Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 23 October 1995

39 articles found

Release of political detainees exploited: ABRI

Release of political detainees exploited: ABRI JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) claim that communists are trying to use the release last August of well-known political detainees to make a comeback in the Indonesian political scene. Maj. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, assistant to ABRI chief of social and political affairs, said in Surabaya on Saturday that there are indications that communists have been very active since the detainees' release.

Towards a free trade nation

Towards a free trade nation The following is an excerpt from a paper by Ali Wardhana presented at the seminar of "Indonesia and the World at the Beginning of the 21st Century" jointly organized by The Jakarta Post and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies on Oct. 17 in Jakarta in connection with the 50th anniversary of Indonesia's independence. This is the first of two articles.

Avis to enter Burma, Vietnam

Avis to enter Burma, Vietnam SINGAPORE (AFP): Avis Rent A Car of the United States is to become the first international car rental company to operate in the emerging markets of Vietnam and Burma, the firm said in a statement received Saturday. George Proos, general manager of Avis in the Asia/Pacific region, said in a communique that the company would begin operations in Vietnam from Dec. 1 and in Burma from mid-January. Avis has appointed Peregrine Capital Vietnam Ltd.

TV today

TV today TVRI 2:35 p.m. TV Series: Saber Rider and the Sherrif 3:05 Children's Program: Riang Ria 3:30 TV Series: The Crystal Maze 4:30 School Quiz: Cepat Tepat 5:00 Evening News 5:30 Environment Program 6:05 Nusantara the Beloved Country 6:15 Village Program 6:30 International Reports 7:00 Evening News 7:30 TV Drama: Tembang Kota 8:05 TV Series: Santa Barbara 9:00 World News 9:25 Indonesian Music 10:25 Film : Code Named Zebra 10:55 Late News 11:05 Film (continued) Program 2 4:30 p.m.

Armed Forces awake to 'formless organizations'

Armed Forces awake to 'formless organizations' A recent spate of violent events, including the burning of the house of a murder suspect in the eastern Jakarta district of Bambu Apus, has taken many by surprise. In the background, the authorities are now warning of the influence of "formless organizations". Koesparmono Irsan, a retired police general, and formerly deputy chief of operations, states his views on this phenomenon.

Education foundations exempt from taxes

Education foundations exempt from taxes JAKARTA (JP): The Directorate General of Taxes has eased the tax obligation of educational foundations, exempting their profits from the income tax for the next four years. "However, the income tax relief is effective only when all the profits are invested in buildings and other educational facilities," Tax Director General Fuad Bawazier announced over the weekend.

Local stock prices closed to mixed active trading

Local stock prices closed to mixed active trading JAKARTA (JP): Stock prices closed to mixed active trading last week as the market worked itself through another narrow trading range. The JSX composite index closed the week at 500.44, up 3.88 points (+0.8%) over the week's opening of 496.56. The market's activities were focused on several large-capped stocks.

Ironic advice

Ironic advice I refer to an article on the Business and Investment page of The Jakarta Post on Oct. 7, 1995, entitled 'Tobacco still lifeline for many farmers'. Whilst it was an interesting and informative article, I tend to think that the idea of minimizing the industry's negative impact on health can only be really achieved by heeding the excellent advice obviously expounded by the Tobacco industry itself, Dilarang merokok! (No smoking).

Book documents local films

Book documents local films JAKARTA (JP): A book titled Katalog Film Indonesia 1926-1995 (Catalog of Indonesian Films 1926-1995) was launched on Saturday in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of Indonesian Cinematheque. The 426-page book contains the credit titles of 2,261 films, made between 1926 and August this year. A synopsis is also written in the catalog. The catalog, the first of its kind, was written by J.B. Kristanto, a senior journalist of the Kompas daily, in cooperation with S.M.

Batam hotel industry has bright future

Batam hotel industry has bright future JAKARTA (JP): Prospects of the hotel industry in Batam have become brighter, now that the construction of a number of new facilities have been completed. "We are confident that investments in the hotel industry have a bright future," said President of the Royale Eastern Business Hotel, Tommy Lim, as quoted by Antara.

Telkom offers 1.16b shares on local stock marts

Telkom offers 1.16b shares on local stock marts JAKARTA (JP): State-owned telecommunications company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) will offer 1.16 billion shares, each with a nominal price of Rp 500 (US$0.22), at Rp 2,800 ($1.20) each through the Jakarta and Surabaya stock exchanges later this week. "The shares to be offered from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2 will consist of 933.33 million new shares and 233.33 million shares owned by the government," Telkom President Setyanto P.

Matahari-IMG license deal

Matahari-IMG license deal JAKARTA (JP): Publicly-listed retail chain Matahari Putra Prima has been licensed by the International Management Group (IMG) of the United States to produce and distribute Major League Baseball products. The five-year license was signed on Saturday by Herman Darmawan of Matahari and Ken Berger of IMG Southeast Asia and witnessed by Paul Archey of the IMG, Sugeng Supriatna of the Indonesia Baseball Association and baseball star Steve Finley. (rid)

Soeharto the best candidate: Siswono

Soeharto the best candidate: Siswono JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo has said there is no better candidate for the national presidency than incumbent President Soeharto. "There is no stronger candidate," the minister was quoted by Antara as saying over the weekend. "But this does not mean that there's no one else who can be president.

