Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 16 November 1995

45 articles found

APEC ministers gear up for main meeting

APEC ministers gear up for main meeting By Endy Bayuni OSAKA, Japan (JP): APEC ministers met informally last night to settle some of the less contentious issues on their agenda, leaving the more difficult problems for the conference proper, which begins today. Meanwhile, their senior officials went into an extra session well into the night to try to hammer out an agreement on how the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum should go about moving towards regional free trade.

Ministers concerned over nuclear testing

Ministers concerned over nuclear testing JAKARTA (JP): Environment ministers attending a United Nations meeting here yesterday added concern over nuclear testing to the draft statement of the conference. The final draft of the Jakarta Ministerial Statement on the Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, scheduled for completion yesterday evening, now calls for the assessment of the harmful effects of nuclear testing before such activity takes place.

APEC forging ahead with customs plan

APEC forging ahead with customs plan OSAKA, Japan (JP): APEC's finance ministers have been quietly making significant progress in standardizing and accelerating customs procedures among the 18 member countries, while their trade and foreign ministers are still embroiled in trade liberalization measures.

Is APEC environmentally friendly?

Is APEC environmentally friendly? By Lyuba Zarsky This is the first of two articles on free trade and environmental standards under APEC-proposed liberalizations. BANGKOK: The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) has emerged as Asia-Pacific's overarching regional institutions. APEC's eighteen members span East Asia, Australia and the Western Hemisphere.

NGOs disseminate lies about Indonesia: Ginandjar

NGOs disseminate lies about Indonesia: Ginandjar JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of National Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita has criticized non-governmental organizations, saying they disseminate false data about Indonesia to foreigners. Ginandjar said yesterday that NGOs aim to lobby international funding institutions to stop providing funds to Indonesia.

PSSI boss must know soccer

PSSI boss must know soccer From Merdeka As the All Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) congress draws near, people are anxious to know who will be the new chairman of the organization. The hopes are obviously that they will find a better leader than the present one. PSSI has been widely criticized for their low performance and low achievements both domestically and internationally.

South Jakarta floods the worst in ten years

South Jakarta floods the worst in ten years JAKARTA (JP): Monday's flooding in the Pesanggrahan district was called the worst in 10 years, backing up traffic in Cipulir and Bintaro, South Jakarta. The area, especially the Bintaro subdistrict, is familiar with floods, but this November's floods have been the heaviest since 1985, said Chairuddin C.S., chief of the subdistrict. He cited the IKPN and the foreign ministry housing complexes as the worst hit.

SPSI needs strong leadership: Soeharto

SPSI needs strong leadership: Soeharto JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto said yesterday that the All Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI) should be a strong and professional organization because Indonesia is entering the era of economic liberalization.

APEC's 'down payment' on free trade pledge prepared

APEC's 'down payment' on free trade pledge prepared By Endy M. Bayuni OSAKA, Japan (JP): Eighteen countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum have gathered here for their annual meeting, beginning today, to make a "down payment" on a free trade pledge their leaders made exactly a year and one day ago in the Indonesian city of Bogor.

Most local firms unready for trade liberalization

Most local firms unready for trade liberalization JAKARTA (JP): As Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members in Japan prepare a blueprint for trade liberalization, many Indonesians do not believe the majority of companies here are ready to meet the APEC requirements.

Indonesia drops tryout matches in South Korea

Indonesia drops tryout matches in South Korea JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian soccer team, preparing for the 18th Southeast Asian Games, canceled its tryout matches in South Korea yesterday. Secretary-General of the national team body, Endro Sumarjo, told reporters after a meeting yesterday with SEA Games project officer, Arie Sudewo, that the South Korean Football Association had failed to pick teams and arrange times for the friendly matches.

Will the 'Happi' coat make debut at APEC summit?

