Jakarta Post articles from January 2001

Jakarta Post archives from January 2001

Asita fears more travel warnings against Indonesia.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Indonesian Travel Agencies (Asita) fears more countries will issue warnings against visiting Indonesia following warnings issued by Taiwan and Britain on Monday. The association's chairwoman Meity Robot...

PBSI tells chapters to reactivate tournaments.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) is urging its provincial chapters, especially outside Java, to reactivate local tournaments to provide players from local clubs with more experience. "Badminton clubs are the...

Angelique Widjaja wants to enter the world top 20.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Living a secluded life does not prevent women's tennis player Angelique Widjaja from shining. Angelique, who will turn 17 on Dec. 12, just concluded her campaign in the Australian Open junior championships last week. In the...

Uzbekistan gears up for Davis Cup victory.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Uzbekistan is preparing for its victory in the Davis Cup Group I Asia Oceania zone tie against Indonesia by arriving here early for acclimatization. The team arrived two weeks ahead of the scheduled matches from Feb. 9 to...

Sharon: The hard-line option for Israelis.
January 31, 2001... LONDON (JP): "I want to say something about my demonization," said Ariel 'Arik' Sharon last week. "I am known as someone who eats Arabs for breakfast. This is baseless." Good point. In his entire life, Sharon has never been known to eat...

Old hands cruise in Cigna Open tournament.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Veteran players cruised into the second round of the 2001 Cigna Open Colors of Life tennis tournament on Tuesday at the Bung Karno tennis complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta. Men's singles top seed and defending champion...

Lapo Ni Tondongta for a taste of Batak Toba delicacies.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Here is a taste of traditional meals all the way from North Sumatra's Batak Toba at a bare basics eatery. Lapo Ni Tondongta: Jl. Gelora Los A1, Senayan, Central Jakarta (behind the legislature, within an outdoor "food court"...

The business of golf versus facilities offered.
January 31, 2001... SURABAYA (JP): Indonesia's golf-course management business is experiencing difficult times. Its development is incomparable with similar businesses in other Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Thailand. In those countries, golf is not...

Stock Exchange.
January 31, 2001... Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on Jan. 30, 2001: Shares Close Change Trading Volume Ades Alfindo 1,925 50 936,000 Adindo Foresta Indonesia 130 0 193,000 Alakasa Industrindo 425 0 0 Alfa...

Aetna to merge with ING Life.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): PT Aetna Life Indonesia will integrate its insurance business with ING Life Indonesia following the recent merger of the two firms' parent companies. A senior executive of PT Aetna Life Indonesia, Vera Sukawati, said here...

Rupiah Rates Jan. 30.
January 31, 2001... Bank notes rates TT rates Buying Selling Buying Selling Rp Rp Rp Rp U.S. dollar 1 8,920.00 9,920.00 9,373.00 9,467.00 Australian dollar 1 4,839.99 5,387.55 5,085.79 5,141.53 Austrian schilling 1 594.18 669.55 624.35 630.96 ...

Aircraft firm signs deal to repair engines.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Aircraft engine maintenance company PT Nusantara Turbin dan Propulsi (NTP) will repair up to 30 Tay jet engines this year as part of a five-year contract signed with Brazilian airline operator MTU- TAM. The company's...

Government forms team to review new tax policy on bonds.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The government will soon set up a joint team to review a recently issued income tax policy on the transaction of bonds, according to an Surabaya Stock Exchange (SSX) executive. SSX president Anton Natakoesoemah said the...

IBRA told to control collateral assets of Sinar Mas Group.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Experts urged the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) on Tuesday to get hold of the collateral assets pledged by the Sinar Mas Group in return for the government bailout of the latter's huge debt to the publicly listed...

Government won't cancel deal with KL firm despite protest.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) will not cancel the recent sale of 25 oil palm plantations to Malaysia's Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd despite protest from local farmers and politicians, said a senior official at the...

Power grid developer told to lower price or lose job.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The developer of the controversial Kediri power transmission project has been given one month to reduce the value of its contract or lose the job, a senior government official said here on Tuesday. Director general for...

