Mine clearing to begin in Ambon

Mine clearing to begin in Ambon

AMBON, Maluku: Soldiers are set to clean scores of land mines in
Sirimau district, outside the provincial capital of Ambon, that
were planted during the three-year sectarian clash.

Assigned to the mine clearing task is the North Sumatra Bukit
Barisan Arhanudse Battalion. Its commander, Col. Haris Sarjana,
said the area of Ahuru in Sirimau was infested with land mines.

"Based on an initial survey, there are plenty of land mines in
Ahuru, and many are still active," Haris said on Monday. "We're
not sure whether the land mines are those from the Indonesian
Military (TNI), or homemade devices."

Some 300 families used to live in Ahuru, but only a dozen now
remain. Residents fled Ahuru when clashes between Maluku's
Christian and Muslim communities broke out in 1999.

It is not clear who planted the mines, and detecting them was
difficult, Haris said. Much of Ahuru is covered in impenetrable
bush and high grass after four years of negligence.

Several soldiers had already been injured by mines, said
Haris, adding that Ahuru was now a closed area surrounded by a
number of military guardposts.

"We hope to start clearing the mines as soon as possible so
that Ahuru residents may return, and so that efforts to
reconstruct and rehabilitate their houses and infrastructure
could start," Haris said. -- Antara

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Across-Surabaya-councillor-polygamy
Polygamous councillor sentenced to jail
JP/ /Acros

Polygamous councillor sentenced to jail

SURABAYA, East Java: An East Java deputy council speaker from the
Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) faction was sentenced on
Monday to four months in jail by a local military court on
charges of fraud, carried out to enable him to take a second
wife.

The Surabaya military court granted councillor Col. Masduki,
54, a six-month probationary period, during which time he will
remain free, unless he commits another crime. Prosecutors
demanded a six-month jail term.

Masduki was found guilty of fraud, falsifying his identity to
marry 32-year-old Indah Sulistyowati in 1996. In his marriage
document, he used a false name and claimed to be an entrepreneur
whose wife had passed away.

Polygamy is not allowed for military personnel. Masduki was
already married to Linda Yun Aripurawanti, with whom he has three
children.

The illegal marriage went unnoticed for four years until March
2000, when Linda found out. Masduki chose to divorce Indah,
leaving her with two children, aged one and two.

Masduki's lawyers said they would respond to the court's
verdict within seven days. -- Antara

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Across-Semarang-motorcycle-thieves
Motorcycle thieves arrested
JP/ /Acros

Motorcycle thieves arrested

SEMARANG, Central Java: Police here arrested five alleged members
of a gang specializing in motorcycle thefts in the regencies of
Kudus and Jepara.

A joint team of the Kudus and Jepara police precincts raided
the suspects' hiding place in the village of Muryolobo in Jepara,
said Kudus police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bimo Anggoro Seno on
Monday. He said that along with the five suspects, police seized
seven motorcycles.

One of the suspects, 36-year-old Kasnan, is a village
official. The three others -- Suntono, 26, Jamal, 28, and Safii,
21 -- are his neighbors. The fifth suspect, Maskan, 28, is a
resident of Bandeng Rejo village in Jepara regency, Bambang said.

"We are continuing to investigate the case. With the seven
motorcycles as evidence, we hope the investigation can uncover
other, similar crimes in several areas," he said. -- Antara

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Across-Batam-short-water
Batam running short of water
JP/ /Acros

Batam running short of water

BATAM, Riau Islands: A local water company warned that drought
might hit the industrial island of Batam, as water catchment
areas were shrinking, giving way to business complexes.

Director of water company PT Adhya Tirta Batam Piter Robin
said on Monday that the water level in several reservoirs had
dropped despite continued rainfall.

"The rain water does not flow into the reservoirs because
forests have been felled to give way for business complexes," he
said.

Consequently, Adhya Tirta was unable to increase its supply to
meet the rising demand for water, Piter explained.

Batam's population is growing fast, as migrants flock to the
industrial island, lured by its fast-expanding economy.

For the past few days, however, Adhya Tirta has been unable to
meet the water demand in several areas on the island. As a
result, its customers had to purchase bottled water or rely on
their own water tanks to meet their needs. -- Antara