1. Council: 26 x 1 line
1. Council: 26 x 1 line Former council speaker to stand trial
Former Surabaya Council Speaker M. Basuki may face 20 years in prison for allegedy embezzling Rp 2.7 billion (about US$303,000) in state funds, prosecutors said during the opening hearing of his trial on Monday.
Prosecutor Udjijono said that in the period between December 2000 until March 2001, Basuki abused his position as council speaker to embezzle money from the city's budget.
"Based on investigation results, it has become very clear that the defendant has caused losses to the state funds amounting to Rp 2.7 billion," Udjijono said in the charges against Basuki that was read out during the trial.
2. Sea: 12 x 3 lines Seven seamen killed in strange mishap Six fishermen died during vain attempts to save the life of a seventh in a bizarre tragedy aboard a trawler in North Sumatra on Sunday.
The deaths are believed caused by toxic air in a hold filled with rotting fish remains. Chemical poisoning has not been ruled out.
Deputy captain of the trawler KM Deli Balai Indah, Udin, 35, said the crew was returning home to Bagan Asahan Port, Tanjung Balai District, from a month's fishing in Riau when the accident occurred.
The seven dead crew members were identified as Udin, 25, Budi, 19, Erwin, 22, Taat Agung, 19, Tino, 19, Sjahril, 22, and Butang alias Muin, 27.
3. Papua: 24 x 2 lines Papua allocates Rp 2.6t for development projects The Papuan administration has allocated Rp 2.6 trillion (US$295 million) for the funding of 848 construction projects, all of which must be completed during the remaining eight months of this fiscal year.
Of this figure, the central government contributed Rp 1.3 trillion, which will be used mostly for projects designed to improve transportation infrastructure, education, social welfare and agriculture.
The rest of the development budget will be financed out of provincial revenue, and will be used to finance 720 projects, mostly in the education, health and poverty eradication sectors.
Papua received only Rp 851 million for its development budget from the central government last year, with the rest of the budget being financed by Rp 1.25 trillion in own-source revenues.