Arsip

Halaman Artikel

Halaman Lainnya

Konten

t Umanis, 7 Januari 1994 (1) ional oleh kondisi-kondisi yang dicip- takan pihak lain. "Di satu sisi misalnya, Perin- dustrian terus memacu bagai- mana menciptakan produk ber kualitas, akan tetapi di sisi lain - tidak ada mekanisme pema- saran yang jelas," demikian Ali. Sehingga, seolah terjadi jurang pemisah antara produk dengan perajinnya. Di sini dibutuhkan penghubung antara kerajinan dan pasarnya. Secara kuantitas, ribuan per- ajin sudah berhasil dibina oleh PT Sekarbele Utama begitu hal- nya kawasan industri kerajinan sudah semakin dilebarkan. Ba- pak angkat ini menggali pula po- tensi batu aji di kawasan Dompu Ada sebanyak 11 sentra industri kerajinan yang sudah berhasil dibinanya. Dan, agaknya, baik perajin, bapak angkat, eksportir dan ja- jaran Departemen Perindus- trian sudah sama-sama mempu- nyai peran dalam mengembang- kan sayap ekspor industri kecil Peranan ini tentu tidak memi hak. Di samping memperkenal kan produk kerajinan khas NTB yang disesuaikan dengan kei- nginan pasar, juga diharapkan mampu menyerap tenaga kerja lebih banyak lagi untuk meme- cahkan persoalan pengangguran yang paling fundamental di Bumi Gora. "Guide" upaya mereka untuk mengeduk keuntungan pribadi. Mereka mi- salnya memanfaatkan hu- bungan dengan sejumlah art- shop untuk mempermainkan harga cenderamata bagi wisata- wan bersangkutan. Pengamat masalah sosial Ali bin Dahlan mengatakan, kendati sudah terbentuk forum komuni- kasi artshop yang ingin menjaga stabilitas harga cenderamata di pasaran, sulitnya memantau ak- tivitas pramuwisata serta peng- elola artshop mengakibatkan ti- dak teraturnya harga cendera- mata di pasaran. Praktis kelesuan di beberapa tempat pun dirasakan pemilik artshop. Sementara ini pramu- wisata mempunyai kecende- rungan memanfaatkan beberapa artshop sebagai tujuan para tu- ris jika menginginkan barang seni. Hubungan antara pramu- wisata dan pemilik artshop tentu mempunyai latar belakang tim- bal balik. "Pramuwisata hanya mau bekerja sama jika artshop memberikan komisi," tutur Ali seraya menambahkan, artshop yang tidak bersedia memberikan komisi secara otomatis tidak akan menjadi tujuan para turis yang ingin berbelanja, terutama , di saat hendak balik ke negaranya. Hal senada dilontarkan peng- amat kebudayaan H. Jalaludin Arzaki yang intinya memprotes kegiatan pramuwisata seperti itu. "Citra kepariwisataan bisa rusak jika permainan seperti itu tetap dilakukan," ujarnya. (064/057) 0 Kursi Umum DPP Golkar Harmoko. Akan ikut menyertai Harmoko, Sekjen Golkar Hari Mardjono serta Pembina Korwil Nusra yaitu Drs. Pinanantun Hutasoit, Drs. Ida Bagus Putra, Dr. Burhan Magenda dan Dr. Bin Syamsudin serta Sutadi Djaya Kusuama. Rakerda ini merupa- kan yang pertama selama peng- urus yang baru itu dilantik. Ren- cananya pembukaannya akan dilaksanakan di Gedung KONI NTB, sementara rapat serta si- dangnya dilakukan di Gedung DPD Golkar, di Jalan Sriwijaya Mataram. Selain membuka rakerda, Harmoko yang Menteri Pene- rangan itu juga akan berdialog dengan kader-kader Golkar. "Bung Harmoko ingin tahu ba- gaimana suara hati nurani kader-kader Golkar di pede- saan," ujar Abdul Kadir. (059) yang Retak cara kualitas teater NTB bela- kangan ini menunjukkan ke- (penurunan mandekan kualitas), tidak seperti yang per nah dialami di tahun 1980-an ke- tika Bengkel Aktor Mataram (BAM), Sanggar Sastra Mata- ram (SSM), dan Sanggar Apre siasi Mataram (dengan pembina lamanya) masih aktif. Tahun 1980-an kelompok-kelompok yang ada lebih mementingkan persaingan dari segi kualitas ke timbang jumlah anggota seperti yang terjadi belakangan ini. Be gitu juga mengenai jumlah ke lompok, kalau tahun 80-an ha nya terdapat 4 sanggar/teater, tetapi belakangan ini (baca: 90-an) di Mataram terdapat 15 kelompok teater dengan kualitas yang tidak jauh berbeda. Menurut beberapa pengamat, menurunnya kualitas pemen i tasan di Mataram sekarang ini adalah akibat kurangnya "gese kan" antarkelompok, dalam hal ini pertemuan-pertemuan dalam bentuk diskusi, dialog, atau inya, serta kurangnya minat baca di kalangan anak-anak teater itu sendiri. Kondisi ini telah mem buat wawasan mereka menjadi sempit dan jumud (beku). Hadir saat itu Umar Siradz, Kepala Bi- dang Kesenian Depdikbud NTB yang baru terpilih, serta Nurhi- dayati Ketua baru Teater eksperimen-eksperimen lain- Smansa Mataram. (Geger Prahara) NEWS MAKER Thomas "Tip" O'Neill. Bali Post/Rtr. A Major Figure In U.S. Politics Boston- Thomas "Tip" O'Neill, who died Wednesday night at the age of 81, was a powerful symbol of the Democratic Party for more than half a century, but may be best remembered as a sharp critic of President Ronald