Monument to be tourist site

Monument to be tourist site

BANDUNG: After years of neglect, the Bandung municipal
administration has decided to turn the Bandung Lautan Api
monument in Tegalega into a tourist destination.

The monument is currently packed by street vendors during the
day, while at night, the place is a hangout for sex workers
plying their trade.

"The monument is historic, so it must be preserved," said
Bandung mayor Dada Rosada after officiating a ceremony on
Wednesday commemorating the 58th anniversary of the Bandung
Lautan Api incursion.

The monument marks the battle between Dutch colonialists and
Bandung residents on March 23 and March 24, 1946. Local freedom
fighters, mostly youths, defended the city against invading Dutch
forces, although they were poorly equipped.

The Dutch burned Cimahi and Ujungberung to the ground after
forcing the Indonesian freedom fighters to retreat into the
surrounding forests. -- JP

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Across-dengue-doctor
One more dengue patient dies
JP/5/ACROSS

One more dengue patient dies

BALIKPAPAN, East Kalimantan: Another dengue fever patient
passed away at dawn on Wednesday, bringing the number of
fatalities in the province to 19.

Dita, 3, succumbed to the disease after receiving treatment at
Kanujoso Djatiwibowo hospital since Monday.

As with many other areas in Indonesia, the dengue fever
outbreak struck East Kalimantan province in January. A total of
1,029 people have been hospitalized, including the 19 who died.

Most dengue fever cases have occurred in three major cities in
the province -- the provincial capital of Samarinda, Bontang and
Balikpapan. -- JP

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Across-Cirebon-hunger
Students protest slow graft probe
JP/5/ACROSS

Students protest slow graft probe

CIREBON, West Java: Some 100 student activists staged a
protest on Wednesday in front of the Cirebon Prosecutor's Office,
condemning it for halting an investigation into the alleged
corruption involving 30 Cirebon councillors and Rp 997 million of
the municipal budget.

The protest also aimed to support two fellow students who had
sat a hunger strike since Tuesday at the same spot.

Bahrudin, who coordinated the protest, said the students were
protesting against the prosecutor's office for not handling the
graft case seriously.

Cirebon Prosecutor's Office head Suraini Dahlan denied the
accusation.

He claimed that the office had not halted the investigation,
but had only postponed it.

"The investigation into the case has been postponed until the
April 5 general election, as we fear that it could fuel tension
in the municipality," she said. -- JP
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Across-Bomb-Medan-mall
Medan bombs may be from Thailand
JP/5/ACROSS

Medan bombs may be from Thailand

MEDAN, North Sumatra: The high-explosive bombs discovered at a
shopping mall here early this month are believed to have been
stolen from an Thai government arsenal, a source has said.

"The bombs were made in the United States and are only found
in the U.S., Russia, Germany and France. They can produce
powerful blasts that could reach a radius of more than 5
kilometers," the source, who declined to be named, said on
Wednesday.

Agents of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are
involved in the investigation, the source said, adding that the
FBI had taken some of the evidence for testing in the U.S. to
uncover the make-up of the bombs.

The source said the U.S. had reportedly sold this particular
type of bombs to the Thai military, so the arsenal could have
been robbed. -- Antara