Dutchman says

Dutchman says
bye to Pentax

An incredulous Dutch tourist yesterday reported that his bag
with valuables in it, including a Pentax camera, seemed to have
strolled off while he dozed on a Jakarta-bound bus from Bukit
Tinggi, West Sumatra.

While the well-rested Neils Hoevenaars and friends slept
aboard the bus on Wednesday, an opportunistic passenger probably
made off with the goods.

"Because of the limited space under my seat, I put the bag on
the upper shelve right over my head," he told The Jakarta Post.

Hoevenaars estimated that the total value of his departed
possessions is US$500.

A source at the City Police Headquarters said that the bag is
almost certainly gone for good, given the number of people who
had access to it on the bus.

"We, however, appreciate his effort to report this and hope
that we will find the goods on the black market here," the source
said. (bsr)

City looking
for right trees

The city administration is busy selecting trees suitable for
the various types of soil across the city, an official said
yesterday.

"For instance, North Jakarta's soil is salty, so not all kinds
of trees can be planted there. Thus, we have to plant the right
trees in the right places," Edison Meliala, a subdivisional head
of the city's environmental rehabilitation office, told The
Jakarta Post.

He added that he is also planning to bring trees from Irian
Jaya, whose trees attract birds, so that Jakartans will soon be
able to hear birds singing in the streets.

When asked why Jakarta was not nominated in the "One Million
Trees" competition in January even though the city had planted in
excess of a million trees, he said that the competition focused
on efforts to motivate people to plant trees rather than the
number of trees planted.

"The emphasis was not on how many trees we planted but on
whether we were successful in motivating people, especially from
the poor and low-income groups, to plant trees," Edison said.

He noted that the competition focused on the participants'
contribution to the greening of slum areas.

"Asking people living there to plant trees is not an easy
task."

"Making ends meet is already a daily strain for them. How can
you expect them to plant trees and then care for them?" Edison
asked, adding that his office cannot afford to provide fruit
trees which may attract low-income people and motivate them to
care for the trees. (06)