Jakarta Post articles from July 2001

Jakarta Post archives from July 2001

Indonesia protests fatal shooting of Sgt. Lirman.
July 31, 2001... KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): Despite the official protest by the government, Udayana Military chief Maj. Gen. Willem T. da Costa said on Monday that the shooting of an Indonesian Army soldier by a UN peacekeeper was "understandable". ...

Supreme Court to issue verdict on Golkar today.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Supreme Court will rule on Tuesday whether the Golkar Party must be dissolved as a result of alleged violations committed during the last general election. The court was scheduled to present its verdict on Monday but...

New team told to regain market trust.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Economists have urged the upcoming Cabinet economic team to focus on regaining market confidence immediately through credible economic policies while optimism still remains after the peaceful appointment of President Megawati...

Megawati revokes Gus Dur's decree.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): President Megawati Soekarnoputri issued her first presidential decree last week, revoking the decree of then president Abdurrahman Wahid No. 121/2000 on the delegation of authority from him to Megawati as vice president. In...

Kerosene scarce in Cilacap.
July 31, 2001... CILACAP, Central Java: Kerosene has become scarce in retail outlets in Cilacap regency, Central Java, where state oil and gas company Pertamina's fuel refinery plant is located. Because of the scarcity, kerosene prices have soared to...

Blind renew equal opportunity demands.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Blind masseurs are often seen walking through housing complexes in the evening, seeking people who require their services. The question is why are so many blind people attempting to eke out a living with their massage...

Eight oil palm companies face legal action.
July 31, 2001... MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): North Sumatra's Plantation Agency will recommend that North Sumatra Governor Rizal Nurdin take legal action against eight oil palm plantation firms in the province for their alleged involvement in slash-and-burn...

Justice Benjamin replaces murdered Syafiuddin.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Chief of the Supreme Court Bagir Manan said on Monday that Justice Benjamin Mangkoedilaga had been appointed as the chief of the justices team preparing the establishment of an Ad Hoc Human Rights trial replacing the late...

Megawati to visit ASEAN member states.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): President Megawati Soekarnoputri will visit member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) between Aug. 22 and Aug. 26 to confirm Indonesia's commitment to the regional organization. Outgoing vice...

Matori rejects dismissal from National Awakening Party.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The law making body of the National Awakening Party (PKB) approved on Monday the dismissal of Matori Abdul Djalil and Abdul Cholik Achmad as party's chairman and official in charge of education affairs respectively. "The...

Police link recent spate of bombings to Acehnese rebels.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police claim to have found evidence linking the recent spate of bombings in the capital with the Acehnese separatist movement. City police detective chief for general crimes Comr. Tito Karnavian said on Monday...

New council building 'not a priority'.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The city administration, in response to mounting criticism over its plan to buy a new building for the City Council, stated on Monday that it would take some time before the plan could be materialized. City Governor...

Prosecutor faces intimidation.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The head of South Jakarta prosecutor's office Antasari Azhar is reported to have received threatening phone calls last weekend and was followed by people driving a jeep. The Attorney General's Office spokesman Muljohardjo...

Court rejects annulment of Akbar investigation.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta district court dismissed a suit on Monday filed by Kurnia Ananda against the National Police headquarters for suspending its investigation into Akbar Tandjung whom the plaintiff alleged had falsified land...

Drug dealer gets jail sentence and fine.
July 31, 2001... TANGERANG (JP): After postponing the reading of the verdict twice, the Tangerang District Court finally sentenced on Monday a drug dealer to seven years and six months in jail and Rp 2 million in fines. Presiding judge Silverster Djuma...

Mid-rank officer files suit against Bimantoro.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Sr. Comr. Alfons Loemau filed a lawsuit on Monday against National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro, disputing his arrest and detention by the National Police on charges of insubordination. The suit was registered at the...

Residents hit by trees to receive compensation.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Residents who are injured by felled trees will receive compensation from city-owned insurance firm PT Askrida, City Parks Agency head Dadang Ruskandar said on Monday. "We are now preparing a bylaw on the matter. We hope it...

