1999

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Indonesia's Maluku Governor Calls for Restraint.

568 words
21 January 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency
JAKARTA, January 21 (Xinhua) - Indonesia's Maluku Governor Moh Saleh Latuconsina has called on residents of Ambon, capital city of the province, to restrain themselves, and not be easily be provoked by the
situation following riots on Tuesday.
"Let us restrain ourselves and not be easily provoked by the situation to take revenge and other violence actions," he told reporters Wednesday night.
The governor made the call as the situation in Ambon remained tense on the third day of riots.
The governor said that he was shocked by the riots, the first ever in Ambon, which have claimed at least 20 lives and injured more than 100 people.
It was reported that the violence, the first after the end of the Islamic fasting month, was sparked by Tuesday night's clash between Muslims from Batumerah village and a bus driver from the neighboring Christian-
dominated village of Mardika. The ensuing quarrel escalated into an open clash between the two villages.
"In order to control the situation, I call on the people to remain at home during the night, except for something urgent," Latuconsina was quoted by Antara News Agency Thursday as saying.
Although no curfew is imposed, the governor called on security authorities to launch patrols in Ambon.
Meanwhile, religious leaders in Ambon have also called on the communities to introspect.
According to Antara News Agency, the situation in Ambon remained tense and the city was paralyzed as there were no traffic and social activities in this provincial capital on Thursday.
There were activities in government offices, while markets and shopping complexes remained closed. This has in turn made it difficult for people to buy things, particularly foods.
Due to technical reasons such as the impact of the riots, local newspapers were not published and local radio stations were also off the air on Thursday. The Ambon airport was closed to all except military flights.
Police and military centers in Ambon were packed with thousands of people, including ethnic Chinese, seeking refuge.
The incident followed last Thursday's rioting in Dobo on the island of Aru, Southeast Maluku , in which eight people died and dozens more were injured and 58 houses were damaged.
Meanwhile in Sabbang, Luwu, around 470 kilometers north of the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Ujungpandang, local Muslims were unable to celebrate Idul Fitri (feast celebrating the end of fasting period) in the
normal fashion because of continued sporadic clashes between different ethnic groups in the area. The clashes first began in the area on January 11.
In a separate riot in the West Java city of Cirebon, about 200 kilometers east of Jakarta, rival gangs fought each other and threw rocks at riot police on Tuesday and Wednesday.
There were no reports of serious injuries after the clash. The cause of the riot was not immediate clear.
The Ambon, Dobo and Cirebon rampages were the latest in a series of religion-related clashes to hit Indonesia as it wrestles with its worst financial crisis in three decades.
Soaring inflation, unemployment and poverty rates fuel social tensions.
In recent weeks, President B.J. Habibie, government and military officials, as well as religious leaders have called for tolerance among followers of different religions after dozens of churches and mosques were
attacked and set on fire by members of rival faiths in several areas.
(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.
Document xnews00020010913dv1l00x5n
News Items from Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua (Part 1).

274 words
21 January 1999
17:32
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, January 21 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Thursday: hke012101 - Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers hke012102 - Major News
Items in Leading Australian Newspapers hke012103 - Hong Kong Stocks Open Lower hke012104 - Thai Pushes to Prevent New Non-Tariff Trade Barriers hke012105 - Drought Hits Parts of Vietnam hke012106 - Sri
Lanka to Combat Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco hke012107 - Indonesia's Farm Products Exports Expected to Decline
in 1999 hke012108 - Bus Accident Kills 22 in Philippines hke012109 - Thailand's Demand for Refined Oil Declines hke012110 - Olympic Games Boost Australian Economy by 4.1 Bln
U.S. Dollars: Study hke012111 - Myanmar Seizes 10,794 Kilos of Drugs in 1998 hke012112 - Sri Lanka to Take Action Against Ragging hke012113 - Sri Lankan Army Starts to Recruit 3,000 Women hke012114 -
ASEAN, EU to Discuss Cooperation hke012115 - Cambodia, U.S. Sign Garment Quota Pact hke012116 - Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers hke012117 - Hong Kong Stocks Lower at Midday hke012118 -
Thai Officials Give Warning to IMF hke012119 - Foreign Exchange Rates in New Zealand hke012120 - New Zealand Stocks Close Lower hke012121 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Pakistan hke012122 - Foreign
Exchange Rates in Indonesia hke012123 - Indonesia's Maluku Governor Calls for Restraint hke012124 - Hong Kong Stocks Close Lower hka012125 - Macao Police Bust CD Smuggling hke012126 - Foreign Exchange
Rates in Thailand hke012127 - Trading on Hong Kong Stock Exchange hke012129 - Philippine Airlines Management Reshuffled hke012130 - Nepal Holds Information Technology Show hke012131 - Macao Sees
Skyrocketing Trade Surplus hke012132 - Transactions at Manila Stock Exchange hke012133 - Philippines Trade Down, Exports Up.
Document xnews00020010913dv1l00xat
Indonesian President Urges People to Maintain Unity.

344 words
22 January 1999
20:51
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, January 22 (Xinhua) - Indonesian President B.J. Habibie Friday urged his people to maintain national unity.
Commenting on the riots in Ambon, capital of Maluku Province, Habibie said here that the most important thing in the reform process is the maintenance of national unity.
"What is most important is to maintain national unity by giving the people correct information," the president said at the Presidential Palace.
The president also reminded the Indonesian people that they should respect other religions and religious followers, as the country does not prioritize one religion over the others.
He urged the people not to pit one against the other, particularly in terms of religious, racial, ethnic and inter-group differences.
"I am sure, and God willing, the incident in Ambon will serve as a lesson to us," he said, adding that the situation in Ambon has returned to normal.
It was reported that the violence was sparked by Tuesday night's clash between Muslims from Batumerah village and a bus driver from the neighboring Christian-dominated village of Mardika. The ensuing quarrel
escalated into an open clash between the two villages.
According to official Antara News Agency, the death toll of the riots rose to 40 on Friday and most of the victims were Muslim settlers from Southeast and South Sulawesi provinces.
Scores of houses, places of worship, markets, cars, motorcycles and pedicabs had also been set on fire by mobs.
Regional Command chief Maj. Gen. Amir Sembiring said the riots that flared in Ambon and its surrounding areas were believed to have been ignited by "irresponsible provocateurs."
"I have received a report that there were some provocateurs who have so far formed several small groups to move the masses," Sembiring said during a dialogue with religious and public figures, government officials
and military leaders in Ambon.
Armed Forces Commander General Wiranto is expected to arrive in Ambon Friday night to inspect the riot-hit Ambon, Sembiring was quoted by Antara News Agency as saying.
Document xnews00020010913dv1m00y9f
Indonesian Commander Orders Capture of Provocateurs of Ambon Unrest.

326 words
23 January 1999
09:45
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, January 23 (Xinhua) - Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto has ordered Regional Command chief Maj. Gen. Amir Sembiring to capture those believed to have provoked the recent
riots in Ambon, capital of Maluku province.
Wiranto, who is also defense and security minister, issued the order Friday night while visiting the sites of the mass violence in Ambon in the company of Maluku Governor Dr Saleh Latuconsina and other local officials.
"Find and arrest the provocateurs and bring them to court as they have damaged the brotherhood among the religious communities. This sort of unrest poses a threat to national unity and cohesion," Wiranto was quoted
by Antara News Agency as saying.
Wiranto said he could not understand why the riots could have occurred in a region which had never had any inter-religious problem.
Meanwhile, the situation in Ambon Friday was more secure than Thursday when a curfew was imposed throughout the city.
Maluku Police chief Col. Karyono said the death toll from the riots has risen to 45 on Friday. Many of those who were killed were stabbed, beaten or trapped in burning buildings. Some were attacked with rocks,
machetes, clubs and even bows and arrows.
"The toll is expected to rise as we believe that a number of bodies are still trapped in the ruins of buildings destroyed during the clashes in Batubulang village on Thursday," Karyono said.
Seven mosques, nine churches and 189 houses were burned in the violence that started Tuesday, he added.
The violence was the latest in a series of clashes to hit Indonesia as it grapples with its worst economic crisis in three decades.
"Many fear that violence could escalate across the sprawling Southeast Asian nation in ahead of the poll," said the Indonesian Observer.
The government and the House of Representatives agreed to hold general elections on June 7 this year.
Document xnews00020010913dv1n00yp2
Indonesian troops ordered to shoot anyone carrying weapons - Five killed and burned on riot-torn Spice isle.
568 words
24 January 1999
South China Morning Post
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
FIVE people were beaten to death and their bodies burned on a street as helpless troops looked on yesterday in riot-torn eastern Indonesia.
A fifth day of Muslim-Christian violence across four islands pushed the death toll to at least 50. Hundreds more have been injured.
"Five people were killed and burned in the middle of the road this morning in the Mangga Dua area," a witness in the city of Ambon said by telephone.
The five, all Muslims, had been in the back of a truck stopped for an identity check by a mob of villagers in a predominantly Christian area.
Three soldiers accompanying the truck fired warning shots, but were unable to stop the five being attacked and set on fire just 300 metres from the residence of the Maluku Governor.
Another warning shot was fired as security personnel attempted to disband groups of "over-emotional" Muslims checking the identity of passengers in their areas, according to Catholic priest Father Ansius. Christians
had been beaten, he said.
Later the priest said security patrols had begun to disarm groups patrolling their areas with machetes, spears and arrows.
"The situation has improved a little now," he added.
The military commander for eastern Indonesia said troops could fire more than warning shots unless Muslims and Christians called a halt to the worst disturbances in Indonesia in eight months.
A curfew was imposed in an attempt to prevent further clashes on the Spice Islands of Ambon, Sanana and Seram in the Maluku (Moluccas) chain 2,300km east of Jakarta.
More than 3,000 soldiers and police have been deployed in Ambon alone.
But Muslim activist Muhammad Nur Wenno, speaking from Ambon's main Al-Fatah mosque, said houses were still being set on fire in several areas yesterday.
"I dare not go out of the house because I can hear gunshots," said one Ambon resident.
Another, a Christian housewife, Andris, who fled her wrecked house in the predominantly Muslim Jalan Baru area to seek refuge at a church late on Friday, said: "In my area, nobody dares to go out of their home.
"Some Muslim neighbours protected me and some of my belongings for two days, but I still did not feel safe," she said.
At Al-Fatah, 11,000 civilians were seeking refuge, Mr Wenno said.
Police on Ambon said 20,600 residents had taken shelter in army bases and police stations.
Troops were on the city's debris-strewn streets yesterday, searching the rubble of razed buildings for more bodies.
A spokesman for the Ambon military command said at least 50 people had been killed since Tuesday.
Maluku chief of police Colonel Karyono said on Friday most of the dead were Muslims who had been stabbed, beaten with rocks, machetes and clubs or shot with bows and arrows.
Seven mosques, nine churches and 189 houses were burned, he said.
The violence, which erupted on Tuesday in Ambon city after a Muslim migrant tried to extort money from a Christian bus driver, quickly degenerated into raging communal riots which spread across the island of Ambon
to Sulabesi Island, 300km northwest of Ambon, and Seram Island.
The US State Department warned US citizens to "consider carefully travelling to Indonesia" between now and June, when parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place.
Agencies.
Document scmp000020010910dv1o000tj
Death Toll Rises to 47 in Indonesia's Maluku Rioting.

500 words
24 January 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, January 24 (Xinhua) - The death toll from the rioting since Tuesday in Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, has risen to 47, said reports reaching here Sunday.
"There is a possibility that the number of victims will still rise as security forces are still sweeping the locations of the riots," Maluku Chief of Police Col. Karyono said on Saturday.
Expressing his concern, Karyono said three police officers were hospitalized after being seriously wounded.
The biggest riots that ever happened in Maluku 's provincial capital have caused the burning or damaging of 261 house, 20 cars, 11 motorcycles, 216 pedicabs, 82 kiosks, 3 traditional markets, 13 houses of worship
and two banks, one government office, one hotel and one movie theater, according to the reports.
The riots also forced 20,619 people to flee to military complexes, mosques, churches, and other public facilities. Most of the refugees are still afraid to return home.
The security situation in Ambon in general was now under control, enabling many residents to resume their activities, especially buying food staples and kerosene, reports said.
However, fears of renewed violence are still hanging over the area on Saturday, as the military threatened to shoot rioters on sight, said the reports.
Trikora Regional Military Commander Maj. Gen, Amir Sembiring has issued orders to security officers in the field to stop any civilian they see carrying a weapon, disarm and question him. Security personnel are
authorized to shoot on-the-spot anyone offering resistance to enforcement of the law.
The commander has also called on residents not to appear in the streets in groups and not to leave their neighborhoods.
The communal clashes started on Tuesday when a local resident extorted a minivan driver identified as Jopie. The unrest quickly spread to Sanan district, North Maluku and West Seram subdistrict, Central Maluku .
Indonesian Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto, who visited Ambon Friday night, has ordered local security forces to capture those believed to have provoked the riots. A curfew has been since imposed in the city
to prevent further rioting.
With a population of 2.08 million, Maluku province comprises 1,027 islands, and 70 percent of its territory is covered by sea. Some of the islands are in the Pacific Ocean.
According to the 1997 official statistics, 59.01 percent of its population are Muslims, Protestants make up 35.29 percent, while Catholics number 5.19 percent.
Maluku is one of a few provinces, including Aceh, Irian Jaya and East Timor, whose history is marked with separatist movements.
According to the official Indonesian National History book, rebel Robert Steven Soumokil once established the South Maluku Republic (RMS). He intended to declare a separate state from Indonesia in the 1950s.
After the 1970s, the group was little heard of. Most of its elderly leaders live in the Netherlands.
On Thursday, according to local residents, some RMS flags were hoisted in Ambon.
Document xnews00020010913dv1o00zbi
News Items from Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua.

259 words
25 January 1999
00:39
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, January 24 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Sunday: hke012401 - Death Toll Rises to 47 in Indonesia's Maluku Rioting hke012402-Thailand
Wants Regional Mechanism for Labor Migration hke012403 - Myanmar Govt Accuses NLD, PDF of Inciting Riots hke012404 - S.Lankan Local Poll to Get on Web hke012405 - Phnom Penh to Launch Fresh Crackdown
on Gambling Near
Schools hke012406 - Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers hke012407 - Bangladesh, India to Hold Talks on Bus Service hke012408 - S.Lankan Local Poll to be Held in Tight Security hke012409 - Major
News Items in Leading Pakistani Newspapers hke012410 - Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers hke012411 - Dhaka Launches Massive Traffic Improvement Project hke012412 - S.Lanka Announces
Official Website for Local Poll hke012413 - Thai Govt Urged to Relax Bank Rules hka012414 - Weather Information for Asian-Pacific Cities hke012415 - Bangladesh Plans to Phase Out Auto-rickshaws in Dhaka
hke012416 - Nepali King Leaves for State Visit to India hke012417 - Over 60 Killed in Fighting in Afghanistan: Report hke012418 - Afghan Taliban, Turkmenistan to Hold Talks hke012419-Osama to Build World's
Second Biggest Mosque in Afghanistan hke012420 - Taliban Rule Out Talks with U.S. on Osama hke012421 - Chinese PLA Chief of General Staff Visits Malaysia hke012422 - U.N. Delegation to Visit Afghanistan
hke012423 - Pak, US to Discuss Non-Proliferation Issue Next Month hke012424-People's Resilience Helping Economic Recovery: Deputy PM hke012425 - Singapore PAP Cadres Inspirited to Focus on Long Term
Issues.
Document xnews00020010913dv1o00znq
Indonesian Military, Civilians Discuss Situation.

395 words
25 January 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, January 25 (Xinhua) - Indonesia's top military brass and leading civilians held a meeting late Sunday to discuss the latest situation in the country, which was last week marred by five days of riots in the city of
Ambon, capital of Maluku Province.
Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto said after the meeting here that the riots in Ambon had a similar pattern to other communal clashes.
The riots were the worst since those that took place in Jakarta in May last year. Official reports put the death toll of the Ambon riots at 50.
"The Ambon case is part of a series of other such incidents, like those which occurred in Kupang (capital of East Nusa Tenggara province) and Java," Wiranto was quoted by The Jakarta Post Monday as saying.
Wiranto said that in the country's history there had been no record of clashes over religious differences.
The recent incidents, he said, "show that our nation's brotherhood was highly threatened and under a serious test."
Those attending the meeting included Chief of Territorial Affairs Lt. Gen. Bambang Susilo Yudhoyoni, renowned scholar Nurcholish Madjid, activist Sugent Saryadi, Yogyakarta governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X,
leader of the Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama Abdurrahman Wahid, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI Perjuangan) Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairman of the National Mandate Party Amien Rais
and businessman Setiawan Djody.
In the meeting, "held to strengthen brotherly ties," Wiranto said, participants agreed to help avoid disintegration.
"We agreed that all this unrest should be stopped and the leaders agreed to help security personnel to that end. We also agreed that (the riots) would be thoroughly investigated."
It was reported that at least 50 people suspected of being provocateurs in the Ambon riots have been detained by security forces. The ABRI has started to confiscate weapons and other potentially dangerous objects
owned by local residents.
Amien Rais said he requested that Wiranto arrest all the "intellectual actors" behind the riots, which were "well organized, sophisticated, well planned and well financed," as demonstrated by their ability to spread "chaos
from Sabang to Merauke," referring to the western and eastern tips of the archipelago.
The riots, he said, were "all an effort to foil the elections (in June) and the ongoing investigation into (former president) Soeharto."
Document xnews00020010913dv1p00ya6
Xinhua World News Summary at 0830 GMT January 25.

406 words
25 January 1999
17:17
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
ROME - NATO's military build-up in the Adriatic Sea is a signal of its determination to reach a political agreement on the Kosovo crisis, NATO Secretary General Javier Solana said here on Sunday evening. (Italy-
Kosovo-Solana)
JAKARTA - Indonesia's top military brass and leading civilians held a meeting late Sunday to discuss the latest situation in the country, which was last week marred by five days of riots in the city of Ambon, capital of
Maluku Province. ( Indonesia-Riots-Discussion)
BANGKOK - Thailand's Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai has said the economic crisis would be over by the end of this year as the debt restructuring and liquidity shortage in the country were being eased. (Thailand-PM-
Crisis)
WELLINGTON - Ministers and senior officials from 24 consultative countries to the Antarctic Treaty are gathering in Antarctica Monday, starting their discussions on ways to prevent Antarctica's fragile ecosystem from
being devastated.
Sponsored by New Zealand, the activity of the ministerial visit to ice will last for four days. The participants include New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Britain, Sweden, Bulgaria, the United States, China, Peru, Finland, the
Netherlands, Argentina, Canada, Chile, the Republic of Korea, Italy and Norway, according to the local media. (New Zealand-Antarctica)
TOKYO - Japan's merchandise trade surplus in 1998 soared 40.1 percent from a year earlier to a record 13,985.1 billion yen (about 106.4 billion U.S. dollars) as imports into the country fell faster than exports, the
Finance Ministry said Monday. (Japan-Trade Surplus)
HARARE - More than 54,000 families in Guruve District in northern Zimbabwe are facing starvation because the Department of Social Welfare does not have transport to ferry maize allocated to the villagers under the
Grain Loan Scheme. (Zimbabw e-Starvation)
MOSCOW - U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright arrived here early Monday on an official visit geared to improve the troubled U.S.-Russian ties.
On the first day of her stay here, Albright will meet with Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov to discuss the political and economic situation in Russia, regional conflicts, arms
control and non-proliferation, Itar-Tass said. (Albright-Visit-Russia)
BEIJING - The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has said that agricultural technology, health issues, and information technology will be the top research fields for the next century. (China-Scientific Research).
Document xnews00020010913dv1p00yxe
Indonesian Ministers Arrive in Riot-Torn Ambon.