City firm has quietly sold land in Cibubur.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): City property company PT Sarana Jaya has quietly sold 3.2 hectares in Cibubur, East Jakarta to a private company and distributed some of the money to its employees, a city councillor revealed on Tuesday. Secretary of...

Police drill six test holes in hunt for Tommy.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The National Police announced on Tuesday that their suspicion of further underground bunkers beneath and in the vicinity of the residence of the fugitive Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, had recently been strengthened after a...

Beddu Amang to stand trial next Thursday.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The trial of the former head of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), Beddu Amang, is scheduled to begin here next Thursday. Beddu is being tried for his alleged role in an illegal land exchange that also involved Hutomo...

Police need extra money for security.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): In the wake of the numerous bombings across the nation, National Police Chief Gen. Suroyo Bimantoro said on Tuesday that the police needed an extra Rp 346 billion (US$36 million) to purchase high- tech security instruments to...

Perplexity of asset sales.
January 31, 2001... The protests by farmers in Riau province and politicians in Jakarta against the sale in November of around 260,000 hectares of oil palm plantations, through a competitive bid, to Malaysia's Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad is the latest in a series of...

A fresh start from a corrupt past.
January 31, 2001... This is the second of two articles on dealing with corruption by Bertrand de Speville, Consultants Project Director at the Jakarta-based Project for the establishment of an anti-corruption body for Indonesia. He is a former commissioner of...

Where are the Aborigines?
January 31, 2001... I refer to the Australia Day article in The Jakarta Post, Jan. 26, 2001. Predictably this nation, along with its corporate sponsors, promoted itself by telling us yet again how beneficial they are to Indonesia. The advertisement from the...

How secure is secure parking.
January 31, 2001... The facts: The day was Jan. 23, 2001, after 4 p.m. I had to buy a few things at a nearby Hero supermarket located in front of Vila Melati Mas, Serpong, Tangerang. About two years ago, Secure Parking established their parking facility at this...

Body found with multiple wounds.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Tambora Police detectives of West Jakarta are still in the dark about the cause of the death of a man, whose body was found in the Roa Malaka subdistrict of Tambora on Monday night. City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton...

Akbar dismisses calls to dissolve Golkar Party.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung on Tuesday dismissed calls to dissolve the party saying that it is a lawful organization and has the right to exist in the country. "We cannot accept such calls because the Golkar Party...

Military authorized to restore peace in Maluku.
January 31, 2001... AMBON, Maluku (JP): Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina confirmed on Tuesday that he had given the military the authority to take the necessary action to restore peace and order in the riot-torn province. "I have ordered the Pattimura...

Gus Dur supporters and opponents stage rallies.
January 31, 2001... SEMARANG (JP): Groups of students staged rallies here on Tuesday in support of and in opposition to President Abdurrahman Wahid. The demonstrators marched along the city's streets with dozens of police officers separating them. No clashes...

Young generation should stay out of elite's dispute: KNPI.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): While calling for an end to the mounting tension between the House of Representatives and President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) asked the younger generation on Tuesday not to...

Gus Dur has 'no basis' to dissolve House.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid does not have a strong constitutional basis to issue a decree to dissolve the House of Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday. Minister of Justice...

Gradual removal of military territorial commands sought.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Military observers called on Tuesday for gradual removal of the Indonesian Military (TNI) territorial commands and demanded TNI quit its interference in the civil government's decision- making policy. The Alliance of Young...

Eurico's court hearing comes under spotlight.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Portuguese Ambassador Ana Martins Gomez questioned on Tuesday the security and objectivity of the North Jakarta District Court during hearings on pro-integration leader Eurico Guterres. The ambassador expressed her concerns...

East Timorese refugees told to use official borders.
January 31, 2001... KUTA, Bali (JP): Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen. Willem T. da Costa said on Tuesday that all East Timorese refugees living in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) must use official borders to travel in and out of the two territories. "The...