Gains from perceived stability.
July 31, 2001... The almost 14 percent appreciation of the rupiah against the U.S.dollar immediately after the dismissal of Abdurrahman Wahid from the presidency last week shows how enormous have been the damages on the economy inflicted by his erratic...

Megawati: Her father's daughter?
July 31, 2001... OHIO (JP): Megawati Soekarnoputri, Indonesia's newly elected president, lives under the gaze of her father. A life-size portrait of Sukarno, in his quasi-military uniform and nationalist cap, dominates the cavernous living room of her home in...

On fraudulent Zwitsal contest.
July 31, 2001... With reference to the letter from Mr. Moharomah of Kendal, Central Java, published in the July 27, 2001 edition of The Jakarta Post, PT Sara Lee Body Care Indonesia Tbk. (SLBCI) and Sara Lee Indonesia (SLI) refute all claims of involvement in...

Marlev still showing style despite eight-year drought.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): July 29 was not just another Sunday for Marlev Mario Mainaky. The 30-year-old Indonesian had a check for US$13,600 from the Sanyo Indonesia Open in one hand and 11-month-old son Alweyn Jantje Putra Mainaky in the other, as he...

Indonesian men's basketball team wins first tour game.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian men's basketball team made a good start on Monday with a 95-78 victory over the Philippines Maritime Institute on the first day of the Philippine's National Basketball League invitation. Indonesia, led by...

Aprindo, Global Sources tie up.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Indonesian Retailers (Aprindo) has agreed to cooperate with business to business (B2B) e-commerce provider Global Sources in promotion activities. Aprindo's chairman Kustarjono Projolalito said in a...

Jakarta beckons as a center for illegal wildlife trade.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Despite its limited number of native animals, Jakarta is overwhelmed with wild and protected species which have been brought here from all around the country. Orangutans, yellow-crested cockatoos, parrots, birds of paradise...

Stock Exchange.
July 31, 2001... Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on July 30, 2001: Shares Close Change Trading Volume Ades Alfindo 1,350 0 64,500 Adindo Foresta 115 5 15,000 AGIS 140 0 368,000 Akbar Indo Makmur 1,150 0 4,000 ...

KPC refuses to lower price of its 51% stake.
July 31, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): East Kalimantan-based coal mining company Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) insisted on Monday that the local administration should pay US$448.8 million for its 51 percent stake. Anglo-Australian mining firm Rio Tinto, one of the coal...

Government's policy on luxury cars comes under fire.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The government's tax policy on luxury cars has come under fire, with critics saying the low import duty and taxes imposed on these vehicles allows the rich to flaunt their wealth at a time when many Indonesians are struggling to...

Two bombing suspects hold up guard, break out of jail.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Two suspects in the bombing of Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building broke out of Cipinang Penitentiary, East Jakarta, on Friday after holding up a guard with a gun that had been smuggled into the penitentiary along with two...

Politicians to dominate Cabinet.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): While President Megawati Soekarnoputri remains silent on the possible lineup of her Cabinet, Vice President Hamzah Haz suggested that most ministers be recruited from political parties in a bid to win the parties' support of the...

Abdurrahman: Achievements and blunders.
July 30, 2001... Thousands of people gathered outside the Merdeka Palace on Thursday to show their support for former president Abdurrahman Wahid. Noted lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis looks at both sides of the popular leader. Question: Abdurrahman Wahid,...

Woman nabbed for possessing ecstasy.
July 30, 2001... DENPASAR, Bali: A 32-year old woman, claiming to be an Australian was arrested by police at her residence on Jl. Mertasari in the Kerobokan area on Friday for alleged possession of ecstasy pills. The Denpasar police detectives chief Comr....

E. Timor refugees renew demand.
July 30, 2001... MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: Eurico Guterres, one of the East Timorese prointegration leaders, has urged President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz to pay greater attention to the fate of about 111,000 East Timorese refugees...

Bomb threat at BNI office.
July 30, 2001... PURBALINGGA, Central Java: A mysterious caller threatened to bomb a branch office of Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) here on Friday, causing an immediate evacuation of bank employees and customers. The unidentified caller, speaking in a rough...

