'GAM men could be laying in wait'
'GAM men could be laying in wait'
JAKARTA: Police warned on Tuesday that members of the Free
Aceh Movement (GAM) could be in Jakarta to launch attacks in
retaliation for the military offensive in restive Aceh.
"They might be in the city. We, however, don't know their
numbers," said city police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo.
Similarly, city police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara
warned Jakartans to be vigilant against possible GAM attacks on
public areas, such as business centers or shopping malls.
Prasetyo said the police had deployed its full force of 24,000
personnel to secure the city. --JP.
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Focus-Tangerang-crime
56 tried for misdemeanors
JP/8/GREATER
56 tried for misdemeanors
TANGERANG: The Tangerang district court tried on Tuesday 56
people for committing misdemeanors and fined them between Rp
10,600 (US$1.25) and Rp 50,000 for violating Bylaw No. 10/2000 on
public order.
Judge Lucya Usmani said the 56 people, consisting of street
musicians, street vendors, public minivan drivers, motorcycle
taxi drivers and pak ogah (unofficial traffic wardens),
were proved guilty of disturbing public order.
Their misdemeanors include failure to extend their already
expired identity cards, busking illegally and soliciting
motorists for money.
The trial was witnessed by three prosecutors, who collected
the fines as soon as the judge handed down the verdict.
Ten of the 56 people were unable to pay the fines, because
they did not have any money, so prosecutors placed them under
police custody for another three days before they could be
released.
The 56 were netted on Monday afternoon at several locations
across the municipality in a crackdown conducted jointly by the
municipal public order agency and the police, and were taken into
police custody until their trial. -- JP
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Focus-IPB-taro-snacks
IPB to develop 'taro' snacks
JP/8/Greater
IPB to develop 'taro' snacks
BOGOR: Fearing that the local traditional snack made of talas,
or taro, may disappear, the Bogor administration is working in
cooperation with the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) to
develop the production of the plant.
An official in charge of industry and investment at the Bogor
agency of industry, trade and cooperatives, Nazarudin, said that
taro production should be developed. Otherwise, the snacks
endemic to Bogor could become "extinct", he said on Tuesday.
He said that his office was also cooperating with the agency
of agriculture to supply the raw material. The agriculture agency
is to encourage farmers to grow taro as a main crop instead of a
secondary crop. Local residents would also be encourage to grow
it at home, he added.
Many local snacks are unable to compete on a par with modern
snacks, usually because of the poor packaging, marketing and
processing.
The Bogor administration and IPB also plans to develop a
packaging center for traditional snacks made of taro and other
tubers. -- JP