...
NGOs up pressure on forest miningRendi A. Witular and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta A coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has vowed
to continue its campaign against 13 mining firms that have been
allowed to resume open-pit mining in protected forests, upon a
controversial ... More ...
Let students have a voice, and let it be heardSimon Marcus Gower, Jakarta Sometimes it is possible to ask teachers what they consider to
be a well organized and disciplined class and get answers that
are, in essence, really quite disturbing. More ...
74 hospitals provide free health care for the poorLeony Aurora, JakartaFive more hospitals in the capital will provide free health care
for poor families who hold Gakin (health care benefit) cards
under a scheme budgeted to spend Rp 61 billion (US$ 6.81) this
year. More ...
Jakarta Fair expected to end in successUrip Hudiono, JakartaWith only two days remaining, organizers of the Jakarta Fair in
Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, are confident they will meet their
target of 2.2 million total visitors.PT Jakarta International Expo project director Ralph R. More ...
Only 13 firms allowed to mine in forests: NabielMuninggar Sri Saraswati, JakartaMinister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim assured on Friday that
no more mining companies would be allowed to operate in protected
forests despite the possibility of other concessionaires filing
lawsuits against the ... More ...
Blackouts cost tourism, Internet businessesSyofiardi Bachyul Jb, PadangRotating power shutdowns in West Sumatra in the past month have
hit the tourism and telecommunications sectors in the province. More ...
Presidential aspirant ready to loseFrom Koran TempoThe presidential election on July 5 came off democratically,
fairly and safely, despite some minor problems related to double
perforations on the ballot papers.Indonesians realize the significance of electing their own
leader. Even former U.S. More ...
Jakarta to get new police chief JAKARTA: National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar announced on
Friday a plan to promote the incumbent Jakarta Police chief,
Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara, as the executive director of the
National Narcotics Agency (BNN). More ...
JP/7/LETPeople impressed by honesty From Suara KaryaThe provisional results of the presidential election on July
5, show that extraordinary campaign teams were not necessary to
win. What counted was honesty, and the honesty of a candidate was
what encouraged people to vote for them. More ...
Myanmar's bugging scandal House of Commission I revealed that a joint investigation to
beef up national security by the (foreign affairs) National
Intelligence Agency, the State Code Institution and the Foreign
Ministry had found a bugging device in Indonesia's ambassador
office in Yangon. More ...
A clash of civilizations, or is it pure evil?Syed Farid Alatas, The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore During the last few years, we have heard much about the so-
called clash of civilizations. More ...
OPEC calls off July Vienna meetingThe Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has
canceled a scheduled ministerial meeting in Vienna on July 21,
but it is sticking to its decision to raise its output ceiling by
500,000 barrels per day (bpd) on August 1. More ...
Busway: Six months after It may seem somewhat premature to judge Jakarta's six-month-
old busway system's failure or success. Nevertheless, after that
time span, a thorough evaluation is certainly appropriate. More ...
Citizenship bill discussed JAKARTA: A plenary meeting of the House of Representatives
agreed on Friday to further deliberate a bill on the revision of
the Citizenship Law.The bill was drafted by the House's Legislation Body (Baleg)
to revise Law No. More ...
RI to host int'l science Olympiad JAKARTA: Indonesia will for the first time host an
international science Olympiad for junior high school students
from Dec. 5 to Dec. 14, an official said on Friday. More ...
JP/7/LETQuick Count is only PredictionFrom Koran TempoThe Economic and Social Research, Education and Information
Institute (LP3ES) has challenged all parties to verify the
quick-count method it is using to determine the results of the
July 5 presidential election. More ...
Busway: Six months after It may seem somewhat premature to judge Jakarta's six-month-
old busway system's failure or success. Nevertheless, after that
time span, a thorough evaluation is certainly appropriate. More ...
Oil exploration slows: BP MigasThe Jakarta Post , Jakarta Oil and gas exploration activities in the country have been on
the decline in recent years, as investors have postponed
investment plans due to unfavorable fiscal policy and uncertainty
in the regions. More ...
Haywire traffic accompanies school openingUrip Hudiono, JakartaAn international school that opened its doors on Wednesday in
Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, is turning the usually slow traffic
in the suburb to one resembling hectic downtown.As the clock nears the 7:15 a.m. More ...
Myanmar bugging Recently, it was suspected that the Indonesian embassy in
Yangon was bugged by the Yangon military junta, which would pose
a challenge to ASEAN's "Constructive Engagement" approaches to
Myanmar's junta. More ...
More attention for public transportation crewFrom Suara KaryaI am a commuter who uses public transportation in Jakarta and
I know full well what bus conductors and bus drivers do every
day. More ...
Legislator calls on government to get tough on car smugglingFadli, BatamAn outspoken legislator of the Batam Council has called on the
central government to take action against the unchecked smuggling
of used cars from Singapore and Malaysia, which has contributed
to traffic congestion on the islet. More ...
Modern hypermarkets vs. traditional marketsPatrick Guntensperger, Jakarta The emergence of a powerful force in retailing has caused some
very reasonable concern among residents and merchants throughout
the world and here in Jakarta. More ...
