Factories in Tangerang regency remained closed on Saturday, despite government regulations requiring manufacturers to shift at least two workdays a month to the weekend.

None of the 500 manufacturers operating in the regency has implemented the regulation, which was supposed to take effect on July 21 in an attempt to reduce electricity consumption by 10 to 20 percent.

Masruri, human resources manager of PT Surya Toto, a tile and toilet producer located on Jl. Raya Serpong, said only 150 out of a total of 3,200 workers came in to work on Saturday.

"Only employees who work at the incineration section come in on Saturdays," he told The Jakarta Post.

He said although the company supported the new regulation, it would not implement it because the factory uses its own power generator.

"Moreover, we have also been informed by state-owned power company PT PLN we were not included in the power rationing list," he said.

It was a similar story at the factory of PT Hardaya Aneka Shoe Industry (HASI), a supplier for American athletic apparel company Nike.

Agus Widodo, chairman of HASI's worker union, said workers had yet to receive notice from the company management about a change in working hours.

"Everything is the same as usual here. On Saturdays, workers only work for five hours, from 7 a.m. to 12 noon, or from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.," he told the Post.

He said the factory, which employs 7,000 workers, produced on average 15,000 pairs of shoes each day between Monday and Friday, and 10,000 pairs on Saturday.

Hery Rumawatine, chairman of the regency's Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), said Apindo was still trying to raise awareness among manufacturers about the government regulation.

"We postponed the implementation of the regulation to July 31, pending a memo from Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno, because the shift in workdays involves overtime payments," he told the Post.

He said Apindo supported the regulation but it was difficult to implement because of the additional costs to manufacturers of operating on weekends.

Amir Hamzah, head of the external division of the national oil and gas Upstream Regulatory Body (BP Migas), said Friday the supply of gas from BP West Java to Jakarta had normalized on July 24.

He said supplies had resumed after BP West Java completed maintenance works scheduled to end on July 25, but it managed to finish the work two days earlier than scheduled.

Authorities at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport destroyed drugs estimated to be worth more than Rp 118 billion (US$12 million) Thursday.

Airport customs and excise chief Rahmat Subagio said the drugs, which all came through Hong Kong, were found in passengers' luggage and delivery packages between Feb. 20 and May 13 this year.

He said the drugs found were 485.4 grams of cocaine, 22,020 grams of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) and 8,387 ecstasy pills, all of which were confiscated by customs in eight smuggling attempts from Hong Kong into the country.

"We have handed 10 of the 16 smuggling suspects over to police for further procedures," he said.

Most of the smugglers wrapped the drugs in aluminum foil bags and food containers before putting them in their luggage and water filter tubes.

Of the drug smuggling suspects arrested at the airport, eight were Taiwanese, three Malaysian, two Thai, one British and two Indonesian.

Airport police chief Sr. Comr. Guntur Setyanto said drug smuggling attempts through the airport have been on the rise since December.

"Drug syndicates use us to smuggle drugs into the country, so I call on everyone to collaborate," he said.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said Tuesday the South Jakarta municipality would help pay the hospital costs of two people injured when a former school building in Melawai collapsed Monday.

"I have asked the South Jakarta mayor to take care of the victims and have them treated at the Pertamina Hospital (in South Jakarta)," he said at City Hall.

On Monday, a 20-meter side of a former building of state junior high SMP 56 collapsed at around 11.30 a.m., injuring two buskers resting inside.

South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Chairul Anwar said initial investigations revealed the building collapsed due to a weakened structure caused by scavengers.

"Scavengers took away iron rails that supported the building … causing it to collapse," Chairul told The Jakarta Post.

The two victims, Wawan Kurniawan, 21, and Palut Irwantoro, 26, who usually sing at Blok M Bus Station, were in the building together with Wawan's girlfriend Sri and Palut's wife Tuti, both of whom managed to escape injury.

It took about one and a half hours before they could be cleared from the wreckage and rushed to the hospital.

Both were transferred to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta on Tuesday.