Will the 'Happi' coat make debut at APEC summit? By Linda Sieg OSAKA, Japan (Reuter): Japan, usually a stickler for formality, is allowing Asia-Pacific leaders to take off their coats and ties for the APEC summit this weekend. They can even wear a happi coat. "Dress will be casual, in keeping with the informality of the meeting," a Japanese official said on Tuesday.

Indorama doubles profit

Indorama doubles profit JAKARTA (JP): PT Indorama Synthetics more than doubled its net profits to Rp 97.2 billion (US$42.4 million) in the first nine months of this year due to higher prices of polyester products and the commissioning of its PET Resin plant, the company announced yesterday.

Worker dies of electrocution

Worker dies of electrocution JAKARTA (JP): A worker at an apartment project in Central Jakarta died of electrocution yesterday, police said. Samian, 28, a resident of Purwodadi, Central Java, was electrocuted while installing the electrical cables on the second floor of the Grand Cempaka apartment development on Jl. Let. Jen. Soeprapto. An eyewitness said three workers were electrocuted in the accident. He said that he did not know the condition of the two other victims.

Traffic changes in South Jakarta

Traffic changes in South Jakarta JAKARTA (JP): Motorists should avoid Jl. Tundabara and Jl. P. Antasari in South Jakarta from tomorrow due to the excavation project along the road. The project will end on March 15. The head of City Traffic Control Agency J.P. Sepang said yesterday that Jl. Raya Cipete, Jl. Ampera and Jl. Cilandak Tengah can be used as an alternative route. Sepang also announced that Jl. Permata Hijau Boulevard, up to Jl. Tentara Pelajar, has become a one-way road. Jl.

Stock Exchange

Stock Exchange Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on Nov. 15, 1995: Shares Close Change Trading Volume --------------------------------------------------------- Ades Alfindo 1,000 -25 6,500 AHAP Insurance 3,225 0 0 Alumindo Perkasa 1,150 0 0 Andayani Megah 1,675 -25 26,000 Aneka Kimia Raya 6,050 0 0 Anwar Sierad 975 -50 202,000 Aqua Golden Mississippi 2,400 0 0 Argha Karya Prima Industry 1,850 -50 258,500 Argo Pantes 2,075 0 0 Asahimas Flat 2,400 -25 712,000 Asiana IMI...

Plagiarism needs more attention (2)

Plagiarism needs more attention (2) By Ignas Kleden This is the second of two articles exploring academic life in Indonesia vis a vis the recent case of alleged plagiarism at a respected university. JAKARTA (JP): The question looming large in academic circles is how to treat the subculture of academia given the society in which it exists.

Youths ask for protection

Youths ask for protection CIREBON, West Java: Approximately 60 youths of Wotgali Village, Weru subdistrict went to the provincial legislative council building asking for protection after their village became an arena for gang wars. The youths reported to the councilors that on Monday their houses were vandalized during a fight between a group of youths from their own village and another group from Gamel village.

Telkom fails to boost market

Telkom fails to boost market JAKARTA (JP): Listing of the state-owned telecommunications firm PT Telkom failed yesterday to boost weak sentiment on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) as local speculators reaped quick profits. Telkom was closed yesterday at its initial offering price of Rp 2,050 ($0.76), down Rp 50 from Rp 2,100 at the opening of a special trading session on Tuesday night.

RI and Malaysia to expand research on language

RI and Malaysia to expand research on language KUALA LUMPUR (JP): The Malaysian Language and Literature Board is planning to expand cooperation with universities and language institutions throughout Indonesia. Board director A. Aziz Dermawan said yesterday that his institution, which is better known by its Malay language name, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of South Sumatra.

Miwon's underwriter fails to meet obligation

Miwon's underwriter fails to meet obligation JAKARTA (JP): The Capital Market Supervisory Agency (Bapepam) has ordered PT Sun Hung Kai Securities Indonesia to fulfill its obligation in underwriting PT Miwon Indonesia's initial share offering. Bapepam's chairman, I Putu Gede Ary Sutha, said on Tuesday evening that he summoned the directors of Sun Hung Kai to explain the case. None of them showed up. "Instead, the company's chief commissioner came to us.