Hectic day for Vice President Hamzah Haz.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Hamzah Haz woke up to a whole new world before him on Friday, as the newly elected Vice President was immediately laden with various protocol matters, including a pair of adjutants at his bedroom door and the packing of...

House begins deliberating bill on Papuan special autonomy.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives began deliberating on Friday a bill on special autonomy for Irian Jaya that is hoped will help resolve the problems in the country's easternmost province. Sabam Sirait, the chairman of the...

Judges caught between bribery and shooting.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The murder of Supreme Court justice Syafiuddin Kartasasmita on Thursday has raised the question of whether judges should be allowed to carry guns to protect themselves. Judges from the Tangerang District Court in Banten...

Defiant PKB legislator dismissed: Muhaimin.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The National Awakening Party (PKB) stripped Abdul Cholik Achmad of his position on Friday in the party's board of executives and its faction at the House of Representatives (DPR) for alleged insubordination. The party's...

Plan to revive information ministry opposed.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of journalists staged a rally in front Merdeka Selatan Palace on Friday urging President Megawati Soekarnoputri to abandon reported plans to revive the Ministry of Information which was dissolved by her predecessor in...

City to buy Timor building for council.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The city administration said on Friday it planned to purchase the Timor building, located on Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur in Central Jakarta, which would become the new home of the City Council. Currently, the council occupies a...

Era building gets bomb threat.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The National Police bomb squad (Gegana) removed a package thought to contain a bomb from the Menara Era building in Senen, Central Jakarta, on Friday, after an anonymous caller said the building would soon be blown up. ...

Zimbabwean shot dead over heroin.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): City police shot dead a Zimbabwean national at his rented home in Perbanas residential complex in Kuningan, South Jakarta, after he was caught in possession of heroin and tried to escape police arrest on Thursday. City...

Three men arrested over taxi hijack.
July 30, 2001... BOGOR (JP): Police arrested three men who allegedly hijacked a Jakarta taxi from the driver at dawn on Thursday. Bogor Police chief Sr. Comr. Bambang Wasgito said his officers were forced to ram a patrol car into the taxi to force it to...

Syafiuddin was a quiet, humble person: Family.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Before Thursday, one could only have imagined it as a scene from the movie The Godfather or from a John Grisham novel. A judge, who handled top criminal cases and was renowned for refusing bribes, was assassinated in broad...

Bullets used in shooting 'made by Pindad'.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The bullets used in the fatal shooting of Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita on Thursday were manufactured by state ammunitions producer, PT Pindad, police said. Chief of National Police Forensics Laboratory (Puslabfor),...

Commemoration of July 27 incident, Mega not present.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) commemorated the July 27 tragedy on Friday, despite the absence of party chairperson and President Megawati Soekarnoputri or other senior...

Street children too, deserve an education.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Like any other children, poor children in Pedongkelan slum in East Jakarta deserve an education too. About 50 street children seem to enjoy the classes in an informal school in the slum even though they have sit on the...

Indonesia must ratify 1951 UN convention.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Convention relating to the Status of Refugees will be 50 years old this July 28. The Convention, originally designed to deal with refugee situations in Europe prior to Jan. 1 1951 was amended in 1967 by the Protocol relating...

Hail the euro: EU's funny money.
July 30, 2001... LONDON (JP): The precedents are not promising, given that some older people in France still quote prices in the "old francs", worth one-100th of a new franc, that were abolished back in the 1960s. It's very hard to sell the French people on...

India's Gopichand survives Sony's test.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): All England men's singles champion Pullela Gopichand of India survived a quarterfinals test on Friday over host newcomer Sony Dwi Kuncoro in a tough match in the US$170,000 Sanyo Indonesian Open at the Bung Karno Indoor Stadium....

Athletes, officials in allowance row.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Bowlers and horse riders joining the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games training program questioned the National Sports Council (KONI) legal commission about the whereabouts of their monthly allowances on Friday. Senior women's...

Juniors tested in Bandung circuit.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): National junior shuttlers, joining the Indonesian Badminton Center, will have another test at the Samsung-SGS Cup in Bandung next week. The Badminton Association of Indonesia's (PBSI) West Java chapter Lutfi Hamid, also the...

