ANT - LKBN ANTARA (Indonesia) articles from December 2004

ANT - LKBN ANTARA (Indonesia) archives from December 2004

LION AIR READY TO BEAR THE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR AIRPLANE CRASH IN SOLO.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - Private airline company PT Mentari Lion Air said that it will be responsible for and bear all the medical expenses of the passengers who were victims in the accident at the Adi Sumarmo airport, Solo, Central Java, a...

SIXTYTHREE INDONESIANS DEPORTED FROM E TIMOR ARRIVE IN E NUSATENGGARA.
December 1, 2004... Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - Some 63 Indonesian citizens deported by the East Timor government arrived at 15.00 local time on Tuesday in Mota'ain, a border gate in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, with East Timor,...

CHINA-ASEAN FTA POTENTIAL THREAT TO INDON GARMENT INDUSTRIES.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - The China-ASEAN Free Trade Area(CAFTA) will be a threat to Indonesian garment industries which are mainly run by small and medium-scale enterprises if the government does not help them by issuing policies to lighten...

PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO ORDERS INVESTIGATION OF LION AIR ACCIDENT.
December 1, 2004... Vientiane, Laos, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed condolences over the victims of the Lion Air aircraft accident at Adi Sumarmo airport, Solo, Central Java, and asked related bodies and institutions to investigate...

TEN OF 146 LION AIR PASSENGERS CANCEL THEIR FLIGHT.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Nov 30 (ANTARA) -- Ten of the total of 146 passengers of the ill-fated Lion Air Jakarta-Solo flight had cancelled their departure. "Obviously these 10 people are saved from the tragic accident," chief spokesman for PT Mentari...

ALCATEL TO INVEST IN INDONESIA.
December 1, 2004... Bandung, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - French-software telecommunications company Alcatel planned to invest in Indonesia which has a promising market, an executive of the company said. "We plan to develop our business by investing in Indonesia which...

MINISTERS ORDERED TO ACT QUICKLY TO OVERCOME NABIRE QUAKE AFTERMATH.
December 1, 2004... Vientiane, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on ministers concerned here on Tuesday to immediately take actions in cooperation with local administration officials to overcome earthquake-related problems in Nabire,...

HOUSE CALLS ON GOVT TO PROTECT CEMENT INDUSTRY.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - The government should protect the domestic cement industry from foreign companies' control which has been indicated as part of an international cement cartel, legislators said here Tuesday. "I am not against...

JAPAN PLEDGES RP67.8 BILLION AID FOR AIRPORTS SECURITY IN RI.
December 1, 2004... Vientiane, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - Japan has pledged 774 million yen (some Rp67.8 billion) in aid for the safety and security of maritime facilities, ports, and airports in Indonesia. The aid package was announced by a spokesman for the Japanese...

DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT MUST ACCOMODATE AUTONOMOUS PRINCIPLES, SAYS VP.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - Vice President Yusuf Kalla said here on Tuesday the system of development management must now accomodate autonomous and democratic principles because the situation had changed. "Now the situation is very autonomous...

GOVT TO ISSUE REGULATION ON FOLKORE AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - The government will issue a regulation on folklore and traditional knowledge to prevent the misuse of cultural heritage, director general for intellectual property rights, Prof Dr Abdul Bari Azed said on Tuesday. ...

HEADLINES OF MAJOR INDONESIAN DAILIES: WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Following are the headlines of major Indonesian dailies on Wednesday: The Jakarta Post, Kompas PLANE SKIDS OFF RUNWAY, DOZENS DIE At least 23 people have been killed and dozens more were injured after a Lion Air...

Media Indonesia's editorial summary: Wednesday December 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... OIL SUBSIDIES MUST REACH TARGET The government is expected to raise fuel oil prices by 10 percent to 40 percent early next year. The hike is unavoidable due to soaring global oil prices, which hover at US$50 per barrel. A 40 percent...

32 LION AIR PASSENGERS STILL MISSING.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Thirty-two passengers and crew members of the Lion Air passenger jet that skidded off the runway in an airport in Indonesia's Central Java province on Tuesday evening, remained missing until Wednesday morning, a rescue...