Reagan. As Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1977 until 1986, the silver-maned, burly politician was the most powerful U.S. politician after the president, backslapping his way through Congress and pushing through crucial legislation. He wrote about the experience in a highly entertaining auto- biography in which he said he thought Reagan would have made a great king but was not much of a president. O'Neil died on Wednesday night of cardiac arrest at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said. He had undergone cancer surgery several times in recent years. In a 1987 interview with Reuters, O'Neill said the difference between him and Reagan was simple -- O'Neil never lost touch with his Irish-American roots, while Reagan had. From his college days, the colourful lawmaker from Cam- bridge, Massachusetts, was a working politician with career spanned nine presidencies, from Franklin Roosevelt to Reagan. O'Neill inherited the congressional district of John Kennedy when the wealthy young war hero and future president ran for the Senate in 1952. At 6-feet, 3-inches with a weight that fluctuated between 260 and 300 the fiercely partisan O'Neill was a distinct physical pre- sence on the American scene and a frequent target for political cartoonists. Second Most Important In 1971, he succeeded Hale Boggs as majority leader and be- came the second most important Democrat in the U.S. House, which had been under solid Democratic control for a generation. But it was not until his landslide victory in 1980 over Democra- tic President Jimmy Carter that O'Neill skyrocketed to national prominence as a spokesman for the party. Under Reagan, whose name he first pronounced "Ree-gan" in Boston fashion, O'Neill fought a losing battle against a flood of legislation. O'Neill's national popularity plunged to its lowest level ever, with one poll giving him only a 46 percent favourable rating against 44 percent unfavourable. During the 1982 congressional campaign, Republican labeled O'Neil as an old-time politician tied to past liberal spending ideas. By 1985, O'Neill's popularity was high, with a 54 percent fa- vourable rating against 38 unfavourable. In 1984, he announced that 1986 would be his last year in Congress, and suggested he would like, tobe named Ambassador to Ireland by a Democratic president. O'Neill, who ran an insurance agency business for 16 years while he was a state lawmaker, never claimed to make any mo- ney in politics. In 1985, with retirement looming, he accepted an offer for autobiography worth more than one million dollars. And Boston College, his almamater, created a teaching seat, The Thomas P. O'Neill profesorship, for him to fill upon retirement. Golfing Companions Some of O'Neill's close golfing companions were Republicans, including former President Gerald Ford, The two were featured annually at Bob Hope's classic at Palm Springs, California, where Democrats are hard to find. Alhough he nearly always sided with presidents on foreign policy, O'Neill became the first big-city Democrat to split with Democratic President Lyndon Johnson over the Vietnam War in 1967. He also split with Reagan on issues involving El Salvador and Nicaragua assistance and policy in Lebanon. Born on December 9, 1912, O'Neill came from a family led by bricklayer father, and although a devout family man, he lived for years in Washington as a bachelor, sharing an apartment with longtime friend and Massachusetts Democratic congressman, Edward Boland. (Rtr). Jumat Umanis, 7 Januari 1994 MILIK MONUMEN PERS NASIONAL SURAKARTA Bali Post U.S., Japan Lock Horns On Yen's Direction Tokyo- Washington and Tokyo, after having burried the on currency policy for the past several months, now find themselves in disagreement again on the direction of the yen. The market, for its part, has been blind in ignoring the conflict, and the dollar continues its bull run. Japanese government officials and businessmen wasted no time in rebutting the U.S. recent ver- bal attempt to check the dollar's rapid advance against the yen. Chief Cabinet Secretary Ma- sayoshi Takemura told reporters on Thursday the Japanese gover- nment is not worried about the weakening of yen but seeks stable currencies. "We should make efforts to sta- bilise the yen," he said. "The dol- lar is also rising against the mark and so it is more a trend of the dollar strengthening rather than of weakening." Japan's Trade Surplus While the U.S. believes the yen must stay strong to bring down Japan's trade surplus, Japanese officials contend the impact on exporters profils has spread to the broader economy, slowing de- mand for imports and progress in reducing the trade surplus. "The yen's current weakening scourse is favourable for Japa- nese exporting companies pro- fits, and in that sense it is good news for the country's economy, if it has no negative impact on the Japanese stock market," a Japa- nese monetary source said on Wednesday. Japan Chamber of commerce chairman Kosaku Inaba said an exchange rate of 120 yen to the dollar would be a break-even point for Japanese exporters. U.S. Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen said on Wednesday that allowing a depreciation of the yen is not a answer to Japan's econo- mis noes. Cost of Competition "We want to see Japan's sur- plus reduced significantly, and this wil require strong domestic demand in Japan, more open markets, and exchanges rates that reflect the underlying cost competition of Japan and its Institution. In late December, Bentsen also voiced concern about the dol- lar's rise, and disappointment with Japan's efforts to revive its flagging economy and reduce its trade surplus with the U.S. The dollar is expected to main- tain its bullishness against the yen and is set head towards 115 yen, dealers said. In Tokyo at 03.00 GMT, the dollar stood at 112.78 yen against a 113.02 yen close in New York on Wednesday. English Corner Improved economis funda- mentals in the U.S. and sluggis- hness in Japan will keep the dol- lar's bullish sentiment intact, they said, but there is some cau- tiousness about the prospect of a stronger U.S. reaction. Dealers said the dollar is ex- pected to be solid against the yen on demand by Japanese institu- tional investors and continued push by speculators, particularly U.S. funds. "Mr Bentsen's speech lacked substance," said Hiroyuki Saijo, vice president at Chase Man- hattan Bank in Tokyo. "He has simply repeated his statement made in late Decem- ber. It's not fresh at all, "Saijo ad- ded A manager at a commercial bank said "Bentsen's comment pushed down the dollar last night. But at the same time it proved to the market that the dol- lar's bottom is very solid now, and clearly highlighted the dollar's bullishness." "The speculators and economic fundamentals showing firm sup- port to his (Bentsen's) preference for a stronger yen last year are not there any longer," said a se- nior fund manager in Singapore. (Rtr). Gaza Can Become Arafat's Curse Gaza- Yasser Arafat's cherished dream of presiding over Gaza and Jericho may turn into his nigh- tmare. He may win the land wit- hout the loyalty of its people. His popularlity seems to be de- generating among Palestinians in Gaza as the days slip by in the wake of the December 13 dead- line set for the start of self-rule under his peace deal with Israel. Many of the PLO flags hoisted in Jericho in the euphoria follo- wing the September agreement have been lowered. "The Palestinian leadership is in one valley and the people are in another," Ihab al-Ashkar, an offi- cial of arafat's Fatah Hawks in the Gaza Strip told Reus before he resigned last week in protest at what he called arafat's autoc- ratic policies. There is a mood of despair not only because the PLO leader committed Palestinians to what many regard as a contoversial ac- cord with an Israeli occupier but because his appointments and model of a Palestinian state fall far belor their aspirations. Hopes that the 65-year-old arafat will delegate authority, choose the appropriate officials and revive Palestinian democ- racy, are fading, Palestinians say. They shall be strangling the democracy they dreamt of for 27 years. Despite a spate of resigna- tions and petitions by PLO mem- bers. Arafat is carrying on with his autocratic style and random selection of figures to govern Gaza and Jericho. Fatah loyalist say Arafat, with diregard as having promoted de- mocracy and progressive revolu- tionary ideas, is modelling the new Palestinian state on coun- tries run by Arab despotic gover- nment. Alternatives "There is nothing in Gaza ex- cept people. If the PLO did not succed in building a new state ba- sed on democracy, it will loss po- pularity. If if builds a democratic society, the we will have the opoortunity to have the 'number one' state in the Arah world and not the 23rd," Ashkar said. "If we're going to have the state 'number 23', I would prefer the occupation to remain. We feel much more at Isareli occupation than under Jordanian, Syrian or other Arab regimes rule," he said. Young Palestinians, who spent their best years in Israeli deten- tion camps for fighting occupa- tion, feel left out of the power- sharing. Recent appointments by ara- fat of old friends to run his admi- nistration in Gaza and