Jambi to close 200 sawmills

Jambi to close 200 sawmills

JAMBI: The Jambi Provincial Police will launch an operation to
close about 200 sawmills which are operating illegally in the
province, a local police official said.

"The Provincial Police, in cooperation with the local forestry
ministry office and the government prosecutor's office, will
deploy hundreds of personnel to stop the widespread illegal
logging and raid sawmills operating illegally near forests and in
the city," Sr. Comr. Kurniawan, chief of the Provincial Police's
detective department, said here on Thursday.

He said illegal sawmills would be seized and their owners
taken to court.

"The police will not only arrest temporary workers or
villagers hired to steal timber from the forest, but also track
down the sawmill owners who are behind illegal logging," he said.

Jambi authorities have come under fire for rife illegal
logging in the vast Kerinci Seblat National Park in the province
and in West Sumatra. --Antara

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Across-Kendari-probe
Police to probe regent's fake diploma
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Police to probe regent's fake diploma

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: The Southeast Sulawesi Provincial
Police will look into a local non-governmental organization's
(NGO) claim that Muna Regent Ridwan's high school diploma was not
genuine.

"The investigation into the case is a must since the case has
drawn public attention," Brig. Gen. Indarto, chief of the
Provincial Police said here on Thursday.

The Regional Autonomy Study Foundation's report to police
disclosed evidence that Ridwan, who won the regent election last
year, used a phony high school diploma to meet preliminary
requirements for his candidacy.

Separately, Ridwan denied the foundation's report and said he
was ready to undergo police investigation.

"I have hired a lawyer to accompany me in facing the case. And
I will sue the foundation's management if the police find the
report to be untrue," he said. --Antara

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Across-Aceh-rally
Acehnese students rally for education
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Acehnese students rally for education

BANDA ACEH: More than a hundred students staged a
demonstration in the city on Thursday, calling on the government
to save the education program that has been disrupted by the
prolonged conflict in the province over the last ten months.

The demonstrators said the local government should repair
hundreds of school buildings that have been burned down during
the conflict.

"Aceh will be facing a lost generation in the next two decades
unless the damaged schools are repaired and children are
encouraged to go to school," said a demonstrator.

According to data at the local administration, 400 school
buildings were burned down and 70,000 students had to stop
studying because of the prolonged conflict.

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Across-Ambon-refugees
Refugees return to Buru Island
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Refugees return to Buru Island

AMBON, Maluku: About 50 refugees from Buru Island have gone
home following calm and peace returning to the island.

Josephus Salasiwa, the coordinator of refugees on the island,
said the refugees came back in groups and everyone would be
sheltered in several camps and churches until their houses which
were burned down are rebuilt.

He applauded the religious tolerance among different groups
with the hope that each person would maintain harmony among the
different races.

"The former refugees will be resettled in certain areas in the
village to begin a new life after their possessions were
destroyed or damaged," he said. --Antara

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Across-Batam-workers
Batam workers demand 30% wage hike
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Batam workers demand 30% wage hike

BATAM, Riau: Workers on industry bonded Batam island proposed
an increase of 30 percent to their minimum wage in the 2002
fiscal year.

Netty Herawaty, the chairwoman of the local chapter of the
Federation of All-Indonesia Workers Union, said the local
administration should increase the regional minimum wage by at
least 30 percent to Rp 700,000 from the current Rp 510,000 to
meet workers' basic needs.

"The workers' welfare on the island will remain in a bad
position as long as the local government maintains the current
remuneration system and does not control the price of basic
commodities," she said here on Thursday.

Netty warned that labor conditions would remain poor unless
the local administration and the investors made a commitment to
improve the workers' social welfare.

She said many workers had become prostitutes at hotels and on
the street for additional income. --Antara

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Across-Cirebon-firecrackers
Police seize firecrackers
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Police seize firecrackers

CIREBON, West Java: Cirebon Police seized hundreds of
thousands of firecrackers bound for the Central Java market and
arrested one man for further investigation.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Ricardo Hutauruk, the chief of the police, said
the suspect, Sukron, who was transporting the firecrackers from
Indramayu, admitted that he bought the banned goods from someone
who produces firecrackers.

"The police will go to Indramayu to check on the person who
the suspect bought the firecrackers from," he said.

He said the case would be investigated thoroughly and the
suspect would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law to
serve as a lesson for traders and producers of fireworks.

Firecrackers used during the annual fasting month of Ramadhan
are barred from trade because they fall under the category of
explosives. --Antara