F-16 FIGHTER SKIDS OFF RUNWAY IN INDON AIRPORT.
December 1, 2004... Makassar, S Sulawesi, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - An F-16 fighter plane skidded off the runway of the Hasanuddin Airport in this capital of Indonesia's South Sulawesi province at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday while doing exercise. There was no official...

POLICE FOIL ATTEMPT TO HOIST SEPARATIST FLAG IN INDONESIA'S PAPUA.
December 1, 2004... Jayapura, Papua, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Police in this capital of Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua foiled an attempt to hoist the Bintang Kejora (morning star) flag to commemorate the anniversary of the Free Papua Movement on Wednesday. ...

INDON VEEP ORDERS TRANSPORTATION MINISTER TO LOOK INTO LION AIR ACCIDENT.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Wednesday instructed Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa to look into the cause of the airplane accident at the Adi Sumarmo airport in Solo, Central Java, that killed at least...

LION AIR FLIGHT FROM SURABAYA TO JAKARTA STILL FULLY BOOKED.
December 1, 2004... Surabaya, Dec 1 (ANTARA)- Lion Air airlines' flight from Surabaya to Jakarta has run normal and fully booked, Wednesday, although there was an accident of the plane at Adi Soemarmo Airport, Solo (Surakarta) city of Central Java, which killed 31...

MIZUNO CHOOSES MITRA ADIPERKASA AS SOLE DISTRIBUTOR IN INDONESIA.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - The Japanese sports equipment company, Mizuno, has chosen the Indonesian retail company, PT Mitra Adiperkasa, as the exclusive distributor of its products in the country. Mitra Adiperkasa advertising and promotions...

S AFRICA INVITES INDON BUSINESSMEN TO ENHANCE TRADE.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - The South African government has invited Indonesian businessmen to enhance trade relations between the two countries. "The two countries have a chance to enhance their economic and trade relations. Toward that...

WB TO DISBURSE US$300 M LOAN TO INDONESIA IN DECEMBER.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - The World Bank has agreed to extend a US$300 million loan to Indonesia later this month to narrow down the burgeoning deficit of the country's 2004 state budget, a senior economic official has said. "Hopefully, the...

VICTIMS OF INDON AIRLINE ACCIDENT TO GET COMPENSATION.
December 1, 2004... Solo, C Java, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - All Lion Air passengers who were killed or injured when the aircraft skidded as it landed at the Adi Sumarmo Airport in the Indonesian province of Central Java on Tuesday, will be compensated by the state...

INDONESIA, MIDDLE EAST TO ENHANCE COOPERATION ON TOURISM.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla said Wednesday his country will enhance its tourism cooperation with Middle Eastern countries, due to the increasing number of tourists from the region visiting Southeast Asia,...

INDONESIA'S EXPORTS IN OCTOBER UP 1.62 PCT.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Indonesia's exports last October slightly rose 1.62 percent to US$7.27 billion from a month earlier, bringing to US$58.5 billion the value of exports in the first 10 months of the year. Non-oil/gas exports rose...

PRESIDENT ARRIVES BACK IN JAKARTA FROM LAOS.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA)- President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) on Wednesday arrived back in Jakarta from a two-day stay in Laos to attend an ASEAN summit. The plane carrying the President and his entourage landed at Jakarta's Halim...

AKBAR ASPIRES TO MAKE GOLKAR FORMIDABLE PARTY.
December 1, 2004... Ambon, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tanjung said here on Wednesday he aspired to make Golkar a formidable party in the country's politics. "We need to have wishes or even dreams to build the party," he said at the opening...

PRESIDENT ASKS PEOPLE TO PREVENT PLURALITY FROM CAUSING CONFLICTS.
December 1, 2004... Bogor, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on the people here on Wednesday not to let the nation's plurality become a source of conflicts. "Plurality must not become a source of conflicts," he told participants of...

DEPUTY SPEAKER SUGGESTS CANCELLATION OF FUEL OIL PRICE HIKE PLAN.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - House of Representatives' Deputy Speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno suggested here on Wednesday that the government cancel its plan to raise fuel oil prices by up to 40 percent next year. "It would be better if...