Formless groups confusing

Formless groups confusing From Jayakarta It seems not a single day goes by without the media reporting on the widely publicized OTB (Organisasi tanpa bentuk or formless organizations). This organization is said to have been applying a method in its operation which is similar to that used by the communists. In every trouble related to the sensitive issue of race, ethnic groups and religion (SARA), it is perceived that OTB is behind the action.

Iodized salt prices to soar

Iodized salt prices to soar SEMARANG, Central Java: The price of iodized salt is expected to rise by about 40 percent as of this month from its current price of Rp 160 (U.S. 7 cents) per kilogram, a local official says. Secretary of the Central Java chapter of the Association of Iodized Salt Producers, Nuri Handayani, said that the increase is due to the shift from the dry to the wet season in salt producing areas.

RI-Australia hospital relations

RI-Australia hospital relations JAKARTA (JP): Pertamina Central Hospital is studying the possibility of cooperation with hospitals in Western Australia to develop human resources and increase medical equipment. Setyanegara, Pertamina Hospital's director, said over the weekend that many things can be obtained from the bilateral cooperation, Antara reported. The statements were made after a meeting with the Minister of Health and Manpower of Western Australia Graham Keirath last Friday.

Noisy neighbors

Noisy neighbors Manfred Weber, an expat, asked for guidance in the matter of the law applicable to the nightly disturbance he sustained from construction work next door to his house (The Jakarta Post, Oct. 18). I really feel sorry about the noise disturbing his night's rest. I give him the following advice, hoping it will help. I assume a yellow sign is posted in front of the construction site showing that the proper building permit has been given by the authority in charge of construction.

Music Mentor: This is how music should be taught

Music Mentor: This is how music should be taught By Zatni Arbi JAKARTA (JP): Roughly two years ago, someone wrote an excellent exposition in the Kompas daily about how Indonesian children are put through a torture called "music class". Instead of learning to sing popular children songs, third and fourth grade students are taught to read music.

Telenovela dubbing

Telenovela dubbing From Media Indonesia I am strongly in favor of dubbing the telenovela films screened by television stations. I feel this way because most viewers are of the middle and lower classes of society. Giving subtitles to foreign films does not always serve the purpose because they sometimes change too quickly and even come later than the dialog they are explaining. So, dubbing films in the Indonesian language is just what ordinary people need and can enjoy.

Public support of private interest

Public support of private interest Despite strong objections from many, including some members of the House of Representatives, toll fees on Jakarta's urban turnpikes have been raised. We understand the objections that have been raised. People usually use toll roads to avoid congestion on ordinary roads, but toll roads here do not guarantee a free flow of traffic. Furthermore, when jams occur, police rarely provide the toll road users with information.

Swiss cement in Vietnam

Swiss cement in Vietnam HANOI (AFP): Morning Star Cement Ltd. signed agreements for loans worth US$186.6 million Saturday to build a cement plant in southern Vietnam with an annual capacity of 1.76 million tons, company officials said. Funds for the plant have come from the International Finance Corp., the private sector investment arm of the World Bank, Japanese trading house Nissho Iwai and the Export-Import Bank of Thailand.

Thai firms short of rubber

Thai firms short of rubber BANGKOK (Reuter): Thai rubber prices firmed last week on lower supply and renewed orders by China after its general absence in the past several months, traders said. They said Thailand's rubber producing southern region started its rainy season this month, allowing rubber tappers to work only a few days this week.

Govt to promote sterilization in family planning

Govt to promote sterilization in family planning JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to embark on a campaign to promote sterilization as an effective and safe method of preventing unwanted pregnancy, a senior official of the National Family Planning Board said on Saturday. The board is currently working on preparing the campaign in cooperation with the Indonesian Medical Association, the board's deputy chairman Pieter H. Sumbung said.

Where to go in Jakarta:

Where to go in Jakarta: Music * Hotel Aryaduta Jl. Prapatan 44-48, Central Jakarta: - Ambiente Italian Restaurant: Bonauli vocal group, Monday and Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Los Morenitos, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Los Paraguas, Friday and Saturday from 7:15 p.m. to 11 p.m. - Ambassador Lounge: Boece & Ayu (pianist and singer), Tuesday and Saturday, from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Pianist of Jakarta String Fantasy Trio, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 p.m.

Thief dies in river

Thief dies in river JAKARTA (JP): A motorcycle thief died on Saturday after plunging into a river in an attempt to escape from an angry mob. Komar bin Hasan, 30, of Bekasi, West Java, was chased by an angry crowd after being seen stealing a Honda motorcycle in the neighborhood. A police officer said Komar first tried to escape by riding the motorcycle, but later abandoned it and jumped into the Cipamingkis River, in which he drowned. (05)

Soeharto, Rabin meet in New York

Soeharto, Rabin meet in New York By Rikza Abdullah NEW YORK (JP): President Soeharto and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin held a 30-minute meeting at the Waldorf Towers Hotel here on Saturday evening to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East. "Prime Minister Rabin told President Soeharto about the latest developments in the Middle East, particularly those related to Palestine," Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono told Indonesian reporters after the meeting.

