Buddhists give free
Buddhists give free medical services
Around 20 Buddhist doctors from the Armed Forces and Indonesian Civil Servants Corps gave free eye and dental treatment to Kanal subdistrict slum residents in Tegal Alur, West Jakarta, Sunday.
The activity was carried out in conjunction with Waisak Day, the anniversary of the birth of Buddha, which will fall on May 25.
The team also distributed 200 pairs of glasses to the elderly and donated 300 gift parcels and 20 garbage cans, Antara reported.
Meta Surya, a dentist who led the team, explained that Tegal Alur was chosen as the target because, aside from the fact that it is a slum area, the people don't know how to maintain good hygiene. (03)
Car repair shop gutted by fire
A car repair shop in Grogol Petamburan, West Jakarta, was gutted by fire yesterday. No casualties were reported.
The fire razed the Tri Tunggal car repair shop on Gang Prakarya, Jelambar subdistrict, at noon yesterday and was extinguished by firemen in cooperation with local residents 30 minutes later.
The mayoralty fire office sent eight fire engines to douse the fire.
Asmantoro, the owner of the service station, said the fire resulted from the explosion of a welding carbide tube.
The workers managed to secure all cars in the repair shop. (11)
Officers get MBA degrees
A total of 104 middle and high-ranking officers graduated from the Jayakarta Business and Management Institute (IBMJ), Suara Pembaruan reported yesterday.
The graduates -- 34 high-ranking and 70 middle-ranking officers -- were participants of the school's MBA program for executives.
Among them were Lt. Col. Dadang Garnida, chief of the Central Jakarta police precinct, and Lt. Col. Adang Rismanto, chief of the South Jakarta police precinct.
Other high-ranking officers included Director General of Social Politic Affairs of the Ministry of Home Affairs Maj. Gen. Soetoyo, Brig. Gen. H. Sumarsono, chief of the Traffic Directorate of the Indonesian Police and Col. Bachrul Ulum, the assistant for logistics of the Jakarta Military Command.
IBMJ's president, Ahmad S. Adnanputra, said the 104 officers were the last graduates of the institute's MBA program for executives. In the future, it will only offer the magister manajemen program, the Dutch equivalent of the MBA, he said. (03)
Workers visit City Council
A group of workers from the PT Flower Collection garment manufacturer in North Jakarta, dismissed by their company ten months ago without severance pay, visited the City Council yesterday.
The workers asked city councilors to help them obtain their severance pay.
Dede Jaelani, a spokesman for the workers, said the company had requested all 60 workers look for alternative jobs in May last year, three months before the company shut down.
After the company was closed and all its machines were sold, Johan, the owner of the company told his workers he could not afford to pay their severance wages because he had gone bankrupt, Dede said.
"I would rather kill myself than pay severance pay to you all," Dede quoted Johan as saying.
Dede said he had brought the case to the North Jakarta branch of SPSI, the manpower ministry of North Jakarta district and to the National Committee for the Settlement of Labor Disputes.
These organizations have also repeatedly summoned Johan to clarify this case, but Johan has never come, Dede said adding that he became impatient and finally decided to go to the City Council in the hope that the councilors could assist him. (arf)
Mayor sticks to demolition plan
The West Jakarta administration is sticking to its plan to demolish the shanties and huts along Cisadane River in East Cengkareng despite the requests of the owners for cancellation of the plan.
West Jakarta Mayor Sutardjianto said that 200 people or 33 families who illegally occupy the area, have been given enough time to vacate it.
Terbit daily reported yesterday that the West Jakarta law and order office sent the first demolition notices to the area residents on April 28, which gave them 14 days to evacuate the area. The second and third notices will follow soon if they refuse to move.
The demolition plan is part of the city administration's clean river program popularly known as Prokasih, which includes the demolition of shanties and huts along river banks to curb pollution. (11)