'RRI' to have new board of directors

'RRI' to have new board of directors

JAKARTA: State-owned Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) will have
a new board of directors soon, pending a decision by State
Minister for State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi.

"We have been making preparations for the changes and waiting
for the minister's decision," Laksamana's deputy assistant for
telecommunications, Jarman, said on Sunday.

Jarman said that the government had conducted selection tests
for 20 managerial staff to fill in the five director's seats.

"Candidates who are over 55 will be excluded from the
selection process," he said.

The government is continuing to overhaul state-owned
companies, including RRI and TVRI station, which followed their
recent change in status to semi-profit-oriented companies.

A new board of directors was appointed for TVRI two months
ago. -- Antara

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Scene-PDI Perjuangan
PDI Perjuangan aims for 40 percent vote in 2004 election
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PDI Perjuangan aiming for 40 percent vote in 2004 election

YOGYAKARTA: The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) is aiming for 40 percent of the total vote in the
2004 direct election.

"Although we only have 33 percent of the vote, but we are
basing our calculations on an increase to 40 percent in the
coming election," senior party member Soetardjo Soeryoguritno
said on Sunday.

He said that party executives were confident of achieving the
target given the level of public participation in events
organized by the country's largest political party.

For the first ever direct presidential election in 2004, the
PDI Perjuangan has appointed the incumbent President Megawati
Soekarnoputri as the presidential candidate.

In the latest survey conducted by local research agency,
Megawati was less popular than her own security minister Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono.

According to the survey, Megawati's arroval rating was only 7
percent compared to 22 percent last year. -- Antara

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Scene-earthquake-Bali
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Moderate earthquake jolts Bali

DENPASAR, Bali: A moderate earthquake jolted Bali on Sunday,
but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, the
Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1, was centered
33 kilometers beneath the Indian Ocean, about 44 kilometers south
of the provincial capital of Denpasar, said Yusuf, an agency
official. It struck the famous tourist island at 1:39 p.m., he
said.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because of its location in the
Pacific "Ring of Fire," where seismic activity is frequent.

The earthquake hit as Asian and European finance ministers
concluded two days of talks in Bali on ways to foster Asian bond
markets. -- AP

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Scene-ship-Japan
Japanese boat collides with Korean freighter while searching for
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Japanese boat collides with Korean freighter

TOKYO: A Japanese patrol boat searching for missing sailors
collided with a South Korean freighter off southern Japan on
Sunday, leaving a Japanese crewman slightly injured, officials
said.

All 16 crewmen from the 499-ton Karashima were rescued after
the ship was damaged in the collision off the coast of Fukuoka
prefecture, about 900 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, said Japan
Coast Guard spokesman Tetsuya Okazaki.

The Japanese ship's engineer, 56-year-old Mitsuo Hatakeyama,
sustained minor head and back injuries.

The Korean freighter Korex Kunsan's 13-member crew -- 10 South
Koreans and three Indonesians -- were unhurt, and the 4,044-ton
freighter with a cargo of steel coils was intact, Okazaki said.

Coast guard officials were investigating the cause of the
accident, Okazaki said, adding that the visibility was poor at
the time due to heavy fog. -- AP