266 words
2 February 1999
18:35
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, February 2 (Xinhua) - Six Indonesian cabinet ministers arrived in Ambon, capital of Maluku Province, at noon Tuesday, shortly after fresh rioting broke out in the riot-torn city, according to Antara News
Agency.
The ministers were ordered by President B.J. Habibie to visit Ambon to assess the damage from the violence involving both Muslims and Christians, natives and migrants.
The violence which erupted on January 19 claimed 61 lives and left at least 758 houses, 12 mosques, 13 churches and hundreds of shops and kiosks burned or damaged.
The ministers include Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Haryono Suyono, Forestry Minister Muslimin Nasution, Public Works Minister Rachmadi Bambang Sumadhijo, Health Minister
Farid Anfasa Moeloek, Religious Affairs Minister Malik Fajar and Social Services Minister Yustika S. Baharsyah.
It was reported that the ministers have met with Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina and chief of the regional military command Maj. Gen. Amir Sembiring.
Meanwhile, fresh rioting flared up in the city Tuesday noon, leaving one injured and one motorcycle burned.
There was no report on the cause of the clash, which has thrown the people into panic, prompting them to seek refuge in military camps.
Those who had gone to work had to stop their activities while those on the road had to find shelters and school children were brought to local police stations.
Military personnel posted to guard the city were able to stop armed citizens on the street as two helicopters hovered over the city, Antara News Agency reported.
Document xnews00020010913dv220103r
Indonesian President Calls for Tolerance to Prevent More Clashes.

263 words
2 February 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, February 2 (Xinhua) - Indonesian President B.J. Habibie Monday ordered the fostering of tolerance to prevent more clashes with religious overtones, which officials say have killed 61 in the Maluku province.
The president has also ordered the immediate rebuilding of the riot-torn city of Ambon, capital of Maluku province, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Haryono Suyono told reporters
after meeting Habibie at Merdeka Palace here.
Six government ministers were scheduled to visit Ambon on Tuesday to assess the damage from the violence involving both Muslims and Christians, natives and migrants, Haryono was quoted by the Jakarta Post
Tuesday as saying.
The ministers included Haryono, Forestry Minister Muslimin Nasution, Public Works Minister Rachmadi Bambang Sumadhijo, Health Minister Farid Anfasa Moeloek, Religious Affairs Minister Malik Fajar and Social
Services Minister Yustika S. Baharsyah.
Haryono said the ministers would visit Ambon again next week to ensure that reconstruction is under way.
The government said that the rioting in Ambon which erupted on January 19 and then spread to the nearby islands of Sanana, Tanimbar and Seram had left at least 758 houses, 12 mosques, 13 churches and hundreds
of shops and kiosk burned or damaged.
Authorities have estimated the material losses at 500 billion rupiah (58 million U.S. dollars).
Government said that about 50,000 people had taken refuge in military complexes, mosques, churches and other buildings and up to January 25, at least 30,000 people were still seeking shelter in those complexes.
Document xnews00020010913dv22011a6

245 words
15 February 1999
17:19
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, February 15 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Monday: hke021501 - Singapore PM Calls to Strengthen National Cohesion in Crisis hke021502 -
Major News Items in Leading Australian Newspapers hke021503 - Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers hke021504 - Philippines' Gross International Reserves Increase hke021505 - Philippine Banks
Asked to Reduce Loan Rates hke021506 - Fresh Clash in Maluku , Indonesia, Claims 11 Lives hke021507 - Peso Recovery seen to Continue This Week hke021508 - Hong Kong Stocks Open Higher hka021509 - HK
Newspapers Issue Editorials to Greet Lunar New Year hke021510 - Major News Items in Leading Pakistani Newspapers hke021511 - Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers hke021512 - Hong Kong Stocks
Close Lower hke021513 - Trading on Hong Kong Stock Exchange hke021514 - Dhaka to Reduce Work Force in Public Textile Mills hke021515 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Pakistan hke021516 - Pakistan Navy
Chief Conferred on Malaysia's Top Armed
Forces Award hka021417 - Hang Seng China Enterprises Index Down hke021518-Malaysia, Indonesia to Hold General Border Committee
Meeting hke021519 - Malaysia's Consumer Price Index Expands hke021520 - Asia Wealth Bank Opens 21st Branch in Myanmar hke021521 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Philippines hke021522 - Philippines Sets Up
Job Center for Overseas Workers hke021523 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Indonesia hke021524 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Thailand hke021525 - Transactions at Manila Stock Exchange hke021526 - Earthquake
Shocks Aceh, Indonesia hke021527-Myanmar Holds Seminar on Y2K Challenges in Military.
Document xnews00020010913dv2f010h7
Bomb Goes Off on Saparua Island, Indonesia.

277 words
22 February 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, February 22 (Xinhua) - A homemade bomb blew off on southeastern Saparua Island in Maluku province, Indonesia, Monday as security officers were deployed in the area to anticipate riots.
A source at the riot control command post in Ambon, capital of Maluku province, told Antara News Agency that one person was killed and another was injured in the explosion.
Two helicopters carrying chief of the military resort on the islands of Ambon and Lease Lt. Col. Aris Martanto and chief of the local police Lt. Col. Afrizal Asyari failed to land at the area where the bomb exploded.
Both Aris and Afrizal confirmed the bomb blast upon their arrival at the Merdeka square from a visit to Saparua Island.
In the latest outbreak of violence in Maluku , at least 11 people were killed and 43 others wounded on February 14. The violence hit two islands of Haruku and Saparua. It was reported that the clash was between
Muslims and Christians.
Ambon was rocked by days of clashes between Muslims and Christians in January.
Most of Indonesia's 202 million people are Muslim. Maluku is a pre-dominantly Christian province.
The Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of general affairs Lt. Gen. Sugiono Monday said the ABRI plans to set up a special strike force to deal with mass rioting in the future.
The special force could be deployed anywhere in the country, Sugiono told reporters in Malang, East Java.
Indonesia is currently not only facing economic crisis but also political crisis marked by mass and violent riots disturbing the national security situation as a whole.
Document xnews00020010913dv2m00ruj
2 People Killed in Bomb Explosions in Ambon, Indonesia.

232 words
23 February 1999
17:44
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, February 23 (Xinhua) - Powerful explosions believed to have come from 10 home-made bombs rocked the Ambonese district of Batu Merah in Ambon, capital of Maluku province in Indonesia, killing two
people, damaging a number of houses and causing locals to panic.
According to Antara News Agency, the series of explosions which occurred at about 11:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, prompted workers and students to flee their offices and schools.
More than 20 houses were burned by fire from the explosions.
No ranking official could be contacted for further information, the report said.
Ambon was rocked by days of clashes between Muslims and Christians in January. The rioting claimed over 100 lives and damaged thousands of buildings as well as scores of vehicles worth more than 500 billion
rupiah (58.8 million U.S. dollars).
In the latest outbreak of violence in Maluku , at least 11 people were killed and 43 others wounded on February 14. The violence hit two islands of Haruku and Saparua. It was reported that the clash was between
On Monday, a homemade bomb blew off in southeastern Saparua island near Ambon island, killing one person and injuring another person.
Document xnews00020010913dv2n00r3i
5 Killed, 20 Injured in Riot in Ambon, Indonesia.

247 words
23 February 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, February 23 (Xinhua) - Five people were killed and 20 others were injured in a fresh riot which erupted in Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, on Tuesday.
Hospital sources told Antara News Agency that one of the dead victims was hit by bullets of security officers.
The disturbance was preceded by powerful explosions and followed by the burning of tens of houses in Batu Merah Dalam village at about 11:30 a.m. local time.
According to Antara News Agency, the act of house-burning was then spreading to other parts of the city. Three units of the fire brigade could not enter the spot because of the dead-roads.
Ambon was rocked by clashes between Muslims and Christians on January 19. The rioting claimed over 100 lives and damaged thousands of buildings as well as scores of vehicles worth more than 500 billion rupiah
(58.8 million U.S. dollars).
In the latest outbreak of violence in Maluku , at least 11 people were killed and 43 others wounded on February 14. The violence hit the two islands of Haruku and Saparua. It was reported that the clash was between
On Monday, a home-made bomb went off in southeastern Saparua Island near Ambon Island, killing one person and injuring another.
Document xnews00020010913dv2n00rb6
Xinhua World News Summary at 1540 GMT, February 23.

511 words
23 February 1999
23:47
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
WASHINGTON - U.S. warplanes dropped 2, 000-pound (900kg) laser-guided "bunker buster" bombs on a military command and control site in the northern Iraq no-fly zone on Tuesday after they were targeted by anti-
aircraft fire, the Pentagon said.
"Two F-15Es dropped two GBU-24s 'bunker buster' on a command and control bunker near Mosul," Pentagon spokesman Army Col Richard Bridges said. It was the latest of more than 80 such attacks against Iraqi
targets in the northern and southern no-fly zones. (US-Iraq-Air Strike)
RAMBOUILLET, France, The outcome of the Kosovo talks held here is still uncertain as Western and Russian diplomats are trying their best to prevent the talks from turning out to be a failure on Tuesday.
Nearly an hour after the deadline fixed by the Contact Group for Serbs and Kosovo Albanians to strike a deal, the Albanian delegates are still discussing among themselves the proposal on politically settlement of the
year-long bloodshed in the Yugoslav province.
U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin said after the passing of the deadline that the Albanians had not yet given their ultimate response. (France-Kosovo Talks)
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Bill Clinton said Tuesday that "a lot of progress" has been achieved at the Kosovo peace talks outside Paris but that "there are still some important disagreements."
Clinton called on the Serbs and ethnic Albanians to exercise restraint and hoped for a resolution Tuesday. Asked if he would extend the deadline for their negotiations, Clinton said, "That's up to the parties."
Clinton said there were problems on both sides of the talks. The Serbs have refused to agree to a NATO-led force to police any peacekeeping agreement. The Albanians want assurances of an autonomy referendum
after three years. (US-Clinton-Kosovo)
TEHRAN - Iranian riot police have succeeded in stopping the melee in front of the Iraqi embassy here and driven Iraqi demonstrators about 100 meters away from the embassy building.
Several dozen police were sent to the scene to bring the situation under control. Equipped with riot gear and tear gas, they ended the scuffles and pushed the angry Iraqis out of the alleys leading to the embassy in
northern Tehran. (Iran-Iraq-Protest)
ISLAMABAD - United Nations peace envoy for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi plans to visit the war-ravaged country this week to discuss prospects for the restoration of peace with Taliban authorities, U.N. sources said
Tuesday.
Brahimi is scheduled to pay a one-day visit to Kandahar, Taliban's headquarters in southern Afghanistan, over the weekend and meet with leaders of the militia which control more than 80 percent of the country.
(Pakistan-UN Envoy-Afghanistan)
JAKARTA - Five people were killed and 20 others were injured in a fresh riot which erupted in Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, on Tuesday.
Hospital sources told Antara News Agency that one of the dead victims was hit by bullets of security officers. (Indonesia-Riot-Toll).
Document xnews00020010913dv2n00rgx
3 More Dead in Fresh Riots in Ambon, Indonesia.

257 words
24 February 1999
19:14
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, February 24 (Xinhua) - Three more people died, dozens were injured and hundreds of buildings damaged as fresh riots broke out in Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, on Wednesday.
This has brought the death toll to eight after five people died Tuesday when homemade bombs exploded in Batu Merah Dalam village in Ambon.
Antara News Agency quoted Witnesses as saying that the victims, some of whom sustained bullet wounds in the legs, chest and head, were taken by their families to the mountains or to nearby hospitals.
The situation has become worsen after a series of explosions rocked the area between 3 a.m. and 10 a.m. local time Wednesday, prompting people to flee their homes amid sounds of gunfire, Antara said.
Prominent political and religious leaders in the city have made efforts to settle the unrest.
Meanwhile, the security apparatus has put the situation in Batu Merah Dalam village under control, although some explosions could still be heard at about 10 a.m.
Ambon and several other islands in Maluku province have been the scene of violent clashes between Muslims and Christians groups since mid-January which have left at least 127 people dead and caused massive
damage.
The violence was initially sparked by a dispute between a Muslim migrant and a local Christian driver of a public minibus on January 19.
Document xnews00020010913dv2o00s7m

343 words
24 February 1999
22:35
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
MOSCOW - Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji arrived here Wednesday for a four-day official visit to Russia at the invitation of Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov.
During the visit - his first to Russia since taking office as premier last March, Zhu is scheduled to meet with Russian President Boris Yeltsin and hold talks with Primakov for the fourth regular meeting between the prime
ministers of the two countries. (Russia-Chinese Premier-Arrival)
LONDON - Britain on Wednesday defended the partial peace agreement reached between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, saying the two sides had agreed on "90 percent" of the details of a settlement.
"What we now have is an agreement on both sides to substantial self-government for Kosovo and we have achieved consensus on around 90 percent of a document which runs to well over 30 pages setting out the
details of a self-governing Kosovo," Foreign Secretary Robin Cook told BBC radio. (UK-Kosovo Deal-Reaction)
JAKARTA - Three more people died, dozens were injured and hundreds of buildings damaged as fresh riots broke out in Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, on Wednesday.
This has brought the death toll to eight after five people died Tuesday when homemade bombs exploded in Batu Merah Dalam village in Ambon. (Indonesia-Riots)
NEW DELHI - External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh said Wednesday that India has not taken any decision so far on signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Replying to questions in the Lower House of Parliament here, Jaswant said that there was not an iota of truth in press reports that India has agreed to sign CTBT in its present form. (India-CTBT)
NAIROBI - Eritrean Presidential Advisor Yemane Gebremeskel said Wednesday that Ethiopian forces launched "a second large scale offensive this morning stretching their attack along a 60-kilometer stretch on the
Mereb Setit Front line", a news release reaching here said.
Yemane said that the fighting was "very intense and showed no signs of slacking." (Eritrea-Fighting).
Document xnews00020010913dv2o00sem
Unrest Continues in Ambon, Indonesia.

211 words
25 February 1999
16:35
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, February 25 (Xinhua) - Unrest continued to spread sporadically in several places in the riot-torn Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku Province, on Thursday and 24 people have reportedly died during the
clash over the last three days.
The noise of gunfire and series of bomb explosions were sometimes rocking the city since early Thursday morning and followed by burning houses, according to Antara News Agency.
Since Wednesday, several praying houses in Batu Merah Dalam village have been abandoned by the people after two persons were killed and dozens injured by gunfire in the village.
Two choppers from the armed forces are flying over the city while police and armed forces cars evacuate dead bodies and injured people to the hospital, the report said.
Ambon and several other islands in Maluku Province have been the scene of violent clashes between Muslim and Christian groups since mid-January which have left at least 127 people dead and caused massive
damage.
Most of Indonesia's 202 million people are Muslim, but Maluku is a predominantly Christian province.
Document xnews00020010913dv2p00rom

397 words
25 February 1999
23:06
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA - Unrest continued to spread sporadically in several places in the riot-torn Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku Province, on Thursday and 24 people have reportedly died during the clashes over the last
three days.
The noise of gunfire and series of bomb explosions were sometimes rocking the city since early Thursday morning and followed by burning houses, according to Antara News Agency. ( Indonesia-Voilence)
BAGHDAD - Iraq's air defense commander reiterated his country' s refusal to recognize the "no-fly" zones being enforced by U.S. and British jets and vowed to continue attacking enemy warplanes.
General Shahin Yassin al-Tikrity was quoted by al-Zawra Weekly Thursday as saying that military planners in the Pentagon are addicted to striking Iraq and its people, thinking they will succeed in their "containment"
policy. (Iraq-Air Defense)
JOHANNESBURG - Only two political leaders in South Africa - outgoing President Nelson Mandela and his heir-in-waiting, Deputy President Thabo Mbeki - are widely liked by the South Africans, a poll shows.
A countrywide survey conducted late last year shows that on a scale of 0 to 10, Mandela got 7.7 points and Mbeki got 6.7 points, while other politicians trailed far behind, South African media reported Thursday.
(SAfrica-Mandela-Poll)
JERUSALEM - Palestinians have rejected an Israeli offer to carry out parts of the peace deal signed last year, saying any proposal excluding further troop withdrawal is meaningless.
The Haaretz daily reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed that Israel release Palestinian criminal prisoners and open a southern route for safe passage between the West Bank and Gaza in
order to revive the stalled Wye River accord. (Israel-Palestinians-Offer)
TOKYO - Cambodia and international aid donors agreed Thursday to establish a monitoring body that will hold quarterly meetings to assess Cambodia's progress in carrying out reforms demanded by donors as a
condition for continued economic aid.
The agreement to set up the mechanism in Phnom Penh was reached here on the first day of the third Consultative Group (CG) meeting on aid to Cambodia, which is attended by representatives from 16 donor
countries and seven international aid agencies.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has asked for 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in aid over the next three years. (Japan-Cambodia-Aid).
Document xnews00020010913dv2p00s0h
Protest at shootings.
37 words
27 February 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
Ambon, Indonesia: Hundreds of Christians protested against the shooting of civilians by security forces as Muslim-Christian violence that has claimed at least 18 lives this week in Maluku province entered a fourth day.
Document scmp000020010910dv2r002ej
Sporadic Clashes Continue in Ambon, Indonesia.

342 words
28 February 1999
10:14
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, February 28 (Xinhua) - Sporadic clashes continued in the destroyed Ambon city, capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, on Saturday and at least five more people were injured.
"Four are Christians and one is Muslim. They have bruises and stab wounds, and two are still being treated in hospital," Abdurrahman, a staffer at the police Bhayangkara Hospital said.
Wawan, a member of staff at the downtown Al Fattah Mosque, said that Muslim houses in Ahuru village were set on fire by Christians early Saturday.
"Reports have just come indicating that security personnel fired warning shots to disperse crowds in the area," Wawan was quoted by the Jakarta Post Sunday as saying.
Wawan said that angry mobs were also burning houses on the boundary of the villages of Ahuru and Waihoka on Saturday.
"Warning shots have also been fired as people there refused to lay down their weapons," he said.
Wawan also said there were reports of attacks on the state-run Islamic Studies Institute in the Air Besar area of the city.
Witnesses said the situation in the city was still tense on Saturday as shops and schools remained closed and public transportation was still not running.
At least 16 have been killed in renewed clashes with religious overtones which broke out Tuesday in the downtown Batu Merah village.
Thousands have taken refuge in churches, mosques and military installations since the violence broke out on Tuesday while thousands of others have fled the city on ships for their hometowns in Southeast Sulawesi
and South Sulawesi.
Ambon and several other islands in Maluku province have been the scene of violent clashes between Muslims and Christians groups since mid-January which have left at least 127 people dead and caused massive
damage.
Document xnews00020010913dv2s00tti
4 Killed in Bombs Explosions in Ambon, Indonesia.

220 words
1 March 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 1 (Xinhua) - Four were killed, seven others injured and 15 houses burned down in a fresh riot prompted by hand-made bombs explosions in Rinjani village in Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku
province, Monday morning.
The riot began at 6:00 a.m. local time despite a peace agreement signed by village heads and elders in Ambon Sunday afternoon, according to Antara News Agency.
The peace agreement signed on Sunday was the second of its kind after the February 23 riots foiled the first one.
The agency quoted witnesses as saying that they saw a group of people crossing a river throwing the bombs into the village, prompting villagers in Rinjani to set fire on 15 houses of the attackers.
A fire engine escorted by some Armed Forces officers arrived at the site, but little could be done as the location could not be reached by two-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicles.
Ambon and several other islands in Maluku province have been the scene of violent clashes between Muslim and Christian groups since mid-January, which have left at least 127 people dead and caused massive
damage.
Document xnews00020010913dv31020ka
Anti-Riot Troops Formed in Indonesia.

236 words
1 March 1999
21:45
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 1 (Xinhua) - Indonesian Defense Minister Gen. Wiranto said Monday that uncovering the masterminds of each riot in the country is the military's most difficult task amid increasing demand for security
personnel to respect human rights.
Speaking to reporters here after forming two units of anti-riot troops, consisting of 3,033 members, Wiranto said there are three things the military has to do comprehensively whenever a riot erupts.
These are ending the unrest immediately, taking legal action against those found to have violated the law and uncovering the provocateurs, he said.
Wiranto said the two units of anti-riot troops, to be managed by the police, was set up to tackle riots.
They will be equipped with rifles, tear gas, rubber bullets, shields, helmets, dogs and vehicles and will be deployed to disperse mobs in riot-torn areas where security personnel are unable to control unrest, he said.
Spokesman of the Indonesian Police Brig. Gen. Togar S. Sianipar said a battalion of the anti-riot troops will soon be sent to Ambon, capital of Maluku Province, to help security forces handle the series of bloody
clashes between Muslims and Christians that have been lasting for more than a month.
The clashes, which have claimed at least 150 lives since January 19, have forced thousands of residents to flee to neighboring provinces.
Document xnews00020010913dv31020rj
Tensions Still Shroud Ambon, Indonesia.