Acehnese nabbed with marijuana JAKARTA: Jagakarsa Police arrested two Acehnese men on Friday
morning at a house in Parung, Bogor, where officers found eight
kilograms of marijuana."The suspects are big dealers," said Jagakarsa Police chief of
detectives First Insp. More ...
Al-Zaytun caseFrom Koran TempoThousands of voters were taken in buses to 83 polling stations
at Al-Zaytun Islamic Boarding School in Indramayu, West Java.
Following this, protests were lodged and a stern measure taken by
the commander of the Indonesian Military (TNI), Gen. Endriartono
Sutarto. More ...
Scouts launch anti-trafficking driveINDRAMAYU, West Java: The Scout Movement in Indramayu began a
four-day gathering on Thursday that will serve to kick off a
campaign to fight human trafficking in the regency. More ...
JP/7/LETDisappointed in PangandaranFrom KompasSome time ago, I went to Pangandaran beach with some friends.
Unfortunately, the trip was spoiled by the bad conduct of a
motorized vessel provider. More ...
World Bank must reformHannah Ellis, Guardian News Service, London Imagine a bank investing around US$55 billion a year in the
world's economy with the specific mandate of alleviating poverty
and with the potential to invest billions of dollars into public
healthcare, education and ... More ...
Grilled for 9 hours, Nurdin Halid declared suspect in sugar scamP.C. Naommy, JakartaConfederation of Primary Cooperative Associations (Inkud)
chairman Nurdin Halid was declared a suspect in an illegal sugar
scam after almost 10 hours of questioning on Friday.National Police chief of detectives Comr. More ...
Where to go in Yogyakarta: Saturday, July 17, 2004Yogyakarta Arts Festival Dances: Sahita dance performances Iber-iber Tledhek Barangan
(Pendopo Nitiprajan, 7:30 p.m., July 20), Sutopo and Widodo
dances (Pendopo Nitiprajan, 7:30 p.m., July 20). More ...
Revive the student loan scheme The Jakarta Post reported this week that three students from
Java were accepted into the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB). More ...
Cituis to be model fishing village TANGERANG: The Tangerang regency administration plans to
transform 200 hectares of empty land near the Cituis River
estuary in Surya Bahari village, Pakuhaji district, into a model
fishing village as part of a pilot project. More ...
Government to resume bond issueThe Jakarta Post, JakartaThe government announced on Friday it would sell Rp 2 trillion-
worth of treasury bonds at an auction on July 27.Minister of Finance Boediono told a media conference that the
indicative yield for the eight-year bonds was 11 percent. More ...
How to be tolerant, in the right wayRoy Voragen, Bandung Discussions on the Islamic headscarf (hijab) keep on returning
in the headlines for the past two decades. More ...
HIV moms must not breastfeedDewi Santoso, JakartaHIV positive mothers have been advised not to breastfeed their
babies to avoid them contracting the virus. More ...
Police detain two suspects in BII scam JAKARTA: Police said on Friday they had arrested two suspects
for their alleged roles in a Rp 31 billion bank scam involving
the pension fund of fertilizer firm PT Pupuk Sriwijaya and Bank
International Indonesia (BII). More ...
'We care when squatters are forcefully evicted'World Population Day passed unobserved on July 11 in the capital,
where squatters, who live on riverbanks or beneath overpasses and
bridges, are blamed for annual flooding and the worsening
condition of city infrastructure. More ...
Ex-governor Abilio Soares escapes jail for nowYemris Fointuna and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta/KupangConvicted former East Timor governor Abilio Soares defied a
summons on Friday to begin serving his three-year jail term for
human rights crimes in Indonesia's former province in 1999. More ...
Papuan leaders want rights findings revealedFabiola Desy Unidjaja, JakartaPapuan religious leaders have urged the National Commission on
Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to reveal the findings of its probe
into alleged human rights violations by soldiers and police in
the troubled province. More ...
PBSI candidates prepare for electionDamar Harsanto and Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta The two candidates for the top post at the Badminton
Association of Indonesia (PBSI) both claimed on Friday to have
the support to win Saturday's election. More ...
Workers shun onerous rules to enter Malaysia illegallyRidwan Max Sijabat, JakartaThe large number of Indonesians living and working illegally in
Malaysia is closely connected with "the complicated and expensive
formal procedures" at home, and the absence of strict law
enforcement in the neighboring ... More ...
Sumatran tigers on the verge of extinctionJon Afrizal, JambiThe numbers of Sumatran tigers in the province of Jambi are
increasingly dwindling due to poaching, conservationists say.About 100 of the tigers, or panthera tigris sumatrae, still
live in local reservations. More ...
A response to Joel D. Palmer's letter As one who owns a house in Indonesia and spends a great deal
of time there, I find the comments from Joel D. More ...
The first-class instruction of English as a second languageSetiono, Jakarta The status of English language as a lingua franca throughout
the globe has compelled non-English-speaking countries to brace
themselves for the free trade era. More ...
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