Fauzi said the school building had sat dormant for two years.

"We have put signs in front of the building prohibiting anyone from entering."

Mizarman, a community unit head in Melawai subdistrict, confirmed that scavengers and buskers often stayed in the building despite the prohibition.

"But we couldn't do anything as they kept coming."

SMP 56 came into the public spotlight in 2004 after several teachers with the support of parents refused to move to the new building on Jl. Jeruk Purut in protest of a 2000 land swap deal between the National Education Ministry and property developer PT Tata Disantara.

At the moment, the school building's status is in limbo.

Separately on Tuesday, two people were found dead when a building near the Garuda maintenance facility at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport caved in.

The bodies of Na'am, 58, and Leti, 36, both residents of Rawajati kampung in Tangerang regency, were sent to Tangerang General Hospital's morgue for examination.

Pardi, 36, who had been with the two victims but escaped uninjured, said the three of them had been looking for scrap metal to be sold.

"While Na'am and Leti were demolishing the concrete foundation of the building to pull an iron rail, the walls suddenly collapsed," he said.

Pardi said he was quite far from the two and therefore managed to escape and rushed to the airport police, who later excavated the victims.

"We will examine the incident," said chief detective at the police post, First Insp. Sunarto.

All candidates running in the upcoming regental election in Tangerang vowed Thursday to focus on improving the welfare of local residents if elected.

Running mates Ismet Iskandar and Rano Karno, Jazuli Juwaini and Airin Rachmy Diani and Husamah Hisyam and Habib Alwi Al Husaini made the statement during a regental legislative council plenary session in Tigaraksa.

Each pair of candidates said if they were elected improvements would be made in the areas of health care, education, infrastructure, agribusiness, maritime affairs, industry, trade and tourism. They also said they intended to develop human resources in the area.

Tangerang regency will hold its first direct election on Jan. 20.

Incumbent Regent Ismet Iskandar is confident of securing a second term with his running mate, actor Rano Karno. They are backed by a coalition of 15 political parties.

The coalition supporting their campaign is made up of several major parties, including the Golkar Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP).

Legislator Jazuli Juwaini and his running mate Airin Rachmy Diani, the sister-in-law of Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiah, have the backing of six parties, including the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB), while the Democratic Party (PD) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) have thrown their weight behind PD executive Usamah Hisyam and his running mate Habib Alwi Al Husaini.

Ismet said he would prioritize several initiatives if reelected, including the construction of the South and North Ring Roads, the Balaraja General Hospital, the Ciputat and Balaraja flyover and the Cituis fishing port. He said he would also focus on developing schools and community health centers, as well as continuing to develop South Tangerang city.

"I don't want to leave any homework to my successors. I need another term to finish all of the programs I started. I believe I will be elected again," Ismet said during the plenary session.

Jazuli Juwaini said he would focus on poverty alleviation and the improvement of health services, the economy and education.

"I will establish free schooling and free health services, which Tangerang does not have at this stage," he said.

Husamah said Tangerang residents had to look at the election in a positive light as it would determine the regency's future.

"The election is one of the blessings of democracy, so we should thank God and make good use of it," he said.

After each delivering their speeches, the candidates signed a joint agreement with council speaker Endang Sujana, Election Commission chairman Jamaludin, Pollwatch chairman Saipul Anwar and regental administration representative Mas Iman Kusnandar.

The agreement specified that all candidates would hold their election campaigns between Jan. 4 and 16.

Tangerang regency, which celebrated its 63rd anniversary on Dec. 27, is home to 3.5 million people. The regency has no restrictions on business activities, except those banned by the central government.

The southern part of Tangerang has been developed into a robust trade and services area, the central part of the regency is being developed into an industrial zone, while to the north the farming and fisheries sectors remain strong.

The existing master plan of the regency specifies that 40 percent of its total 111,038 hectares of land can be used for business activities.

The regency is home to thousands of small, medium and large businesses, most of which are involved in the production of electronic goods, leather products, health care products and consumer goods.