Thai fishermen invade RI waters
CIREBON, West Java: Indonesia loses about US$4 billion a year to illegal fishing by Thais, Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Rokhmin Dahuri says.
"Thai fishermen control nearly 80 percent of Indonesian waters using vessels that fly the Indonesian flag," Rokhmin told reporters on Saturday.
Data from his ministry shows that every year around 3,200 vessels flying the Indonesian flag enter the country's waters.
Next to Thailand, poachers come from the Philippines, Taiwan, China and South Korea.
Rokhmin said that Indonesia's vast ocean made it susceptible to foreign poachers. Last week the Navy captured two foreign vessels carrying crew members from Thailand.
Fish poaching remains rampant despite the government's tougher measures. The Navy has occasionally sunk fleeing foreign vessels. -- JP
;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. Scene-robbery-Kopassus Ex-soldier linked to bank robbery JP/4/SCENE
Ex-soldier linked to bank robbery
MEDAN, North Sumatra: Medan Police suspect a former member of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) played a role in a recent bank robbery that claimed three lives.
Maj. M. Ginting, a senior officer at Bukit Barisan Military Command overseeing the province, said on Saturday that he was informed by police that a sketch of one of the suspects resembled that of a soldier identified as Somson.
"However, the suspicion must be verified through further investigation by the police," Ginting said.
Police named four suspects in the robbery of the Lippo Bank branch office in Medan early this month. None of the suspects have been captured.
The robbers shot three security officers of the bank and took Rp 113 million. -- JP
;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. Scene-exam-students Millions to attend national exams JP/4/SCENE
Millions to attend national exams
JAKARTA: Around 4 million junior high school students nationwide begin national final examinations on Monday, a senior government official said.
Indra Djati Sidi, the director general for elementary and high school education at the Ministry of National Education, said on Sunday that three subjects, namely Indonesian, English and mathematics, would be mandatory during the exams.
The materials of the remaining subjects were made by the respective schools, Indra said.
Indra said students who failed the exams were eligible to repeat the tests one week after the final exams.
He said the government had spent Rp 217.5 billion for the examinations and was therefore no reason that schools should charge students to take the tests. -- Antara
;JP;ANTARA; ANPAa..r.. Scene-students-longmarch Protesters march on to Jakarta JP/4/scene
Protesters march on to Jakarta
BANDUNG: At least 300 people, mostly students, workers, farmers and fishermen from Bandung, West Java, continued on Saturday their long march to Jakarta, where they intend to stage a rally.
The demonstrators, who left Bandung -- about 120 km east of Jakarta -- on Thursday, planned to arrive in Jakarta on Wednesday.
After holding public speeches in Cianjur, mid-way between Bandung and Jakarta, the protesters edged toward the capital, carrying banners with messages deploring the administration of President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz, whom they called upon to resign.
They urged the government to reduce the prices of staple foods and bring corruptors to court.
A leader of the demonstration said the march aimed to commemorate the fifth year of the reform movement and the resignation of former president Soeharto.
They are expected to arrive in Jakarta on May 21, the day Soeharto stepped down five years ago following mass pro-reform rallies involving tens of thousands of people, mostly students.
In Jakarta, they will stage a demonstration in front of Istana Merdeka and the legislative assembly building. --Antara