374 words
3 March 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 3 (Xinhua) - Tensions continued to shroud the riot-torn Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, on Tuesday following the discovery of the bodies of a man and a woman with stab wounds, the
Jakarta Post reported Wednesday.
"They were attacked on Monday night and found in the Galunggung area Tuesday morning", Maluku Police spokesman Major Jekriel Philip said.
The paper quoted witnesses as saying that the city was tense as both Muslims and Christians set up roadblocks in their neighborhoods, checking passing vehicles in anticipation of the eruption of renewed violence.
"We heard that Muslims were to stage a protest against Monday's incident in Ahuru, but so far we have not seen any signs of this," a witness said.
Reports on Tuesday indicated that a number of Muslims were shot dead by police officers during sectarian clashes in Ahuru.
Some reports circulated to the effect that a number of people were shot at dawn prayers inside a mosque in Ahuru early on Monday.
National Police Chief General Roesmanhadi Tuesday said that the authorities have started investigating the incident.
"It (the killing) was conducted by irresponsible policemen. We've taken them (into custody) for further investigation", he said.
Asked about allegations that security forces have been taking sides in their efforts to quell religious riots in Ambon, Roesmanhadi said: "ABRI (Indonesian Armed Forces) is always neutral and is still solid."
According to the Information Center of the ABRI, two battalions of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command were sent to Ambon on Tuesday to support the local people's security measures against a possible
recurrence of riots and violence in the city.
Located about 2,300 kilometers east of Jakarta, Ambon has been rocked by religious unrest that has killed more than 200 people this year and forced thousands to flee the territory.
It then quickly degenerated into full-scale rioting pitting members of the two communities against one another.
Document xnews00020010913dv33023zf
Indonesia's Maluku Police Chief Sacked.

275 words
3 March 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 3 (Xinhua) - Indonesian Defense Minister/Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief Gen. Wiranto Wednesday announced that Maluku Police chief Col. Karyono will be replaced immediately.
Wiranto, however, did not mention who will replace Karyono or Karyono's new position.
Karyono is the second provincial police chief to be replaced after that of West Kalimantan province, who was dismissed after the province was also hit by riots.
Ambon, capital of Maluku province, has been rocked by bloody riots since January 19, which have killed more than 100 people, injured about 500 others - many of them were reportedly Muslims - and damaged
hundreds of public facilities and houses.
Reports on Tuesday indicated that some Muslims were shot dead by police officers during sectarian clashes in Ahuru. Some reports circulated to the effect that a number of people were shot at dawn prayers inside a
mosque in Ahuru early on Monday.
Wiranto told reporters that the ABRI will send a brigade consisting of three battalions and a combat engineer to Ambon to settle the dispute there which has inclined to religious affairs.
He said the brigade would be engaged in a peaceful action. "The task is to bring peace, and not - say it - attacking or emasculating the people's rights," he said.
Wiranto further said he would investigate the riots erupting in Ambon.
"I ask for a thorough examination. If there is an apparatus involved or taking sides with a certain group, I ask (the alleged apparatus be) examined and (served with) stiff measures, including their leaders," he said before
attending a limited cabinet meeting here Wednesday.
Document xnews00020010913dv330241m
News Items From Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua (Part 2).

388 words
4 March 1999
01:09
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, March 3 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Wednesday: hke030315 - URGENT: HK Unveils 1999-2000 Budget hke030331 - Foreign Exchange
Rates in Hong Kong hke030332 - Philippines Sets Deadline for Drawing Year 2000 Plans hka030333 - HK to Spend 1.7b U.S. Dollars in Developing
World-Class "Cyberport" hka030334 - HK to Redouble Efforts to Boost Tourism: Tsang hka030335 - HK to Take Measures to Improve Public Sector hke030336 - Indonesia's Maluku Police Chief Sacked hka030337 -
HK Financial Secretary forecasts Budget Deficit hka030338 - Hong Kong Stocks Finish 0.09 Percent Higher hka030339 - Hong Kong to Merge Stock, Futures Exchanges: Tsang hka030340 - HK Financial Secretary
Forecasts 0.5-Pct GDP Growth hke030341 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Singapore hke030342 - Thai Bourse Up 2.69 Points hke030343 - Philippine Victims to Get Fraction of Marcos Wealth hke030344 - Sri Lanka to
Attend Asian Film Festival in Bangkok hka030345 - Hang Seng China Enterprises Index Up hka030346 - Gold Price in Hong Kong Down hka030347 - Weather Information for Asian-Pacific Cities hke030348 - Australian
Dollar Powers Ahead on Strong Growth hke030349 - Australian Stocks Limp to Marginally Weaker Close hke030350 - Malaysia, Japan Exchange Loan Notes hke030351 - Kuala Lumpur Stocks Close Lower hke030352
- Foreign Exchange Rates in Malaysia hke030353 - Blood Samples From Afghanistan Reveal Bacteria-
Causing Pneumonia hka030354 - Roundup: New Budget to Help HK Boost Fundamentals hke030355 - Indian Economy Affected by Sanctions hke030356 - Philippine Rebels Won't Get OIC Support: Official hke030357
- Yugoslavia Urges Political Solution to Kosovo Issue hke030358 - Foreign Exchange Rates in India hke030359 - Philippine Government Denies Threat of Capital Flight hke030360 - Sensitive Index on BSE Gains
116.44 Points hke030361 - Y2K Manila Declaration Signed hke030362 - Pak Supports Efforts for Peace in Afghanistan hke030363 - Thai Banks Asked to Report to Central Bank hke030364 - All Pigs to Be Vaccinated in
Malaysia hke030365 - Vietnam Plans to Attract More Tourists hke030366 - Afghan Opposition Form Highest Decision-Making Body hka030367 - Tung Chee Hwa on Budget for 1999-2000 hke030368 - Former Nepali
Deputy PM not to Contest Elections hke030369 - Pak, Russia Agree to Boost Cooperation hke030370 - U.N. Decides to Return to Afghanistan hke030371 - New Leprosy Cases Detected in 27 Nepal Districts
hka030372 - Dragonair Adds Third Flight to Phnom Penh hke030373 - S. Lankan Attorney General Seeks to Postpone Polls.
Fresh troops deployed in Ambon - `Holy war' call against Christians.

By JENNY GRANT in Jakarta and Agencies in Ambon.
424 words
4 March 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
Muslim students demonstrated in Jakarta yesterday demanding a holy war against Christians in Ambon.
About 2,000 students massed in a central square shouting "jihad" and accusing the military and Christians of ethnic cleansing in Ambon.
The calls came as the first elements of 3,200 troop reinforcements were deployed on the riot-scarred island and the provincial police chief was sacked.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's top human rights activist claimed Jakarta's policy of placing Muslims in top posts on the mainly Christian Maluku islands lay behind unrest which has seen more than 150 people killed since mid-
January, 38 of them in the past week.
The 300 troops deployed in Ambon yesterday were Marines, trained to cope in riot situations.
As they took to the devastated streets of the provincial capital, armed forces chief General Wiranto announced he had ordered the dismissal of the Maluku police chief, Colonel Karyono. He also said he was
withdrawing a battalion of troops drawn from mainly Muslim South Sulawesi out of Ambon.
General Wiranto said he had instructed the new troops sent to Ambon to take "very firm and tough" action against anyone who "destroys, burns, or disturbs the peace, regardless of their background".
On Monday, four Muslims were shot dead outside a mosque in Ambon, reportedly by members of the security forces. General Wiranto promised "firm action" against those involved.
In Jakarta, demonstrator Muhammad Najib, of Bogor Agriculture Institute, said the military was too late and too savage in its response to the Ambon riots.
"We urge the military leadership to solve this problem or we will travel to Ambon to solve it ourselves," Mr Najib said.
Later 50 mainly Christian migrants from Maluku staged a peaceful demonstration urging the military to stay neutral.
A source at the Maluku provincial office in Ambon put the number of people who had fled the island since the violence broke out at 30,000, and said 13,676 had sought refuge at mosques, churches and military bases,
most because their homes had been destroyed.
Marzuki Darusman, the head of the National Commission on Human Rights, said that Jakarta in 1997 had forced the appointment of Muslim Saleh Latuconsina as Maluku governor. The governorship had traditionally
been given to a Christian.
He said that such moves, and the migration of large numbers of Muslims from South Sulawesi and Java, had led Maluku 's Christians to feel their culture was under threat.
Document scmp000020010910dv3400yu3
Bomb Explosions Shatter Brief Calm in Ambon, Indonesia.

279 words
6 March 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 6 (Xinhua) - A series of bomb blasts shattered the calm in the riot-torn Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, on Friday night, frightening people who then blockaded main road.
According to reports reaching here Saturday, the bomb explosions occurred near Silo Church, where hundreds of refugees are being sheltered.
"There were three explosions near the church as we were about to have dinner," Edwin Paliama, a staff member at the Silo Church told the Jakarta Post.
One person was reportedly injured by a bullet fired by a security officer.
No information was available yet about who was responsible for the bombing.
Edwin confirmed that dozens of marines were dispatched to the scene.
The deployed marines are the advance group of 2,000 reinforcement troops sent to Ambon by Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto on Wednesday. Their arrival brought a semblance of calm to Ambon on Thursday
after weeks of horrendous clashes between Muslims and Christians.
Authorities said more than 400 others were injured since religious clashes erupted in the province in mid-January.
It then quickly degenerated into full-scale rioting pitting members of the two communities against one another.
Document xnews00020010913dv36020t5
Fresh Clashes Erupt in Ambon, Indonesia.

281 words
9 March 1999
08:57
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 9 (Xinhua) - At least two people were killed Monday in fresh religious clashes in Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, according to the Indonesian Observer Tuesday.
"I have checked with the governor and two people were killed," Major General Suaidy Marabessy said.
The paper quoted witnesses as saying that the two people were Christians beaten by a mob in Pohon Mangga near Ambon city.
Another said fresh clashes between Muslims and Christians had broken out in Pasu area Monday, injuring at least 10 people.
There were unconfirmed reports of sporadic unrest in several other areas on the island.
The clashes were initially set off by the explosion of homemade bombs made from fertilizer, witnesses said.
In Ambon, about 60 percent of the population is Christian. The rest are mostly Muslims, many of them immigrants from other islands. Over the weekend, the military sent in a team of officers - all of them originally from
the spice islands - to help restore peace.
Even with an extra 3,000 troops sent in last week, the military has appeared powerless to stop the clashes which first erupted last January.
Tension in Ambon city, much of it in ruins, remained high Monday and witnesses said Muslims and Christians had set up check points along roads in their areas, the Indonesian Observer added.
Document xnews00020010913dv39021u9
Xinhua World News Summary at 1440 GMT, March 9.

365 words
9 March 1999
22:49
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
CAIRO - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said here Monday that it is the Palestinian leadership that should make decision on whether to declare statehood in early May.
The Palestinian National Authority is contacting Arab States and international parties on the issue, Arafat told a delegation of the representation council of Jewish organization and community in France.
Arafat had insisted that he would declare an independent Palestinian state on May 4 when the transitional period under Oslo accords expires, with or without Israeli consent. (Egypt-Palestine-Arafat)
WASHINGTON - The United States has been told that Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders have approved a peace agreement for Kosovo and "authorized its signature," the State Department said on Monday.
But spokesman James Rubin remained sceptical, telling reporters: "What we need to do is get maximum clarity from the Kosovar Albanian side... I think I will conclude that the agreement is signed when it's been
signed." (US-Kosovo-KLA)
JAKARTA - At least two people were killed Monday in fresh religious clashes in Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, according to the Indonesian Observer Tuesday.
"I have checked with the governor and two people were killed," Major General Suaidy Marabessy said.
The paper quoted witnesses as saying that the two people were Christians beaten by a mob in Pohon Mangga near Ambon city. ( Indonesia-Clashes)
TIRANA - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has now stationed 8,000 troops in Macedonia, in preparation for an international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, a senior NATO military official said on Sunday.
The number is expected to reach 10,000 this week, NATO spokesman Major Jen Jonsen said at the NATO press center in Macedonia. (Macedonia-NATO)
BELGRADE - Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic said Monday a peace deal expected to be signed during the second-stage talks in France should not let "foreign troops police any peace accord on Kosovo."
When meeting with visiting German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who serves as the rotating chairman of the European Union, Milosevic said that the peace deal should not impose others' views on Yugoslavia, the
Tanjug news agency reported. (Yugoslavia-Milosevic-Kosovo).
Tens of Houses Set on Fire in Ambon, Indonesia.

280 words
10 March 1999
18:40
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 10 (Xinhua) - Tens of houses in Benteng Atas Village in Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku Province, were set on fire Wednesday morning following an attack from residents of Taman Makmur
Village.
Tens of families had to seek refugee at a church, but no casualties have been reported.
According to Antara News Agency, most of the fire victims did not have time to save their belongings.
Located about 2,300 kilometers east of Jakarta, Ambon has been rocked by religious unrest that has killed more than 200 people this year and forced thousands to flee.
In Ambon, about 60 percent of the residents are Christian while most of the rest are Muslims, many of them immigrants from other islands.
Calls mounted on Tuesday for hostile religious groups in Ambon to keep cool as more lives were lost from the weeks of clashes.
"We call on people from both sides to put down their weapons and work together to restore peace and order in Ambon," Ambon Bishop Mandagi was quoted by The Jakarta Post Wednesday as saying.
Mandagi represented a group of local religious leaders and intellectuals from state Pattimura University who met earlier in the day with Maj. Gen. Suaidy Marasabessy. The latter heads a 19-member special military task
force assigned by Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto to stop the bloodshed.
Head of Maluku 's Indonesian Council of Ulemas chapter Hasanussy and Rev. Sammy Titalei of the Maluku Protestant Church also attended the meeting.
Document xnews00020010913dv3a021z9
Xinhua World News Summary at 1430 GMT, March 10.

251 words
10 March 1999
22:36
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA - Tens of houses in Benteng Atas Village in Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku Province, were set on fire Wednesday morning following an attack from residents of Taman Makmur Village.
Tens of families had to seek refugee at a church, but no casualties have been reported. (Indonesia-Unrest)
COLOMBO - A grenade attack killed one ruling People's Alliance supporter and wounded 25 others near Gampaha in Sri Lanka's Western Province, informed sources said Wednesday afternoon. (Sri Lanka-Grenade)
JERUSALEM - A Palestinian military court on Wednesday sentenced a member of the Islamic militant group Hamas to death for killing a Palestinian security agent in the Gaza Strip one month ago, Israel Radio
reported.
The 25-year-old Raed Attar and two others were convicted of shooting dead Capt. Rifat Joudeh, a member of the Preventive Security Service in the Gaza Strip town of Rafah in early February.
Palestinian National Authority said the three were Hamas fugitives. (Israel-Palestinians)
TOKYO - The United States and Japan on Wednesday agreed to pursue a "comprehensive approach" toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Both William Perry, U.S. policy coordinator on the DPRK, and Japanese officials declined to comment on details of the approach which was agreed on during separate talks between Perry and Japanese Prime Minister
Keizo Obuchi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, and Defense Agency chief Hosei Norota. (Japan-US-Perry).
Document xnews00020010913dv3a022dk
Indonesian Rupiah Lower Against U.S. Dollar.

213 words
11 March 1999
22:16
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 11 (Xinhua) - Indonesian rupiah was closed at 9,350/9,450 to the U.S. dollar on the Jakarta inter-bank spot market Thursday, declining by 295 points compared with Wednesday's close of 9,055/9,075
per U.S. dollar.
This was the rupiah's lowest level since mid-January when the rupiah plunged to 8,600 against the greenback.
Dealers said that heavy U.S. dollar-buying interest from local banks pushed the rupiah sharply lower from the start of trading.
With the demand for U.S. dollars magnified by the continuing unrest in Ambon, capital of Maluku province, and other provinces, and by fears of escalating tensions in the run-up to June's parliamentary elections, many
market participants believe the U.S. currency will head higher still over the medium term.
Although Bank Indonesia had sold U.S. dollars through state banks, the apparent intervention had little effect, dealers said.
With market liquidity evaporating fast as remaining counter-party credit lines are trimmed ahead of this Saturday's expected government announcement of bank closures, the demand for U.S. dollars had a
disproportionate impact on the rupiah's exchange rate, explained the traders.
Document xnews00020010913dv3b021y9
7 Killed in Renewed Violence in Ambon, Indonesia.

321 words
11 March 1999
09:37
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 11 (Xinhua) - Military personnel opened fire on clashing Muslims and Christians in the devastated Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku Province, killing at least seven people and wounding dozens
more, The Jakarta Post reported Thursday.
The paper quoted witnesses and hospital staff as saying the renewed violence, involving thousands of people armed with crude weapons, erupted almost simultaneously at six different sites in and around Ambon on
Wednesday afternoon.
Clashes were continuing into the night, said Ronny Lewerisa, a resident of Benteng Atas.
"At least 30 people suffering from gunshot wounds were admitted to hospital, six of them are dead and five are in serious condition," Nurse Ida of the emergency ward of Haulusi General Hospital was quoted by the
paper as saying.
Wednesday's clashes came only a day after local religious leaders called for calm and peace in Ambon.
Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto dispatched one battalion of Marines and two battalions of Army Strategic Reserves Command troops from Java island last week to reinforce Ambon security personnel.
It was reported that a special military task force sent by Wiranto to Ambon on Sunday will set up a communications center in the riot-torn city.
Police said on Wednesday that at least 172 people have been killed since clashes between Muslims and Christians first erupted in mid-January. More than 450 others were injured.
Thousands of people have taken refuge in mosques, churches, military facilities and other government buildings in Ambon while thousands of others have fled the city for their hometowns in Sulawesi.
It quickly degenerated into full-scale riots involving members of both communities.
Police said they were questioning 23 people suspected of instigating the riots.
Document xnews00020010913dv3b022xr
Ambon tensions spread to Sulawesi.

By VAUDINE ENGLAND.
276 words
12 March 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
Strong emotions and primitive weapons are fuelling violence in Ambon and raising tensions on other eastern islands of Indonesia.
Religious leaders in Jakarta say the rising conflict is appalling, while denying religion is the root cause.
The unrest in Ambon is now stirring passions in Ujung Pandang, the capital of Sulawesi, to which refugees are fleeing from Ambon.
A witness said a meeting yesterday of more than 1,000 students at Ujung Pandang's Al Islami mosque came close to violence.
The students threatened and chased a reporter at the scene and smashed up the pedicab he arrived in.
"One of the young men apologised for the aggression," the witness said. "But he said, `you must understand this is very emotional for us - it is about our religion'."
In Jakarta, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (Muslim scholars), Ikhwan Syam, insisted the roots of the conflict lay in the ethnic tension caused by the migration of largely Muslim traders from
Sulawesi to Ambon.
The general secretary of the Communion of Churches of Indonesia, Dr Joseph Pattiasina, himself an Ambonese, said: "People call it a religious conflict but ... it started with criminal matters."
The armed forces have bolstered their presence and Ambonese religious leaders have begun holding meetings. But thousands of Muslims and Christians are preparing for war.
More than 200 people have been killed since mid-January. An army sergeant and a civilian were shot dead in separate incidents yesterday and 10 people were reported to have died in violence on Wednesday,
prompting police in Maluku province to surrender riot control duties to the army.
Document scmp000020010910dv3c00w6c
15 Houses Burnt Down in Ambon, Indonesia.

406 words
15 March 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 15 (Xinhua) - Fifteen houses in Soabali village in riot-torn Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, were burnt down on Sunday night, according to reports reaching here Monday.
An eyewitness told Antara News Agency that the fire broke out at the house of the Berhitu family at around 19:00 local time after it was left vacant by its owner.
"At that time I saw a boy entering the house of the Berhitu family. Shortly after the boy came out of the house, it was on fire and then he disappeared," the eyewitness said.
Nobody claimed responsibility for the fire, the reports said, adding that local residents worked closely together in putting it out.
The fire caused tension on Sunday although the security authorities have since Saturday clamped down on the illegal possession of pointed weapons and explosives.
Chief of the Ambon Military Resort Col. Karel Ralahallo called on the conflicting parties to hand in their weapons to the security authorities and seek a peaceful solution.
According to the reports, the security authorities have been intensively launching a raid on the possession of pointed weapons and explosives and anybody found carrying such weapons will be sternly dealt with.
Located about 2,300 kilometers east of Jakarta, Ambon has been rocked by religious unrest that has killed more than 200 people this year. Authorities said more than 400 others were injured since religious clashes
erupted in the province in mid-January.
Thousands of people have taken refuge in mosques, churches, military facilities and other government buildings in Ambon while thousands of others have fled the city on ships for their hometowns in Sulawesi.
An investigation team of an Islamic foundation found out that the tragedy has caused more than 60,000 Muslims to leave Ambon and returned to their hometowns.
In Ambon, about 60 percent of the population is Christian. Most of the rest are Muslims, many of them immigrants from other islands.
As sporadic clashes in the city continued, the Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto ordered the transfer of authority to cope with the continuing clashes on March 11.
"Riot control has been handed over to the military because they have a greater number of troops. We hope that from now on riot control will be more effective," said Lt. Col. Riswadi, head of the Maluku Police's
command post.
Document xnews00020010913dv3f023gw
Indonesia to Aid Riot Victims in West Kalimantan.