DEATH TOLL OF AIRPLANE CRASH IN SOLO RISES TO 23.
December 1, 2004... Solo, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - The death toll of the Lion Air plane crash at the Adi Sumarmo airport in Solo, Central Java, at 18:05 local time on Tuesday, has risen to 23. Sources at the Yarsis hospital here said at least 14 dead victims and 38...

M'SIA CALLS FOR SANCTION AGAINST INDON HOSPITALS ISSUING FALSE HEALTH CERTIFICATES TO MIGRANT WORKERS.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Malaysia's Ambassador to Indonesia Dato' Hamidon Ali has expressed hope the Indonesian government would take stern measures against accredited hospitals and clinics in the country which had allegedly been issuing false...

GOVT HAS SEVERAL SCENARIOS FOR FUEL OIL PRICE HIKE.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - State Minister for Development Planning Sri Mulyani Indrawati said here on Wednesday the government had prepared a number of scenarios in connection with its plan to raise fuel oil prices next year. "We already...

MUI CONDEMNS EXPULSION OF MOSLEMS FROM E TIMOR.
December 1, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) here Wednesday condemned the expulsion of 253 Moslems from East Timor, saying the action was a violation of the Moslems' human rights. "They are natives of East Timor who have...

FOREIGN MINISTRY DENIES HAVING RECEIVED MUNIR'S AUTOPSY.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied reports that Foreign Minister Hasan Wirayudha had received the result of Munir's autopsy from Dutch Foreign Minister Bernad Bot when he visited Indonesia, a spokesman...

FLOODS IN CILACAP CAUSE RP 14 BILLION IN LOSS.
December 2, 2004... Cilacap, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Material loss caused by the floods inundating several parts of Cilacap regency, Central Java, in November 2004, reached Rp 14 billion. Head of the Cilacap public works office Suprihono said here on Wednesday that...

NORWAY PRAISES RI FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION EFFORTS.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Norway has praised Indonesia for its efforts in dealing with various conflicts in regions peacefully and with respect to human rights. Director General for Human Rights Protection Hafid Abas said several Norwegian...

GOVT ADMITS PAST POLICIES NEGLECTED PAPUA'S LOCAL INTERESTS.
December 2, 2004... Jakaarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Vice President Yusuf Kalla admitted here on Wednesday there were policies made by the central administration in the past that neglected equal distribution principles and local interests in Papua and thus caused...

NABIRE'S ELECTRICITY SYSTEM ALMOST BACK TO NORMAL.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Nabire's electricity system has begun to function again after it broke down following the recent earth quake. It is expected to be fully restored to normalcy soon. "The system has begun to work again and by December...

NETHERLANDS PROVIDES GRANTS FOR RI'S INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - The Netherlands is providing Euro 20 million (US$24.3 million) in grants to support Indonesia's institutional strengthening and capacity building. A press release of the Netherlands Embassy obtained here Wednesday...

GOVT TO ENCOURAGE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY TO REACH PRE-CRISIS GROWTH LEVEL.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - The government will encourage development of the country's manufacturing industry so that it can again grow at its pre-crisis rate, National Development Planning Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said here Wednesday. ...

PGN PLANNING TO ISSUE BALANCE SHEETS IN US DOLLAR.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - State-owned PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN) plans to issue its balance sheets in US dollars starting in 2005 to simplify the process of publicizing the company's activities, a spokesman said. Speaking at a...

HEADLINES OF INDONESIAN DAILIES, THURSDAY DECEMBER 2, 2004.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Following are headlines of major Indonesian newspapers: The Jakarta Post EXPERTS LOOK FOR CLUES AS DEATH TOLL TOPS 26 Dozens of experts were sifting through the wreckage of passenger plane Lion Air on Wednesday in...

Media Indonesia's editorial summary: Thursday December 2, 2004.
December 2, 2004... TRANSPORTATION SAFETY At least 26 people were killed and tens of others were injured when a Lion Air MD-82 crashed as it landed in an airport in Solo in Indonesia's Central Java province last Tuesday. The deadly accident has...

U.S. FOREIGN POLICY CONTRIBUTES TO CONFLICT IN MUSLIM WORLD, SAYS INDON MINISTER.
December 2, 2004... New York, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - The United States' foreign policy, especially the unfair one it uses to deal with the Israel-Palestine issue, is one of the factors behind the conflict in the Muslim world, a senior Indonesian minister said here...