Astra Jardine sees sales up

Astra Jardine sees sales up JAKARTA (JP): Astra Jardine CMG Life, a joint insurance venture, expects an increase in its premium revenues by 100 percent or Rp 9 billion (US$3.9 million) this year, the company's president, Rob Phillips, said yesterday. "Our captive market is only 30 percent, meaning that only a small portion of our revenues comes from the employees of our group of companies," Phillips said.

Plaza Senayan opened

Plaza Senayan opened JAKARTA (JP): Plaza Senayan, a modern new shopping mall located on Jl. Asia Afrika, South Jakarta, was officially opened yesterday. President director of PT Senayan Trikarya Sempana, Masao Hashimoto, opened the 60,000-square meter mall, which will have apartments and office buildings. The apartments and the office buildings will be finished next year.

Back to traditional food

Back to traditional food Lately I've been reading a lot about the government's back-to- basics program. This program is supposed to encourage Indonesians to eat traditional foods as opposed to international cuisine. I find that rather silly considering noodles are so popular here. I do believe noodles were invented in China. Should we stop eating noodles? And how about bread, it wasn't invented in Indonesia, does that mean we should stop making sandwiches for our kids?

Fire guts huts, kills one

Fire guts huts, kills one PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Dozens of squatters' huts and makeshift houses were destroyed and one toddler was killed in two separate fires occurring in the Kertapati subdistrict and in Muara Enim regency on Tuesday. Firefighter chief Muchtar Subing said he deployed five fire engines to extinguish the fire in Kertapati which destroyed 18 huts and left 50 families homeless. The fire reportedly started when a kerosene stove belonging to a squatter exploded.

Germany offers RI $200 million in loans

Germany offers RI $200 million in loans JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia and Germany signed here yesterday four loan agreements worth US$200 million to finance four projects in electricity, transportation and water supply in the islands of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Sumbawa. The electricity projects -- 500 kilovolt Transmission Line Ungaran-Klaten and Diesel Power Stations DV -- will help the state-owned electricity company PLN improve its services, the German Embassy here said.

300 extremists await trial in Central Java

300 extremists await trial in Central Java TEGAL, Central Java (JP): The Commander of the Diponegoro military command, Maj. Gen. M. Yusuf Kartanegara, said yesterday that some 300 extremists in the province have been arrested for various subversive activities. The arrests were made in the regencies of Banyumas, Purwokerto, Purbalingga, Cilacap, Tegal, Brebes, Pekalongan, Batang and Pemalang. He did not specify at what time the arrests were made.

Officials vow to fight against defiant builders

Officials vow to fight against defiant builders JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Public Housing Akbar Tandjung will soon gather officials from Jakarta and its surrounding areas to discuss ways of preventing illicit practices by developers. "I will soon invite the officials to discuss ways of preventing delinquent developers from offering 'fictitious houses' to the public, the minister told reporters yesterday.

Asylum seekers fly to Portugal

Asylum seekers fly to Portugal JAKARTA (JP): The 21 East Timorese youths who sought political asylum at the Japanese embassy on Tuesday left for Portugal yesterday afternoon after Lisbon said it was ready to accept them. The young men, aged between 19 and 25, were transported from the embassy compound to the airport in a passenger bus owned by the Indonesian Red Cross, flanked by two cars carrying officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Rights activist gets top spot in Kosgoro

Rights activist gets top spot in Kosgoro JAKARTA (JP): The congress of Kosgoro, an influential organization under the ruling political grouping, Golkar, concluded yesterday with a surprising twist: The elected chairman handed the organization's chairmanship over to an unanticipated contender. Outgoing chairman Soeprapto won the second and final round of the election, obtaining 20 votes. His rival, human rights campaigner Bambang W.

