JP/5/akros

JP/5/akros

Villagers urged to be on alert

LUMAJANG, East Java: Volcanologist Atje Purbawinata has urged
residents of Wareng and Tegalrejo villages in Lumajang regency,
East Java to be on alert for possible mud flows from volcano
Mount Semeru.

Purbawinata reminded residents on Saturday that the two
villages were located along the path of a nearby river from which
the cooled lava would move toward the sea.

He added that the increasing activity of Mount Semeru had
created sedimentation of cold lava which result in mudslides.

Purbawinata warned that if heavy rains dislodged the
sedimentation, the cold lava would slide through a path that
would possibly hit the two villages.

He called on residents in the two villages to be ready to
evacuate if necessary. - Antara

Illegal timber seized from sawmills

SEMARANG, Central Java: Police authorities have confiscated
dozens of cubic meters of teak from two sawmill companies during
a series of raids.

Central Java Police chief Sr. Comr. Noer Ali said on Saturday
that police had also seized a truck carrying logs from
Tasikmalaya in West Java to Jepara, Central Java.

During the raid, police also confiscated 378 pieces of teak
and 33 logs from a sawmill in the district of Ngaliyan, Semarang.

Police officials said they had questioned the owners of the
sawmill companies and seized their business permit. Police will
soon summon the owners of the logs for investigation.

Noer added that the operation to eradicate an illegal log
syndicate would continue and police plan to check intercity
trucks. -- Antara

Dengue claims 37 lives in South Sulawesi

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: At least 37 people in South Sulawesi
died of dengue fever in 2002, while 2,264 others were afflicted,
an official said.

Head of South Sulawesi's disease eradication unit Muchlis
Manguluang said on Saturday that the dengue epidemic in 2002,
however, was not as bad as that of 2001.

He said 74 people of 3,810 people treated for dengue died in
2001.

The decrease in the number of fatalities indicated an
improving awareness of the people for the need for sanitation and
treatment.

Of the 24 regencies in South Sulawesi, six regencies reported
cases of dengue. -- Antara

Remote villages to have road access

BENGKULU: The Bengkulu provincial administration will build a
24-kilometer road and three bridges to help farmers market their
commodities.

Head of Bengkulu resettlement and infrastructure office
Sarimuda said on Saturday that the project would cost about Rp 12
billion.

Local military personnel and residents are to participate in
constructing the road and bridges.

The road connects two remote districts Seginim and Kedurang in
South Bengkulu and is expected to boost the economy of those two
villages.

The road passes through thousands of hectares of coffee
farmland belonging to local people. At present, people use boats
to transport their commodities. --Antara

Bali allots Rp 800m to combat AIDS

DENPASAR: The Bali provincial administration has provided Rp
800 million for its AIDS eradication program in Bali in 2003, an
official said.

The figure is slightly higher than that of last year which
stood at Rp 750 million, Deputy Bali Governor I Gusti Bagus Alit
Putra, said here on Saturday.

Some Rp 300 million of the figure will go for a blood
screening project which will be carried out by the Indonesian Red
Cross (PMI), said Alit who is also chairman of the provincial
AIDS Eradication Committee (KPAD).

Meanwhile, a member of KPAD's management board, Tuti Parwati
said, the number of people with AIDS in Bali had increased from
233 last December to 251 early this year.

In terms of the number of people with AIDS, Bali was the sixth
largest after the provinces of Jakarta, Papua, Riau, West Java
and East Java last month.

Most of the patients are migrants from outside Bali including
foreigners, she said.

Twenty-one of those with AIDS are foreigners who stay in Bali,
she said adding that six of them have already left Bali.

The eradication of AIDS in Bali is an urgent program as the
island is Indonesia's foremost resort destination, she said.
--Antara