Malaysia deports more RI workers

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: Malaysia deported 336 more illegal workers from Indonesia last week, an Indonesian official said here on Saturday.

The workers, sent home from the Malaysian town of Tawao, arrived in Parepare, north of Makassar, on Nov. 18, port spokesman Darwis Astonius said.

The decision to expel the 336 to Parepare, one of Indonesia's closest spots to Malaysia, was the second, following a similar step to deport 670 illegal workers from Indonesia a few weeks ago.

Most of the illegal workers were from West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara provinces, he said.

He added that the others came from East Kalimantan, East Java and South Sulawesi provinces.

Most had already returned to their hometowns and the others were staying at a recruitment center in Parepare, Darwis said.

The illegal workers, who had failed to equip themselves with sufficient legal documentation while in Malaysia, had been detained before they were sent home, he said.

The higher salaries attainable in neighboring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia attract Indonesians to work there. -- Antara

;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. Across-Maluku-SKorea-boat South Korea donates 8 boats to RI JP/5/ACROSS

South Korea donates 8 boats to RI

AMBON, Maluku: The government of South Korea has donated eight second-hand boats to Indonesia, following a bilateral agreement signed by both countries recently.

Four boats arrived in Maluku on Nov. 17, and four more would be dispatched from Korea to Maluku immediately, an official said.

Aji Sularso, a secretary to the director of fisheries at the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, said that the speed of the boats was 8 knots to 9 knots on average, and all were less than 10 years old.

Aji said that the boats had been given to the Indonesian government as part of a restructuring program for the fishing fleet owned by the South Korean government.

According to Aji, six boats would be used for fishing while the two others would function as training and maritime research vessels.

The Indonesian government would establish a company to operate the six boats and the fishing revenue they generated would pass to state coffers, he said. -- JP

;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. Across-Mataram-thunderbolt Thunderbolt kills one family in Lombok JP/5/ACROSS

Lightning kills four in Lombok

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: Four people, all from the same family, were killed and two others injured after being struck by lightning in the West Nusa Tenggara village, Rarang.

Three of the four killed were the children of Mahsun: Yunus Gozali, 37, Syawaludin, 35 and Inaq Sumiyati, 30.

The fourth to die was Mahnim, the son-in-law of Mahsun.

Lightning also left two other people injured, namely Juminggah and Loq Udin, but it was unclear if they were also members of the extended family of Mahsun.

The accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon, when the six people were clearing grass in their paddy field, according to Muchsan, an official with the village administration.

They ran to a nearby hut when rain began to fall in the area. Suddenly, the hut was struck by lightning, which killed the four and injured the two others. -- Antara

;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. Across-Bali-Megawati

JP/5/BOAT

Megawati to donate rescue boat

DENPASAR, Bali: President Megawati Soekarnoputri is slated to give a 22-meter rescue boat to the Bali search and rescue (SAR) team in order to help the body to perform its daily tasks.

"The proposed donation was conveyed recently by Minister of Communications Agum Gumelar," said chairman of SAR Bali I Ketut Parwa.

The boat will be handed over by the government to the SAR body in December this year.

Parwa did not provide details on the boat, simply that it was sophisticated. He said that five members of SAR Bali would be dispatched immediately to Jakarta, to learn how to operate it.

Parwa said that Megawati promised the boat after she learned that the SAR team had limited equipment for rescuing people who went missing in Bali waters.

He said Megawati was impressed when the SAR team rescued one of two participants of the jet ski world championship event Bali International Offshore 2002 who went missing during the function in January last year, despite limited equipment.

The SAR team had no dedicated boat for search and rescue purposes. -- Antara