240 words
19 March 1999
16:35
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 19 (Xinhua) - The Indonesian government has set up a team to discuss aid programs for victims of the recent riots in Sambas district, West Kalimantan province.
The team consists of the coordinating minister for public welfare and the ministers of social affairs, education and culture, religious affairs, health, public works, forestry, public housing and transmigration.
Talking to reporters here Friday, Social Affairs Minister Justika S. Baharsyah said the team will soon channel the aid to the victims of riots, which have claimed more than 50 lives.
Similar aid has also been sent to victims of the recent riots in Ambon, capital of Maluku province, Aceh province and Kupang, capital of East Nusa Tenggara province, she added.
According to Antara News Agency, at least 51 people have been killed and more than 1,000 houses burned in Sambas since clashes broke out Tuesday between the indigenous Malays and migrants from the island of
Madura.
At least 33 people were killed in a single day of communal clashes on Thursday.
Residents told Antara News Agency that tension remained high as this week's riots have spread to 12 sub-districts in Sambas regency.
Last month, a number of Madurese and Malay locals were killed in sporadic clashes in Sambas regency. It was reported that a total of 66 people have died so far in the regency.
Document xnews00020010913dv3j00xo5
Government to rebuild riot-torn Ambon.

61 words
22 March 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
The Indonesian Government aims to rebuild the riot-torn city of Ambon, wracked by months of Muslim-Christian clashes that claimed 200 lives and left millions of dollars worth of damage, Maluku Governor Saleh
Latuconsina said yesterday.
More than 2,500 of the 3,680 houses damaged in the violence would be rebuilt, he said.
Document scmp000020010910dv3m00wyx
Indonesia gripped by internal-refugee crisis.

By Vaudine England in Jakarta.
601 words
28 March 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
INDONESIA is becoming a land of internal refugees - people who have fled violence raging in Ambon, in Kalimantan and in other islands.
Several tens of thousands of people have lost homes and possessions in places where they have lived for a generation or more. Many want to go "home" to the islands or provinces of their forebears.
But many more fear there is no place or job for them if they return, and they have few other options of sanctuary.
At least 15,000 people have left or been forced from their homes in West Kalimantan and are sheltering in the provincial capital of Pontianak.
Temporary refuge is being provided by the Indonesian Red Cross, the military and by a sports stadium.
Another 10,000 people were reported stranded in towns in the Sambas district, awaiting transfer to Pontianak. Two thousand were said to have arrived in Java.
All of these people hail from the island of Madura, off the northeast coast of Java. Many of them have few relatives left in Madura and no home to go to.
Malaysia has refused entry to 411 Madurese.
Community leaders in Madura have pleaded that the "refugees" not be sent there.
But neither can they stay where they are. The Sambas Dayak Community Council this week read a statement to Indonesia's chief of the armed forces, General Wiranto, which stated: "The ultimate resolution is that the
Dayaks, Malays, Chinese and Bugis people no longer want to live with the Madurese."
Not surprisingly, one Madurese man at a Red Cross centre said in West Kalimantan: "We are grateful we are safe. But I don't think we will live here again."
No decision has been announced on what will be done with the Madurese. But Minister for State Migration and Resettlement Programmes, Hendropriyono, was quoted by Bisnis Indonesia as saying his ministry was
looking for new resettlement sites for the Madurese, especially uninhabited islands.
Meanwhile, in the eastern province of Maluku , there are signs that the diaspora of people from Ambon is beginning to be reversed. Since fighting broke out there on January 19, in what became a communal war, tens
of thousands of Ambonese - some Christian, some Muslim - have fled their homes.
Major-General Suaidi, chief of the Wirabuana Military Command which includes Maluku , says that "thousands" of internal refugees are now to be returned to Ambon.
He said they would be sent home after today's Muslim Day of Sacrifice (Idul Adha), adding it was important all Ambonese were returned before the general election scheduled for June 7.
So far, four villages in Ambon have announced their willingness to accept the returnees and the military says almost 300 homes have been repaired.
This is just a start on the 3,535 buildings, including mosques and churches, estimated to have been destroyed in the unrest.
Many of the refugees from Ambon had fled to the South Sulawesi capital of Ujung Pandang and the island of Buton, their ancestral homes.
A few thousand went to other islands in Maluku such as Banda.
Some of those still in Ujung Pandang say they will not go back to Ambon, and prefer to try their luck at finding work in Malaysia. Others simply say they have no idea where to go.
Then there are the hundreds of Jakarta-appointed teachers and civil servants posted to Dili, East Timor. The teachers at least have been given permission to leave by the Minister of Education, Juwono Sudarsono, as
insecurity increases in East Timor's moves towards independence.
Document scmp000020010910dv3s00xqy
Riot Breaks out in Southeast Maluku, Indonesia.

175 words
31 March 1999
14:44
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 31 (Xinhua) - A riot broke out in Tual, capital of southeast Maluku district, Indonesia, at dawn Wednesday, severely wounding two people and damaging several houses in two villages, reports
reaching here said.
The riot began at about 4 a.m. and was allegedly started by four drunk night watchmen at the Tual market, said the reports.
The wounded were reportedly being treated at the Tual and Hati Kudus Langgur hospitals. They sustained head and stomach wounds from pointed and blunt objects.
Until the filling of this report Wednesday morning, security and police forces have not been able to contain the rioters who were armed with knives, spears, and bows and arrows.
But the district police chief, Lt. Col. Simson Monthe, said the situation has been put under control.
Since January this year, about 400 people have been killed in several riots in the country. Some political figures said earlier that former president Soeharto's followers are behind of the riots.
Document xnews00020010913dv3v00wb0
Xinhua World News Summary at 09 - 00 GMT March 31.

190 words
31 March 1999
17:26
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
BELGRADE - Having resisted several days of NATO bombing, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic said Tuesday that he was ready to withdraw some troops from Kosovo if NATO halts airstrikes on Yugoslavia.
(Milosevic-NATO)
BEIJING - The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, has announced that this year it will end restrictions on the establishment of foreign banks' regional branches.(China-Bank-Branch)
---
LONDON - NATO is stepping up its airstrikes with a widened list of targets in Yugoslavia, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said here Wednesday.
"What we have been doing throughout the air campaign is preparing, if necessary, to increase the targets which we focus on, " Cook told BBC radio.(NATO-Airstrikes)
JAKARTA - A riot broke out in Tual, capital of southeast Maluku district, Indonesia, at dawn Wednesday, severely wounding two people and damaging several houses in two villages, reports reaching here said.
(Indonesia-Riot)
BEIJING - Chinese President Jiang Zemin returned to Beijing by special plane at noon today following a state visit to Italy, Switzerland and Austria. (China-Jiang-Europe).
Document xnews00020010913dv3v00wh8

316 words
31 March 1999
17:39
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, March 31 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Wednesday: hke033101 - Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers hke033102 - Oil Prices
to Go Up in Philippines Next Month hke033103 - Indonesia Takes Measures to Prevent Animal Disease hke033104 - Major News Items in Leading Australian Newspapers hke033105 - Australia Probes Into U.S. Breach
of Space Rules hke033106 - Indonesian House Passes Consumer Protection Law hke033107 - Hong Kong Stocks Open Lower hke033108 - Unemployment Rate Rises in Vietnam hke033109 - Sri Lanka Gives Free
Uniform Materials to School Kids hke033110 - Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers hke033111 - Myanmar Launches Second National Sanitation Week hke033112 - Hong Kong Stocks Higher at Midday
hke033113 - Roundup: Thailand Launches Stimulus Package to Cure
Economic Woes (1)
hke033114 -- Roundup: Thailand Launches Stimulus Package to Cure
Economic Woes (2)
hke033115 - ADB Program to Assist Sri Lanka Over Next 3 Years hke033116 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Pakistan hke033117 - Myanmar to Levy Commercial Tax in Foreign Currency hke033118 - Riot Breaks out in
Southeast Maluku , Indonesia hke033119 - New Zealand Donates Money to Refugees Fleeing Kosovo hke033120 - New Zealand Stocks Close Higher hke033121 - Foreign Exchange Rates in New Zealand hke033122
- Foreign Exchange Rates in Philippines hke033123 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Indonesia hke033124 - Vietnam Aims For 7.8 Percent Decrease In Trade
Deficit hke033125 - Philippines's Export Up 15.2 Percent in February hke033126 - Hong Kong Stocks Close Higher hke033127 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Thailand hke033128 - Trading on Hong Kong Stock
Exchange hke033129 - Urgent: Malaysia's Economy Contracts 6.7 Percent in
1998: Report
hke033130 -- Urgent: Malaysia Expects Better Economic Performance
in 1999 hke033131 - Malaysia's Economy Contracts 6.7 Percent in 1998:
Report hke033132 - Malaysia Expects Better Economic Performance in 1999 hke033133 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Hong Kong hke033134 - Qatari Amir to Visit Pakistan Next Week.
Document xnews00020010913dv3v00whu
Riot in Indonesia's Maluku Province Kills two.

190 words
31 March 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, March 31 (Xinhua) - Riot, which broke out early Wednesday morning in Tual, capital of southeast Maluku district of Indonesian Maluku province, has killed two people, Antara News Agency reported.
The riot, which began at about 4 a.m. and was allegedly started by four drunk night watchmen at the Tual market, had been put under control in the morning, local police said earlier.
However, fresh riot broke out again at 13:00 local time during which dozens of people were wounded and many houses damaged, said the report.
Meanwhile, thousands of people fled their homes to several military installations.
Security personnel and police has blocked some important areas to prevent the riot from spreading.
This is the second riot in Maluku province since January. On January 19, a massive riot broke out in the provincial capital Ambon, killing about 200 people.
Since the beginning of this year, about 400 people have been killed in several riots in the country. Some political figures said earlier that former president Soeharto's followers are behind of the riots.
Document xnews00020010913dv3v00wk8

354 words
1 April 1999
01:03
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, March 31 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Wednesday: hke033136 - ADP Provides 300 Million Dollar Loan to Pakistan hka033137 - Hong Kong
Stocks Close 0.02 Percent Higher hka033138 - Hong Kong Launches Mortgage Insurance Program hka033139 - Hang Seng China Enterprises Index Up hka033140 - Gold Price in Hong Kong Down hka033141 -
Weather Information for Asian-Pacific Cities hke033142 - Malaysia to Get 700 Million US Dollar Foreign Loan hka033143 - Macao Newspapers Call for Better Publicity of Basic
Law hke033144 - Riot in Indonesia's Maluku Province Kills Two hke033145 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Singapore hke033146 - At Least 50 Injured in Fresh Earthquake in Northern
India hke033147 - Prices Close Mostly Flat on Singapore Stock Market hka033148 - Appropriation Bill 1999 Adopted by HK Legislators hke033149 - Bangkok Rice F.O.B. Prices hke033150 - Indian Govt Announces
New Foreign Trade Policy hka033151 - 4.1 Bln US Dollar Deficit Recorded for Current
Fiscal Year in HK hka033152 - Drawings Depict Articles of Macao Basic Law hke033153 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Malaysia hke033154 - Kuala Lumpur Stocks Close Higher hke033155 - Fire Destroys 400 Shanties
in Bangladeshi Capital hke033156 - Thai Bourse Down 7.75 Points hke033157 - Pakistan Calls for Arms Embargo on Afghanistan hka033158 - HK Legislative Council Approves Appropriation Bill hke033159 - Forest
Fires Stalk Southeast Asia Countries hke033160 - Nepali Parties Given Election Symbols hke033161 - Singapore, Indonesia Sign Military MOU hke033162 - Pakistan Seals Border With Eastern Afghanistan hke033163
- Bangladesh Receives 200 Million Dollar Loans From ADB hke033164 - 3,000 Tons of Toxic Waste to Depart From Cambodia hke033165 - Vietnam to Boost Exports of Agro-forest Products hke033166 - Australian
Stocks Close Lower on Futures-linked
Selling hke033167 - Foreign Exchange Rates in India hke033168 - Singapore Firm to Launch More Resort Homes in China hke033169 - Australian Dollar Ends Little Changed hke033170 - Sensitive Index on BSE
Gains 56.47 Points hka033171 - Chinese Official Urges Good Implementation of Macao
Basic Law hka033172 - FINA Tightens Rules Against Doping hke033173 - Vietnamese Lawyers Demand Immediate End to Attacks
on Yugoslavia hke033174 - 10 Killed in Road Mishap in Southern Pakistan.
Document xnews00020010913dv3v00woj
40 Houses Burned in Indonesia's Southeast Maluku Riots.

138 words
1 April 1999
18:45
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 1 (Xinhua) - At least 40 houses were burned in Wearhir village, in southeast Maluku district of Indonesia's Maluku Province, after inter-village clashes broke out early Thursday morning, Antara News
Agency reported.
The houses were located at the Kampung Baru Atas and Kampung Baru Bawah resettlement sites, said the report.
The fresh riots, which started at dawn Wednesday, have already claimed at least four lives and wounded tens of others. These injured have sustained wounds inflicted by the rioters's sharp weapons and homemade
bombs and the security forces' guns.
Schools and markets have been closed down during the second day of rioting, said the report.
Military and religious leaders have reportedly taken to the streets to pacify the rioters.
Document xnews00020010913dv4100x7r

396 words
2 April 1999
01:01
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, April 1 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Thursday: hka040130 - Hong Kong Stocks Close 1.20 Percent Higher hka040131 - Hang Seng China
Enterprises Index Up hka040132 - Gold Price in Hong Kong Up hka040133 - Weather Information for Asian-Pacific Cities hke040134 - Thai Bourse Down 7.75 Points hke040135 - Former U.S. President Hopes
Indonesia's Election to Be
Fair hke040136 - Australian Stocks Close Higher hke040137 - Australian Dollar Ends Stronger hke040138 - 40 Houses Burned in Indonesia's Southeast Maluku Riots hke040139 - Demand for Bangladeshi Workers
Abroad May Decline hke040140 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Malaysia hke040141 - Kuala Lumpur Stocks Close Higher hke040142 - Thailand Moves to Reduce Pollution hka040143 - HK Chief Executive To Visit
Canada, U.S. hke040144 - Urgent: Jacobsen Takes First Gold at World Swimming
Championships hke040145 - Thais to Save 30 Bln Baht Under New Economic Package hke040146 - Flash: Thorpe Sets Short Course World Record hke040147 - Urgent: Dunn Wins Men's 400 Medley hke040148 -
Urgent: Klochkova Wins Women's 400 Medley hke040149 - Urgent: Krayevskyy Wins Men's 50 Breaststroke hke040150 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Singapore hke040151 - Share Prices Shoot Up on Singapore Stock
Market hke040152 - Urgent: Tanaka Wins Women's 50 Breaststroke hke040153 - India Searches for Korean Crew Survivors hke040154 - Urgent: Falcon Takes Men's 50 Backstroke hke040155 - Corporate Earnings in
Singapore Plunge in 1998 hke040156 - Nepal to Hold Conference on Harnessing Eastern
Himalayan Rivers hke040157 - Children Against Rising Violence in New Delhi hke040158 - Urgent: Australia Takes Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay hke040159 - World Bank Helps Nepal Improve Primary Education
System
hke040160 -- FLASH: Sweden Sets a New World Record in the Women's
4x200 meters freestlye relay with a time of 7:51.70
in
Hong Kong Thursday.
hke040161 - Urgent: Sweden Sets Women's 4x200 Free Relay World Record hke040162 - Indonesian Police Separates From Armed Forces hke040163 - Sensitive Index on BSE Loses 53.67 Points hke040164 - ADB
Loan Important for Promotion of Pak Trade, Export hke040165 - Incident-Involved South Korean Ship to Call at Colombo hka040166 - Ambitious Thorpe Eyes New World Record hke040167 - Prime Minister of Cape
Verde to Visit Singapore hke040168 - Singapore Announces Change of Navy Chief hke040169 - 34 Die From Diseases in Nepal hke040170 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Indonesia hka040171 - Roundup: Australia
Shines on Opening Day at World
Swimming Championships.
Document xnews00020010913dv4100xdl
10 Killed in Clashes in Indonesia's Southeast Maluku.

236 words
2 April 1999
09:05
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 2 (Xinhua) - The number of people killed in the fresh religious clashes that rocked the Southeast Maluku district of Tual, Indonesia's Maluku Province, had reached 10 by Thursday afternoon, Antara
News Agency reported Friday.
Of the number, doctors of Tual hospital had identified eight bodies who were killed in clashes between Christians and Muslims which lasted from early Wednesday to Thursday.
In addition to the eight dead victims, the hospital was treating 27 others who were wounded in the fresh clashes, the hospital's director, Dr. Nn. Notanugun said Thursday evening.
Some 90 houses were also burned down or vandalized in the clashes.
Hundreds of security personnel had been deployed to the riot-hit district, said the report.
However, until Thursday afternoon, the troops had not yet succeeded in ending the religious clashes. The mobs were reported to have used various kinds of sharp or pointed weapons as well as home-made bombs.
This was the second ethnic violence in more than two months. A massive rioting took place in Ambon, capital of Maluku Province in January and lasted till the middle of March, killing about 200 people.
Since the beginning of this year, many riots have been taken place in the country. Some political and social figures accused followers of former President Soeharto of backing the riots.
Document xnews00020010913dv4200xf9
10 Killed in Clashes in Indonesia's Southeast Maluku.

236 words
2 April 1999
09:06
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 2 (Xinhua) - The number of people killed in the fresh religious clashes that rocked the Southeast Maluku district of Tual, Indonesia's Maluku Province, had reached 10 by Thursday afternoon, Antara
News Agency reported Friday.
Of the number, doctors of Tual hospital had identified eight bodies who were killed in clashes between Christians and Muslims which lasted from early Wednesday to Thursday.
In addition to the eight dead victims, the hospital was treating 27 others who were wounded in the fresh clashes, the hospital's director, Dr. Nn. Notanugun said Thursday evening.
Some 90 houses were also burned down or vandalized in the clashes.
Hundreds of security personnel had been deployed to the riot-hit district, said the report.
However, until Thursday afternoon, the troops had not yet succeeded in ending the religious clashes. The mobs were reported to have used various kinds of sharp or pointed weapons as well as home-made bombs.
This was the second ethnic violence in more than two months. A massive rioting took place in Ambon, capital of Maluku Province in January and lasted till the middle of March, killing about 200 people.
Since the beginning of this year, many riots have been taken place in the country. Some political and social figures accused followers of former President Soeharto of backing the riots.
Document xnews00020010913dv4200xfd

302 words
2 April 1999
19:23
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, April 2 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Friday: hke040201 - 10 Killed in Clashes in Indonesia's Southeast Maluku hke040202 - Myanmar Imports
Large Amount of Edible Oil in 1998 hke040203 - Myanmar Produces 360,000 Tons of Cement in 1998 hke040204 - Thailand Sees Lowest Inflation in 5 Years in March hke040205 - News Analysis: Asia to See More
Bank Mergers hke040206 - Flash: Thompson Sets Women's 100m Medley World
Record
hke040207 -- Flash: Moravcova Sets Women's 100m Medley World
Record
hke040208 - 200,000 Jobs Abroad for Sri Lankans: Minister hka040209 - Thompson Sets Women's 100m Medley World Record hke040210 - NATO Apologizes for Deaths of Yugoslav Refugees hke040211 - Thai, U.S.
Experts Cooperate Over Toxic Chemicals hke040212 - Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers hke040213 - Major News in Leading Pakistani Newspapers hke040214 - Pakistan Imposes 25-Percent Duty on
Sugar Import hke040215 - Bangladesh to Face Shortage of Arable Land: Study hke040216 - Roundup: Thai Official Faces Tricky Race for WTO
Post hke040217 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Pakistan hke040218 - Bangladesh May Expect Drought This Year hke040219 - Sihanoukville's Toxic Waste Shipped back to Taiwan hke040220 - Foreign Exchange Rates
in Thailand hke040221 - Sri Lanka troops Kill 15 Tamil Rebels hke040222 - Thai Bourse Up 0.25 Points hke040223 - Developed World Cannot Impose Wishes on Others: EC
Official hka040224 - Weather Information for Asian-Pacific Cities hke040225 - Kuala Lumpur Stocks Close Higher hke040226 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Malaysia hke040227 - India's High Court Fire Destroys
Records hka040228 - Macao to Stop Selling Leaded Gasoline in May hke040229 - Over 1,100 Killed in New Delhi in Past Six Months hke040230 - Urgent: Frolander Wins Men's 100m Butterfly hke040231 - Flash:
Tanaka Sets Women's 200 Breaststroke World
Record.
Document xnews00020010913dv4200xkg
Cleric, son killed in religious clashes.

