Airport implicated in extortion
Airport implicated in extortion
JAKARTA: The extortion of females returning to Indonesia after
working abroad both by officials at Soekarno-Hatta International
Airport and "transportation providers" is becoming rampant,
activists say.
"Very often TKIs (Indonesians working abroad) have to spend
between Rp 2 million and Rp 3 million to reach Surade village in
Sukabumi," Sukabumi TKI cooperatives chairman Oti Sunarti was
quoted by Antara as saying on Sunday.
The exceptionally high cost was caused by the fact that often
TKIs were forced to take unofficial transportation and pay
illegal transportation owners expensive fares, Oti said.
Returning TKIs were supposed to be fetched and brought home by
recruitment companies, he said.
Another activist, Yunus Yamani, said the government was
turning a blind to eye to the extortion practices.
"The government has long known of the practices, but does not
stop it," Yunus said.
He urged the government to put an end to such practices
immediately, beginning at Terminal III of the Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport. -- Antara
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Scene-KNPI-congress
KNPI urges for end to conflicts
JP/8/SCENE
KNPI urges an end to conflicts
PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: The Indonesian Youth Committee
(KNPI) wrapped up its leadership meeting here on Saturday with a
call for the government to put an end to all communal conflicts
in the country.
The organization also recommended that the government
consistently combat corruption, collusion and nepotism, uphold
the rule of law and protect human rights.
In its closing statement, KNPI chairman Adhyaksa Dault said
the youth organization underscored the need for the government to
refrain from selling state assets to foreign companies. To the
country's elite group, KNPI warned them against fighting for
their own goals at the expense of national interests.
The meeting was opened by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on
Friday. In her address, she said certain parts of the Indonesian
people had started to get angry at the sluggish reform process.
-- Antara
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Scene-fiber-consumption
Fiber consumption remains low
JP/8/SCENE
Fiber consumption remains low
JAKARTA: The average Indonesian does not eat enough fiber,
making them prone to degenerative diseases, experts said on
Saturday.
Nutritionist Abas Basuni Jahari told a seminar here that the
latest survey on fiber consumption, conducted on around 51,000
families in villages and 21,500 urban families in 1999, showed
that the average person consumed only 10.5 grams of easily
digested food per day. Experts have set the minimum daily intake
of the food at 25 grams.
Another speaker at the seminar, internist Ari Fahrial Syam,
said people would risk suffering from, among other diseases,
hypertension, diabetes, heart attack, stroke and cancer, due to
the poor intake of fiber, which is mostly found in fruits and
vegetables.
Researches have proven that vegetarians are less vulnerable to
degenerative diseases and live longer than ordinary people. --
Antara
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Scene-Nyepi-celebration
Thousands observe Hindu new year
JP/8/SCENE
Megawati attends Nyepi celebration
PASURUAN, East Java: President Megawati Soekarnoputri joined
thousands of Hindu community in celebrating the Hindu Day of
Silence (Nyepi) at Candra Wilwatikta Park here on Saturday. Nyepi
fell on Saturday the 13th of April.
The President's entourage included husband Taufik Kiemas,
Minister of Culture and Tourism I Gde Ardhika, presidential
secretary Kemal Munawar and House of Representatives legislator
Theo Sjafei.
The Hindu community had packed the venue five hours before
Megawati arrived at around 8 p.m. for the celebration of the
Hindu new year.
Drizzle midway during the celebration forced the crowd on the
field to rush to the stands, some of them close to where
Megawati's entourage was seated.
Chairman of the event's organizing committee Insp. Gen. Dewa
Astika said the celebration was aimed at reminding the Hindu
community to uphold religious harmony and national solidarity. --
Antara