Unicef to send medical aid to Papua

JAYAPURA, Papua: The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) will provide medical equipment for health clinics and public health centers in Papua, as well as organizing health seminars for locals.

The aid comes after studies found that the health of mothers and children in the province is the worst in the country.

The head of Unicef's country representative office, Steven Allen, said over the weekend that every year at least 5,000 of about 60,000 newborns in Papua died before they reached the age of one, and 7,000 before the age of five.

According to Allen, most children in Papua, the country's easternmost province, died of malaria and respiratory diseases.

Allen based his statements on his office's studies in Jayapura, Biak Numfor, Sorong and Manokwawri regencies.

He did not reveal the total value of the assistance to be given to Papua health clinics and public health centers, or when his office would begin organizing health seminars for the locals. --Antara

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NSK to review fellowship program

JAKARTA: The Japanese Newspapers and Publishers Association (NSK) is planning to review its fellowship program for foreign journalists, including journalists from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an NSK spokesman said.

NSK international manager Ryuta Araki told a gathering here on Saturday that Japan was still in the grip of economic crisis.

Responding to Araki's statement, Indonesian Journalists Association chairman Tarman Azam said the fellowship program should not only be maintained for the benefit of both parties, but should be upgraded by inviting senior editors to take part.

The NSK fellowship program has run for the past 25 years. Every year, foreign journalists are invited to Japan to study that country's culture and are accommodated through a homestay system.

ASEAN comprises Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. --Antara

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Fire in chemical plant continues

JAKARTA: Firefighters continued to struggle on Sunday to contain a fire raging in a chemical storage plant in the industrial town of Serang, Banten, western Java, officials said.

One man has been severely injured in the fire, which erupted when a tanker was being filled on Saturday at the PT Santafe plant.

"We are still working around the clock to extinguish the fire at the Santafe chemical storage plant," a member of the Serang fire brigade said.

He said six fire engines were at the site of the blaze, which broke out at about 9 a.m. on Saturday.

The fire quickly spread to 10 storage tanks, while firemen succeeded in isolating three other tanks that contain butilacetate, a raw material used in the production of plastic pellets.

Santafe is a joint Indonesian-Japanese company. --AFP

Firefighters demand basics

BANDUNG, West Java: An official with the Fire Department in Tumpal Sirait revealed on Saturday that his department was in urgent need of at least nine command posts and hydrants to improve performance.

He said the hydrants would help firefighters deal with emergencies following an increase in the number of buildings in the city.

Tumpal added that his office had proposed the construction of command posts and hydrants in nine places in the city, including the Asia Afrika-Ahmad Yani crossroads, Jalan Rajawali, Jalan Sukajadi, Ujungberung, Tegallega, Soekarno Hatta, Kiaracondong, the city square and Caringin.

He said that the command posts would cost Rp 4 billion (US$430,000) each including land acquisition, construction and trucks. - Antara

WB to build 16 schools in Maluku

TUAL, Maluku: Southeast Maluku is to get 16 elementary school buildings to help school children in that area receive a basic education.

Education office head Ali Rahayaan said the school construction program was important as many school buildings were falling down.

Construction will be funded by the World Bank through its basic education improvement project.

Ali said that his office planned to build school facilities in eight districts.

Since last year, the WB has been prioritizing the development of 11 school buildings in Southeast Maluku and West Southeast Maluku. The project will cost Rp 2.63 billion (US$215,000). - Antara

Amusement centers to close for Ramadhan

SURABAYA, East Java: Provincial Police chief Insp. Gen. Sutanto expressed his readiness to uphold restrictions on amusement centers during the fasting month of Ramadhan.

The restriction was issued by the local administration and has been disseminated to the public.

The police vowed to take stern action against those violating the local decree, saying that the administration would have the authority to revoke licenses.

Earlier, the Surabaya chapter of the Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim organization had demanded that the city administration force amusement centers to close during the fasting month. - Antara

Severe deforestation in Mataram

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: Local councillors on Saturday expressed worries about severe deforestation in the area, which is mainly caused by residents taking an increasing volume of logs for firewood.

"If this issue continues to be ignored, the forest in Central Lombok will disappear," said councillor Taqiuddin Mansur. Local people take the wood not only for cooking, but also for the limestone industry.

Taqiuddin urged the local administration to take preventative action. "Limestone baking takes place in the villages of Mangkung and Bonder, which produce approximately 20 tons per day," he added.

Governor Harun Al Rasyid disclosed that local people usually cut down 500 trees per day for cooking. - Antara

Free rice in dry season

GORONTALO: The Gorontalo provincial administration has prepared 61 tons of rice for distribution to needy families in anticipation of a severe drought.

The administration's secretary, David Bobihoe, said on Saturday that the rice would be distributed to villages in both coastal and mountain areas.

He added that the administration had distributed 15 tons of rice and the remaining 46 tons would be distributed to 231 villages just before the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan.

"Twenty families from each village will receive 10 kilograms each," David added.

He said that the village chiefs would help with the distribution so that the aid supplied under the Food-for-the-Poor program would go to needy families. - Antara

Batam police find marijuana

BATAM, Riau: Security personnel in Barelang on Saturday found three kilograms of marijuana in Sekupang Port but failed to identify the owner.

Police officials confirmed that the marijuana was wrapped in newspaper and plastic and speculated that the marijuana was owned by a passenger on a ship which plies the Dumai-Batam route.

The owner apparently discarded the bag after realizing that security personnel were screening luggage with X-Ray devices.

Local police are continuing their investigation. Within the last year the Batam police have confiscated 500 kilograms of cannabis, mostly from Aceh. - Antara