Police closing in on person linked to bombs.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police detectives have yet to apprehend the person who bought the three traveler's checks reportedly given by fugitive Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra to Elize, suspect in the recent TMII bomb plant, despite the fact that...

Customs office seized Rp 3t in illegal goods.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Customs and Excise office is storing illegally imported goods worth Rp 3 trillion (US$ 315.8 million) seized over the past six months, its outgoing chief said on Tuesday. Office head Roy R. Lino told visiting...

IFC loses bankruptcy battle with POF.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the commercial financing arm of the World Bank, lost its legal battle with publicly listed PT Panca Overseas Finance (POF) when a commercial court rejected its bankruptcy petition on...

Omar Dani speaks up.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Former Air Force chief of staff Omar Dani launched on Tuesday a book seeking to set the record straight about the Army's allegation of his role in the 1965 coup attempt, an accusation which condemned him to jail for over 29...

Mahfud repeats warning on military takeover.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense Mahfud MD repeated his warning on Tuesday that political chaos and anarchy would prompt the Indonesian Military (TNI) to take over the country. The often outspoken Mahfud said there were no signs yet of a...

President denies scam involvement.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid went on national television on Tuesday to deny his involvement in two natorious financial scandals. "I have already stated to the House special committee during our last meeting that all...

House confirms Gus Dur's role.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives' special committee investigating the Bulog and Brunei financial scandals alleged that President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid was involved in the two scams. Sources at the House told The Jakarta...

Quake shakes Irian Jaya.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA: A powerful earthquake jolted Manokwari and the nearby towns of Biak and Sorong on Tuesday morning, but no casualties or damage were reported. The spokesman for the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, Waan Tarmin, said the quake,...

Students block Andi Ghalib.
January 31, 2001... MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: Students at the State Islamic Institute (IAIN) prevented former attorney general Andi M. Ghalib from promoting his new book on the campus on Tuesday. A discussion of the book, titled Menepis Badai Menegakkan...

Acehnese activist to be tried in Medan.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA: Human rights activist Muhammad Nazar, who has been accused of urging the Acehnese not to celebrate Indonesia's independence day, will be tried in a Medan court due to the lack of judges in Aceh. Chairman of the Banda Aceh court,...

Police fail to anticipate copyright violations.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Amid deep concerns over the increasing crimes against artwork, the city police admitted on Tuesday that they had failed to anticipate such crimes as they lacked skilled investigators. Chief detective of economic affairs...

Bob Hasan questioned by AG again.
January 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Timber tycoon Muhammad "Bob" Hasan, who is facing a possible eight-year jail term for corruption, was grilled by the Attorney General's Office on Tuesday over his alleged role in another graft case. Prosecutors examined...

Government expects new oil and gas law out in April.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Monday that he hoped the House of Representatives would be able to pass a new bill on oil and gas in April this year. "The debate on the bill might take...

Immigration rules and rulers.
January 30, 2001... Expatriates of all social categories and origins cannot expect any improvements from Immigration officials after the speech delivered by their boss, Ihza Yusril Mahendra the other day. Even a Justice Minister under Soeharto such as Ismail...

Stand apart from the crowd and lead.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): With today's increasing pace of social change, driven by political impacts, globalization and other powerful forces, consumers' needs and tastes are changing more and more rapidly. Public perceptions are shifting in this...

Why do firms refuse to change logos?
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): A company's logo is, in fact, comparable to someone's face. Meaning that by only a quick glance, people can identify the particular company right away. It is more or less like looking at a familiar face and only by looking...

To change or not to change.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): As a businessman, you may never think seriously about your company's identity. At least we rarely maintain a way of thinking that is scientific, methodic, and strategic. When we think about our company's identity or...

PBSI to call 20 juniors for national training.
January 30, 2001... BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan (JP): The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) will be grooming juniors in its Indonesian Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta as it needs capable second stringers to replace the seniors. The...

