Govt looses Rp 10b from forest degradation

PALU, Central Sulawesi: The destruction of 3,800 hectares of rainforest in the Lore Lindu National Park in Dongi-Dongi, Central Sulawesi, has caused Rp 10 billion in losses to the government, says a member of the park's staff.

"According to our calculations, rampant illegal logging in the national park has damaged the environment and disrupted the rain forest's function as a water catchment area. It has caused Rp 10 billion in losses to the government," Helmy, the forest director in Kamarora, said here on Saturday.

He regretted the intensive felling of mature trees and the clearance of land for coffee and cocoa plantations, which had also interfered with the water supply for tens of thousands of hectares of irrigated farmland in the province.

He said it would be impossible to carry out a reforestation program as thousands of locals have been resettled in Dongi- Dongi, a serious issue that had raised divisions between the park's management and the Indonesian Forum for the Environment, (Walhi), which had been responsible for carrying out the resettlement program. --Antara

;JP;RMS; ANPAa..r.. Across-findings-Papua 40 bombs recovered in Papua JP/5/Across

40 bombs found in Papua

JAYAPURA, Papua: PT Petrosea has discovered 20 World War II bombs dating back to between 1942 and 1945 in Baso, Manokwari, Papua, during the construction of an air strip in the region.

"The bombs still look active and they must be examined by bomb experts from the police and the military," Babo Regent La Samidi said here on Saturday.

Babo had once been a link in Japan's chain of defenses against the Allies during the war.

Samidi said he had asked security authorities to check for other munitions and explosives abandoned by Japanese soldiers in the area.

"Local people and important assets in the region have been under threat since the area has yet to be cleared of abandoned munitions and weaponry," he said. --Antara

;JP;RMS; ANPAa..r.. Across-marijuana 500 kg of marijuana seized in Medan JP/5/Across

500 kgs of marijuana seized in Medan

MEDAN, North Sumatra: A special police team busted an interprovincial narcotics syndicate in Marindal in the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan, on Saturday. Seven traffickers were arrested and 500 kilograms of marijuana were confiscated.

Second Insp. Taufik, who led the bust, said the marijuana, which was being stored in a vacant house in Marindal, had been brought from restive Aceh to be distributed to numerous cities across the country.

"We will continue to interrogate the suspects so as to get the identities of all the syndicate members, not only in Aceh but also in other cities," he said.

The local police also seized one ton of marijuana from another syndicate in Perbaungan, some 50 kilometers south of the city, two months ago. The banned drugs had also been brought from Aceh. --Antara

;JP; ANPAa..r.. Across-Mayor to close Amusement-Batam Batam Mayor threatens to close down amusement centers JP/5/ Across

Amusement centers in Batam under threat

BATAM, Riau: Batam Mayor Nyat Kadir has threatened to close down all amusements centers on the island if they failed to abide by the regulations on limited operation during the fasting month of Ramadhan.

Kadir said that all owners of night clubs were obliged to abide by the agreements reached recently with local leaders.

The Mayor had issued a letter demanding that all amusement centers, such as night clubs, discotheques, pubs and karaoke clubs, be closed by 2 a.m. every day and be totally closed from two days prior to the Lebaran festivities. The letter also obliged all prostitution centers to be closed until further notice.

Many similar violations were found last year, forcing the local administration to issue some 100 warnings against the owners of amusement centers, although in the end no action was taken against them. --Antara

20,000 T-shirts going for free in Bali

KUTA, Bali: In a bid to convey a moral message to the world, the Bali community is to hand out some 20,000 "Bali Loves Peace" T-shirts for free to anyone participating in the "Pamarisudha Karipubhaya" (the purification of the universe) ceremony.

It is hoped that the purification ceremony, scheduled to be held on Nov. 15, will keep the island free from evil acts.

Retno, one of the initiators of the event, said here on Saturday that the T-shirts would be given away to any participant in the purging ceremony.

"To buy and print so many T-shirts, we have appealed to individuals and institutions to be the sponsors of the event. Each T-shirt costs Rp 10,000," she said. --Antara