July 1, 2014 edition
Karaoke Centers Flourishing in Sidoarjo
I was so pleased when I heard that the mayor of Surabaya was closing Dolly, the largest prostitution center in Southeast Asia. I followed the developments from the idea to close Dolly until it was truly closed down, including the acts of resistance from a group of people and sex workers.
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More Letters articles in other editions
January 1, 1970 edition
Bawaslu Clarifies
WE wish to respond to interview article Election monitoring bodies are not competent published in Tempo's June 9-15 issue.
The article gives the impression that the Constitutional Court and the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) are pitted against each other. The notion is tendentious and inaccurate.
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June 17, 2014 edition
Disappointed with the Bogor Land Agency
I have been disappointed with the service of the National Land Agency (BPN) while processing the papers for a 2,000-square-meter piece of land in the name of my wife, Sultanah, in Cibungbulang, Dramaga, Bogor, West Java. Initially I was informed by BPN staff that I only needed to sign my initials and signature on the paper because all the administrative conditions had been fulfilled. But in fact, almost every week when I go to the Bogor BPN office, I'm always given rambling answers regarding everything from the initials to a change of director to staff being out of the office to the simple excuse that work has piled up too high to address my concern.
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January 1, 1970 edition
Denial by the Supreme Audit Agency
In connection with the article titled Audit Acrobatics in Tempo's issue of June 2-8, we would like to make a clarification. The process of opinion-making in the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) is already in line with the State Financial Audit Standard and there is no transaction of opinion or intervention of BPK Chairman Rizal Djalil.
As for the 'disclaimer' opinion the BPK issued in its report on the Central Kalimantan administration for the 2012 fiscal year, the technical consideration is as follows: the opinion proposal from the audit team on the Central Kalimantan administration for the 2012 fiscal year was from the beginning a disclaimer. In the 2011 fiscal year, the administration was given a 'qualified opinion.' So it is not true that the Central Kalimantan audit team initially proposed an 'unqualified opinion' and that later there was a request from the central authorities to revise it to a disclaimer. (Disclaimer, qualified opinion and unqualified opinion are various ratings the BPK gives institutions it audits, with unqualified opinion being the best rating and disclaimer the worst.Ed.)
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January 1, 1970 edition
Research Corals and Currents
Indonesia is known by the marine society to own various fine marine biota including coral reefs. This acknowledgement was given to me as I went diving in the various parts of Indonesia. After diving, divers who were mainly expats would comment on Indonesia's beautiful underwater scenery with all the different types of coral reef, from hard and soft coral reef, where fish play, to fan coral reef.
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January 1, 1970 edition