Third defeat for Indonesian team.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian women's basketball team lost to the junior Cantonese team 58-86 in a friendly match on Friday in the Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian (SEA) Games warm-up. Team manager Max B. Lani said despite the defeat, his...

Indonesia to host Asia-Pacific film festival.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The medium of film crosses the waves and bridges of cultural divides, and people like TV film producer and tycoon Raam Punjabi are hoping it can also help improve the world's view of Indonesia. "It is pathetic to think that...

'The West Wing' looks at puzzle of Indonesia.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): What is Indonesia? In some Americans' view, it is just a big confusion of a country on the other side of the world, literally and figuratively. Well, at least when it comes to Hollywood, generalizations and stereotyping are...

Sam Poo Kong Temple belongs to everyone.
July 30, 2001... SEMARANG (JP): A man and his wife are deeply absorbed in prayer in front of Kyai Jangkar altar in the compound of Sam Poo Kong Temple in Semarang, while holding burning incense sticks in their hands, lifting them several times before finally...

Old City of Semarang a cause for preservationists' concern.
July 30, 2001... SEMARANG (JP): It's mid-afternoon near the Tawang railway station. Dozens of people are engrossed in their fishing and even the busy traffic on the street between the station and the large pond does not seem to disturb them. The big,...

Mandiri may use recapitalization bonds for BII buy.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): State Bank Mandiri said on Friday it planned using its recapitalization bonds to finance the acquisition of publicly listed PT Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII), amid difficulties to raise revenue. Bank Mandiri president...

Rupiah may strengthen to 8,000 against dollar: BI.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin said on Friday the rupiah could strengthen to Rp 8,000 against the U.S dollar, provided political stability would endure to help boost market confidence. He said he expected pressure...

Malaysia asked to remove steel import restrictions.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has demanded Malaysia remove restrictions on steel imports as compensation for the delay in the implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade area's (AFTA) tariff reduction scheme for the neighboring country's automobile...

Indonesia 'must protect' its local service sector.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Although Indonesia has to join the global efforts to liberalize the service sector, the country should do its utmost to ensure the growth of its local service industry, a senior official of Bank Indonesia said on Friday. ...

Telkom soon to open bid for new satellite launch.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): State-owned telecommunications company PT Telkom will open the bidding this year for the manufacture and launch of the Telkom- 2 satellite. Telkom director for planning and technology Kristiono said on Friday a contract to...

Qantas offers special fares.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Australian airline Qantas Airways announced on Friday special fares for Indonesian travelers flying to Australia's east coast between July 23 and Dec. 6. The company said in a statement that people traveling to Sydney,...

Rupiah rate July 27.
July 30, 2001... Bank notes rates TT rates Buying Selling Buying Selling Rp Rp Rp Rp U.S. dollar 1 9,521.00 10,521.00 9,971.00 10,071.00 Australian dollar 1 4,842.38 5,356.24 5,071.25 5,127.15 Austrian schilling 1 607.64 671.85 636.36 643.11 ...

Stock Exchange.
July 30, 2001... Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on July 27, 2001: Shares Close Change Trading Volume Ades Alfindo 1,350 0 491,500 Adindo Foresta 110 0 0 AGIS 140 0 232,000 Akbar Indo Makmur 1,150 -400 4,918,500...

When a lunch is not really just a lunch.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Our office complex during lunch hour often reminds me of a bee colony. The queen bees and drones are probably those privileged few relaxing in the open terrace cafe or getting hair treatment in the beauty salon. But it...

Being equal or simply being trashy?
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): "If you are not going to marry me by the end of this year, I'll go to my other boy friend in Holland. He'll marry me -- yes, he will. And that will be the end of our relationship, you hear me?" Yayuk, the twenty-something woman...

Gus Dur to keep on fighting for democracy.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Ousted President Abdurrahman Wahid reiterated, upon his arrival in Washington DC for medical treatment, that he would fight to uphold democracy in Indonesia, Antara reported on Saturday. "I will fight for democracy," he...

Money laundering, big issue in Indonesia.
July 30, 2001... Less than a week after the government presented an anti-money laundering bill to the House of Representatives late last month, the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on money laundering added Indonesia to its money laundering...