70 words
2 April 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
Ambon, Indonesia: A Christian minister and his son were among 10 people killed in renewed Muslim-Christian violence in Indonesia's Maluku islands that entered a second day, a doctor says.
Seven people were killed yesterday and three others were killed late on Wednesday, said Nona Notanubud, the chief doctor at the general hospital in Tual, 540km southeast of the provincial capital of Ambon.
Document scmp000020010910dv4200xy9
Fresh Clashes Kill Three in Indonesia's Southeast Maluku.

369 words
3 April 1999
17:03
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 3 (Xinhua) - At least three people were killed and dozens of others injured Friday in fresh clashes in Kei Besar Subdistrict, Southeast Maluku district of Indonesia's Maluku province, Antara News
Agency reported Saturday.
Calm returned Friday night after security officials, mass organization and religious figures visited the hotbeds of the unrest where they persuaded the people involved to stop their hostilities and acts of violence, the
report quoted local authorities sources as saying.
The first clashes occurred at the village of Tutrean and Mertuan which were followed by a retaliatory attack on Larat village. The fighting at Larat later triggered a siege of Elat village by people from Wartahait Yamtel,
seven kilometers from the capital of Kei Besar Subdistrict.
Local police said that although there was no fighting anymore, the atmosphere in several places was still tense with people still seen forming groups and carrying all sorts of self-made weapons.
He said the incidents in Kei Besar Subdistrict were a spillover from the communal riots in Tual, capital of Southeast Maluku .
In Tual, where riots broke out on Wednesday (March 31), the situation was still gripped by tension with some people still seen in streets holding sharp weapons amidst rumors about this or that camp intending to begin
fighting again.
The two-day violent unrest in Tual cost the lives of 14 persons and caused injuries to dozens of others. four cars were burnt, 90 houses and a number of social and public facilities damaged.
A special team of community figures and military officers, led by Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconina, Saturday morning left Ambon for Tual to inspect conditions in the district capital and take other rehabilitative
measures, reports said.
This was the second ethnic violence within more than two months. A massive rioting took place in Ambon, capital of Maluku province in January and lasted till the middle of March, killing about 200 people.
Since the beginning of this year, many riots have been taken place in several places in the country. Some political and social figures said followers of the former president Soeharto were behind of the riots.
Document xnews00020010913dv4300xq8

200 words
3 April 1999
17:42
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, April 3 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Saturday: hke040301 - Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers hke040302 - 11.5 Bln Dollars
in Indonesia Bad Bank Assets Seized hke040303 - Thai Tapioca Exports Expand 14 Percent hke040304 - No Imminent Change in CPO Export Tax: Indonesia hke040305 - Tight Security to Prevent Violence at S.Lanka
Polls hke040306 - 871 Thai Officials Implicated in Drug Offenses hke040307 - Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers hke040308 - Major News in Leading Pakistani Newspapers hke040309 - Bangladesh's
Jute Export Drops hke040310 - One Killed, 200 Injured in Bangladesh Train Accident hke040311 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Pakistan hke040312 - Serbian Australians Rally Against NATO Air Strikes hke040313 -
Suicides Drop Steadily in Sri Lanka hke040314 - Japan Offers Funds for Classrooms to Philippines hke040315 - Li Peng's Visit to Further Cement Sino-Pak Ties:
Envoy hke040316 - Chinese Envoy Hails Sino-Pak Relations hke040317 - Philippines Expands Job Program in South hke040318 - Singapore's Upgraded F-5S Squadrons Fully
Operational: Official
hke040319 -- Fresh Clashes Kill Three in Indonesia's Southeast
Maluku
hke040320 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Indonesia.
Document xnews00020010913dv4300xqo

200 words
3 April 1999
18:35
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, April 3 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Saturday: hke040301 - Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers hke040302 - 11.5 Bln Dollars
in Indonesia Bad Bank Assets Seized hke040303 - Thai Tapioca Exports Expand 14 Percent hke040304 - No Imminent Change in CPO Export Tax: Indonesia hke040305 - Tight Security to Prevent Violence at S.Lanka
Polls hke040306 - 871 Thai Officials Implicated in Drug Offenses hke040307 - Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers hke040308 - Major News in Leading Pakistani Newspapers hke040309 - Bangladesh's
Jute Export Drops hke040310 - One Killed, 200 Injured in Bangladesh Train Accident hke040311 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Pakistan hke040312 - Serbian Australians Rally Against NATO Air Strikes hke040313 -
Suicides Drop Steadily in Sri Lanka hke040314 - Japan Offers Funds for Classrooms to Philippines hke040315 - Li Peng's Visit to Further Cement Sino-Pak Ties:
Envoy hke040316 - Chinese Envoy Hails Sino-Pak Relations hke040317 - Philippines Expands Job Program in South hke040318 - Singapore's Upgraded F-5S Squadrons Fully
Operational: Official
hke040319 -- Fresh Clashes Kill Three in Indonesia's Southeast
Maluku
hke040320 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Indonesia.
Document xnews00020010913dv4300xr0

440 words
5 April 1999
00:39
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, April 4 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Sunday: hke040401 - Thailand, Cambodia to Improve Rail Links hke040402 - Manila to Focus on "Doable"
Education Reforms hke040403 - Indonesia Posts Minus 0.18 Percent Inflation in March hke040404 - Death Toll Rises to 30 in Indonesia's Maluku Riots hke040405 - Myanmar Delivers Second Vessel Built for
Singapore hke040406 - Indonesia's Exports, Imports in 1998 Down hke040407 - Vietnam's Association for Disabled Condemns NATO
Attacks Against Yugoslavia hke040408 - Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers hke040409 - Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers hke040410 - Thai Democrat Party Elects New Leaders
hke040411 - Major News in Leading Pakistani Newspapers hke040412 - Thailand Closes Five Border Places With Myanmar hke040413 - Sri Lanka Faces Malnutrition of Mothers: UNICEF hke040414 - Australia
Slaughters Chickens to Contain Fatal Disease hke040415 - NATO Bombing Unjustified: Australian Peace Group hke040416 - New Zealand Seyip Association Observes 50th Birthday hke040417 - Estrada Says Manila
Seeks Ways to Keep PAL Flying hke040418 - Philippines' Poverty Eradication Program Targets
Countryside hka040419 - Scholarships Help HK Young People in Higher Learning hke040420 - Fighting Kills 24 Tamil Rebels, Soldiers in Sri Lanka hke040421 - Estrada Urges Rebels to Release Hostages as Promised
hke040422 - Manila Confident of Keeping Single-digit Inflation hke040423-Serbian Australians Protest Outside US Consulate-General hke040424 - Hendra-like Virus Under Control in Singapore hke040425 - Urgent:
Frolander Wins Men 100m Freestyle hke040426 - Urgent: Moravcova Wins Women's 200m Medley hka040427 - Weather Information for Asian-Pacific Cities hke040428 - Forty-three Filipinos Get Death in March
hke040429 - Urgent: Tanaka Wins Women 100m Breaststroke hke040430 - Urgent: Falcon Wins Men 100m Backstroke hke040431 - Noise Labeling to Become Compulsory in India Soon hke040432 - Urgent:
Thompson Wins Women 100m Butterfly hke040433 - Urgent: Rogers Wins Men 200m Breaststroke hke040434 - New Opposition Party Forms in Malaysia hke040435-Shortage of Power Affects Bangladeshi Agriculture,
Fishery hke040436 - Urgent: Nakamura Wins Women 200m Backstroke hke040437 - Urgent: Dunn Wins Men 200m Medley hke040438 - Urgent: Moravcova Wins Women 200m Freestyle hke040439 - Urgent: Foster
Wins Men 50m Butterfly hke040440-Bangladesh, India, Nepal End Meeting on Water Resources hke040441 - Urgent: Hackett Wins Men 1500m Freestyle hke040442-Flash: Japan Sets Women 4x100m Relay Medley
World Record hke040443-Flash: Australia Sets Men's 4x100m Relay Medley World Record hke040444 - China Donates 200,000 U.S. Dollars to ASEAN Foundation hka040445-Roundup: World Swimming
Championships End with 2 More
World Records hke040446 - Construction of Water Plant Starts in Bangladesh hke040447 - Nine Killed in Road Accident in Bangladesh hke040448 - Pak, Qatar to Sign Trade Agreements During Emir's Visit hke040449
- Pak Denies India Media Report on Kashmir Deal.
Document xnews00020010913dv4400mgv

440 words
5 April 1999
00:41
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, April 4 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Sunday: hke040401 - Thailand, Cambodia to Improve Rail Links hke040402 - Manila to Focus on "Doable"
Education Reforms hke040403 - Indonesia Posts Minus 0.18 Percent Inflation in March hke040404 - Death Toll Rises to 30 in Indonesia's Maluku Riots hke040405 - Myanmar Delivers Second Vessel Built for
Singapore hke040406 - Indonesia's Exports, Imports in 1998 Down hke040407 - Vietnam's Association for Disabled Condemns NATO
Attacks Against Yugoslavia hke040408 - Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers hke040409 - Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers hke040410 - Thai Democrat Party Elects New Leaders
hke040411 - Major News in Leading Pakistani Newspapers hke040412 - Thailand Closes Five Border Places With Myanmar hke040413 - Sri Lanka Faces Malnutrition of Mothers: UNICEF hke040414 - Australia
Slaughters Chickens to Contain Fatal Disease hke040415 - NATO Bombing Unjustified: Australian Peace Group hke040416 - New Zealand Seyip Association Observes 50th Birthday hke040417 - Estrada Says Manila
Seeks Ways to Keep PAL Flying hke040418 - Philippines' Poverty Eradication Program Targets
Countryside hka040419 - Scholarships Help HK Young People in Higher Learning hke040420 - Fighting Kills 24 Tamil Rebels, Soldiers in Sri Lanka hke040421 - Estrada Urges Rebels to Release Hostages as Promised
hke040422 - Manila Confident of Keeping Single-digit Inflation hke040423-Serbian Australians Protest Outside US Consulate-General hke040424 - Hendra-like Virus Under Control in Singapore hke040425 - Urgent:
Frolander Wins Men 100m Freestyle hke040426 - Urgent: Moravcova Wins Women's 200m Medley hka040427 - Weather Information for Asian-Pacific Cities hke040428 - Forty-three Filipinos Get Death in March
hke040429 - Urgent: Tanaka Wins Women 100m Breaststroke hke040430 - Urgent: Falcon Wins Men 100m Backstroke hke040431 - Noise Labeling to Become Compulsory in India Soon hke040432 - Urgent:
Thompson Wins Women 100m Butterfly hke040433 - Urgent: Rogers Wins Men 200m Breaststroke hke040434 - New Opposition Party Forms in Malaysia hke040435-Shortage of Power Affects Bangladeshi Agriculture,
Fishery hke040436 - Urgent: Nakamura Wins Women 200m Backstroke hke040437 - Urgent: Dunn Wins Men 200m Medley hke040438 - Urgent: Moravcova Wins Women 200m Freestyle hke040439 - Urgent: Foster
Wins Men 50m Butterfly hke040440-Bangladesh, India, Nepal End Meeting on Water Resources hke040441 - Urgent: Hackett Wins Men 1500m Freestyle hke040442-Flash: Japan Sets Women 4x100m Relay Medley
World Record hke040443-Flash: Australia Sets Men's 4x100m Relay Medley World Record hke040444 - China Donates 200,000 U.S. Dollars to ASEAN Foundation hka040445-Roundup: World Swimming
Championships End with 2 More
World Records hke040446 - Construction of Water Plant Starts in Bangladesh hke040447 - Nine Killed in Road Accident in Bangladesh hke040448 - Pak, Qatar to Sign Trade Agreements During Emir's Visit hke040449
- Pak Denies India Media Report on Kashmir Deal.
Document xnews00020010913dv4400mh1
Death Toll Rises to 30 in Indonesia's Maluku Riots.

343 words
4 April 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 4 (Xinhua) - Communal clashes in Tual, capital of Southeast Maluku district in Indonesia's Maluku province, spread to some other areas, leaving at least 30 people dead and tens of others injured,
Antara News Agency reported Sunday.
Tual military chief Lt. Col. Ery Susanto said Saturday night that the clashes have spread to Kei Besar district Friday and Saturday, killing 10 people and at least 100 houses in Larat village were burnt down.
Unruly mobs who emerged from four neighboring villages also set fire on a secondary school building, public health center and house of prayer, while 400 Larat villagers were seriously injured and had to be evacuated
to Tual by an Indonesian warship for treatment at a Tual public hospital.
Ery Susanto disclosed that as the military authorities did not expect such a sudden and mass attack, only about 10 soldiers had been sent to Larat.
In the meantime, security personnel were concentrated more in Elat, capital of Kei Besar district, but the clashes first broke out in Larat Friday afternoon, and later in Elat. In Elat, two villagers were killed and two houses
burnt down.
The clashes in Tual since Wednesday left at least 17 dead and tens of others seriously and lightly injured, while 90 houses, two schools and four cars were viciously vandalized and torched by the mobs.
This was the second ethnic violence in about two months in the province. A massive rioting took place in Ambon, capital of Maluku province, in January and lasted till the middle of March, killing about 200 people.
Since the beginning of this year, many riots have occurred in several places in the country. Some political and social figures said followers of former president Soeharto were behind the riots. !!
Document xnews00020010913dv4400mk3
Death Toll Rises to 30 in Indonesia's Maluku Riots.

343 words
4 April 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 4 (Xinhua) - Communal clashes in Tual, capital of Southeast Maluku district in Indonesia's Maluku province, spread to some other areas, leaving at least 30 people dead and tens of others injured,
Antara News Agency reported Sunday.
Tual military chief Lt. Col. Ery Susanto said Saturday night that the clashes have spread to Kei Besar district Friday and Saturday, killing 10 people and at least 100 houses in Larat village were burnt down.
Unruly mobs who emerged from four neighboring villages also set fire on a secondary school building, public health center and house of prayer, while 400 Larat villagers were seriously injured and had to be evacuated
to Tual by an Indonesian warship for treatment at a Tual public hospital.
Ery Susanto disclosed that as the military authorities did not expect such a sudden and mass attack, only about 10 soldiers had been sent to Larat.
In the meantime, security personnel were concentrated more in Elat, capital of Kei Besar district, but the clashes first broke out in Larat Friday afternoon, and later in Elat. In Elat, two villagers were killed and two houses
burnt down.
The clashes in Tual since Wednesday left at least 17 dead and tens of others seriously and lightly injured, while 90 houses, two schools and four cars were viciously vandalized and torched by the mobs.
This was the second ethnic violence in about two months in the province. A massive rioting took place in Ambon, capital of Maluku province, in January and lasted till the middle of March, killing about 200 people.
Since the beginning of this year, many riots have occurred in several places in the country. Some political and social figures said followers of former president Soeharto were behind the riots. !!
Document xnews00020010913dv4400mk8
3 die as sectarian violence flares.

22 words
4 April 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
AMBON: Fresh sectarian violence has broken out in the Indonesian province of Maluku , leaving three dead.
Document scmp000020010910dv4400yfk
News Items From Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua (Part 1).

243 words
5 April 1999
17:14
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, April 5 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Monday: hke040501 - Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers hke040502 - IMF Sees Higher
Economic Growth in Philippines hke040503 - Major News Items in Leading Australian Newspapers hke040504 - Myanmar's Foreign Trade Increases Sharply in 1998 hke040505 - Helicopter Crashes in Indonesia
hke040506 - Philippine Central Bank Lowers Interest Rates hke040507 - Death Toll Rises to 35 in Indonesia's Maluku Clashes hke040508 - Thai Air Force Considers Buying Second-Hand German
Jets hke040509 - Myanmar Holds Seminar on ASEAN Transport Cooperation hke040510 - Australia Has No Plan to Take More Refugees From
Yugoslavia: Minister hke040511 - Malaysians Urged to Be United to Face Challenges hke040512 - ADB Supports Sri Lankan Projects hke040513 - Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers hke040514 -
Western Powers Criticized for Delaying Selection
of WTO Chief hke040515 - Drought Hits Bangladesh's Tea Production hke040516 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Philippines hke040517 - Major News in Leading Pakistani Newspapers hke040518 - New Zealand Not to
Send Troops to Yugoslavia War Zone hke040519 - Indonesians Start Registering for June Election hke040520 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Pakistan hke040521 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Indonesia hke040522 -
Transactions at Manila Stock Exchange hke040523 - 20 Charred Bodies Found in Ruins in Larat, Indonesia hke040524 - Indonesian Officials Discuss East Timor Issue hke040525 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Thailand
hke040526 - Malaysia's Trade Surplus Increases in February 1999.
Document xnews00020010913dv4500nex
Death Toll Rises to 35 in Indonesia's Maluku Clashes.

259 words
5 April 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 5 (Xinhua) - Communal clashes which erupted in many places in Southeast Maluku district in Indonesia's Maluku province in the past five days have killed at least 35 people and injured tens of others,
Antara News Agency reported Monday.
A total of 283 houses, three office buildings, two traditional markets, 22 kiosks, four school buildings, one health center, one worship house, one hotel and six cars were damaged and burned down in the riots, the report
said.
The communal clash spread to Larat, capital of South Tanimbar subdistrict Sunday, leaving at least 58 houses damaged.
Chief of the North Tanimbar military resort Lt. Hasyim said the houses were damaged after being attacked by tens of people from Waitidal village, about three kilometers from Larat.
There was no immediate report on casualties in the Larat riot.
Hasyim said a number of security officers had been sent to the riot-affected area to stop the communal clash as well as to bring the situation under control.
In a related development, people from Debut village in Kei Kecil subdistrict set fire to a number of houses, two cars in the Tual Market, and a motorcycle in Langgur village Sunday.
In Tual, capital of Southeast Maluku district, two people were reportedly dead and another was seriously injured Sunday after being stabbed by an angry mob.
Until Sunday night, Antara reported, the security officers managed to bring the security conditions in the three subdistricts under control.
Document xnews00020010913dv4500nhb
20 Charred Bodies Found in Ruins in Larat, Indonesia.

184 words
5 April 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 5 (Xinhua) - Twenty dead bodies were found in the ruins of burned-out houses in Larat on Monday following communal clashes in Southeast Maluku District of Indonesia's Maluku Province over the
weekend, according to Antara News Agency.
Witnesses said the bodies were badly burned and could not be identified.
A fresh communal clash in Larat has claimed 10 lives, not including the 20 charred victims and damaged 100 houses, a community health center, a junior high school and a house of worship.
Military District Chief Lt. Col. Ery Susanto has confirmed the finding of Larat's riot victims.
The communal clash in Tual, capital of Southeast Maluku District - a small cluster of islands some 540 kilometers from Ambon - has caused 1,353 people to flee their homes. Mostly they went to Ambon, capital of
Maluku Province, and some cities in Sulawesi and Java.
Susanto said the exodus from Tual might continue as most parts of the district have been considered inconvenient for people to live there.
Document xnews00020010913dv4500nmr
Violence inflames radical Muslims.

