Akbar snubbed by press after scuffle

Akbar snubbed by press after scuffle

MANADO, North Sulawesi: Local reporters have decided to band
together and boycott all of Golkar Party chairman Akbar
Tandjung's activities and media events during his three-day visit
to the province after some unnecessary roughness by Golkar
heavies on Thursday.

As soon as Akbar touched down at Sam Ratulangi airport at 3
p.m. local time (2 p.m. Jakarta time), a mob from Golkar's
private security wing zealously fended the press off the House of
Representatives speaker.

Two local reporters -- Rahmadian Polontalo of Posko Manado
daily and Hesty Sondakh of TV Manado -- suffered minor injuries
during the fray.

Local reporters agreed that, as a group, they would only
report on that incident and boycott the rest of Akbar's trip to
the province. -- JP

;
ANPAa..r..
Scene-Padang-national-park
National park objects to boar hunt
JP/4/SCENE

National park objects to boar hunt

PADANG, West Sumatra: The head of the Kerinci Seblat National
Park, Listya Kusumawardhani, has formally objected to a plan by
the Kerinci regental administration and the Indonesian Wild Boar
Hunting Association (PORBI) to hunt the animal during the Kerinci
Art Festival in July.

Listya said on Tuesday that her objection was delivered to the
Kerinci regent and explained that the hunt could endanger other
animals, including the deer and bears in the park.

She also said that although the administration hoped to
attract visitors to the park by staging the event, it was not a
practical solution.

"The national park calls on the administration to cancel its
plan to stage the boar hunt by considering the impact this
activity will have on the environment," she said. -- Antara