jericho led to the resignation of three Fatah officials. "Granting posts to those wea- ring suits and ties and sitting in offices while ignoring those who scarificed their lives and spent their best years in prisone spar- ked friction. If Arafat does not stop his method he will lose a lot," said Magdi Akeel, a Moslem activist. Ashkar said: "Gaza does not only need capital. It needs de- mocracy. It needs good inten- tions.living under ocupation It needs the right men in the right place. nian person to build a state from zero. About 110 prominent PLO loyalists petitioned Arafat this week to change his ways. Supporters have complained for months the PLO, bon in the days of guerrilla struggle, was not suited to run the lives of two million Palestinian Israeli- occupied territories or fulfill Pa- lestinian dreams of statehood. ADUH CENING GODOGAN, MEME TUSING NYIDAYANG BUIN TANGKIL KEPURI, SA- WIREH SUBA APANG PINDO MEME MATIANGA TEKEN IGUSTI PATIH 8 DUMUIN BUIN CEPOK MEME! CUTETNE CANG DOT PESAN NGANTEN NGADAK RADEN GALUH. ARDA-JUDUL GODOGAN DADI RAJA 1. Waduh, anakku Godogan! Ibu tak bisa lagi mengunjungi Istana, karena sudah dua kali Ibu dibunuh oleh I Gusti Patih. 2. Ulanglah sekali lagi, Bu! Pendeknya aku ingin sekali me- nikah dengan Raden Galuh 3. Nah, Men Godogan, memang demikianlah caranya bila mana orang ingin menjadi raja. Sebelumnya, banyak benar godaan menghadang. Orang bisa hancur lebur karena itu. HALAMAN 5 WEH MEN GODOGAN! ANAK MULA KETO, YEN DOT DADI RAJA. SATONDENNE, LIU PESAN GAGODANE, BISA KANTI BABAK BELUR. 1. Hi, my son, the Frog! You mother might not make audience once more to the Palace, because I Gusti Patih has killed me twice. 2. Repeat the audience, Mom! Anyhow I have a great desire to marry to Raden Galuh, the King's daughter. 3. So, Men Godogan, the Frog's mother, that's the way how to do it if somebody wants to be a king. In advance, there would be quite many obstacles blocking him, so that he might be to- tally crushed. The Story Of Daha Jenggala Gazans, who have never tasted *Or "The Balinese Version Of The Frog Prince" freedom and independence, say they support the participation of OUR story begins, with a various factions, mainly the mili- woman who lives alone in a poor tant Hamas movement with hut in the forest with an adopted which they synpathise for easing son who has the shape of a frog their misery under occupation. but can talk with the voice of a Taw Khosa, a Fatah official human. She met her frog son, in a who resigned, said Gaza will des- beautiful park and since that cend into disorder unless there is time she has cared for him as if he a fundamental change and the PLO builds the framework of a state rather than a "one-man institution". Arafat faces a growing challe- nge in Gaza. Not only has he to make the fragile peace agreement with Isa- rel, but he must unile his own ranks and pacify Moslem hardli- ners, who have already eaten at his PLO's powerbase and remain very strong on the ground. Optimist say Arafat's success depends largely on his ability to lead the intifada generation, which spearheaded the uprising against Israeli occupation in 1987. "It is hard to lead the genera- tion of the intifada for both the Islamists and the PLO alike," "We're heading to the un- Magli Akeel said. known. Democracy is the only sa- "The generation between 1987 fety valbe for the Palestinian so- and 1994 is a mutinous genera- ciety. throughout history we ne- tion. It has rebelled against eve- ver lived but under occupation. rything -- the Isaraelis, the sys- We need to create a new Palesti- tem, the family and laws." (Rtr). Shevardnadze Says Foe's Death Of Little Importance Moscow- Gamsakhurdia were of conflic- gian democratically-elected lea- Shevardnadze said. Frog's Mother Killed The frog's mother is a little startled by the request, but she is a dutiful mother and carries out her instructions obediently. Na- turally the thought of a woman asking the King to accept a frog as his new son-in-law does not help to pacify the King's well known temper. In fact he loses it completely, and orders the palace guards to take the woman out- side and kill her. This they worth it, to see her son succes- sfully placed in marriage. Reluctantly, the mother re- turns to the palace and gains a second audience with the King. On this occasion the King is even more furious. What dark forces are at work when a woman that he had asked to have killed can come back to request his daug- hter's hand once again. Ob viously the palace guards have not completed the job which they were given to do, satisfactorily. The frog then appears with his On this occasion the King's