Tue, 21 Aug 2001

Family to claim Japanese man's body

JAKARTA(JP): The family of a Japanese businessman who was found dead last Saturday will travel to Indonesia to claim the body, an embassy official said on Monday.

Cultural Council of the Japanese Embassy, Sachiko Furuya, told The Jakarta Post that the embassy had contacted the family of the deceased Wasao Fukumoto.

However, the family requested the embassy keep their arrival confidential, Furuya said, without further elaboration.

Furuya said the embassy had left the investigation of the matter to the Indonesian police.

Fukumoto, a jewelry trader, was reportedly found dead by a bellboy in a room at Hotel Indonesia with severe stab wounds to his stomach and chest.

Meanwhile Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said the police still could not conclude whether Fukumoto was murdered as the police were still waiting for the results of the postmortem examination on the deceased.

When asked to comment on reports of stab wounds, Anton said, "That's what the media said. Did the journalists check the body?"(07/emf)

;JP;41; ANPAj..r.. Minivan-drivers-protest Drivers protest new BSD buses JP/3/Focus

Drivers protest new BSD buses

TANGERANG (JP): Some 150 public minivan drivers serving the Cikokol-Serpong-Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) housing complex route staged a rally at PT BSD office in Serpong on Monday to protest at the new service of BSD executive shuttle buses.

"The operation of the buses will certainly reduce our income," Hamdani, 35, one of the drivers who had been at the office since 8 a.m., told The Jakarta Post.

PT BSD spokesman Donny Rahayu said that in cooperation with Arimbi Jaya Agung bus operator, PT BSD began operating five executive buses on Monday to serve the route between BSD and Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta.

Donny said that according to their survey, about 3,000 people who have bought houses in BSD are reluctant to live there because of the lack of transportation to their places of work in Jakarta.

He said that the public minivan drivers ended their protest he explained that the bus service was merely aimed at fulfilling the requests of residents, not at seeking profit. (41)

;JP;07 ANPAj..r.. Teen-Dead-Falling Quiet girl dies falling from 22nd floor JP/3/MURRY

Girl falls to her death

JAKARTA(JP): An 18-year-old girl died after falling from the 22nd floor of Plaza Sentral, an office building on Jl. Sudirman in South Jakarta, on Sunday night.

Murry, a resident of Srengseng Sawah in West Jakarta, attended a church service at the building, her brother, Jordan, said. But as soon as the mass finished, Murry went straight to the 22nd floor while her friends came down, he said.

No one knew why or with whom Murry went upstairs, he added.

Jordan said the last time he saw Murry was on Aug. 16. At that time, Murry said she wanted to stay at a friend's house and told him her plan to attend the church service on Aug. 19.

Jordan said Murry was a quiet girl and spent most of her time at home.

Murry finished high school two years ago and was about to enroll in university this year, he Jordan.

Meanwhile, a Plaza Sentral security guard Yadi said a fellow security guard Herry Suyono found Murry's body at the back of the building and immediately contacted the Setiabudi Police subprecinct.

The police report states that Murry was suspected to have committed suicide, but a forensic expert, Mun'im Idries, disputes this. He said there were bruises on Murry's neck, which could be signs of suffocation.

"... or signs of a struggle as if someone held her to push her down," Mun'im told reporters at Jakarta Police Headquarters.

The postmortem examination also showed that other than the bruises there were no other signs of violence inflicted on Murry's body. (emf/07)

;JP; ANPAj..r.. Energy-drinks-withdrawal Popular energy drinks withdrawn from market JP/3/FOCUS

Favorite energy drinks recalled

JAKARTA (JP): In a move to protect consumers, the government has ordered four popular energy drink products be taken off the market due to high concentrations of caffeine.

The food and drugs control agency has ordered two companies producing Kratingdaeng and Galin Bugar energy drinks and a company importing the M 150 drinks to withdraw their products from the market within two months.

The agency said in a press release sent to The Jakarta Post on Monday that it had conducted random checks on Kratingdaeng, Kratingdaeng S, M 150 and Galin Bugar energy drinks and found that they contained up to 80 mg of caffeine per bottle, far higher than the 50 mg per bottle written on the label.

Despite the absence of a report or scientific findings about the side effects of such a high concentration of caffeine in the products, the board insists that the products be recalled immediately for the safety of consumers.

The office also said that the companies would only be allowed to remarket their products after they withdrew the goods and ensured that the caffeine content of their product matched the amount specified on the label.