By VAUDINE ENGLAND in Ujung Pandang.
434 words
5 April 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
Muslim student groups, watching the latest flare-ups of violence around the world as well as in the nation's eastern Maluku Islands, are finding new inspiration for their radical movement every day.
"In our religion, it's good to fight back. We are under pressure everywhere - in Kosovo, Chechnya, Palestine, everywhere," said Rachmat Hidayat, a medical student at Hasanuddin University in Ujung Pandang.
"Compromise is only possible when it is in accordance with Islamic law."
Last Wednesday, the capital of the Malukus' Kai Islands, Tual, became the unlikely setting for new Christian-Muslim clashes which, by yesterday, had left at least 32 people dead and scores injured.
While security forces are reacting much faster than they did when communal violence exploded on Ambon in mid-January, this new violence will inflame those students who feel alienated and angry about the state of
their nation.
Members of extreme fringe groups who pray together on a podium on the campus of Hasanuddin University believe the forthcoming elections are non-Islamic and that even Indonesian nationhood must come second to
their faith.
Quite openly, several hundred young men here profess their readiness to kill Christians to avenge their Muslim brothers.
"Nations are not the most important thing," said Mr Hidayat.
"Religion is the most important thing for us. If we have one religion, we are all united with a strong bond.
"Everyone can choose their own religion of course, but it's much better if Muslims are in charge.
"And we are the majority (in Indonesia), so why should we give the Government to others? You can see there is prostitution and alcohol and all those bad things," Mr Hidayat said.
Although moderate Islamic intellectuals and politicians in Jakarta may decry such views as non-representative, these young men are convinced they have God on their side.
Even having a Muslim President from their own province - Bacharuddin Habibie - in office in Jakarta means little to them.
"We're very dissatisfied with being Indonesian," said Mr Hidayat.
"The Government is not aware of Islamic law. It is too secular.
"It doesn't mean that we want to hate Christians.
"But we want the Government to be more transparent. Our goal is to pressure the Government.
"In 50 years, we got very little from the Republic of Indonesia. To us, jihad (holy war) means trying with all the power we've got to go against the wrongdoers against Islam.
"We want to open the Government's eyes to the fact that this is a religious war," he said.
Document scmp000020010910dv4500y6h
Violent Clashes Continue in Some Areas of Indonesia.

334 words
7 April 1999
10:28
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 7 (Xinhua) - More violence shook the Maluku town of Tual and the West Kalimantan town of Singkawang in Indonesia on Tuesday, claiming at least five lives, the Jakarta Post reported Wednesday.
Warring groups in Tual, some 540 kilometers southeast of the Maluku provincial capital of Ambon, continued their clashes.
Aka Roroa, a member of the riot monitoring post at Al Huria Mosque in Tual, said four people died of gunshot wounds after police opened fire on a group of Muslim youths attempting to attack a Christian neighborhood.
Another 17 people were injured.
Meanwhile, Paulus Wadaubun died on Monday night of stab wounds to his stomach suffered during a clash on Thursday last week.
The latest fatalities bring the death toll in Maluku in the last few days to over 55.
Clashes between Muslims and Christians erupted in Tual following the discovery of graffiti defaming Islam in Wearhir on March 28. The violence broke out just as Maluku was beginning to recover from sectarian
clashes which killed nearly 200 people in Ambon.
There were no signs of business or social activities in Tual as of Tuesday, Roroa said.
Meanwhile, in West Kalimantan's Sambas regency, renewed ethnic violence pitting Malays and Dayaks against Madurese resumed in the early hours of Monday, after over a week of calm.
No casualties were reported in the violence which erupted in the village of We Sungai Bulan, Singkawang.
The violence reportedly involved hundreds of villagers from the districts of Selkau, Tebas and Pemangkat who attacked Madurese taking refuge in Singkawang. Over a dozen houses were burned during the attack.
According to West Kalimantan Police Chief Col. Chaerul Rasyidi, the attackers apparently were attempting to expel the Madurese from the regency, which saw more than 200 people killed during the recent unrest.
The police had detained 56 people suspected of being involved in the clash, Chaerul was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying.
Document xnews00020010913dv4700o6f
Militant shot.
85 words
7 April 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
Islamabad: Punjab province Governor Shahid Hamid said a man killed in a shootout with Pakistani police and identified as extremist militant Riaz Bazra was a member of Bazra's Lashkar-e-Janghvi group.
Curfew fixed
Colombo: A night curfew was imposed in five Sri Lankan provinces after local elections in which at least three people were killed and fraud was alleged.
Riot toll
Jakarta: Renewed communal violence in Indonesian Borneo and in the Maluku islands left several dead and at least seven injured.
Document scmp000020010910dv4700xvp
Tense aftermath.
41 words
10 April 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
Jakarta: A tense calm prevailed in the town of Singkawang in Indonesia's West Kalimantan province after two days of ethnic violence in which 13 people died, residents said. Two more deaths were reported in riots in
Maluku province.
Document scmp000020010910dv4a00ysj
40,000 crude weapons seized in wake of religious bloodletting.

62 words
11 April 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
JAKARTA: Security forces on the troubled eastern Indonesian island of Ambon have confiscated about 40,000 home-made weapons after bloody clashes between Muslims and Christians, local media reported.
Three people died in religious clashes in the island province of Maluku yesterday after a woman was beheaded the previous day, witnesses said.
Document scmp000020010910dv4b00yuq
Earthquake Jolts North Maluku, Indonesia.

136 words
15 April 1999
15:12
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 15 (Xinhua) - A tectonic earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, jolted Indonesia's North Maluku district town of Ternate and the surrounding area on Wednesday, at 3:45 p.m. local time, Antara
News Agency reported Thursday.
There was no report on casualties and material loss available following the strongest earthquake which has happened since January 1999, the report quoted head of Ternate's Geophysics office, Aryo Fauzi, as saying
Thursday.
Fauzi said the epicenter was in the Maluku sea at 0.89 south latitude and 126.79 east longitude at the depth of 73 kilometers, 64 kilometers west of Ternate.
It was the seventh quake during this year, three of which jolted Ternate and another four happened in Mangole Island.
Document xnews00020010913dv4f00pgz
Xinhua World News Summary at 1530 GMT, April 21.

343 words
21 April 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA - Four people were killed in a fresh communal clash which broke out in Banda subdistrict, Central Maluku district of Indonesia on Tuesday, according to reports reaching here Wednesday.
The clash in Banda subdistrict started after an unidentified man was brought to the police station for allegedly hitting a resident with a stone. (Indonesia-Clash)
BEIJING - Premier Zhu Rongji returned to Beijing Wednesday by a special plane following a two-week successful official visit to the United States and Canada. (China-Zhu-Return)
LONDON - British Defense Secretary Goerge Robertson said on Wednesday that NATO will send an "international force" into Kosovo once the alliance's airstrikes "have done their job."
"We are determined that an international military force will deploy in Kosovo once airstrikes have done their job so that the Kosovo people can return to their homes," Robertson told a military briefing in London. (UK-
NATO)
TIRANA - NATO has begun to deploy military equipment in northern Albania along Yugoslavia's Kosovo province border and is to soon start evacuating Kosovo refugees from that area, reportedly in preparation for
ground operations, the Albanian newspaper Koha Jone said Wednesday.
The newspaper, the country's top daily, quoted "reliable sources" with the Albanian Public Order Ministry as saying that NATO deployed an unspecified number of anti-air missiles along borders in Albania's Kukes and
Tropoja districts in the past two days. (Albania-NATO-Deployment)
RINAS AIRPORT, Tirana - About 24 U.S. Apache helicopters are expected to arrive at Tirana's Rinas Airport at around 15:00 local time (1300 GMT) Wednesday from NATO bases in Italy.
Reporters were told by U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Officer 1 st Lt. Gina Jackson that "anyone interested in seeing the Apaches can come by 3 p.m. We were told by the Army that something would happen by then or
soon after that," she told reporters gathering at the gate of the airport waiting for permission to enter. ( Albania-Apache Helicopters).
Document xnews00020010913dv4l00mj7
4 Killed in Fresh Clash in Central Maluku, Indonesia.

123 words
21 April 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 21 (Xinhua) - Four people were killed in a fresh communal clash which broke out in Banda subdistrict, Central Maluku district of Indonesia on Tuesday, according to reports reaching here Wednesday.
The clash in Banda subdistrict started after an unidentified man was brought to the police station for allegedly hitting a resident with a stone.
A police personnel reportedly slapped the man, provoking the man's family to set three houses on fire.
The incident later spread to Neira village, where dozens of houses were torched.
Since the beginning of this year, communal clashes have taken place in several areas in Maluku province, claiming nearly 200 lives.
Document xnews00020010913dv4l00n3r
News Items from Asia-Pacific Desk.

242 words
21 April 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
News Items from Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua tralian Newspapers hke042103 - IMF Upgrades Australia's Economic Growth Forecasts hke042104 - Indonesia's Foreign Exchange Reserves Decline hke042105 - Thai
Cabinet Approves Budget for Fiscal 2000 hke042106 - 4 ASEAN Countries to Be Linked by Railway hke042107 - Philippines' Bank Credit Continues to Shrink hke042108 - Fertilizer in Demand in Myanmar hke042109 -
Hong Kong Stocks Open Higher hke042110 - Thailand to Delay Communications Liberalization hke042111 - Thai Economic Growth Projected at 4 Percent for 2000 hke042112 - WHO Health Research Meeting Held in
Myanmar hke042113 - Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers hke042114 - 1 Killed, Thousands Displaced in Rains in Sri Lanka hke042115 - 150,000 Die of Cancer Per Year in Bangladesh hke042116 - Hong
Kong Stocks Higher at Midday hke042117 - Major News in Leading Pakistani Newspapers hke042118 - Dhaka Gets Aid Commitments of US$2.04 Billion hke042119 - British Destroyer to Call at
Malaysia's Ports hke042120 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Pakistan hka042121 - HK, Mainland Sign Aviation Meteorological Cooperation Document hka042122 - Macao Housing Deals Remain Sluggish in 1998
hke042123 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Philippines hke042124 - New Zealand PM Urges Prudent Use of Natural Resources hke042125 - Earthquake Hits New Zealand, No Damage Reported hke042126 - New
Zealand Stocks Close Higher hke042127 - Foreign Exchange Rates in New Zealand hke042128 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Indonesia hke042129 - Transactions at Manila Stock Exchange hke042130 - Hong Kong
Stocks Close 1.08 Percent Higher hke042131 - 4 Killed in Fresh Clash in Central Maluku , Indonesia.
Document xnews00020010913dv4l00n4a
Riot Breaks Out Again in Tual, Indonesia.

164 words
23 April 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 23 (Xinhua) - Communal clashes flared up again on Friday in a village in Tual district, some 540 kilometers southeast of Indonesia's Maluku provincial capital of Ambon, leaving three people dead and
at least 19 others injured.
Some were shot by security troops trying to break up the riot, according to Antara News Agency.
Two battalions of troops deployed to the scene did not seem to be enough to contain the unrest, it said.
Until Friday afternoon, the situation in Un village remained tense, as shots and bomb explosions continued to be heard in the village, the report said.
Ambon and several other islands in Maluku province have been the scene of violent clashes between Muslims and Christians groups since mid-January which have left nearly 200 people dead and caused massive
damage.
Document xnews00020010913dv4n00ka2
Indonesia's Southeast Maluku Still Rocked by Clashes.

180 words
24 April 1999
20:02
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 24 (Xinhua) - Indonesia's Southeast Maluku town of Tual was still rocked by small scale clashes through Friday night, chief of regional military command Maj. Gen. Suaidi Marasabessi said.
"I checked. There are still victims from last night's incident. A local military commander reported that until 20:30 local time, two people were killed," he told Antara News Agency on Saturday.
Lt. Col. Slamet Basuki, commander of the Southeast Maluku military district, Friday said the unrest in Tual claimed three lives and injured several other people. However some reports put the death toll to at least
seven.
Security personnel, deployed to the riot-hit district town, have tried their best to prevent the conflicts from spreading and continuing, but certain groups in society sporadically attack the others without clear reasons,
Antara News Agency said.
The riot was the latest outburst of religious unrest in Maluku province, where more than 300 people have died this year. Dozens of churches and mosques have been burned.
Document xnews00020010913dv4o00jne

351 words
25 April 1999
01:07
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, April 24 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Saturday: hke042401 - Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers hke042402 - Telephone
Communication Improves in Myanmar hke042403 - Myanmar Produces Over 50,000 Tons of Sugar in 1998 hke042404 - Thailand's Trade Surplus Narrows in March hke042405 - Philippine President Orders Wage Hike
Study hke042406 - Situation Back Under Control in Tual, Indonesia hke042407 - Thailand, Uzbekistan sign Agreement on Taxation hke042408 - Indonesian Government Closes Two More Banks hke042409 - Central
Intelligence Unit Set up in Sri Lanka hke042410 - Sri Lankan President Calls for Private Investment hke042411 - Al-Qathafi's Son Meets Philippines' MILF Leader hke042412 - Myanmar Invests Over 48m U.S.
Dollars in Border Areas hke042413 - Major News Items In Leading Indian Newspapers hke042414 - Vietnam Works out New Policies for Industrial Zones hke042415 - Major News Items in Leading Pakistani
Newspapers hke042416 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Hong Kong hke042417 - South Asia Film Festival to be Held in Sri Lanka hke042418 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Indonesia hke042419 - Foreign Exchange Rates
in Pakistan hke042420 - Urban Migration Increasing Fast in Bangladesh hke042421 - Manila to Ban Importation of Luxury Cars hke042422-Manila Urges Traders to Refrain From Exploiting Oil Price Hike hka042423-
Macao Media Hail Nomination of Chief Executive Candidates hke042424 - Fresh Fighting Kills 10 Tamil Rebels in Sri Lanka hke042425 - Manila Ready for Peace Talks Resumption with Rebels hke042426 - News
analysis: Indian Politicians Face Hard Choices hka042427 - Gold Price in Hong Kong Down hka042428 - Weather Information for Asian-Pacific Cities hke042429 - Manila Intensifies Campaign Against Pollution
hke042430 - Indonesia's Military Chopper Crashes hke042431 - Indonesia's Southeast Maluku Still Rocked by Clashes hke042432-Donors Pledge to Continue Aid to Bangladesh: Minister hka042433 - Roundup:
Positive Signs of Economic Improvement Emerge in HK (1) hka042434 - Roundup: Positive Signs of Economic Improvement Emerge in HK (2) hke042435 - Pakistan's Economic Situation Stabilized: Minister hke042436
- No Change to Scholarships Policy in S'pore: PM hke042437 - Four Tons of Marijuana Seized in Cambodia hke042438-News Analysis: Bangladesh Gets No Aid Commitments This Year.
Document xnews00020010913dv4o00jpf
Situation Back Under Control in Tual, Indonesia.

239 words
24 April 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 24 (Xinhua) - Indonesian security agencies have regained control over the situation in Tual, capital of southeast Maluku district, after a fresh riot erupted in the region on Friday, according to reports
reaching here Saturday.
Lt. Col. Slamet Basuki, commander of the Southeast Maluku military district, said the unrest in Tual claimed three lives and injured several others.
However, some reports put the death toll to at least seven.
Although tension in the region had subsided, security forces were still closely guarding certain locations in Tual to prevent another incident from happening.
"I have given orders to my sub-ordinates to shoot on sight anyone trying to cross forbidden lines," Basuki added.
The riot was the latest outburst of religious unrest in Maluku province, where more than 300 people have died this year. Dozens of churches and mosques have been burned.
Maluku was known during the Dutch colonial period as the Spice Islands. Tual is 2,800 kilometers east of Jakarta. Most of Indonesia's 202 million people are Muslims, but Maluku province has a large Christian
population.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Feisal Tanjung Friday said that Maluku will also be divided into two provinces, together with the division of Irian Jaya into three provinces.
The planned division is aimed to smooth the development process in the respective regions, he said.
Document xnews00020010913dv4o00la6
Plan to split Irian Jaya and Maluku.

68 words
24 April 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
Jakarta: Indonesian President Bacharuddin Habibie has asked his Government to pass a bill that would carve the province of Irian Jaya into three and cut the island province of Maluku in half.
"We hope that Irian Jaya could be turned into three provinces and Maluku into two before the elections," Co-ordinating Minister of Politics and Security Feisal Tanjung said yesterday.
Document scmp000020010910dv4o00sxp
60 reported dead as Muslims and Christians renew clashes.

68 words
25 April 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
JAKARTA: Thousands of Muslims and Christians yesterday fought a pitched battle in Indonesia's strife-torn Maluku spice islands, killing about 60 people, witnesses said.
A journalist who saw the fighting said most of the victims were killed by exploding homemade devices and petrol bombs which both groups hurled at one another. The toll could not be officially confirmed.
Document scmp000020010910dv4p00s9e
Division of Provinces May Postpone Polls in Indonesia.

403 words
26 April 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 26 (Xinhua) - Officials of Indonesia's General Election Commission (KPU) have said that the division of Maluku and Irian Jaya into more provinces may postpone the general election slated for June 7
this year.
It was decided Friday at a meeting of the Council for the Promotion of Security and the Legal System that the division of Maluku and Irian Jaya will be sanctioned before the election. The meeting was presided by
President B.J. Habibie.
According to a recent government decision, Irian Jaya will be divided into the provinces of East, West and Central Irian Jaya, while Maluku will be divided into North and South Maluku .
Talking to reporters here Monday, Bambang Sulistomo, KPU member and chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Alliance Party (PADI), said the sanctioning of the division before June 7 may result in the postponement
or cancellation of the general election.
"There are many agendas still facing the KPU in preparing for the election. The addition of issues might thus foil the whole work," said Sulistomo.
Syafruddinsyah Nasution of the Peace-Loving Party (PCD), also a KPU member, said Monday the division of the two provinces before the general election would oblige a revision of the commission's agreement on the
number of provincial representatives in the People's Consultative Assembly, as well as the establishment of provincial and district election organizing committees.
"The quite limited time available before the election makes it impossible to carry out the division," he said.
KPU Chairman Rudini said on Saturday it was very likely that the general election will be postponed.
He said it would be difficult to revise the legislative seat allotment for Irian Jaya and Maluku , if taking into account the government decision to split the two regions into more provinces.
The KPU had decided to allocate six seats for Maluku and 13 seats for Irian Jaya.
"Meeting the government's request would mean retracting the decision the commission has already made on the allocation of legislative seats for the two provinces and this will take time," Rudini said in Ujungpandang,
capital of South Sulawesi province.
However, Ministry of Home Affairs Director General for Regional Autonomy Ryaas Rasyid insisted that the KPU review its earlier decision.
"KPU must discuss the new development in its plenary session," The Jakarta Post Monday quoted Ryaas as saying.
Document xnews00020010913dv4q00ktp
Ten injured.
43 words
26 April 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
Jakarta: At least 10 people were reported injured when security forces opened fire to disperse a crowd at a church in Tual, in Indonesia's Maluku Islands. About 150 people are said to have died in days of Muslim-
Christian clashes.
Document scmp000020010910dv4q00st9
Indonesia Postpones Divisions of Irian Jaya, Maluku.