friends and finds the corpse rage is great and he orders the which he brings back to life. He guard to cut her into pieces and suggests to his mother that this is strew the parts of her body to the only a small obstacle to the pro- eight directions of the wind. This gress of his courting and that she they do. should approach the king once was her own son. Although she loves her son dearly, she is natu- rally shy to be seen with him in public. She therefore chooses to live deep in the forest. One day the frog's mother is execute. out looking for food for her son. The other forest frogs, who are watching, tell her that the right food can be found under the Pandan tree. She goes to look for a Pandan tree and collects the food they have suggested, for her son. After his meal, her son, the frog, tells her that he is now aware that it is time for him to marry. He has heard that the King of nearby Daha has a very beautiful daughter who is now of marriageable age. He asks his mother to go to the King and ask for the hand of the princess, his daughter in marriage. and begins to believe that this could be a more appropriate match for his daughter than he had, at first, suspected. He agrees to the match. The palace is prepared for the wedding celebrations. A great festival takes place and the pair are married. Wisnu's Descendant Having achieved his aim and married the beautiful princess the Frog is now a little shy with his new wife and her family. How will he be able to consummate the marriage? He prays for assis- tance and the god Wisnu ap- pears. Wisnu tells the frog that he is a direct descendant of Wisnu and the Kingdom of Ko- ripan. As such he can take on human form once more. The Frog then appears and more for permission for her son, a with the help of his friends he frog, to marry his daughter, the gathers together the various beautiful princess of Daha. parts of his mother and assem- Wisnu helps him to do this and tly less dutiful on this occasion. then, brings her back to life. The mother's reaction is sligh- bles them all in the one place. He the princess is delighted to find that instead of a frog husband, She points out that she has un- On this occasion he accompa- she has now acquired a han- dergone the pain of being slain nies his mother to the palace of dsome prince. The results are sa- and does not look forward to such Daha to repeat his request for tisfactory to all, and as the sun an act again. Her son while being the hand of the princess. The sinks slowly in the west, the sympathetic, assures her that King is quite amazed to find that young couple begin a life of living such pain is but fleeting and well the mother is alive once more, happily ever after. (Ni Jegeg). Australian Bushfires Come To Town Sydney- "Negative. We can not attend. We have no further back up, do truck radio was heard across The desperate plea over a fire Australia's most populous state New South Wales on Thursday as weary firemen battled more After almost a week of fighting massive blazes in the country their worse nightmare -- bushfi- side, firemen on Thursday faced res in the city. bushfires. "We immediately got in touch dated back to 1980s, when Gam- your best." Georgian leader Eduard She- ting opinion on reports of whet- der when he triumphed by a land- with places where Gamsakhur- sakhurdia was a political dissi- vardnadze said on Thursday the her he was dead or alive, but She- slide in presidential polls in May dia was likely to be staying, and dent and Shevardnadze was reported death of his bitterest foe varnadze made clear he believed 1991. He was toppled the follo- with his wife Manana who is in Georgian KGB secret police chief was "of no great importance" for in his rival's demise. wing January in a bloody revolt Grozny, but it is hard to tell whet- and then Communist Party boss, the country, and he would rather "Whatever the true cause of by ex-supporters who said he had her happened this way or that," Gamsakhurdia routinely la- Zviad Gamsakhurdia had remai- Zviad Gamsakhurdia's death turned into a dictator. ned alive. may be, it is of no great impor- Gamsakhurdia retained tance for the situation in Geor- strong support in western Geor- gia," Shevarnadze was quoted as gia, a region he used as the telling Tass by telephone. springboard of two attempts to return to power. His forces captu- red a number of western towns last September before being dri- Shevardnadze according Tass new agency said that former pre- sident Gamsakhurdia, whose ouster paved the way for his own return to power in 1992, had long been a "political corpse". " Family, aides and opponents of For this reason, Shevardnadze