Two security officials leave for S'pore

JAKARTA: Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto left for Singapore on Wednesday morning for talks on combating terrorism.

On Sept. 30, Gen. Endriartono Sutarto received Singapore's Security and Intelligence Director Brig. Gen. Shing Kwok at the Indonesian Military Headquarters in Cilangkap, Jakarta.

During the meeting, the two officials agreed to fight terrorism and promised that intelligence agencies from both countries would cooperate and exchange information in this effort.

Reliable sources in Jakarta said that during the visit of the security minister and military commander to Singapore, they would discuss ways to combat terrorism with their counterparts in the island republic. --Antara

Six Thai fishermen to stand trial

ACEH SINGKIL, Aceh: Six Thai fishermen will stand trial at the Singkil District Court, Aceh Singkil regency, for illegally fishing in the regency's waters last August.

The six are the skippers and engine chiefs of the three vessels that illegally entered Aceh's waters, carrying 41 crew members. The suspects are now in police custody at the Singkil detention house.

Two other Thai fishermen are now serving nine-month jail terms for similar violations. The skipper and mechanic were arrested in January 2002 illegally fishing in Aceh's waters.

Aceh councillor Pogek Bancin said on Wednesday illegal fishing by foreign fishermen harmed Acehnese fishermen, and the foreign- flagged boats confiscated by the court should be given to the local fishermen as compensation. --Antara

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Severe drought hits regencies in Bali

DENPASAR, Bali: Nearly 2,000 hectares of farmland in Bali has been hit by a drought following a long dry season, while 200 hectares of paddy could not be harvested because of the lack of water.

The head of the province's agriculture office, Dewa Suarta, said the regencies most badly affected by the drought included Tabanan, Jimbaran and Buleleng.

"We cannot estimate the percentage that agricultural output will decline (because of the drought)," Suarta said.

Tabanan is known as the "rice bowl" for the province. Unlike dry seasons of the past, this year's season has caused severe drought in the regency. --Antara

Haze blankets Pekanbaru

PEKANBARU, Riau: Though the fires in the province have been put out, a light haze continued to blank Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The haze did not affect the daily activities of residents or flights at the airport, but did force some motorists off the roads.

"If you ride on a motorcycle, your eyes will sting and you will be gasping for breath," said a resident, M. Amin.

The head of Riau's forestry office, Fauzi Saleh, said the haze likely was caused by fires in the neighboring provinces of Jambi, South Sumatra and areas of Kalimantan.

Based on the monitoring of the NOAA satellite, Fauzi confirmed that there were no more hotspots in Riau.

According to the Air Pollution Standard Index, the air quality in Riau on Wednesday was medium, while the past two days the air quality was good. --Antara.

Phony oil found in Palu

PALU, Central Sulawesi: The police in Palu have seized 120 liters of phony lubrication being sold by two distributors in the city.

"The phony oil was confiscated from warehouses belonging to people identified as As and Tom on Jl. Kiai Maja on Tuesday evening," said the chief of the police's detective unit, Comr. Adhi Saputra, on Wednesday.

Both men are in police detention awaiting further questioning.

Saputra said the oil would be tested by the forensic laboratory in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The head of Pertamina oil and gas company's office in Palu, Suhartoto, said he was unaware of the case. But he called on the police to launch a full inquiry into the matter. --Antara

Nine soldiers dismissed in Kupang

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: The Kupang Military District will dismiss nine soldiers charged with misconduct and involvement in criminal activities, including lying, torture and the illegal use of firearms.

Capt. Longginus Lelo, the spokesman for the military district, said the dismissals would be carried out by Kupang Military District chief Col. Moeswarno Moesanip during a ceremony here on Monday.

The dismissals are, according to the spokesman, meant to show the public that the Indonesian Military (TNI) does not protect "naughty" soldiers.

According to Longginus, the dismissed soldiers would also be facing legal action, a sign, according to the spokesman, of the TNI's commitment to law enforcement.

The nine soldiers were identified as Sgt. Sumarwoto, Sgt. Mahmudi, Sgt. Meliantus Tefa, Sgt. Manuel Soares, Pvt. Joao Francisco Fraga, Pvt. Adelimo Freitas, Pvt. Ramli, Pvt. Simeon Blegur and Pvt. Felis Fernandes. --Antara Batam produces 500 tons of waste per day

BATAM, Riau: The island of Batam, home to nearly 500,000 people and more than 5,000 industrial businesses, produces an average of 500 tons of waste per day.

Head of the local health and sanitation office, Syamsuar, said the waste comprised organic and inorganic materials.

To deal with the waste problem, Syamsuar said the city planned to set up a wastewater plant to recycle the waste into fertilizers and water.

"Around October 2002, PT Riau Pupuk Bio will begin developing the plant on the island. The factory is expected to be able to process at least 180 tons of waste per day," he said.

The construction of the plant will be good news for the city, which has been facing increasing protests from residents upset about the waste problem.

Batam residents are particularly upset that the sanitation department usually picks up waste from housing complexes only every four or five days. --Antara

Drought hits Cirebon, Kuningan

CIREBON, West Java: A prolonged drought has affected the tap water supply to households in Cirebon and Kuningan regencies.

The tap water companies in the two regencies said customers were only able to receive water in rotation because of the drastic decrease in water supplies.

"Over the last two months, the water supply has decreased to about 60 liters per second from 100 liters per second from our water sources in Cikalahang in Cirebon regency," Ade Kusnindar, spokesman for the tap water company in Cirebon, said on Wednesday.

Setyawan Rukmana, president of the tap water company in Kuningan, confirmed that 50 percent of the 19,000 tap water customers in the regency could no longer receive water from the company.

"This has caused material losses to the company, and so far the local administration has yet to take the necessary measures to find new water sources for the company," he said. --JP