Semarang-Solo rail service starts

Semarang-Solo rail service starts

SEMARANG, Central Java: A new express train service was
launched Thursday serving the Semarang-Solo route, the state-
owned Indonesian Railway Company (PT KAI) said.

The service, named the Pandanwangi Express, has a capacity of
128 passengers and will ply the route twice daily, leaving
Semarang at 8:10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and departing from Solo at 6
a.m. and 1 p.m. The train will not stop at small stations along
the route.

It will take two hours to travel the 120 kilometers between
the two Central Java cities.

Central Java Governor Mardiyanto, who was present at the
service's launching, said the new service would help reduce high
traffic volumes on the main roads linking Salatiga, Bawen and
Ungaran.

PT KAI regional director Sujudi Sumadilaga said that the new
train was part of a comprehensive plan to link up major Central
Java cities by rail.

Existing rail services include the Semarang-Tegal route, which
is served by the Kaligung train, and the Solo-Yogya route served
by the Prambanan Express.

--JP

Theys' supporters hold rally in Jayapura

JAYAPURA, Papua: Thousands of supporters of the slain Papuan
independence fighter Theys Hiyo Eluay held a rally at the
provincial legislature here on Thursday.

The protesters, led by university students, first marched the
15 kilometers from Abepura to the legislature shouting slogans
voicing their rejection of the findings of the government-
sponsored National Investigation Commission.

Carrying a mock coffin covered by a black cloth and a cross,
the protesters said the commission had failed to fully probe the
case.

The march brought traffic between Abepura and Jayapura to a
standstill.

--Antara

Police nabbed in marijuana raid

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Four members of the police's elite
Mobile Brigade were detained for possessing 160 kilograms of
dried marijuana during a raid in Tanah Karo regency, North
Sumatra.

North Sumatra Police spokesman Amrin Karim said the four
officers were apprehended on Wednesday as the police conducted a
regular check on motorists coming from Aceh.

Besides the marijuana, the police also confiscated four
pistols and the car being used by the four detained officers.

Separately, police seized 5.5 kilograms of dried marijuana
from a house in Belawan and detained six people suspected of
dealing in the drug.

-- Antara

Batam taxi drivers threaten to stage strike

BATAM, Riau: Taxi drivers here plan to stage a strike in
protest against a new ruling that requires them to use meters.

"We will reject the new ruling requiring taxis to use meters
until the government fulfills its promise to act resolutely
against illegal taxis," said a taxi driver.

A number of taxi drivers made similar statements on a local
radio program broadcast to Riau, Singapore and Malaysia.

Hundreds of illegal taxis operate on the island.

Batam Land Transportation Agency director Yusron Roni has said
that his agency would gradually eliminate illegal taxis from the
island.

-- Antara

Orangutans suffering from Hepatitis B

PALANGKA RAYA, Central Kalimantan: Scores of orangutans at the
Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Center, some 30 kilometers from the
Central Kalimantan provincial capital, Palangka Raya, have
contracted the Hepatitis B virus, a government official said on
Thursday.

Central Kalimantan Animal Husbandry Office deputy chief Burhan
Abdullah said that the Hepatitis B virus was different from that
normally found in human beings, but was contagious and could
infect human beings as well.

According to Burhan, this form of Hepatitis B could infect
humans through orangutan feces and saliva.

He called on those who keep orangutans as pets to bring them
to the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Center to avoid the disease
from spreading.

Meanwhile, the director of the regional health office, Tukik
B. Toemon, said that although there were not many people
suffering from Hepatitis B in Central Kalimantan, the government
had nevertheless anticipated the problem by vaccinating children
under five years old.

"We are not administering the vaccine to adults due to our
limited budget," he said.

The Central Kalimantan Nature Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has
been conducting raids to seek out orangutans in captivity since
the beginning of this month to save the species from the threat
of extinction.

"People who keep these endangered animals can be locked up for
10 years or fined up to Rp 100 million," BKSDA spokesman Nurani
said. --Antara