1. INDONESIA EXPECTED TO BE DRUG-FREE BY 2015, OFFICIAL SAYS.

Indonesia is expected to be free from drug abuse and drug trafficking by 2015 based on the objective of ASEAN countries, spokesman of the National Drugs Eradication Board (BNN), Senior Commissioner Pol Togar Sianipar, said. "When I was asked if it is possible, I said it is Indonesia's responsibility as a member of the ASEAN, because the ASEAN wants its member countries to be free from drug abuse by 2015," Sianipar said. He made the statement when giving directions on narcotics eradication to religious leaders, scholars, police personnel and a number of non-governmental organizations concerned with drug abuse.He noted that the objective of making Indonesia drug-free by 2015 can only be achieved if all public elements are willing to help the government deal with the problem.
"I remind all public elements that their participation in combatting drug abuse is important in saving the country from terrible destruction," he said.
During the occasion, Sianipar also expressed his disappointment over drug dealers and law enforcers who play with drug croupiers.

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2. DIRECTOR PUTU WIJAYA TO PARTICIPATE IN BEOGRAD'S BITEF FESTIVAL.

Director and leader of the Teater Mandiri, Putu Wijaya, will leave for Beograd, Yugoslavia, next week to participate in the BITEF festival.
"I will direct a war drama for ten days beginning on July 23, 2004, and it will be performed in the opening of the BITEF festival. Djordjo Marjanovic, chairman of the Beograd National Theater, invites me to visit and direct the play," Putu told reporters.
He further said after the festival, the War drama is programmed as a routine performance in next festivals in the city.
During his stay in Beograd, Putu will train 15 local actors to play the drama.
The War drama was made in 2001 to participate in the Asia Meets Asia Festival in Tokyo, Japan.
It depicts how human beings wish peace but then are trapped in a war.
"It is an irony and tragedy drama which also reminds us that we have made mistakes in life," the director said.

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3. 40 INDONESIAN TEACHERS LEAVE FOR CHINA TO STUDY MANDARIN.

Some 40 language teachers from Indonesia left for China on Saturday to further study Mandarin at the Fu Zhou Normal University in Fu Jian.
The sending of 40 senior high school teachers has been organized by the Indonesian Education Ministry and the Chinese government through the Chinese Embassy here, Director General of basic and intermediate education Indra Jati Sidi said in a ceremony to see off the teachers.Chinese charge d_affaires Yu Hong Yao was present at the event.The 40 teachers are from 40 senior high schools in nine provinces,and were among hundred of teachers selected as scholarship recipients, Indra said.
Meanwhile Yu said the Chinese Education and Culture Ministry will help develop Mandarin language in Indonesia by providing language teaching equipment and Chinese teachers who will accompany Indonesian teachers in teaching Mandarin for the next 12 months.

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4. UIN, AL-AZHAR EXTEND COOPERATION IN EDUCATION.

The Jakarta-based state Islamic University (UIN) of Syarif Hidayatullah and the Al-Azhar University of Egypt have stricken an agreement to extend cooperation in education.
"We thank God for this, as the cooperation is offered directly by the Al-Azhar management," UIN Rector Prof Dr Azyumardi Azra told Antara here a few moment before his return flight to Jakarta over the week-end.
The agreement was reached in a meeting between Azyumardi Azra met with Deputy Rector of the Al-Azhar University Prof Dr Abdul Daim Nasser in Cairo recently.
As a matter of fact, the two universities have actually forged such cooperation as already specified in the memorandum of understanding, but the scope of cooperation is more defined in religious teaching.
The extended cooperation, in addition to religious teaching, will also cover general education such as medical education, economy, trade and media-communication and engineering.
During the meeting, Nasser offered such an idea like channel program whereas Indonesian students (for first strata of master program) could follow a two year study in Al Azhar and then continue their study in the next two years in UIN and vice versa.
"This idea is good, as it could shorten the time of stay of the Indonesian students which may require more cost and sacrifice," Azra said, adding that such channel program has actively been participated in by Malaysian students.
Azra had a meeting with his Al Azhar counterpart on the sideline of a workshop on Islamic philanthropy for the collection and distribution of the charity fund.
The workshop was also attended by participants from Egypt, Turkey, Tanzania, Britain and India.
The first workshop was held in Bali last June.

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Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri has reminded Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso that the construction of a US$600 million monorail in the city is a huge project and is no child's play.
"I have ordered Sutiyoso and the organizers of the project to be extra careful in constructing the monorail because it is a huge project, and is no child's play," Megawati said during a ceremony to mark the start of the project at Asia Afrika St in South Jakarta.
The president noted that the construction of the monorail to support transportation facilities in the national capital, is not a trivial project.
That is why, Sutiyoso and the project organizers should comprehensively calculate every aspect related to the project, she said.
"In addition to consuming millions of dollars, the project will employ some 15,000 people," Megawati said, adding that Jakartans are expected to enjoy the new system of transportation by the end of 2006.
The president also called on Jakarta's municipal government to review the city's master plan to make it a representative capital city which can be admired by both Indonesians and the international community.
"In so doing, we can have a representative capital city which is expected to gain acknowledgement from the international community," she said.
Megawati expressed hope that the monorail could improve the image of Jakarta as a capital city, and that Jakartans would be able to conduct their daily routines more dynamically.
The monorail, she said, will be divided into a Blue Line route of 12.5 km, which will stretch from Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta to Roxi in West Jakarta with 13 stations, and a Green Line route of 14.8 km which will serve the city's Golden Triangle area of Kuningan, Sudirman, and Senayan with 17 stations.

