'Antara' chief meets Megawati
'Antara' chief meets Megawati
JAKARTA: Antara news agency chief Mohamad Sobary visited on Tuesday President Megawati Soekarnoputri at her official residence, just days after news agency employees staged a protest demanding Sobary's resignation.
The news agency chief said he visited the President to report on the planned launch of a book about Megawati, and that it was not related to last week's demonstration.
A number of employees of Antara staged a protest last week demanding that Sobary, who was appointed by former president Abdurrahman Wahid in 2000, resign. The protest resulted in the dismissal of two Antara employees.
"Principally, I came here not because of the protest, but to report about a book on Megawati, which is almost finished," he said.
The book, titled Tidak Ada Jalan Pintas: Perjalanan Seorang Perempuan (No Shortcut: The Journey of a Woman), will be about Megawati's thoughts and her career.
The book will be launched in September by Antara, Sobary said. --Antara
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JP/4/C02
Nuclear power not a threat
SURABAYA, East Java: The Nuclear Power Supervisory Agency (Bapeten) said on Tuesday people should not be worried about the utilization of nuclear power, which the agency said was safe.
Bapeten head M. Ridwan said that over the last 56 years, there had only been some 25 industrial and medical nuclear power accidents, and eight nuclear reactor accidents.
In the industrial and medical accidents, 280 people were injured and 101 people died, while in the nuclear reactor incidents, 186 were injured and 148 died.
"The number of deaths from nuclear reactor accidents comes to only 2.6 people per year. That is less than chemical pollution casualties, which reach 200 people per year, or traffic accidents, which take the lives of 11,000 people annually," he said.
Ridwan said nuclear power was widely utilized in various industries, including mining and energy, and brought many more benefits than losses.--Antara
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JP/4/C03
Thai fishermen deported
PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: The South Sumatra Police deported on Tuesday 36 fishermen from Thailand who were detained last year for illegally fishing in Indonesia's territorial waters.
The chief of the South Sumatra Police's Water and Air Unit, Supt. Dwi Marsanto, said the deportations were paid for by local residents and businesspeople.
"We deported them because the Thai Embassy did not pay attention to their plight. We released them on humanitarian grounds," he said.
He added that the Thai fishermen were caught on Aug. 23, 2001, on Leman island, near Belitung island and Kalimantan.
In addition, some 17 Vietnamese fishermen will soon be sent home on humanitarian grounds, he said. --Antara
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JP/4/C04
Navy detains foreign dredger
BATAM, Riau: The Indonesian Navy has seized another foreign vessel allegedly illegally transporting sea sand from Bintan island in Riau province.
Antara quoted a source in Singapore as saying the vessel was detained on Monday after its crew failed show legal documents to transport the sand. The vessel was reportedly authorized only to carry out a survey.
The vessel is owned by a businessman from Singapore, with backing by high-ranking officials in Riau, Antara reported.
The news agency said the seizure was another success for the Navy, after earlier confiscating seven foreign-registered vessels allegedly transporting sand illegally.
Naval officers confirmed the seizure but refused to provide further comment.
Riau is known for its high-quality sea sand, which is mainly exported to Singapore, which uses the sand for land reclamation projects. --Antara