SEVEN KILLED AS TRAIN HITS MINIVAN IN INDONESIA'S C JAVA.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Seven people were killed and four others were injured when a Jakarta-bound economy train from the Indonesian city of Surabaya rammed into a minivan at a railroad crossing in Wojo Jenar village, Purworejo district,...

FIVE MINISTERS VISIT QUAKE VICTIMS IN INDONESIA'S NABIRE.
December 2, 2004... Jayapura, Papua, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Indonesia's ministers for health, social affairs, home affiars, public works and development visited the earthquake victims in Nabire district in Papua province at 8 a.m. on Thursday. The ministers flew to...

ENOUGH RICE FOR QUAKE VICTIMS IN INDONESIA'S NABIRE, SAYS BULOG OFFICIAL.
December 2, 2004... Jayapura, Papua, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Victims of the devastating earthquake that recently hit Nabire district in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua have enough rice, head of the State Logistics Agency's (Bulog) provincial office, Indra...

INDON MILY NOT OBLIGED TO SOLVE ALL PROBLEMS OF ACEH, SAYS CHIEF.
December 2, 2004... Jakata, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Defense Force (TNI) is not obliged to overcome all of the problems of troubled Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province, its chief, Gen Endriartono Sutarto, said here Thursday. "TNI personnel in Aceh are...

INDON VEEP CALLS FOR THOROUGH HANDLING OF LION AIR ACCIDENT.
December 2, 2004... Solo, C Java, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla has called on relevant institutions to help handle thoroughly the Lion Air accident at the Adi Sumarmo Airport here last Tuesday. The vice president made the call here...

HUNDREDS OF AAF EMPLOYEES STAGE PROTEST IN JAKARTA.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - About 360 employees of the ASEAN Aceh Fertilizer (AAF) staged a rally outside the Mines and Energy Ministry here Thursday, protesting the plan to close the Indonesian company, which is based in Aceh province. "We...

EX-VICE PRES'L CANDIDATE REELECTED AS NU CHAIRMAN.
December 2, 2004... Boyolali, C Java, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Former vice presidential candidate, Hasyim Muzadi, was reelected general chairman of Indonesia's largest Islamic movement, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), for the 2004-09 period, during the organization's 31st...

INDON VEEP CLOSES NU CONGRESS.
December 2, 2004... Solo, C Java, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla officially closed the 31st congress of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in the town of Boyolali in Central Java province on Thursday. In his closing address, Kalla said the...

CLEARING OF LION AIR WRECKAGE WOULD NEED FOUR DAYS.
December 2, 2004... Solo, C Java, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Clearing the wreckage of the Lion Air MD-82 airplane that overshot the runway of the Adi Sumarmo Airport here on Tuesday would need three to four days, spokesman of Indonesia's National Commission on...

TEN REBELS SURRENDER IN INDONESIA'S ACEH.
December 2, 2004... Banda Aceh, Aceh, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - At least 10 separatists in the restive Indonesian province of Aceh surrendered to government troops on Wednesday, local military spokesman, Ari Mulya Asnawi, said in Lhokseumaweh on Thursday. "They gave...

3,000 PEOPLE INFECTED WITH HIV/AIDS IN INDONESIA'S S SULAWESI.
December 2, 2004... Makassar, S Sulawesi, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Some 3,000 people in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province have been infected with the deadly HIV or have full-blown AIDS, coordinator of a non-governmental organization concerned with HIV/AIDS and drug...

CAUSE OF RECENT PLANE CRASH TO BE KNOWN IN TWO MONTHS' TIME, MINISTER SAYS.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Communications Minister Hatta Radjasa said here on Thursday that it would take one to two months to establish the real cause of Lion Air plane crash on Tuesday. He said the black box, which had been found, would...

PRESIDENT CALLS ON NATION NOT TO BECOME LOSER.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on the people here on Thursday to continue improving their capability so that they would not become a loser. "I called on all the people never to lose and ever become a...