Arema beats PSS 2-1.
January 30, 2001... SLEMAN, Yogyakarta (JP): Arema Malang downed home favorite PSS Sleman 2-1 in the 2001 Bank Mandiri national soccer league's eastern division at Tridadi Stadium on Monday. The match on Sunday was stopped for six minutes due to clash...

Twenty-three clubs join soccer league.
January 30, 2001... SEMARANG (JP): Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) secretary- general Tri Goestoro said over the weekend that 23 clubs from across the nation would compete in the first division of the 2001 Bank Mandiri national soccer league. ...

Indonesians hit the books again at Open University.
January 30, 2001... MELBOURNE, Australia (JP): "It's never too late to learn" smacks of a cliche, but it is reality for Johannis Mailuhu at the age of 61. For him, hitting the books again is not as straightforward an exercise as enrolling at a local college and...

The search for water resources in Nepal.
January 30, 2001... Water is one of the most sensitive issues in regions encompassing mountains and valleys, and was one of the many topics discussed at last November's workshop on Mountains and Media in Kathmandu. The workshop, which The Jakarta Post's Ati...

JSX suspends securities firms.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) said it had suspended the license of three of its members last week, as they failed to meet minimum working capital requirements. The JSX's membership director Umar T. Laksana said PT...

Rupiah Rates Jan.29.
January 30, 2001... Bank notes rates TT rates Buying Selling Buying Selling Rp Rp Rp Rp U.S. dollar 1 8,970.00 9,970.00 9,423.00 9,517.00 Australian dollar 1 4,883.27 5,432.65 5,129.88 5,185.81 Austrian schilling 1 601.94 669.55 632.34 639.13 ...

Rates for tax payment, valid from Jan. 29 to Feb.4.
January 30, 2001... U.S. dollar 1 Rp 9,350.00 Austrian schilling 1 Rp 625.81 Australian dollar 1 Rp 5,074.25 Belgian franc 1 Rp 213.48 Canadian dollar 1 Rp 6,183.04 Swiss franc 1 Rp 5,635.93 Deutschemark 1 Rp 4,408.09 Danish krone...

BMW AG forms subsidiary.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Germany-based automotive company BMW AG has established a wholly owned subsidiary to handle wholesales of BMW cars, motorcycles, spare parts and accessories in Indonesia. Vice President Luder Paysen said on Monday the...

Bush's ideas.
January 30, 2001... Does new U.S. President George W. Bush's first act in office come from the same area of lobotomized consciousness that once caused his father, in pre-presidential days, saying in a Senate debate on the proposed Alaska pipeline, "I really...

Stock Exchange.
January 30, 2001... Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on Jan. 29, 2001: Shares Close Change Trading Volume Ades Alfindo 1,875 -75 263,500 Adindo Foresta Indonesia 130 -5 321,000 Alakasa Industrindo 425 0 0 Alfa...

Futures commodities exchange receives poor response.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Futures Exchange, the country's first futures commodities bourse, has received a poor response from investors since the commencement of its operations in December of last year. Ridwan Kurnaen, the chairman of...

Government urged to anticipate change in WB loan policy.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The government must immediately take steps to anticipate the plans by the World Bank to cut back its lending to Indonesia, an expert said. Pande Raja Silalahi, an economist at the Centre for Strategic and International...

New interpretation of laws sought to fight corruption.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): A new interpretation of the existing anticorruption laws is needed to replace the current rigid reading that often acts as a stumbling block to efforts to eradicate corruption, a legal expert said on Monday. The chief of...

Government asked to probe last week's attack in Ambon.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesia Ulemas Council (MUI) asked the government on Monday to probe an attack against residents of the Batumerah district in Ambon, the capital of Maluku, last week that allegedly claimed the lives of 15 civilians. ...

Arrangements being made for Onde trip.
January 30, 2001... JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Tickets are being prepared for Irian Jaya separatist leader Willem Onde and his men to go to Jakarta to meet President Abdurrahman Wahid as requested by him after the release of 13 of the 16 people kidnapped by the...

Defense minister Mahfud warns of military intervention.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense Mahfud M.D. warned people that the chaotic political situation in the capital could open the door for the military to take power with an argument that they did so to save the nation. "The Indonesian...

