1. APBD: 12 x 4 lines
1. APBD: 12 x 4 lines
Papua to drop
student fees,
increase teacher
salaries
With new powers under the special autonomy laws, the provincial
legislature in Irian Jaya (Papua) has dropped all fees for
elementary and high school students as of the 2002/2003 academic
year to give children more of an opportunity to receive a quality
education.
Jerry Haurissa, chief of the local education office, said
financial issues had been one of the main problems preventing
school-age children from attending school.
"With the new policy, all Papuan children aged between six and
18 are expected to go to school in attempt to improve the human
resource quality in the province," he told The Jakarta Post here
on Tuesday.
He admitted that various political and military conflicts had
affected schools, by causing many teachers to return to their
home provinces while many students chose to stay home.
"We will hire more and more teachers from other provinces with
higher salaries and interesting incentives to encourage them to
work in remote areas," he said.
2. Box: 18 x 2 lines
Soldiers quizzed over
police post attack
The Military Police in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, are
questioning three Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers for their
alleged role in an attack on the Serbelawan Police subprecinct
post on Monday night.
Bukit Barisan Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. Nurdin
Sulistiyo said on Wednesday that Second Sgt. Tigor Marbun, First
Sgt. Hotma Tunggul Samosir and Chief Sgt. Arif had been arrested
for allegedly inciting their comrades to attack the police post.
The attack left an officer, Second Brig. Marudut Panjaitan,
severely injured with stab wounds.
3. Padang: 18 x 2 lines
Thousands support
cement firm reshuffle
Thousands of protesters expressed on Wednesday their support for
a government plan to dismiss the current management of state
cement maker PT Semen Padang, lending fresh backing to the
company's privatization efforts.
Grouped under the Forum for the People of Padang (FPM-KP), the
demonstrators charged the current management as corrupt and
lacking commitment to the local community.
The mass protest followed a three-year long dispute between
Jakarta and local politicians opposing the sale of Semen Padang.
4. Lake: 21 x 2 lines
No action taken to restore
damaged Lake Tondano
Locals and tourists are no longer able to enjoy the beauty of
Lake Tondano, some 37 kilometers north of here in Minahasa
Regency, as it has been suffering from serious environmental
deterioration for many decades.
Fewer and fewer locals and tourists picnic along the lake's
shores following the disappearance of tourist resorts and
recreation spots due to increasing population. Many locals now
use the lake's shores for fishing and farming.
"The lake is no longer attractive for visitors as it has
suffered serious environmental degradation. This is just one of
negative impacts the environmental degradation has had on local
people and the local administration's income," Sri Hardiyanti, a
researcher from the National Resources Management organization,
told The Jakarta Post here on Wednesday.