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6. INDONESIA TO HOST F1 POWER BOAT RACE.

For the first time ever, Indonesia will host an F1 Power Boat race in Bali on October 30-31, a KONI (National Sports Committee) official said.
Djohar Arifin Husin, the KONI official, said here on Wednesday KONI would support the event which is to be organized by the country's motor water sports organization (UIM).
"KONI will fully support it. After all, it will be the first time for Indonesia host such an event," he said when receiving UIM Powerlink secretary general Dolly Indra Nasution.
He said he hoped the event would revive water sports development in the country. Motor water sports once flourished in Indonesia and even used to be a competition event in the national games but it was then temporarily freezed following an incident.
Dolly said participants from 64 countries mostly from the Middle East and European countries would take part in the event, adding that several participants would also come from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.
He said Indonesia would not to take part in it because it was not ready compete in the F3 category.

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7. ITALIAN JAZZ MUSICIAN ROBERTO MAGRIS TO PERFORM IN JAKARTA.

Italian jazz musician Roberto Magris and his group plan to perform in Jakarta from June 27 to 29.
The Roberto Magris Quartet Jazz Concert perfomances will be staged at Taman Ismail Marzuki on June 27, Gedung Kesenian on June 28 and Jakarta State University on June 29.
The director of the Italian Cultural Center here, Ostelion Remi, said on Wednesay the center had invited the group because it wanted to introduce Italian jazz music and musicians to the Indonesian public.
"Italy is so far known in Indonesia through stories about the mafia while few Indonesinas know about its jazz music and musicians," he said.
With Roberto Magris at the piano, Ettore Martin playing the saxophone), Danilo Gallo the bass and contrabass and Enzo Carpentiori the drums, the group will play 10 songs at each of its concerts.
Among the songs to be played are "Il Bello del Jazz", "Blues For My Sleeping Baby", "What Blues" and "Luci Lontane" which are created by Roberto Magris.
Roberto Magris, who was born in Trieste, Italy, in 1959, took up jazz music at the end of 1970 and once led the Europlane Orchestra which was a jazz project of Central European countries.
Magris and his group have played in several countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Czech, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, and also in several international jazz festivals.
He also played with world class mucisicians such as Kai Winding, Philip Catherine, Tony Lakatos, Bill Molenhof and Sai Nisctico.

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8. RESULTS OF RESEARCH, STUDIES SHOULD BE APPLICABLE IN INDUSTRY, SAYS MINISTER.

Research work and studies should yield results that are applicable in and match the governemnt's policies on industry, Research and Technology Minister Hatta Radjasa said. Therefore, discussions in parliament on the budget for research and technolgy should also involve the Industry and Trade Minister, and the Education Minister in addition to the Research and Technology Minister, Hatta said here Thursday.
"The results of research work should be applicable in our industries ," he said.
Hatta hailed the House of Representatives (DPR)'s preparedness to gradually raise the budget allocation for his ministry from the present Rp700 billion to Rp37 trillion which was the ideal level for a country;s research and technology activities according to the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
According to Hatta, the involvement of the Industry and Trade Ministry was necessary to adjust research with national industry strategy.
"Every innovation, where they have been conceived by universities, research institutes or the private sector, will be useless if industry refuses to apply it," he said, adding that the absence of a policy to prioritize the use of local products would also hamper the development of research.
The minister pointed out that the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) had developed various types of ships and electric railways.
Unfortunately, the innovations could not be applied in local industries while the country preferred to import similar technologies as there was no policy to prefer local products.
"Whatever the argument, this should not happen," Hatta added.
The minister disagreed with the opinion that funding of research programs should be based on quota because, he said, research work was different from projects and had to meeet clear scientific criteria.

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Some 10,000 copies of boooks on Indonesian first president Ir Soekarno written by various authors would be available at the Bung Karno library (PBK) in Blitar, East Java, a local official said.
Head of the Blitar administration, Djarot Saiful Hidayat, said that the libarary would also complete its collection with other documented archives such as 930 titles of Soekarno's speeches, 300 documentary photos and 15 documentary films on the former president's activities in leading the country.
"We will place the books and all the documents in the library," he added.
The library located in the compound of Soekarno's grave has a reading room, home theater, museum and an open space for art performances.
Djarot said president Megawati Soekarnoputri who is a daughter of the former charismatic president, would dedicate the library in the first week of next month.

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