Gus Dur's pledge of zero tolerance gets wary support.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): A senior political observer greeted on Monday President Abdurrahman Wahid's pledge of zero tolerance in implementing a reform agenda with reservations saying that "violence must be avoided at all costs". "A humanistic...

NGO activists hold rally to protest city budget.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Some 150 people marched to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on Monday to demand revocation of the 2001 city budget. The protesters, who claimed to represent 14 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),...

JSX bomb suspects revoke statements.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The watchdog Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) claimed on Monday that the suspected bombers of the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building had revoked their confessions to police investigators. PBHI...

Five sought over armed robbery.
January 30, 2001... BOGOR (JP): Bogor Police are searching for five men, in connection with an armed robbery of a house in Cimandala village, Bogor on Sunday night. The robbers got away with a 7.92 millimeter calibre black rifle, gold jewelry worth millions...

Jasa Raharja services queried.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): A city council commission questioned on Monday the public services of state insurance company PT Jasa Raharja. Chairman of Commission C for city revenue Amarullah Asbah said the company had yet to cover either the medical...

Central bank freezes Tommy's bank accounts.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The central bank has frozen fugitive Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra's accounts at Bank Central Asia, Bank Mandiri and Bank Panin, an official said on Monday. The spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, Moeljohardjo, said...

Two Africans arrested for heroin smuggling.
January 30, 2001... TANGERANG (JP): Customs officers at Soekarno-Hatta airport have arrested two African men for attempting to smuggle heroin into the country in the last two days. Director general of Customs and Excise Permana Agung told a media conference...

City activities undeterred by massive rallies.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Life went on as usual in the capital on Monday despite massive demonstrations staged by groups in support of and against President Abdurrahman Wahid. There were no traces of tension as people turned up for their social and...

Guterres 'told his men to retrieve surrendered guns'.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Three Belu police officers and a retired Belu district military command officer testified on Monday that East Timor prointegration militia leader Eurico Guterres ordered his men to take back the firearms they had surrendered to...

Number of leprosy patients declines.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA: Indonesia has succeeded in reducing the number of leprosy patients from more than 100,000 in 1990 to 20,000 in 2000, Minister of Health and Social Welfare Achmad Sujudi said. After attending a meeting on leprosy eradication with...

Bus terminals will have improved public facilities.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has set aside Rp 32.2 billion (about US$3.38 million) this year to improve public facilities at its bus terminals. Head of the terminal office of the City Traffic and Land Transport Agency, Nurseruan...

A fresh start from corrupt past.
January 30, 2001... This is the first of two articles on dealing with corruption by Bertrand de Speville, director of the Jakarta-based Consultants Project for the establishment of an anticorruption body for Indonesia. He is a former commissioner of the Hong...

House gets report on scandals.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): After a series of intense lobbying, the House of Representatives plenary session on Monday eventually received the report of the special House committee's investigation of two financial scandals and officially dissolved the...

Thousands rally with divided calls.
January 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of students across the country took to the streets on Monday with divided calls but a unified claim to uphold the reform movement. No clashes were reported in the first massive head-to-head meeting between...

Radio registered in records museum.
January 30, 2001... SEMARANG: The Museum of Indonesian Records has registered Kids radio station in Bandung as the only one in the country that is dedicated specially for children. Manager of the Semarang-based museum, Paulus Pangka, said on Monday that...

Maluku-Dutch sister city.
January 30, 2001... TUAL, Maluku: Dutch activists are exploring the possibilities of establishing a sister-city scheme between Tual and Nistelrode in the Netherlands. Poly Roemloes, head of the Dutch organization Satu Bantu Satu, (One Helps One) who is in...

Willem Onde releases 13 of 16 hostages.
January 29, 2001... JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Willem Onde, leader of the Merauke-based separatist Free Papua Organization (OPM) released on Sunday afternoon 13 of 16 hostages who were abducted by his men on Jan. 16. Three hostages, including two Korean...