Kupang councillor's residence stoned
Kupang councillor's residence stoned
KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Unidentified vandals hurled stones at the official residence of deputy chairman of the Kupang city council, Edwin, early on Thursday.
Edwin, also chairman of the Kupang branch of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), reported the case to the Kupang police on the same day.
First Insp. Tommy Wila Huki, deputy head of the Kupang police detectives unit, said Edwin's house had been stoned by unknown rogues, who fled on a motorbike as the councillor rushed out.
Tommy added that two men appeared on a motorbike ten minutes later, claiming to have been called by someone to check into the incident at the residence.
"The license number of both men's motorcycles can serve as evidence, but we still have to look for more clues to find the perpetrator of this crime," Tommy concluded. -- Antara
;JP; ANPAa..r.. Across-Banjarmasin-water Big hotel allegedly steals water JP/5/across28
Big hotel allegedly steals water
BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: The tap water company (PDAM) in Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan, has reported the management of star-rated Hotel Arum Kalimantan to the local police for alleged theft of water over the last three months.
PDAM Banjarmasin Director Zainal Arifin confirmed the report on Thursday by saying that the largest international hotel in the province had used the company's supply by breaking seals and cables that fastened the water gauge.
"The company suffered losses worth hundreds of millions of rupiah, and although the hotel has paid a fine and its bill is cumulative, the complaint lodged with the police has not been withdrawn to allow for further examination," he said.
Meanwhile, a hotel manager, Akhmad Rajuddin, denied the allegation and insisted that the seals had been inadvertently damaged when hotel workers tried to repair clogged water pipes without reporting to PDAM. -- JP
;Antara; ANPAa..r.. Across-Palu-illiterate 40,000 people in C. Sulawesi illiterate JP/5/across28
40,000 people in C. Sulawesi illiterate
PALU, Central Sulawesi: At least 40,000 people between the ages of 10 to 45 of eight regencies in Central Sulawesi are illiterate, the provincial education office in Palu revealed.
Uhra Lamaraunda, head of the office, said in Palu on Thursday that except in the provincial capital, the illiterate citizens were distributed almost evenly across the regencies of Donggala, Poso, Banggai, Tolitoli, Morowali, Buol, the Banggai Islands and Parigi Moutong.
She attributed the high rate of illiteracy to the unfavorable geographic conditions of Central Sulawesi and the recall of most of the teaching personnel assigned to the region.
With a budget allocation of around Rp 2 billion, Lamaraunda said the office had set a target of 3,800 people in their 2003 literacy program, through a new method of community participation, aside from the conventional teaching method. -- Antara
;Antara; ANPAa..r.. Across-Kupang-planning Int'l agencies support family planning JP/5/across28
Int'l agencies support family planning
KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Four international agencies are providing aid to support the implementation of family planning and population programs in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) thus year, the provincial planned parenthood board has announced in Palu.
The international agencies involved are the UN Family Planning and Population Agency (UNFPA), Australia's aid agency AUSAID, America's USAID and Germany's JTZ, which make available contraceptives to family planning participants in the region.
UNFPA, which last year also provided aid to NTT, guaranteed a supply of pills and injection ampules for the first quarter of this year, in view of the many dropouts among users of the two methods.
According to the provincial planned parenthood coordinating board (BKKBN) in Kupang, the foreign agencies extend their aid to the region in connection with the implementation of decentralization and regional autonomy, in which the central BKKBN delegates its authority to regional offices. --Antara