PT PAL SIGNS CONTRACT TO BUILD SHIP FOR ITALIAN SHIPPING COMPANY.
December 2, 2004... Surabaya, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - The Surabaya-based ship building company PT PAL Indonesia has signed a contract with an Italian shipping company for the supply of a chemical tanker to the latter. The contract was signed by the director of PT...

CABINET TO DISCUSS FUEL OIL PRICE HIKE PLAN ON FRIDAY.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - The government has several options to increase domestic fuel oil prices which will be discussed in a cabinet meeting on Friday, Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said here on Thursday. He said he hoped the...

INDONESIAN RESEARCHERS TO JOIN EXPEDITION TO ANTARTIC.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Indonesia will again send a team of researchers to join with 40 researchers from other countries in an expedition to the Antarctic to study climate change, a ministry official said here on Thursday. The head of...

WITNESS ONCE CONVEYED MESSAGE FROM OSAMA TO BA'ASYIR.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - A witness at Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir's trial, Muhammad Rais (29), said he once conveyed a message from Osama bin Laden, the leader of the Al-Qaeda international terror group most wanted by the US, to...

TNI ALWAYS SUPPORTS NATIONAL DEFENCE INDUSTRY, SAYS MILY CHIEF.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief General Endriartono Sutarto has said the military always supported the national defence industry, especially in the procurement of essential parts for the national armament system. ...

BA'ASYIR DENIES ANY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT JI.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 02 (ANTARA) - Abu baker Ba'asyir, a suspect in the JW Marriot bombing in South Jakarta last year, said he knew nothing about the so-called Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) or the General Guidance on JI's Struggle (PUPJI). He made the...

FOUR AMERICAN COPS VISIT JAKARTA POLICE HEADQUARTERS.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Four US police officers paid a visit to the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Headquarters to meet Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Firman Gani, and inspected several buildings and facilities there. "The American...

SAHAL-HASYIM DUO REELECTED TO NU'S TOP LEADERSHIP.
December 2, 2004... Boyolali, C Java, Dec 02 (ANTARA) - KH Sahal Mahfud and KH Hasyim Muzadi were on Thursday reelected to the two top positions in the Nahdlatul Ulama (NN), Indonesia's largest Moslem organization. ...

LION AIR TO PAY FOR EDUCATION OF ACCIDENT VICTIMS' CHILDREN.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - The management of Lion Air whose MD-82 aircraft crashed at the airport of the Central Java town of Solo last Tuesday (Nov.30) will provide educational insurance up to higher education level for the children of the...

NABIRE'S AIRPORT CLOSED TO BIG AIRCRAFT.
December 2, 2004... Jayapura, Papua, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - The airport of Nabire district in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua has been closed to large aircraft such as Fokkers due to damage caused by a powerful earthquake last week. ANTARA reported on...

RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY MINISTER TO CONCENTRATE ON FOODSTUFFS AND HEALTHCARE.
December 2, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - State Minister for Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman said his office will concentrate its activities on foodstuffs and health. "The focus of research on food and health matters was also to meet a...

SOME 172 INDONESIANS DEPORTED FROM E TIMOR RETURN VIA MOTA'AIN.
December 3, 2004... Atambua, E Nusa Tenggara, Dec 02 (ANTARA - The Indonesian immigration post at Mota'ain on the border with Timor Leste in Belu district on Wedensday received 172 Indonesians who had been deported from the neigboring country. They arrived at...

PLN YET TO SET POWER PRICE HIKE, ALTHOUGH FUEL PRICES WILL BE RAISED.
December 3, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - State-owned power firm PT PLN has yet to set an increase in the price of electricity in 2005 while the government has signalled it would raise fuel oil prices by 40 pct. "We have yet to set the power price...

EIGHT COUNTRIES CONFIRM PLANS TO JOIN LG 7TH ASEAN TAEKWONDO C'SHIP.
December 3, 2004... Bandung, W Java, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - Eight countries have confirmed their plans to take part in the LG 7th Asean Taekwondo Championship to be held in Yogyakarta on Dec 11-12. The eight countries are Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,...

GOVT TOLD TO ABOLISH 10% VAT ON IMPORTED RAW MATERIALS OF GENERIC DRUGS.
December 3, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - The Drug and Food Control Board (BPOM) on Thursday asked the government to abolish a 10-percent value-added tax on raw materials imported to make generic drugs to further keep down the prices of the drugs. If the...

