DENPASAR  The National Road Building Agency for Indonesia’s 8th District will soon begin realizing the construction and upgrading of 3,000 kilometers of major road stretching from Bali’s western port of Gilimanuk to Atambua in West Timor. The entire road project, scheduled to get underway in March 2008, will cost Rp. 730 billion (54.3 million euro), allocated to be paid from the 2008 State Budget.

Phase II of the project will improve roads throughout Lombok and Sumbawa, costing an estimated Rp. 200 billion (14.9 million euro). The third and final phase of the road project will address 2,000 kilometers on Flores, Lembata and Alor and will cost Rp. 400 billion (29.7 million euro).

JAKARTA  Press freedom in Indonesia according to non governmental organizations, monitoring international media in 167 countries in the world, as surveyed by Reporters Without Borders (RWB) is low for Indonesia. In the press freedom index of 2007 released in Tokyo on Sunday, Indonesia ranked second in South Asia after Cambodia but in the entire world Indonesia only made it to the 100th place.

In the index, which includes violence or threats for journalists in the performance of their journalistic duties, the position of press freedom in 10 ASEAN member countries indicated that Cambodia was ranked 85th, followed by Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam 118, Malaysia 124 and the Philippines 128.