Indonesia performs well in world bridge tourney

Indonesia performs well in world bridge tourney JAKARTA (JP): Failure need not always go hand in hand with shame. A loss, especially to a much stronger rival, can even evoke a feeling of pride. "We are proud of our team even though it failed to go to the semifinals of the Bermuda Bowl men's team world bridge championship in Beijing, China," said Wiranto, chairman of the Indonesian Bridge Association (Gabsi).

Traffic problem

Traffic problem Reading an article Special team established to solve traffic problems (The Jakarta Post, Oct. 3, 1995) makes me very hopeful. As an ordinary worker required to arrive on time at the office, I rely on smooth traffic flow, besides leaving home early, to get to work on time. Going home, it takes one to two hours to travel from Tanah Abang to the Kampung Rambutan terminal. This is a great waste of time.

Rivers still used as dumping sites

Rivers still used as dumping sites JAKARTA (JP): Many residents in Jakarta still use its rivers and waterways as garbage dumping sites, an environmentalist said. Ade Christina, a Metropolitan Improvement Program of the World Bank staff member said that the garbage piling up in many city waterways could be cited as evidence, Antara reported over the weekend.

ITB encourages swimming

ITB encourages swimming BANDUNG, West Java: If rector Wiranto Arismundandar's dream comes true, the prestigious Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) may be turned into the Bandung "swimming institute." Wiranto wants all ITB students and anyone working at the institute, without exception, to be able to swim, because sea constitutes 70 percent of Indonesia's territory. To drown is embarrassing for people from a maritime country like Indonesia, he said.

RI archers expect clean sweep at Chiang Mai

RI archers expect clean sweep at Chiang Mai JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Archery Association is ready for a clean sweep of the four gold medals up for grabs in the archery competition at the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from Dec. 9 to Dec. 17. "For us, the SEA Games are just a stopover. Our ultimate destination is the Olympic Games (in Atlanta next year) because our athletes are world-class," says the association's secretary- general, Edo Rahantoknam.

Trust your children: Leading psychologist

Trust your children: Leading psychologist JAKARTA (JP): Encouraging children to be independent from an early age is a must in today's increasingly competitive world, according to a leading Indonesian psychologist, and one way of fostering such independence is to have faith in children's capacity to develop themselves. Fawzia Aswin Hadis, speaking at her induction as a professor at the University of Indonesia on Saturday, called this approach the "constructivist" view of childrearing.

'Kompas' scholarships for paper boys, girls

'Kompas' scholarships for paper boys, girls JAKARTA (JP): More than 1,000 newspaper boys and girls from various parts of Indonesia got a surprise bonus on Saturday from one of the newspapers they have been delivering -- scholarships.

Three-on-three basketball meet

Three-on-three basketball meet JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Basketball Association will celebrate its 44th birthday with a three-on-three basketball competition in 10 cities between Nov. 21 and Nov. 25. The cities are South Sumatra's Palembang, North Sumatra's Aceh, West Kalimantan's Pontianak, North Sulawesi's Manado, Irian Jaya's Jayapura, West Java's Bandung, Central Java's Solo, East Java's Surabaya, Bali's Denpasar and Jakarta.

Over 800 kids gather for Happy Children's Day

Over 800 kids gather for Happy Children's Day JAKARTA (JP): Seven-year-old Fitri Santoso stood apart from more than a dozen of children lining up to join a game of "telegraph" at the Cibubur camping ground in East Jakarta yesterday. Biting her handkerchief and eying the others wistfully, Fitri at first refused to join in the game, preferring to just watch.

Civil society in the Indonesian context

Civil society in the Indonesian context The following article is an excerpt from a paper presented by Michael Leifer at the seminar on Indonesia and the world at the beginning of the 21st century jointly organized by The Jakarta Post and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta on Oct. 17 in connection with the 50th anniversary of Indonesia's independence. This is the first of two articles.

Welltekindo's first export

Welltekindo's first export JAKARTA (JP): PT Welltekindo shipped on Saturday two wirelines worth US$180,000 to the Malaysian oil company Petronas, under a contract with Dimension Bid Sdn. "This is our company's first export from Indonesia. What makes the shipment more significant is the fact that the Malaysian company also bought our technology," Welltekindo's president Ermin S. Nasution told reporters.

World-class operators

World-class operators PT Telkom, which for the past 25 years has been mired in nearly every possible excess inherent in a state monopoly, is being transformed not only into an efficient, competitive national company but also into what the company's president, Setyanto P. Santosa, calls a world-class telecommunications operator.

Police quiet about details of Gendut's arrest

Police quiet about details of Gendut's arrest JAKARTA (JP): Police are keeping tight-lipped over the recent arrest in Malaysia of the prime suspect in the gruesome 1995 murder of six members of Herbin Hutagalung's family in Bekasi, West Java. "We can't find confirmation about the story of the arrest of the man because we can't get any information from Pak (Mr.) Nurfauzi," city police spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna told The Jakarta Post on Saturday. Col.