Abstainers may reach 60%: Gus Dur

YOGYAKARTA: Former President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid forecast on Saturday that the number of people likely to abstain from voting in the second round of the presidential election on Sept. 20 could be as high as 60 percent.

"Based on an analysis by my staff, the number of poll abstainers will rise significantly, reaching 50 percent to 60 percent," said Gus Dur, who is also the chief patron of the National Awakening Party (PKB).

He refused to comment on whether the elected president would be perceived as having little legitimacy due to the huge number of abstentions, but said he would continue not to vote in the runoff. --JP

;JP;NFK; ANPAa..r.. Scene-worker-deportation More workers arrive from KL JP/4/scene26

More workers arrive from KL

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: The deportation of Indonesian workers from Malaysia has continued, with 1,000 to 3,000 arriving every day in Nunukan regency, East Kalimantan, a local official said on Saturday.

"The workers arriving are not only those deported but also others wanting to arrange the extension of their immigration documents," said Kasmir Foret, the Nunukan deputy regent, who also serves as the task force coordinator for the problems associated with returning workers.

He said, however, the arrival of illegal workers would cause serious worries if they reached 5,000 or more per day and that should major influxes begin, his administration would ask the provincial and central governments to help deal with the problem.

The Malaysian authorities said recently they would soon deport hundreds of thousands of illegal workers from abroad, including Indonesia. --JP

;JP;NFK; ANPAa..r.. Scene-Israel-Palestine Suicide bombings less effective: Awwad JP/4/scene

Suicide bombings less effective: Awwad

BOGOR: Suicide bombings by Palestinians are not so effective as a means of putting pressure on Israel but Palestinians will continue the fight against occupation by the Jewish state, Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Ribbi Y. Awwad has said.

He said Palestinian fighters dared to take deadly risks by perpetrating suicide bombings because all other routes to the achievement of independence had been closed off by Israel and the United States.

"We have been in this difficult condition for more than 100 years. The U.S. president should stand up for just one minute and tell Israel to end its occupation of Palestine," Awwad said after a discussion in Bogor, West Java, on Saturday. --JP