'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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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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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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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