'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
;JP;DJA; ANPAa..r.. Scene-PDI Perjuangan PDI Perjuangan aims for 40 percent vote in 2004 election JP/4/SCENE
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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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
;AP; ANPAa..r.. Scene-ship-Japan Japanese boat collides with Korean freighter while searching for JP/4/SCENE
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