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)