Radio, TV signals disrupt flights

PEKANBARU, Riau: The high number of frequencies used for radio and television stations have affected flights and other telecommunications signals, a minister has said.

State Minister of Communications and Information Syamsul Mu'arif added the number of radio and TV stations had risen after provincial administrations had issued permits for people to use radio frequencies.

Syamsul said Government Regulation No 25/2000, which replaces broadcasting law, has loopholes such as allowing local administrations to issue permits for using radio frequencies.

He revealed that the government had prepared a bill on telecommunications, which was aimed at revoking provincial authority and returning the power to his ministry.

Should the bill be passed into law, it would limit the use of radio frequencies, he added. - Antara

;JP;DMR; ANPAa..r.. Scene-A.M.Fatwa-Permadi Fatwa reports Permadi to police JP/4/SCENE

Fatwa reports Permadi to police

JAKARTA: House of Representatives deputy speaker A.M. Fatwa reported on Monday legislator Permadi to the police for defamation and slander following Permadi's claim that Fatwa once offered him a bribe of Rp 20 billion (US$2.17 million) from a local producer of paper used in the production of banknotes.

"I cannot accept Permadi's statements to the public that I had offered him a bribe," Fatwa told reporters.

Fatwa claimed that he had strong evidence that Permadi had slandered him, citing that nobody but Permadi had witnessed the alleged incident.

In his report to the police, Fatwa revealed that Permadi had committed an offense and had deliberately committed "character assassination" against Fatwa.

Fatwa also said that his 40-member team of lawyers were set to back him in the legal proceedings against Permadi.

;JP;DEB; ANPAa..r.. Scene-plant-inspection Govt to quarantine imported plants JP/4/SCENE

Govt to quarantine plant imports

JAMBI: Head of the Agriculture Quarantine Division at the Ministry of Agriculture Delima said on Monday that the government planned to impose more thorough checks on imported plants to avoid the spread of foreign plant diseases into the country.

Delima said any imported plants would be required to be complete with health certificates from their country of origin or from a transit country.

The government's appointed agency would then check the imported plants at a quarantine laboratory.

"The quarantine is aimed at preventing hazardous organisms from foreign countries entering the country's plant markets," she said.

Delima added that the country's plants for export should also carry health certificates. --Antara