FILM SEMINAR EXPECTED TO BOOST PRODUCTION.
December 3, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - The National Film Seminar scheduled in Jakarta on December 9, 2004, is expected to find a solution to improving the quality of Indonesian movie pictures, chairman of the National Film Consultative Agency, Djonny...

ENDRIARTONO: TNI CHIEF'S APPOINTMENT SHOULD NO LONGER NEED HOUSE'S APPROVAL.
December 3, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - National Defence Forces (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has suggested that the next TNI chief be appointed without the House of Representatives (DPR)'s approval to avoid political intrigues in the TNI's...

OPEC LIKELY TO MAINTAIN QUOTA OF 27 MILLION BPD.
December 3, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is likely to maintain its quota of 27 million barrels per day in the first quarter of 2005 when oil demand is expected to remain high. The cartel is...

FRIDAY'S HEADLINES OF INDONESIAN DAILIES.
December 3, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - Following are headlines of several major Indonesian newspapers: Bisnis Indonesia COMPOSITE INDEX FAILS TO REACH 1,000 LEVEL The Jakarta Stock Exchange composite index failed to reach the psychological level of...

FRIDAY'S EDITORIALS OF INDONESIAN DAILIES.
December 3, 2004... Republika's editorial summary: OIL PRICE HIKE The Indonesian government is planning to raise fuel prices, possibly by 40 percent, beginning January. Raising oil prices or maintaining them is not an easy choice. If fuel prices are not...

INDON PRESIDENT APPROVES QUESTIONING OF MORE OFFICIALS LINKED TO CORRUPTION.
December 3, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last month gave the green light to the investigation of the heads of South Halmahera and West Halmahera districts in North Maluku province and a member of the House of...

INDON, MALAYSIAN UNIVERSITY RECTORS MEET IN BOGOR.
December 3, 2004... Bogor, W Java, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian University Rectors Council and the Association of Malaysian University Rectors kicked off their two-day meeting here on Friday. "The annual meeting will discuss the future of higher education,...

PARENTS OF INDON MAID IN DEATH ROW TO LEAVE FOR MALAYSIA.
December 3, 2004... Surabaya, E Java, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - The parents of a 22-year-old Indonesian maid who is in death row for murdering her Malaysian employer, are scheduled to leave for Malaysia on Friday evening, their lawyer, Ja'far Shodiq, said here Friday. ...

MALAYSIA'S AIR ASIA JOINS INDONESIA'S AWAIR TO SERVE MEDAN-JAKARTA ROUTE.
December 3, 2004... Medan, N Sumatra, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - The private Malaysian airline, Air Asia, in cooperation with the private Indonesian airline Awair, is planning to open a new route serving Medan, capital of Indonesia's North Sumatra province, and Jakarta...

AAF EMPLOYEES STAGE PROTEST TO CONVINCE INDON GOV'T TO RESUME GAS SUPPLY.
December 3, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - Some 150 employees of the Indonesian company, ASEAN Aceh Fertilizer (AAF), staged a protest in front of the state palace here Friday, urging the government to resume its natural gas supply to enable the factory to...

SPORTS: INDON MEN'S DOUBLES PLAYERS ADVANCE TO TAIWAN OPEN SEMIS.
December 3, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - Indonesian badminton players, Hendra Gunawan/Joko Riyadi, have advanced to the semi-finals of the Taiwan Open's men's doubles, after beating compatriots Yonathan Suryatama/Rendra Wijaya at the quarter-finals on Friday....

EXPANSION OF INDONESIA'S HASANUDDIN AIRPORT TO BEGIN SOON.
December 3, 2004... Makassar, S Sulawesi, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - Expansion work at the Hasanuddin Airport in this capital of Indonesia's South Sulawesi province, will begin this month using Rp400 billion from the state airport management company, PT Angkasa Pura I. ...

INDON GOV'T TO REVIVE BACKWARD VILLAGE DEV'T PROGRAM.
December 3, 2004... Jakarta, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - The new Indonesian government will revive the Least Developed Region Program which was interrupted during the term of the previous government, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said here on Friday. "We used to have a good...