said, he "would rather Gamsa- khurdia had remained alive". belled his opponents "Kremlin He added that Gamsakhurdia agents", but reserved his stro- migh have died because of an in- ngest invective for former Soviet ternal feud between his suppor- foreign minister Shevardnadze, ters. The Georgian prosecutor's whom he blamed for his ouster. office was ordered to carry out a Shevardnadze returned to rule full investigation. Georgia three months later. Rivalry between the two men (Reuter) Gamsakhurdia became Geor- ven back by government forces. Indonesia Seeks To Reduce Bali Post/Rtr. GAMSAKHURDIA- Georgia rebel president Zviad Gamsa- khurdia pictured in October 93 in western Georgian, during a civil war between his loyal forces and the Georgian gover nment army. Gamsakhurdia's wife claims that he committed suicide on December 31 in western Georgian, where he stage an unsuccessful attempt to regain power last autumn. There has been noconfirmation of Gasakhurdia's death. Wife's Information From exile in southern Russia, Gamsakhurdia's wife, Manana, Poverty, Create Jobs told Interfax news agency on Wednesday that her husband Jakarta had killed himself in western Indonesia said on Thursday it Georgia on Friday December planned sharply to reduce num- 31'93 after the failure of his latest ber of people living in poverty comeback attempt. from an estimated 27 million, Tass quoted Gamsakhurdia's create nearly 12 million new jobs press service, also in the sout- and boost per capita aincome by hern Russian region of Chech- the year 2000. nya, as saying he had made a sta- tement several minutes before his death. "(I) commit this act in sound mind, as an act of protest to the existing regime in Georgia," it said. Georgia's pro-Shevardnadze militia, the Mkhedrioni, put for- ward a different version, saying President Suharto outlined de- about $1.50, Economic Growth He said an additional 11.9 mil- lion jobs were likely to be created by the end of the century, helped by average annual economic growth of 6.2 percent under the new five-year plan. Manpower Minister Abdul La- tief said last month unemploy- ment, including the under- employed, had reached a massive 38 percent. Indonesia, with a population estimated at 183 million growing at an annual 1,66 percent, has a relatively low per capita income of about $650. "I'd in the bush. Up there we know where the fire is coming from, but here all we can do is chase fires," said John Hawkins as he and his team battled flames licking the tips of town bushes in Sydney's northern suburbs. A bushfire in the open has a front which firemen can attack, In the city, with expensive hou- street. As the child struggles frantically to be free, the father says repeatedly: "It okay. It's okay." from work help their wives load Businessmen called home cars with cherished belongings, while others carry what they can to safety up the road. Some residents cry as smoke stings their eyes and chokes their throats. Others stand silently ho- home will be granted a reprieve. sing their roof, praying their chase. After an identity check the River. man is freed. But a handful of residents re- For two fire men fight a run- fuse to surrender. ning battle up and down Busaco As a thick pall of smoke turns property, but with fresh out- nge ball and the fire marches clo- Road in Marsfield to try to save the setting sun into a blazing ora- breaks in other suburbs their ser to Spencer, they gather under a riverbank tree to wash away numbers are stretched. Television news crews drop ca- the soot and dust of firefighting meras and pick up garden hoses with a cold beer. in a vain attempt to stop the fire's incessant march. The Inevitable The closest most have ever As night falls the fire conti- come to a fierce Australian bus- nued around Sydney but after a hfire is the evening television week some have almost accepted news. As firemen and policperately the inevitable. In the fishing hamlet of Spen- "You can amp in the river," says one man. (Reuter). Sarajevo- Bosnian rivals fought across the belequered republic on Wed- nesday, accentuating the con- trast between the desire for peace to coordinate the battle, a surreal cer 120 km (75 miles) north of voiced at talks in Austria and the atmosphere develops -- with heli- Sydney, exhausted firemen lie stark reality on the ground. "I'm afriad we have to tell you copters constantly hovering prostrate on the road as squea- above and the roar of the fire spo- ling children play arouem, obli- that what we find in the ground is radically smothered by the dense vious to the drama. very different from what we have blanket of smoke. Police