UNIC, ICWA to hold terrorism dialog

UNIC, ICWA to hold terrorism dialog

JAKARTA: In the aftermath of the terrorist attack which killed
more than 190 civilians in Bali on Oct. 12, the United Nations
Information Centre (UNIC) in cooperation with the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian Council on World Affairs
(ICWA), will organize a special discussion on terrorism entitled
Shared Responsibilities in Combating Terrorism: Post Bali
Tragedy, the dialog is scheduled to take place on Tuesday at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central Jakarta.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra will
present a keynote speech, while former foreign minister Ali
Alatas will moderate the discussion featuring scholars Abdul
Ghani Abdullah, Pande Raja Silalahi, Juwono Sudarsono and Alwi
Shihab.

Some 300 participants are expected to participate in the
event.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Oct. 14
condemning the attack on Bali and urged all states and
international institutions to work with the Indonesian
authorities to bring those responsible to justice. -- Antara

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House further delays talks on Akbar
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House further delays talks on Akbar

JAKARTA: The House of Representatives has again failed to set
a date for a plenary meeting to debate a motion demanding the
suspension of speaker Akbar Tandjung.

The House steering committee announced after a more than two-
hour closed-door meeting on Thursday that the issue was left to
the House leadership to decide.

Deputy House speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno who presided
over the meeting said a number of articles in the House internal
rules implied that any motion lodged by a group of legislators
had to go through discussion among leaders of the law-making
body.

A House plenary session in August tasked the steering
committee with discussing the feasibility of a plenary session to
debate the motion, which was proposed by 79 legislators.

The signatories of the motion recently increased to over 100,
thanks in part to the participation of several legislators from
Golkar, the political party Akbar chairs.

Pressures have increased against Akbar to stay out of the
House affairs pending a definite court verdict on his graft case.
The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced him to three years
in jail, but he escaped detention by appealing.

Soetardjo of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle said a leadership meeting would be
held very soon in response to the steering committee's request.
-- Antara

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Stranded migrants demand certainty
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Stranded migrants demand certainty

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: Dozens of Middle Eastern asylum-
seekers stranded on the island of Lombok continued to protest the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) here over
uncertain arrangements of their move to a third country.

Head of the IOM office for Bali and Nusa Tenggara Yong Lay
Kong said the rally had reached its fourth day, but no incidents
had marred it.

Yong said officials from the Jakarta office of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) would arrive on Nov. 17 to
speak with the migrants, who have fled oppression in their
countries in order to live in a Western country.

The foreigners have been stuck in Mataram for over a year
after their journeys, mostly illegal attempts to get into
Australia, were foiled.

"Both UNHCR and IOM are trying to find a third country willing
to accept them. We give those who refuse repatriation time to
find a new country of residence," Yong said. -- Antara

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Unpatented investions cost RI a lot
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Unpatented inventions cost RI a lot

PEKANBARU, Riau: Research and Technology Minister Hatta Rajasa
said Indonesia had lost billions of US dollars because of its
failure to patent inventions.

To enable people to patent their inventions, the government
has formed centers of intellectual property rights in 26 of the
country's 30 provinces, he said after opening a national
symposium on intellectual property rights here on Thursday.

He said since the patent law was enacted in 2000 the number of
people registering their inventions at patent offices increased.

Until 2001, around 400 people registered their inventions at
patent offices across the country, he said.

He said the government had so far provided incentives totaling
Rp 5 million for each small or medium enterprise to complete
their inventions.

The minister underscored the law on intellectual property
rights to protect and ensure legal certainty to inventors. --
Antara