Jail term sought for Golkar politician
JAKARTA: Prosecutors demanded on Wednesday an eight-year jail sentence for Golkar Party lawmaker Adiwarsita Adinegoro for graft at the Association of Indonesian Forestry Concessionaires (APHI), which allegedly occurred between 2002 and 2003 when Adiwarsita led the organization.
Lead prosecutor M. Jasman Panjaitan also demanded that the defendant and three other former APHI officials, Yusron Sarief, Zain Mashur and Abdul Fatah, who are standing trial separately, return Rp 43 billion in state money they allegedly embezzled.
In a separate hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors sought a four- year jail sentence for Yusron.
The defendants are charged with misusing APHI funds that were meant to finance aerial mapping of forests. Prosecutors charge that the money was instead channeled to a foundation appointed by then state secretary Akbar Tanjung, who was also a Golkar leader, to distribute food to the poor. -- Antara
;JP;MUN; ANPAa..r.. Scene-manpower-meeting Don't consider workers commodity: VP JP/4/SCENE
VP wants more aid for migrant workers
NUSA DUA, Bali: Vice President Jusuf Kalla called on countries that export and import migrant workers to help the workers improve their skills.
Opening the third Ministerial Consultations on Overseas Employment and Contractual Labor for Countries of Origin in Asia here on Wednesday, Kalla said countries should not treat migrant workers as disposable commodities.
Indonesian labor minister Fahmi Idris and counterparts from several Asian countries, as well as the director of the International Organization for Migration, Brunson McKinley, also attended the meeting.
Fahmi said participants of the meeting would discuss various issues concerning migrant workers, including improving their job skills. -- JP
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JP/4/SCENE 17 Aceh inmates in jail break
BANDA ACEH, Aceh: Lax security meant 17 inmates in Aceh Besar Prison escaped from their cells at dawn on Tuesday, the third escape from the jail this year.
Jantho Prison Warden Abdullah Arja said the inmates punched through the prison's roof and scaled the prison's wall with the help of a rope.
All were in prison for common crimes and none were former members of the rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
Abdullah said that out of the 17 inmates, 13 had been convicted while the remaining four were awaiting trial.
Only a few prison guards were on duty when the jail break occurred.
The escape was the third this year. Early in July, five inmates escaped the prison in two separate occassions. They are still at large. -- JP
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JP/4/SCENE Ex-conjoined twins return to East Aceh
MEDAN, North Sumatra: After recovering in hospital for a month, two formerly conjoined babies, Mariana and Mariani, were allowed to return home to East Aceh regency on Wednesday.
The release of the two babies was marked by an emotional ceremony at the Adam Malik Hospital, which was attended by family members, hospital staff and doctors.
Mariana and Mariani, 11-month-old girls joined at the abdomen and chest but who have separate internal organs, were successfully separated last month at the hospital. The surgery, which was carried out by 20 doctors, took five hours.
Hospital chief surgeon Guslihan Dasa Tjipta said that the babies were in good health and their weights were rising.
Mariana was now 7.8 kilograms while Mariani was 7.6 kg, he said. -- JP