Thu, 20 Sep 2001

Students' trial turns chaotic

JAKARTA (JP): The trial of two student activists in South Jakarta District Court turned chaotic as the defendants and their lawyers walked out after the presiding judge banned the students' supporters from entering the tightly guarded courtroom.

The incident happened shortly after presiding judge Abdul Majid Rahmi opened the trial of Mixil Mina Munir, 22, and Arif Wardoyo, 25, who are charged with provoking violent demonstrations against the fuel price hike last June.

Outside the courtroom, a fierce exchange took place between about 200 students and dozens of police officers.

Meanwhile, lawyers Mangapul Silalahi, Laka Dodo, Aris Setiono and Reinhard went upstairs to the second floor of the court building to meet the court chief, Lalu Mariyun. However, they were blocked by a number of police officers, who later hit the lawyers as they insisted on seeing the judge.(04)

;JP;21; ANPAj..r.. Focus-Bogor-Robbery Police capture burglars JP/3/FOCUS32

Police capture burglars

BOGOR (JP): Three out of seven burglars who robbed four Arabs, after tying them up at a house in the village of Teladan, Cisaru district last Thursday, have been captured by police.

The suspects were arrested on Monday.

The other suspects are still at large.

They made off with Rp 10 million (US$945), $4,000, Rial 41,000 worth of cash, two mobile phones and one Toyota Kijang car.

The robbery occurred at dawn on Thursday, when the alleged burglars jumped the wall of Panorama villa, tied down four Arab nationals before robbing their valuables.

The victims were identified as Kholifah, Ibrahim, Achmad and Abbdul Waduud.(21)

;JP;JUN; ANPAj..r.. Focus-prostitution-fund Rp 8b fund questioned JP/3/FOCUS3

Rp 8b fund questioned

JAKARTA (JP): The City Council has questioned the release of an Rp 8 billion (US$888,888) fund which was reportedly to be used by the North Jakarta Mayoralty for the removal of 12 brothels and the clearance of the land in the Kramat Tunggak former red-light area, North Jakarta.

Councillor Tubagus Sofyan of the council's Commission E for social welfare affairs said some councillors visited the location and could not find the 12 brothels.

"We only found four former brothels which we already knew existed," Tubagus of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) said Monday.

He said the administration allocated Rp 74 billion for the clearance of 240 brothels in the prostitution complex which was officially closed two years ago. The mayoralty earlier demanded an additional fund of Rp 8 billion for clearance of the 12 brothels.(jun)

;JP;YAN; ANPAj..r.. Focus-arts-Sukarno Sukarno exhibition extended JP/3/FOCUS4

Sukarno exhibition extended

JAKARTA (JP): The huge number of visitors at the Sukarno art collection exhibition has forced the organizers to extend the event by one month to Oct. 15.

A release from the organizers said the number of visitors had reached 150,000 since the opening on Aug. 14 by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Sukarno's oldest daughter.

The exhibition, which is being held at Gedung Pola on Jl. Proklamasi 56, Central Jakarta, is displaying some of Sukarno's collection, including paintings, batik, statues, Chinese ceramics, kris, photographs of Sukarno at various events and drafts of his speeches.

The event is part of the centennial commemoration of the birth Sukarno, country's founding father, who was born on June 6, 1901.

Gedung Pola was Sukarno's house where he and former vice president Muhammad Hatta declared Indonesia's independence on Aug. 17, 1945. (yan)