W. Lombok nets biggest drug cache
W. Lombok nets biggest drug cache
MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: Police in West Lombok regency seized
3.6 kilograms of marijuana from a suspected drug dealer, the
regency's biggest drug catch so far this year.
Police arrested on Wednesday morning Ahwan Tanwir, 34, and
found in his possession three one-kilogram pouches of marijuana
and smaller pouches weighing about 600 grams total.
"We received information from the public about a drug deal
taking place and so we went up there and caught the suspect,"
said West Lombok deputy police chief Comr. Edi Djubaedi.
He said the marijuana found with Ahwan could be worth up to Rp
15 million (US$1,700) on the streets.
Suspect Ahwan said the marijuana was to be sold in the
provincial capital of Mataram.
"We found out the marijuana is of top-grade quality and comes
from Aceh," Edi said.
Indonesia's westernmost province Aceh is infamous for its drug
trade. Aceh-grown marijuana is sold throughout Sumatra and
reaches markets in Java and eastern parts of Indonesia.
Some said that rebels in Aceh grew the marijuana to fund their
struggle for independence. The military and the police are
believed to also profit from the trade by turning a blind eye, or
even by protecting the illegal business. -- JP
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Across-Bandung-Semarang-railway
Bandung-Semarang railway reopened
JP/5/Across
Bandung-Semarang railway reopened
BANDUNG, West Java: State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api
Indonesia reopened on Tuesday its Bandung-Semarang route after a
three-year shutdown because of declining passenger load.
KAI spokesman Akhmad Sujadi said the all-executive class train
Harina began its operation on Tuesday night.
Harina runs every night from Bandung and Semarang over a 7.5-
hour route. Passing through Cikampek, Cirebon and Tegal, Harina
uses a different route than its predecessor, which ceased to
operate in April 2000.
Akhmad said the first Bandung-Semarang route was opened in
July 1998, and was shut down when the average passenger load fell
to 40 percent.
Travelers now pay Rp 100,000 (US$11) for a Bandung-Semarang
executive ticket. The ticket costs Rp 75,000 for the Bandung-
Tegal, and Rp 50,000 for the Bandung-Cirebon route. -- JP
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Across-Jambi-legislators-drug
Legislators urge rehab for drug addicts
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Legislators urge rehab for drug addicts
JAMBI, Jambi: Parents with drug-addicted children should bring
them to the mental hospital for rehabilitation, urged councillors
dismayed by the lack of drug addicts undergoing treatment.
Councillors of the provincial legislature recently visited
Jambi mental hospital and found only two people being treated for
their drug habits.
"People in Jambi, especially parents, are still reluctant to
take their children to the mental hospital for treatment,"
chairman of the council's Commission E on welfare issues Zakie
Hanim said on Wednesday.
He said Jambi has thousands of children who are addicted to
drugs, but parents did not admit them for rehabilitation, fearing
that people would think their children were mentally ill or
retarded if they were admitted to the mental hospital, Zakie
explained, quoting the hospital director.
He said that drug rehabilitation includes treatment by a
psychiatrist, and the mental hospital had the facility and
expertise to handle such cases. -- Antara
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Across-Kupang-lack-teachers
East Nusa Tenggara lacks teachers
JP/5/Across
East Nusa Tenggara lacks teachers
KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Children throughout East Nusa
Tenggara (NTT) face a shortage of teachers, totaling 18,000 from
kindergarten to senior high school, officials said.
How many teachers were needed for each school remained
unclear. "We still don't know the exact number of teachers needed
in this province," the deputy secretary of the provincial
teachers support committee, Ismail Kasim, said on Wednesday.
He said the committee had invited the head of the education
department in each regency to outline their demand for teachers
next week.
The province could then develop a proposal for Jakarta with a
detailed account of how many and what type of teachers they
needed, he said.
He added that, starting June, 4,457 teachers from other parts
of the country would be posted in East Nusa Tenggara. -- Antara