People express hopes for the coming Cabinet.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Different groups of people have expressed their own expectations of the lineup of the forthcoming Cabinet, which is reportedly to be announced on Wednesday. In Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, speaker of the province's...

Demo greets Mega in Makassar.
July 30, 2001... MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): Contrary to guarantees given by academicians and local figures, a demonstration greeted President Megawati Soekarnoputri as she was on her way to Batangkaluku, South Sulawesi, to officially inaugurate a clean...

Guess What? Julia Suryakusuma.
July 30, 2001... Three male body-builders dressed as Greek gladiators greeted guests at Jakarta's Regent Hotel on Thursday. Standing at the ballroom entrance were beautiful couples dressed in ancient Greek garb. No, it was not a wedding party. ...

Tantowi's entertainment business thrives.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The huge success of the recent Rp 1.6 billion Sherina show at the Jakarta Convention Center has not only boosted the child singer's popularity but also the reputation of Tantowi Yahya, the event's organizer. Tanto, as he is...

Stories from two noted Indonesian poets.
July 30, 2001... HUJAN MENULIS AYAM (The Rain Writes a Chicken) By Sutardji Calzoum Bachri Indonesiatera, Magelang, 2001 94 + xiv pp; Rp 16,000 Pengarang Telah Mati - Segenggam Cerita (The Writer is Dead - A Handful of Stories) By Sapardi Djoko Damono...

Light wonton soup, a popular Chinese dish.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Wonton Soup is one of the most popular dishes at Chinese restaurants. This delicious soup is usually served alone or as a side dish with chicken noodles. The Jakarta Post contributor Mary Winata takes you through the preparation...

Natural gas production a vulnerable operation.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Natural gas is a very volatile and flammable fluid. It occurs in underground reservoirs at high pressure and extremely high temperatures. To turn it into liquefied natural gas (LNG) at atmospheric pressure and a temperature of...

Synopsis of the proposed money laundering bill.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The government has presented the much-awaited money laundering bill to the House of Representatives for deliberation in a move to combat money laundering practices. The following is a synopsis of the bill, that consists of 10...

Helen Pausacker, the only female 'dalang' in Australia.
July 30, 2001... MELBOURNE, Australia (JP): There is no doubt many an opera aficionado has been so overwhelmed by a performance of, say, Othello that, he or she would dream of playing Othello or Desdemona, but how many actually have gone ahead, trained and...

Krisdayanti joins famous people by building her personal website.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): She sings well, dresses elegantly and also knows how to act. Krisdayanti is probably an Indonesian 21st century icon. And yes, she is on the Net, too, with her "still-under-construction" personal website. Check out...

Utut in hot pursuit for world tour.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Grand Master Utut Adianto will begin his quest for a ticket in the World Chess Championship by participating in several overseas tournaments. He will warm up in Liepaja's Super Tournament, which only features...

Marlev hoping to end title drought.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian old hand Marlev Mainaky cruised to the final stage of the US$170,000 Sanyo Indonesia Open on Saturday after upsetting second seed and heavy favorite Pullela Gopichand of India 7-2, 8-6, 7-1 in their semifinals bout at...

Financial market calm over next Cabinet lineup.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The bullish mood in the financial market will likely continue this week despite the daunting task awaiting President Megawati Sukarnoputri's new Cabinet. Currency and stock analyst Feri Latuhihin at PT Danareksa Sekuritas...

No hints still on the Cabinet lineup.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): Speculations were abound on Sunday of tough negotiations facing President Megawati Soekarnoputri who must form a Cabinet that will have to accommodate the interests of her political allies. Megawati called a series of...

Govt covers Gus Dur's U.S. trip expenses.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): The new government of President Megawati Soekarnoputri has approved and funded the visit of her predecessor Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid to the United States, an official said on Sunday. A media official at the state...

Grenade explodes near police officer's home.
July 30, 2001... JAKARTA (JP): A hand grenade exploded in front of the official residence of Aceh Police deputy chief Sr. Comr. Adang Rochana on Sunday morning, severely injuring one woman, Antara reported. The incident came less than 24 hours after a...