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
;JP;AMD; ANPAa..r.. 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
;JP;AMD; ANPAa..r.. 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
;JP;AMD; ANPAa..r.. 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