JP/5/FOCUS
Fishermen tie up boats over fuel price hikes
JAMBI: Hundreds of fishermen here have tied up their boats as it has been uneconomic to go to sea since the government raised fuel prices on Oct. 1.
"The price of diesel is now too expensive," said Wahab, a fisherman in East Tanjungjabung regency.
Before the fuel price hikes on Oct. 1, the price of 200 liters of diesel was Rp 800,000, but now it stands at Rp 1.2 million. "The situation is very difficult," said Yanto, another fisherman in the regency.
The fishermen are considering seeking other forms of employment to support their families. -- JP
;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. Focus-Makassar-tap-water
JP/5/FOCUS
Ministers to attend water meeting
MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: Four ministers will attend a national meeting of state-owned water utilities in Makassar on Nov. 28. The ministers in question are Minister of Public Works Joko Kirmanto, Minister of Health Fadhillah Supari, Minister of Home Affairs Moh Ma'ruf and Minister of Finance Yusuf Anwar.
The national meeting will elect a chairman of the National Water Utility Association. It will also discuss the future development of water business in the country, said Gazali, the chairman of the meeting's organizing committee.
The meeting will also be attended by some 1,500 participants from 350 branches in state water utilities nationwide, said Gazali. -- Antara
;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. Focus-Mataram-birth
JP/5/FOCUS
Giving birth saver now than before
MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: Safety during birth has been on the rise in recent years as more births are attended to by trained medical professionals, a health official said on Saturday.
Up to 80 percent of births were now attended to by doctors or nurses, with the remainder being handled by midwives, said of Mataram health agency director Iftichar.
These figures were encouraging as they reflected better health awareness among people in the city, said Iftichar.
Previously, most births, especially in the countryside, were attended to by midwives. -- Antara
;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. Focus-Sumatra-Ranau-festival
JP/5/FOCUS
52 regions to attend Ranau Lake festival
PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Fifty-two regencies in the south of Sumatra island are set to participate in the Ranau Lake festival to be held in South Ogan Komering Hulu regency between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1.
Putra Jaya, the chairman of the festival's organizing committee, said the festival would feature rowing, beach volleyball, a kite competition and a motorcycle race, among other events.
The festival is aimed at promoting Ranau Lake and other tourism spots in the regency. It is also hoped that it will provide extra money for local residents from tourism. -- Antara
;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. Palu-focus-vaccine-anthrax
JP/5/FOCUS
Govt to distribute anthrax vaccines
PALU, Central Sulawesi: In a bid to stave off an anthrax outbreak, the Central Sulawesi Animal Husbandry Agency has distributed 10,000 anthrax vaccines to local governments across the province. The vaccines were distributed over the past few days after an anthrax outbreak occurred last week in the neighboring province of South Sulawesi province.
Anthrax had previously struck Central Sulawesi province in 1931 and again in the 1960s.
Central Sulawesi province is a major cattle producer in the eastern part of Indonesia, with some 1,000 cows exported to other regions annually, said Abdul Halim Madali, a senior official with the Central Sulawesi Animal Husbandry Agency. -- Antara