evacuated 300 people in the negotiations," mediator An estimated three quarters of from Spencer earlier in the day as Lord Owen told reporters as Bos- ses on tree-lined embankments, the fires have been deliberately a fire with a 45 km (28 mile) front nian and Croatian negotiators it is a cat-and-mouse game. No sooner is the fire beaten, lit. Someone yells that a man has threatened to engulf the town on began a second day of talks in back from one place than it reas started a fire and police give the bank of the Hawkesbury Vienna. (Rtr). towards another, fuelled by eu- calyptus trees. Firemen are at the mercy of every wind shift in the winding gulleys that cut through much of Sydney, As firemen in the Sydney su- burb of Marsfield stand their ground on the edge of swimming pools, fighting back 30- metre (100 foot) flames, others bang on doors and yell at people to their homes. tails while unveilling a generally coutious 1994/1995 budget and a sixth five-year development plan, both starting in April. Suharto said the government wanted to reduce the number of people living in poverty to six per cent the population, or just under 12 million, in the next five year. He said the number of poverty- Suharto said the population Frantic Parents stricken people in the world's growth rate was likely to drop to had fallen from 60 percent in the five-year plan. fourth most populous country 1.51 percent under Repelita Six-- Frantic parents, who minutes earlier were watching a tense 1970 to around 15 percent now. "With such economic and po- cricket test between Australia based spokesman, Georgy Gul- Poverty is a delicate political pulation growth rates, the per ca- and South Africa, bundle their bani, dismissed the conflicting issue in multiracial Indonesia, pita income by the end of Repelita children in wet towels and flee reports of the former Georgian where many workers try to live surpass $1,000, or increase by into the street. leader's death as disinformation on a government mandated mini- about 4,7 percent a year," he told Gamsakhurdia was wounded in clashes in Chechnya on Friday and died due to his wounds in western Georgia on Wednesday. Gamsakhurdia's Moscow- by his enemies, Interfax said. mum daily wage equivalent to parliament. (Reuter) One young father envelops his baby in a she runs down the Gulbani said he had seen him Jackson, In Public Appearance Proclaims Innocence alive on Saturday, a day after his reported death, but he could not Pasadena, Calif say whether Gamsakhurdia was still alive now. "I am fighting this battle gations arose fled extortion plot. Pop superstar Michael Jac- alone. Together we will see this Jackson abruptly cancelled his kson emerged from seclusion thing through," Jackson told a "Dangerous" world concert tour Security ministry officials in Wednesday night to deny allega- mostly black audience of more in Mexico City November 12, the Georgian capital Tbilisi were tions that he sexually molested a than 2.000 at the Pasadena Civic saying he had become addicted to also sceptical of the reports, re- 13-year-old boy and proclaim Auditorium for the civil rights or painkilling drugs and was flying calling previous, similar ru- that "the truth will be my ganisation's annual awards for to Europe to seek treatment. mours which had proved false. He slipped back into the Uni- Confirmation In a surprise appearance -- his Jackson, who made an impas- ted states December 10 and re- Shevardnadze said Georgian first public event since making a sioned five-minute speech before turned to his Neverland ranch in leaders heard of Gamsakhurdia's nationally televised statement handing out one of the last southern California. In a state- death via sources in Chechnya, December 22 -- Jackson told a awards, faces a criminal investi- ment broadcast live from his and a Chechen delegation visi- wildly cheering crowd at the gation by Los Angeles police loo- ranch last month, Jackson said ting the Georgian capital Tbilisi NAACP's Image Awards that king into a boy's claims the enter the sex-abuse allegations were confirmed the news on "not only am I presumed to be in- tainer molested him. Jackson's "disgusting" and "totally false." Wednesday. salvation." nocent, I am innocent." artists and entertainers. representatives contend the alle- (Rtr). TOURISM ACTIVITIES Traditional Staff Choir Performance Guest at the Sheraton Lagoon Nusa Dua Beach Resort, were treated to the traditional staff choir performance on Christmas Eve. In the photo above are shown staff from all departments accompanied by the Batak Trio which performs nightly at the resorts restaurants. (*). Color Rendition Chart 2cm 4cm