185 words
27 April 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 27 (Xinhua) - Indonesian Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid has confirmed the impossibility of dividing Irian Jaya and Maluku into several provincial administrations before the June 7 general
election.
"The expansion program will be based on laws which have yet to be made... it is impossible to carry (the division) out before the elections, because the House of Representatives, which is in recess until June 11, will not
be able to process them. The House cannot deliberate the draft if we submit it now," he said.
The minister made the remarks after meeting with governors, regents and mayors across the country here on Monday, according to The Jakarta Post Tuesday.
Syarwan's statement modified an announcement by Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Feisal Tanjung on the government plan to split the two regions into additional provinces.
Following a meeting with his ministers last Thursday, Feisal said the plan would be carried out before the elections. Irian Jaya was to be divided into three provinces and Maluku into two.
Document xnews00020010913dv4r00jwa

378 words
27 April 1999
18:38
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, April 27 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Tuesday: hke042701 - Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers hke042702 - Major News
Items in Leading Australian Newspapers hke042703 - Foreign Investments on Indonesia's Agribusiness Double hke042704 - Philippines' Treasury Bill Yields Fall to 2-Year Low hke042705 - Indonesia Postpones
Divisions of Irian Jaya, Maluku hke042706 - U.N.
Provides Aid for Myanmar's Border Areas Development hke042707 - East Asian Tourist Arrivals to Thailand Increase hke042708 - Thailand's Trade Surplus Improves for 19th Straight Month hke042709 - Death Toll in
Philippines' Landslide Rises to 16 hke042710 - Bangkok Rubber Prices hke042711 - Hong Kong Stocks Open Up hke042712 - UNIDO Program to Boost Sri Lanka's Industrial Growth hka042713 - Macao to Issue
Transitional Stamps in June hke042714 - Major News in Leading Pakistani Newspapers hke042715 - Vietnam Prepares For '99 Kunming World Horticulture Exposition hke042716 - Major News Items in Leading Indian
Newspapers hke042717 - Hong Kong Stocks Higher at Midday hke042718 - WB Finances Municipal Service Project in Bangladesh hke042719 - Bangladeshi Govt Approves Draft Privatization Policy hka042720 - Intel
Chief Foresees Leadership Role for HK IT Industry hka042721 - Asia Pacific Leather Fair 99 Opens in Hong Kong hke042722 - Indonesian, Australian Leaders Discuss E. Timor Issue hke042723 - No Plan to Hike
Prices: Philippine Govt hke042724 - New Zealand PM To Visit Latin America Next Month hke042725 - New Zealand Tourism Minister Resigns hke042726 - New Zealand Stocks Close Higher hke042727 - Foreign
Exchange Rates in New Zealand hka042728 - Asian Industrial Technology Congress Opens in HK hke042729 - WB Urges Manila to Adopt Clear Infrastructure Policy hke042730 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Indonesia
hke042731 - Transactions at Manila Stock Exchange hke042732 - Russia Could Be Pulled Into Kosovo Conflict: Former Australian PM hke042733 - Hong Kong Stocks Close Sharply Higher hke042734 - U.S. Trade
Mission Arrives at Clark for Investment Projects hke042735-Indonesia Sets Direct Balloting in E.Timor for August 8 hka042736 - Hong Kong Customs Seize Pirated Optical Discs hke042737 - Trading on Hong Kong
Stock Exchange hke042738 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Hong Kong hke042739 - Philippine Local Governments to Determine Pay Rises hke042740 - U.S. Not to Send Peacekeeping Force to E.Timor hke042741 -
Foreign Exchange Rates in Thailand hke042742 - Drunk Filipino Throws Grenade, Hurting Four.
Document xnews00020010913dv4r00k8n
69 Pct of Eligible Voters Register For Indonesia's Polls.
427 words
30 April 1999
10:21
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, April 30 (Xinhua) - Sixty-nine percent of eligible voters have already registered themselves to take part in Indonesia's general election scheduled for June 7, media reports said Friday, quoting General
Election Commission (KPU) Chairman Rudini.
"Sixty-nine percent have already registered and we still have seven days to go. Although I am relieved, I am still hoping the figure will increase to exceed 70 percent," Rudini said after a meeting with President B.J.
Habibie here on Thursday.
Rudini reported to the president on ongoing preparations for the elections and the tasks already executed by the commission.
The figure was impressive, "so rumors that people reject the elections are not true," he said.
Rudini ruled out the possibility for a voter to cast a ballot more than once, as every voter will be given a special mark on his or her finger made with a special ink that cannot be erased for three days.
He admitted there was a possibility for a voter to register at two different places. But "remember if the act is found out, the voter could be sent to jail for three years," he stressed.
Voter registration nationwide started on April 5 and will end on May 4, but it will be extended until mid-May in provinces such as Irian Jaya, Maluku , East Timor and Aceh which have been hit by unrest.
Rudini also said the KPU stuck to its decision not to allow cabinet ministers to campaign for parties contesting the polls.
"But we will give special treatment to ministers who happen to chair political parties. They can campaign provided they can take leave and the president names their temporary replacements," he was quoted by national
newspapers Friday as saying.
Rudini was referring to Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tanjung, who is chairman of Golkar Party, and State Minister of Investment Hamzah Haz, leader of the United Development Party.
The Indonesian government and the People's Consultative Assembly decided in November last year to hold a multiparty general election on June 7 this year. Out of 140 political parties in the country, 48 parties have the
qualifications to participate in the election.
In the past 32 years when former president Soeharto was in power, only three parties - the ruling Golkar, the United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party - were allowed to contest the general
election.
Soeharto stepped down on May 21 last year amid the worst political and economic crisis in the country.
Document xnews00020010913dv4u00kz6
Xinhua Economic News Summary at 0500 GMT May 6.

344 words
6 May 1999
13:07
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
LONDON - European leading stock markets closed substantially lower Wednesday as an early slump on Wall Street and fear of higher interest rates.
After opening lower on the back of the Dow Jones industrials' overnight slide Tuesday, London's FTSE 100 nosed further into the red, sliding 2 percent, or 131.4 points to close at 6401.7. ( Europe-Stock Markets)
NEW YORK - Wall Street stock prices moved higher Wednesday after the Federal Reserve's economic analysis eased fears about higher interest rates.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 69.30 at 10,955.41 after swinging between negative and positive territory. The index dropped as much as 110 points in the trading session. (US-Dow Jones)
WASHINGTON - U.S. manufacturing is improving in most parts of the country as jobs remain plentiful and U.S. consumers continue to spend briskly, the Federal Reserve said in its latest "Beige Book" report
Wednesday.
"The U.S. economy continues to operate at generally strong levels and to expand at a moderate pace," the Fed said in its survey of regional economic conditions before April 26. (US-Federal Reserve)
JAKARTA - Out of Indonesia's 27 provinces, 13 are facing food shortages, according to a report issued by the office of the deputy for regional affairs of the National Development Planning Board on Wednesday.
The report said five of 13 provinces have been categorized as having "very poor food security" and in need of immediate assistance. The provinces are Irian Jaya, Maluku , East Timor, East Nusa Tenggara and
Southeast Sulawesi. (Indonesia-Food Shortage)
COLOMBO - The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, has tied up with a Sri Lankan company to expand export factoring operations, the official Daily News reported
Thursday.
The two sides agreed that IFC will provide Lanka Orix Factors Ltd. (LOFAC) a foreign currency loan of 1.5 million U.S. dollars and invest a 15-percent stake in LOFAC's equity. (Sri Lanka-IFC).
Document xnews00020010913dv5600fef

417 words
14 May 1999
01:03
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
HONG KONG, May 13 (Xinhua) - Following are news items from the Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Thursday: hke051331 - Trading on Hong Kong Stock Exchange hke051332 - Foreign Exchange Rates in
Hong Kong hka051333 - Hong Kong Share Prices Close Higher hka051334 - Gold Price in Hong Kong Up hka051335 - Hang Seng China Enterprises Index Up hka051336 - Weather Information for Asian-Pacific Cities
hke051337 - Bhutto Asked to Surrender Before Challenging Conviction hke051338 - New Zealand Unhappy with US Decision hke051339 - New Zealand Stocks Close Higher hke051340 - Foreign Exchange Rates in
New Zealand hke051341 - Thai Bourse Down 9.67 Points hke051342 - Peace Agreement Signed in Maluku , Indonesia hke051343 - Pakistan Cuts Governmental Interest Rates hke051344 - Maldives Allows Sri
Lankan Fishing Boats Passage hke051345 - Laos Takes Steps to Start Process of Joining WTO hke051346 - Foreign Exchange Rates in Singapore hke051347 - Share Prices Decline on Singapore Stock Market
hke051348 - Thailand Prepares for UNCTAD Conference hke051349 - Canada Urges Pakistan to Sign CTBT hke051350 - Australia Still Backs Supachai for WTO Head hke051351 - Afghan Opposition Claims to Shoot
Down Taliban Plane hke051352 - 1 in 5 Australian School Starters Wet Themselves: Study hke051353 - Former Philippine 1st Family Ask for Gold Search hka051354 - EU-China WTO Talks Should Not Be Affected:
Brittan hke051355 - Australian Dollar Closes Lower hke051356 - Australian Stocks Finish Marginally Stronger hke051357 - Philippine Government Assures Public of No Fare Hike hke051358 - Cabinet Shakeup
Announced in Singapore hke051359 - Bangladesh Court Declares Strike "Cognizable Offense" hke051360-Bangladesh Supreme Court Stays High Court Judgment on Strike hke051361-Nepalese Protest Against
NATO's Attack on China Embassy hke051362 - NATO Attack on Chinese Embassy Condemned in Auckland hka051363 - HK's Film Censorship Law Streamlined hke051364 - Bangladeshi PM to Attend Hague Peace
Conference hke051365 - Fujianese in Myanmar Condemn NATO's Barbarous Acts hke051366 - Indian Parties Asked to Forge Common Economic Agenda hke051367 - India's Software Exports Rise 84 Percent in
1998-99 hke051368 - Foreign Exchange Rates in India hke051369 - Pakistan Wheat Production Estimated at 18.6 Mln Tons hka051370 - Internet Info on NATO's Atrocity Collected for Education hke051371 - Sensitive
Index on BSE Gains 137.79 Points hke051372 - Thai King Found No Serious Health Problem - Doctors hke051373 - Pakistan Cannot Have Luxury With Outside Aid: ADB hka051374 - HK Construction Output Rises in
1997 hke051375 - Seven Die, 16 Injured in Road Accident in Pakistan hke051376 - Thailand to Launch New Stimulus Package: Ministry hke051377 - Thailand to Promote Farming, Tourism by Food Conference
hke051378 - HK Airport Authority Announces New Financing.
Document xnews00020010914dv5d0006r
Peace Agreement Signed in Maluku, Indonesia.

183 words
13 May 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, May 13 (Xinhua) - A document on a peace agreement has been signed by religious and community leaders on Thursday to stop inter-group clashes in Maluku Province, Indonesia, according to Antara News
Agency.
The agreement consists of seven points and it noted that the social unrest in the province is a human tragedy that damages human dignity.
The warring parties made their commitment to ending any kind of conflict and violence and appreciating plurality in religion, race, tradition and custom.
It also urged the security apparatus to investigate suspected provocateurs and take strict measures against them.
The signing of the peace agreement in the provincial capital of Ambon was witnessed by Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina, Defense Minister/Chief of the Armed Forces Gen. Wiranto, Navy Chief of Staff Admiral
Widodo AS, Air Force Chief of Staff Marshall Hanafie Asnan, Commander of the Special Force (Kopassus) Maj. Gen. Syahrir MS and Head of the Information Department for Defense and Security Maj. Gen. Syamsul
Maarif., but Maluku is a predominantly Christian province.
Document xnews00020010914dv5d000g7
At Least 6 Dead in Fresh Riots in Ambon, Indonesia.

312 words
15 May 1999
22:47
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, May 15 (Xinhua) - At least six people were killed in two separate but related incidents in Ambon, capital of Indonesia's Maluku Province, on Saturday, according to Antara News Agency.
The first incident occurred in the Mardika district where security forces resorted to their firearms to end a fight between youths from Mardika and Batumerah villages.
The second incident occurred near the headquarters of the newly formed Pattimura Military Command not long after the fracas in the Mardika area.
A large crowd carrying the body of Frangky Pitris, a youth who died in the Mardika incident, marched toward the Pattimura Military Headquarters' building but was fired upon by security forces in front of the office of the
local Military Police detachment.
The detachment's office told Antara News Agency that a total of 18 people who had been among the marchers had been shot and taken to hospital. Five of them had died and three were in critical condition and being
prepared for surgery.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo, who had gone to Ambon especially to inaugurate the Pattimura Military Command, expressed deep regret about the incidents.
He said he had instantly issued orders to troops in Ambon and surrounding areas to take measures to prevent further security disturbances.
The incidents occurred only two days after the signing of a peace pact by representatives of the various ethnic and religious groups in Maluku who had been locked in a protracted and violent strife since last January.
A series of riots in some areas in Maluku Province during January through March claimed hundreds of lives and forced residents to flee their homes, mostly to the neighboring island of Sulawesi.
Most of Indonesia's 202 million people are Muslim, but Maluku is a predominantly Christian province.
Document xnews00020010913dv5f00hbq
Violence proves old wounds are hard to heal.

By VAUDINE ENGLAND in Jakarta.
464 words
17 May 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
Residents of the Maluku province capital, Ambon, were burying their dead from the latest outbreak of mob anger and military killing yesterday as violent unrest continued further east in Tual, capital of the Kai Islands.
Hundreds of troops and police patrolled the streets of Ambon and fired occasional warning shots yesterday.
Reports from the remote Kai Islands suggest that the communal violence there, which broke out after the first explosion of violence in Ambon in mid-January, has continued to exact a heavy toll on lives and property.
Between 40,000 and 50,000 people are said to have fled Tual in recent weeks. Although the figures are hard to confirm, both diplomatic and human rights sources in Jakarta are prepared to believe them.
"Yes, it's around that figure," said Marzuki Darusman, head of the National Commission on Human Rights.
The latest violence in Ambon shows that the wounds from two months of killing by Christians and Muslims, which left 200 people dead, are proving hard to heal. A military-brokered peace agreement signed last week
was itself preceded by a bomb explosion in the centre of the town.
Army chief of staff General Subagyo Hadisiswoyo was in Ambon on Saturday to inaugurate a new command, only to see his ceremony interrupted by the violence as mobs burned eight houses and damaged cars and
buses. When troops opened fire to stop the violence, at least eight people were killed.
The military's ceremony to mark its expanded presence on Ambon coincided with commemorations for the Pattimura Revolt of 1817, a day which has local resonance both for its Indonesian nationalist and Moluccan
separatists.
The Torch of Pattimura was, according to tradition, being carried into Ambon on Saturday. Community leaders thought it a good idea to have villagers from the mainly Muslim village of Batumerah - a focal point of this
year's violence - pass the torch to predominantly Christian villagers of Mahardika.
Instead, the Muslims refused to hand the torch to the Christians and tempers flared.
Significantly, the Ambonese crowd took out their anger on military vehicles, throwing stones and breaking windows, which provoked the soldiers into shooting into the crowd, leaving at least eight dead, all of them
Christians.
"What happened in Ambon is only because of a misunderstanding about the Torch of Pattimura, the hero of the Indonesian Moluccas," said Reverend Joseph Pattiasina, head of the National Protestant Church of
Indonesia and himself an Ambonese.
"But I think they are cooling down there. They signed a peace agreement (between Muslim and Christian communities) on May 12.
"However, in Tual, things are not cooling down yet," he said, while noting it was very difficult to get information from the area.
Document scmp000020010910dv5h00ul8
Indonesia sets democracy afloat.

By VAUDINE ENGLAND in Jakarta.
399 words
20 May 1999
SCMP
English
(c) 1999
An explosion of colour - and a flash of anger at the old order - marked the start in Jakarta yesterday of official campaigning for elections meant to usher in a new era of democracy for Indonesia.
Floats decked in the colours of each of the 48 parties contesting the June 7 polls paraded through the streets.
Only the ruling Golkar party had trouble getting started. Its yellow floats carrying singing stars did not reach the main road before a crowd booed and hissed them to a stop, and stones and bottles began raining down on
the vehicles.
The crowd tore the party decorations and banners from the trucks; boxes of Golkar sweets and party paraphernalia were ripped open and thrown into the air.
Those manning the floats were plucked to safety by police, but the drivers had fled and the vehicles had to be towed out of the way.
While the trademark red and black of Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle predominated, other parties vied with great originality for the attention of the tens of thousands who turned out to
watch.
The People's Democratic Party had built a float to represent the Cipinang jail, where party leader Budiman Sudjatmiko is still detained, and party members sat inside the "jail" on their ride through town.
Members of Amien Rais' National Mandate Party sported sunglasses and rode motorcycles in formation.
As the officially sanctioned parade began at the central Monas Square, families lined the streets to watch the convoys pass.
Children played with party flags of every colour. Their parents clapped and cheered each new float, seemingly without discrimination.
Youths perched precariously on speeding vans or spilled over trucks and bright-painted cars, reaching out to chant at onlookers and wave their party's flags.
The scene was in stark contrast to the "festivals of democracy" under president Suharto's rule, when the three officially sanctioned parties were allotted their own day to drive predetermined routes for a limited time.
Elsewhere, Golkar was one of 12 parties to launch their campaign in Indonesia's second city, Surabaya.
In Ambon, capital of the riot-hit Maluku Islands, flags were hoisted for the 34 parties contesting the polls there.
In Dili, East Timor, only a few flags fluttered. The vote that will count there is the August 8 ballot on autonomy.
Document scmp000020010910dv5k00n8t
Indonesia's Military Commands to Increase to 17.

254 words
22 May 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, May 22 (Xinhua) - The Indonesian Armed Forces had decided to increase the number of its regional military commands from 11 to 17 to anticipate threats to security, The Jakarta Post reported Saturday.
The number of regional military commands being developed in gradual stages was dependent upon the "strategic environment situation, including national, global and regional surroundings... particularly the national
environment," Defense Minister/Indonesian Defense Force (TNI) Chief Gen. Wiranto said.
He said the establishment of new military commands would help servicemen "who have been united with local people" to be able to anticipate any possible threats.
Establishment of the new commands would take place in phases, as the policy required detailed preparation of human resources, tools and other facilities.
"We started the first one at the Pattimura Regional Military Command (because) by coincidence the people in Maluku really wanted a (separate) military command. We established it on May 15," Wiranto said.
According to a decree issued by Wiranto dated May 7, 1999, the new commands will be set up in several areas currently supervised by existing commands. The majority of new commands will be established in
Sumatera and Kalimantan islands.
TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Syamsul Ma'arif told the Jakarta Post that the military command restructuring was part of a series of reforms in TNI, with a similar reorganization to be conducted in the Navy and Air Force.
The National Police is also restructuring its provincial police, he added.
Document xnews00020010913dv5m00bt2
Ruling Party Asks Habibie to Pay Attention to Security.

329 words
24 May 1999
10:47
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, May 24 (Xinhua) - Indonesian ruling Golkar Party General Chairman Akbar Tanjung said President B.J. Habibie did not pay serious attention to security problems after his one-year of rule as some cases of
violence in the country remained unsolved.
In a press release issued on Sunday night, Golkar said prior to the June 7 polls many Indonesian citizens fled the country for fear of unrest.
"This means that President Habibie could not give a sense of security to the community," Akbar said.
Indonesia has been hit by a spate of riots following the downfall of former President Soeharto on May 21 1998 amid the country's worst economic and political crisis in decades.
The riots and unrest in Ambon, capital of Maluku province, since January 19 until mid-May have left at least 350 dead and some 6,000 houses burnt down.
It was reported that the number of people leaving Indonesia from Soekarno Hatta International Airport here has increased in recent weeks. About 350,000 people went abroad from the airport in April, while the figure is
likely to reach 400,000 this month.
The people leaving the country amid fears that unrest could erupt during the ongoing general election campaign, the reports said.
Akbar said in the press release that Habibie also has not done his utmost to implement the mandate and decrees of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) especially on the eradication of corrupt, collusive and
nepotistic practices.
The people still question how serious Habibie has traced the alleged wealth of former president Soeharto and his family.
"In fact, the issue has been widely raised by Time magazine, so that the Habibie government could not remain silent," he added.
In its latest weekly issue, U.S. news magazine Time reported that the Soeharto family amassed a 15 billion U.S. dollar fortune during his 32 years of rule.
Document xnews00020010913dv5o00htg
Chronology of Election-Related Events in Indonesia (3).

270 words
5 June 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
March 24, 1999: The KPU made a controversial decision banning ministers and government officers from getting involved in any form of campaigning.
April 5-12, 1999: Registration for voters opened throughout Indonesia.
April 13-18, 1999: Voter registration officers actively visited eligible voters who had not yet registered.
April 20, 1999: Chairperson of KPU Rudini said that KPU might allow two ministers, who are chairpersons of their respective parties, to campaign on the condition that they resign from their positions.
April 24, 1999: Rudini said there was the possibility that the general election could be postponed after the government proposed dividing Maluku into two provinces and Irian Jaya into three provinces before the general
election.
April 25, 1999: Five people were injured in a clash between supporters of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and the United Development Party in Yogyakarta.
April 27 1999: Rudini and Police Chief of Staff Gen. Roesmanhadi signed an agreement on election security maintenance.
April 28, 1999: Twelve houses were damaged in a clash between supporters of the National Awakening Party and the United Development Party in Pekalongan, Central Java. Cadres of the two parties owned the
houses.
April 29, 1999: Chairperson of the Indonesian Election Committee (PPI) Jacob Tobing said that 69 percent of people with the right to vote had already registered, with the highest number of people registered in South
Sulawesi and the lowest in East Timor.
April 30, 1999: KPU Chairperson Rudini said that only ministers who are chairpersons of political parties may take part in campaigning activities.
Document xnews00020010913dv6500f3r
Major Political Events in Indonesia's Since 1945 (1).

