Cadets cut for ethical violations
PADANG, West Sumatra: Two cadets at a police academy here were expelled on Saturday for ethical violations that could ruin the image of the police force.
The two cadets expelled from Padang Besi National Police Academy are RI, 19, from Lampung province, and S, 19, from Pasaman, West Sumatra.
Adj. Sr. Comr. Lango Simalango, spokesman of the West Sumatra Police, said the two were on an internship at the Pasaman Police precinct in West Sumatra when the scandal occurred.
Lango said RI had been found guilty of owing a huge debt and S, of having sex with his partner at a hotel.
They will be dismissed formally on Monday at the academy by West Sumatra Police chief Brig. Gen. Herman Hidayat.
The dismissals were painful, but are necessary in order to maintain the image of the police force, said Adj. Sr. Comr. Sugeng, the principal.
"We can't imagine what they will do after they have graduated.
"They are still studying here and are merely students, but they have already been rash enough to incur huge debts and ask a female partner to a hotel," said Sugeng. -- Antara
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Govt to build places of worship
BIAK, Papua: The Biak Numfor regency administration has allocated Rp 300 million (US$35,294) to help the local community build 60 places of worship in the regency, an official said on Saturday.
The fund will be taken from the regency's 2003 budget.
The 60 places of worship include churches, mosques and temples.
"Rp 5 million will be allotted to each place of worship, and will be disbursed immediately," said Metusalah M. Morin, head of the regency's community affairs office. -- Antara
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Journalist stabbed for debt
BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung: A senior journalist was rushed to the hospital on Saturday after he was stabbed in the hand by a colleague over debt.
Witnesses said that the incident started when Junaidi, the chief editor of weekly newspaper The Voice of Youth, met Yahya, a journalist at a local news publication, in the lobby of the Bandar Lampung Municipality Council.
Upon seeing him, Junaidi demanded that Yahya repay a debt he owed. Yahya responded furiously to the request, apparently humiliated by Junaidi's demanding the repayment in public.
Yahya found a fork somewhere nearby, then returned to Junaidi and stabbed him in his right hand.
Bystanders quickly separated the two journalists and took Junaidi to Bumi Waras Hospital for medical treatment.
It is not yet known whether Junaidi intends to file a lawsuit against Yahya over the incident. -- Antara
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Bengkulu books US$3.5m from coal
BENGKULU, Bengkulu: Bengkulu province has booked US$3.5 million from coal exports up to July 2003, a senior official said.
"Bengkulu's coal exports has so far succeeded in meeting the demand of the Malaysian market," head of the provincial trade and industry office Zainal Jambak said on Saturday.
However, he said the 2002-2003 export volume of coal from the province showed a declining trend because of transportation woes and because many mining companies in the province had stopped producing the commodity.
The province recorded an export volume of 725,476 tons of coal in 2000, which fell to 457,390 tons in 2001 and to 446,000 tons in 2002.
The volume dropped sharply this year, reaching only 177,089 tons from January to July.
"The silting of the harbor on Bai Island ... might have hampered the shipment of coal to destination countries," Zainal said.
Only ships weighing in at 30,000 dead weight tons are permitted to anchor in the harbor, while coal carriers are generally much heavier.
Data at the trade and industry office shows that the province has 7.3 million tons of coal deposits from a 59,590 hectare plot in North Bengkulu district and a 28,771 hectare plot in South Bengkulu district. -- Antara