464 words
6 June 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, June 6 (Xinhua) - After a year full of trouble, Indonesia has arrived at the moment of truth: the 1999 General Election. At 08:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on June 7, millions of Indonesians will cast their
votes in what many analysts consider to be "the most free and democratic election since 1955."
The following is a glimpse of major political events in Indonesia since 1945:
August 17, 1945
- Independence Day and the birth of the nation now known as Indonesia.
August 18, 1945
- The birth of the constitution, known by all Indonesians as the 1945 Constitution. Although it is considered the most solid constitution for Indonesia so far, there were also loopholes which can be manipulated by those in
power for their own advantage, e.g. there is no limit on the number of presidential terms.
In its preamble, it is stated that Indonesia shall be based upon the five philosophical principles, Pancasila. They are: belief in the One and Only God, just and civilized humanity, the unity of Indonesia, democracy guided
by the inner wisdom of deliberations of representatives, and social justice for all the Indonesian people.
August 17, 1949
- Holland, the former colonial ruler of Indonesia, finally acknowledges Indonesia's independence. However, it wasn't as simple as that, as they left a time bomb ticking for the new republic when they made Indonesia a
federal state, rather than the single unitary state as stipulated in the constitution.
1950
- Indonesia finally rejected any further control by a foreign power and decided to scrap the Federal system and return to a unitary state. The republic used a liberal democracy as its basic system.
1950-1960
- Though it was never clear when and how, many provinces in Indonesia were beginning to be fed up with the centralist government, and the way the wealth of the nation seemed to wind up back in Jakarta. Many
provinces, Maluku for example, decided to turn rebellious. With a firm hand, and many promises for a better deal for the provinces from the central government, the rebellions were finally put down. It provides
Indonesia with a very bitter lesson. With more than 300 ethnic groups and 17,000 islands, the seeds for disintegration were there.
1955
- The first election. Then as now, that election was also dubbed "the most democratic election." The election resulted in the four biggest parties - the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI), the traditional Islamic party
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian Muslim Council (Masyumi) - each garnering between 16 percent to 22 percent of the votes.
Despite the idealism, the election failed to solve the political problems encountered under a liberal democratic system.
Document xnews00020010913dv6600edn
Major Political Events in Indonesia Since 1945 (1).

463 words
6 June 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, June 6 (Xinhua) - After a year full of trouble, Indonesia has arrived at the moment of truth: the 1999 General Election. At 08:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on June 7, millions of Indonesians will cast their
votes in what many analysts consider to be "the most free and democratic election since 1955."
The following is a glimpse of major political events in Indonesia since 1945:
August 17, 1945
- Independence Day and the birth of the nation now known as Indonesia.
August 18, 1945
- The birth of the constitution, known by all Indonesians as the 1945 Constitution. Although it is considered the most solid constitution for Indonesia so far, there were also loopholes which can be manipulated by those in
power for their own advantage, e.g. there is no limit on the number of presidential terms.
In its preamble, it is stated that Indonesia shall be based upon the five philosophical principles, Pancasila. They are: belief in the One and Only God, just and civilized humanity, the unity of Indonesia, democracy guided
by the inner wisdom of deliberations of representatives, and social justice for all the Indonesian people.
August 17, 1949
- Holland, the former colonial ruler of Indonesia, finally acknowledges Indonesia's independence. However, it wasn't as simple as that, as they left a time bomb ticking for the new republic when they made Indonesia a
federal state, rather than the single unitary state as stipulated in the constitution.
1950
- Indonesia finally rejected any further control by a foreign power and decided to scrap the Federal system and return to a unitary state. The republic used a liberal democracy as its basic system.
1950-1960
- Though it was never clear when and how, many provinces in Indonesia were beginning to be fed up with the centralist government, and the way the wealth of the nation seemed to wind up back in Jakarta. Many
provinces, Maluku for example, decided to turn rebellious. With a firm hand, and many promises for a better deal for the provinces from the central government, the rebellions were finally put down. It provides
Indonesia with a very bitter lesson. With more than 300 ethnic groups and 17,000 islands, the seeds for disintegration were there.
1955
- The first election. Then as now, that election was also dubbed "the most democratic election." The election resulted in the four biggest parties - the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI), the traditional Islamic party
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian Muslim Council (Masyumi) - each garnering between 16 percent to 22 percent of the votes.
Despite the idealism, the election failed to solve the political problems encountered under a liberal democratic system.
Document xnews00020010913dv6600edw
Indonesian President Says Election Running Smoothly.

442 words
7 June 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, June 7 (Xinhua) - Indonesian President B.J. Habibie said Monday that the general election was running smoothly despite the fact that it was prepared in a short time.
"It is because public trust is very high, apart from the good intention of the Indonesian people to have a fair election," Habibie said after observing the election in several polling stations in Jakarta.
Habibie expressed satisfaction at the smooth voting as well as the election campaigns, which were marred only by "some minor problems."
"I hope all Indonesians would make the election smooth and fair and maintain brotherhood and unity," he said.
Habibie said other countries, especially neighboring Asian countries, have given their full attention to the Indonesian election.
"If Indonesia is stable, I am sure the Southeast Asian region will be stable as well," he said.
According to Antara News Agency, activities in most Indonesian cities were sluggish on Monday as people flocked to polling stations to cast their ballots.
In the capital Jakarta, early morning rains did not discourage the people from going to the polls. Malls and markets, such as the textile center in Tanah Abang, were closed.
In Ambon, capital of Maluku province, people trooped to the polling stations, as security officers monitored the situation in anticipation of possible unrest.
Ambon and several other islands in Maluku province have been the scene of violent clashes between Muslims and Christians groups since mid-January, which have left at least 127 people dead and caused massive
property damage.
In Aceh province, no riot has occurred as some people went out to vote. Some groups in Aceh have recently been actively campaigning for an election boycott.
The province, which has a population of 374,600, was reportedly quiet although some people chose to stay at home.
In Kendari, capital of Southeast Sulawesi province, activities in some traditional markets were sluggish as only a handful of traders opened for business. Not many public transportations were operating.
In Jayapura, capital of Irian Jaya province, most voting stations opened 45 minutes late due to the lack of facilities.
The parliamentary election will choose 462 members of the 500-seat House of Representatives. The remaining 38 members have been allotted for the military, whose members do not vote.
A total of 10,500 candidates from 48 political parties are running for the election. Major parties that might get enough votes to form the next government are the National Mandate Party, Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle, National Awakening Party and Golkar Party.
Preliminary results are expected between 24 and 72 hours after the balloting.
Document xnews00020010913dv6700ezq
Indonesia PDI-P Takes Early Lead in 14 Provinces.

418 words
9 June 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, June 9 (Xinhua) - The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) took an early lead in 14 provinces and the ruling Golkar Party led in 12 other provinces in the preliminary results of the parliamentary
election held on Monday.
According to data issued by the official Antara News Agency, as of 17:00 local time (10:00 GMT) Wednesday, the Megawati Soekarnoputri-led PDI-P led with 8,388,745 votes, while Golkar Party received 4,800,152
votes.
PDI-P grabbed a majority in Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, North Sumatera, South Sumatera, Bengkulu, Lampung, Bali, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, Maluku and East Timor.
Golkar Party took a lead in West Sumatera, Riau, Jambi, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, Irian Jaya, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa
Tenggara.
In the troubled province of Aceh, the United Development Party (PPP) booked the biggest slice of votes, leaving closest rivals behind.
Home Affairs Minister Syarwan Hamid Wednesday reiterated that the public should support whoever wins the general election, because it will not be easy to lead a country without the support of its people.
"I think parties realize that without people's support, nobody can run the government well, on the contrary it could bring the nation into trouble," Hamid said after meeting with Chairman of the General Election
Commission Rudini.
Asked about the slow vote counting process, Hamid said people should wait for the final result.
Rudini said the important thing now is to give an understanding to people that vote counting will take time and people should eliminate any possibility of fraud during the vote counting.
"It (the counting process) will rely much on the carefulness of officials to avoid any fraud or mistake in entering the data," he added.
A telecommunication traffic glut and unskilled election workers have been blamed for the slowcoming of ballot counting reports across the country.
Over 112 million Indonesians cast their votes on Monday in the country's first real attempt at democracy in decades.
Forty-eight political parties contested the polls, and are now fighting for 462 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR). Another 38 seats are reserved for the military.
The 500-strong DPR will then join hands with 200 government appointees as the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the highest decision-making body which will elect a new president in November.
Document xnews00020010913dv6900dnp
Indonesian PDI-P Maintains Lead in Election.

354 words
10 June 1999
21:04
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, June 10 (Xinhua) - The provisional results of vote tally collected by the official Antara News Agency by Thursday showed that the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has maintained its strong
lead with 11,686,107 votes.
According to the provisional results collected by Antara from different provinces by Thursday afternoon, the Golkar Party trailed in the second place with 6,619,735 votes.
The next three top parties were the National Awakening Party (PKB) with 5,176,035 votes, the United Development Party (PPP) with 3,243,810 votes and the National Mandate Party (PAN) with 2,587,152 votes.
The remaining votes were shared by a host of smaller parties.
Based on the vote count released by the General Election Commission (KPU) at noon on Thursday, PDI-P had won 3,271,586 votes, PKB 1,741,912 votes, Golkar 1,356,384 votes, PPP 755,819 votes and PAN 519,693
votes.
PDI-P took an early lead in 14 provinces on Thursday, compared to 15 provinces on Wednesday. The provinces are Jakarta, North Sumatera, South Sumatera, Riau, Bengkulu, Lampung, West Java, Central Java, East
Java, Yogyakarta, Bali, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and Irian Jaya.
Golkar took a lead in 11 provinces: Jambi, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, East Timor, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and
Maluku .
The Muslim-backed United Development Party meanwhile dominated in the troubled province of Aceh, while PAN took the lead in West Sumatera for the first time.
Around 100 million Indonesians cast their votes on Monday in the country's first real attempt at democracy in decades.
Forty-eight political parties contested the polls, and are now fighting for 462 out of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR). The other 38 seats are reserved for the military.
The 500-strong DPR will then join hands with 200 government appointees as the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the highest decision-making body which will elect a new president in November.
Document xnews00020010913dv6a00elg
Indonesian PDI-P Reaches 10 Million votes.

497 words
10 June 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, June 10 (Xinhua) - The provisional results of vote tally collected by official Antara News Agency showed that the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secured more than 10 million votes and
ruling Golkar Party got more than six million votes.
The provisional results of vote tally were collected by Antara from different provincial and overseas chapters of the Indonesian election committee up to Thursday morning.
The provisional number of votes garnered by the 48 political parties reached 28,912,272 votes.
Provisionally, PDI-P won 10,664,450 votes, Golkar Party 6,012,003, the National Awakening Party (PKB) 4,796,908, the United Development Party (PPP) 2,877,605 and the National Mandate Party (PAN) 2,375,821
votes.
PDI-P was leading in Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, North Sumatera, South Sulawesi, Riau, Bengkulu, Lampung, Bali, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, Irian Jaya and East Timor.
Golkar Party was taking a lead in West Sumatera, Jambi, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and
Maluku .
PPP was temporarily leading in Aceh with 91,655 votes.
The provisional data on vote counting by teams of the Indonesian Overseas Election Committee showed PDI-P gained 8,882 votes, Golkar Party 5,167, PKB 4,451 and PPP 2,344.
The data was collected by Antara in a number of countries including Malaysia, Senegal, Japan, Egypt, Jordan, Germany and Syria.
As provincial elections committees continued to tally the votes on Wednesday, reports of elections violations and demands to repeat the polls in certain areas continued to flow in from the provinces.
In South Sulawesi, 28 parties in the province demanded the vote be repeated in Gowa regency. The parties claimed Golkar attempted to buy votes before the polls. In Palopo regency, 35 parties signed a joint statement
rejecting the polls in the districts of Luwu and North Luwu following allegations of elections violations.
In Sampang regency, Madura, PPP demanded the polls be repeated in the district of Kadungdung. PPP district chief Fauzi Abdullah said he found proof of intimidation by Golkar and PAN, preventing voters from casting
their ballots for PPP. He also said some 200 voters cast their ballots outside the voting booths.
The 1999 general elections was contested by 48 parties with 11,583 candidates for the parliament members, who had been registered in the list of permanent candidates.
The political parties were striving for 462 of the 500 seats in the parliament through the eight general elections since the Indonesian Independence Day in 1945, while the remaining 38 seats went to the armed forces'
members without competing in the elections.
About 100 million people cast their votes through 320,000 polling booths across the country on June 7. According to Chairman of the Indonesian Election Committee Jakob Tobing, the official results will be announced
on June 21.
Document xnews00020010913dv6a00ew6
Indonesian PDI-P Still Leads in Vote Count - Antara.

476 words
11 June 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, June 11 (Xinhua) - Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) maintained its lead in the preliminary results of the June 7 election as 45.08 percent of the votes were counted Friday.
According to results collected by the official Antara News Agency from provincial chapters of the Indonesian Election Committee (PPI), by Friday afternoon, the PDI-P led by Megawati Soekarnoputri, daughter of
Indonesia's founding President Soekarno, got more than 19.1 million votes. It was followed by the Golkar Party with more than 12.4 million votes.
Of the 57,518,377 counted ballots, or 45.08 percent of the registered voters, PDI-P got 19,100,102, Golkar 12,432,772, the National Awakening Party (PKB) 9,016,124, the United Development Party (PPP) 5,506,395
and the National Mandate Party (PAN) 4,105,318.
The PDI-P was leading in 11 provinces, namely in North Sumatera, South Sumatera, Lampung, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, Bali, East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.
Golkar was dominant in 14 provinces, namely Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, East Timor, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi,
Southeast Sulawesi, Maluku and Irian Jaya.
In Aceh, the PPP was in the lead with 200,549 votes while in West Sumatera, PAN took the lead with 259,578 votes.
Meanwhile, provincial results of vote counting at the national level given by the National General Election Commission (KPU) as of 19:00 local time (11:00 GMT) showed that PDI-P has received 6,672,997, followed by
PKB with 3,479,453, Golkar Party 2,787,616, PPP 1,607,706 and PAN 1,144,370.
According to Antara, 18 of 39 political parties contesting in the general election in North Sulawesi Province have refused to acknowledge the results on the pretext of arrogance and vulgarity on the part of Golkar and the
bureaucracy.
In a joint communique signed by their leaders on Friday, the 18 parties demanded a new polling on condition that Golkar be disqualified.
Around 100 million of the country's 127 million eligible voters cast their votes at about 320,000 polling stations on Monday.
The balloting was witnessed by more than 500,000 election monitors, including 500 from abroad, with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter among them.
A total of 48 political parties, most of them newly formed, contested the country's eighth general election since Indonesia gained independence in 1945.
The election chooses 462 members of the 500-seat House of Representatives (DPR). The remaining 38 seats have been allotted to the military, whose members do not vote.
The 48 parties fielded 10,500 candidates for the DPR, as well as provincial and district legislative assemblies.
Document xnews00020010913dv6b006us
Indonesian PDI-P Still Leads in Vote Counting.

435 words
12 June 1999
20:43
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, June 12 (Xinhua) - Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) maintained its lead in the preliminary results of the June 7 election as more than 50 percent of the votes were counted Saturday.
According to results collected by the official Antara News Agency from provincial chapters of the Indonesian Election Committee (PPI), by Saturday afternoon, the PDI-P led by Megawati Soekarnoputri, daughter of
Indonesia's founding President Soekarno, got more than 21.6 million votes.
Megawati is now assured of a seat in the new House of People's Representatives (DPR) after her party gained 510,125 votes in polls in Bandung District, West Java.
PDI-P had named Megawati as its candidate to represent Bandung District whereas the number of ballots cast for PDI-P in the district had exceeded the minimum (400,000-450,000) for election to the house.
Megawati was the first person to have won a seat in the legislature in the entire province of West Java.
Nationally, the PDI-P secured 33.27 percent of the 64,923,700 votes that had been counted out of a total of 116,254,217 cast on June 7.
The ruling Golkar Party came in second with 13.9 million votes (21.44 percent), followed by National Awakening Party (PKB) with 9.98 million votes (15.38 percent), United Development Party (PPP) with 6.437 million
votes (9.92 percent) and National Mandate Party (PAN) with 4.64 million votes (7.15 percent).
PDI-P has so far conquered 11 provinces - North Sumatera, South Sumatera, Lampung, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, Bali, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and Maluku .
Golkar meanwhile has the lead in 13 provinces - Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, East Timor, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi,
Southeast Sulawesi and Irian Jaya.
In Aceh Province, the PPP was in the lead with 207,424 votes and PAN led in West Sumatera with 319,016 votes.
PKB got the largest votes in East Java with 6.349 million votes, followed by PDI-P with 6.176 million votes.
Meanwhile data collected by the General Election Commission (KPU), based on votes counted till Saturday afternoon showed PDI-P in the lead with 9.84 million votes, followed by PKB (4.885 million), Golkar Party
(4.12 million), PPP (2.419 million) and PAN (1.769 million).
Chairman of the PPI Jakob Tobing has said the official results of the general election will be announced on June 21.
Document xnews00020010913dv6c00ejl
Indonesian PDI-P Still Leading in Vote Counting.

282 words
13 June 1999
Xinhua News Agency
XNEWS
English
JAKARTA, June 13 (Xinhua) - The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) led by Megawati Soekarnoputri was still leading in the collection of votes until Sunday afternoon.
According to results collected by the official Antara News Agency from provincial chapters of the Indonesian Election Committee (PPI), the PDI-P gathered 25 million votes or 33.48 percent of the votes counted, followed by
the ruling Golkar Party with 16.2 million votes (21.62 percent), National Awakening Party (PKB) with 10.9 million votes (14.59 percent), United Development Party (PPP) with 7.76 million votes (10.36 percent), National
Mandate Party (PAN) with 5.32 million votes (7.10 percent) and Crescent Star Party (PBB) with 1.365 million votes (1.82 percent).
A total of 74.91 million votes (64.44 percent) out of the 116.25 million registered votes have been counted so far.
PDI-P collected the largest number of the votes in 12 provinces, namely North Sumatera, South Sumatera, Lampung, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, East Kalimantan, Central
Kalimantan and Maluku .
Golkar meanwhile recorded victory in 13 provinces, namely West Sumatera, Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu, West Nusa Tenggara, East Timor, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Central
Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and Irian Jaya.
PPP won the largest number of votes in Aceh and PKB in East Java.
Forty-eight political parties took part in the election last Monday to compete for 462 out of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR). The remaining 38 seats are reserved for the military, whose members do not
vote.
Document xnews00020010913dv6d007h7
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Dow Jones Factiva Dow Jones

Indonesia's Maluku Governor Calls for Restraint.

Soaring inflation, unemployment and poverty rates fuel social tensions.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

News Items from Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua (Part 1).

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Indonesian President Urges People to Maintain Unity.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Indonesian Commander Orders Capture of Provocateurs of Ambon Unrest.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

"The situation has improved a little now," he added.

At Al-Fatah, 11,000 civilians were seeking refuge, Mr Wenno said.

Death Toll Rises to 47 in Indonesia's Maluku Rioting.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

News Items from Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Indonesian Military, Civilians Discuss Situation.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Xinhua World News Summary at 0830 GMT January 25.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Indonesian Ministers Arrive in Riot-Torn Ambon.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Indonesian President Calls for Tolerance to Prevent More Clashes.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

News Items from Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua (Part 1).

Chief Conferred on Malaysia's Top Armed

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Bomb Goes Off on Saparua Island, Indonesia.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

2 People Killed in Bomb Explosions in Ambon, Indonesia.

More than 20 houses were burned by fire from the explosions.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

5 Killed, 20 Injured in Riot in Ambon, Indonesia.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Xinhua World News Summary at 1540 GMT, February 23.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

3 More Dead in Fresh Riots in Ambon, Indonesia.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Xinhua World News Summary at 1430 GMT, February 24.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Unrest Continues in Ambon, Indonesia.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Xinhua World News Summary at 1500 GMT, February 25.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Sporadic Clashes Continue in Ambon, Indonesia.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

4 Killed in Bombs Explosions in Ambon, Indonesia.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Anti-Riot Troops Formed in Indonesia.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Tensions Still Shroud Ambon, Indonesia.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Indonesia's Maluku Police Chief Sacked.

Wiranto further said he would investigate the riots erupting in Ambon.

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

News Items From Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua (Part 2).

(c) Copyright 1999 Xinhua News Agency.

Fresh troops deployed in Ambon - `Holy war' call against Christians.

Bomb Explosions Shatter Brief Calm in Ambon, Indonesia.

One person was reportedly injured by a bullet fired by a security officer.