Police told to complete dossier on Oki murder case

Police told to complete dossier on Oki murder case JAKARTA (JP): The city prosecutor's office has urged the city police to complete the dossier on Harnoko Dewantono, alias Oki, the suspected killer of two Indonesians and an Indian in Los Angeles last year. Spokesman for the office, Petrus Sambara, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that city police had yet to resubmit the triple murder dossier. The dossier was first submitted by police on Aug. 3.

Coffee retention scheme burdens local exporters

Coffee retention scheme burdens local exporters JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian coffee exporters want a review of the coffee retention scheme of the Association of Coffee Producing Countries (ACPC), saying it has increasingly become a burden to them. Mustafa Sulaiman, deputy chairman of the Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters (AICE) for foreign affairs, said yesterday that the retention scheme has been expensive for exporters as a result of stock depreciation, storage costs and inspection fees.

Osaka deliverables

Osaka deliverables Deliverables, down payments and action agenda are some of the buzzwords that reflect the high expectations of the third forum of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Osaka this weekend.

Literary meeting to be held in RI

Literary meeting to be held in RI KUALA LUMPUR (JP): A meeting of the Southeast Asian Literacy Council is scheduled for March 1966 in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra. This will be the first meeting of newly established council outside of Malaysia. "Majelis Sastra Asia Tenggara was established at a meeting between representatives of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, held from Aug. 21 to Aug. 25 this year," A. Aziz Deraman of the Malaysian Language and Literature Board said yesterday.

TV today

TV today TVRI 2:30 p.m. Face of My Country 2:35 TV Series: Ultraman 3:05 Music: Dendang Ria 3:30 TV Drama: Harapan Nan Sirna 4:30 Sports 5:00 Regional News 5:30 Arabic Lessons 6:05 Nusantara, the Beloved Country: Nusa Tenggara Timur 6:15 Village Program 6:25 Qur'an Recital 6:35 Religious Teachings: Islam 7:00 Evening News 7:30 TV Drama: Pelangi Senja 8:05 Cultural Program 9:00 World News 9:25 Film: Number One With A Bullet 10:15 Late News 11:25 Sports: Arena dan Juara Program 2 4:30 p.m.

Lower tariffs needed for cellular telephone calls

Lower tariffs needed for cellular telephone calls JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia needs to restructure the tariffs for cellular mobile telephone calls in order to boost the number of subscribers, a senior telecoms executive said yesterday.

Indo Yongtex sets loan

Indo Yongtex sets loan HONG KONG (Reuter): PT Indo Yongtex Jaya has launched a three- year US$20 million loan facility, said arranger Sanwa Bank Singapore yesterday. The borrower, a textile company and established in 1988, is the only producer of acetate fabric in Indonesia. Acetate fabric is used in the production of garments, in particular for ladies clothing and the lining of men's suits.

Teacher may get 8 years for murder

Teacher may get 8 years for murder JAKARTA (JP): A teacher on trial for killing a police major burst into tears yesterday when the prosecutor asked the court to sentence him to eight years imprisonment for the offense. Public prosecutor Bonar Gultom told the East Jakarta District Court that the defendant deserved harsh punishment for the killing. According to the prosecutor, Baskoni Wahab, 50, is guilty of killing Maj. Noenang Kohar at about 7:30 p.m on Oct. 14 on Jl. Wismajaya, East Jakarta.

Kasmiran gets FIDE title

Kasmiran gets FIDE title JAKARTA (JP): Kasmiran clinched a FIDE Master title after beating Sandhi Sunardi at an elo rating chess tournament here on Tuesday. FIDE is the world chess governing body. The win raised the points Kasmiran collected during the 10- session tournament to seven. This boosted his present elo rating of 2,270 by 35 to 2,305. Kasmiran is a teacher at the Enerpac chess school in West Jakarta, the organizer of the tournament which was scheduled to end yesterday.

In memory of the Battle of Surabaya

In memory of the Battle of Surabaya By Onghokham JAKARTA (JP): On Nov. 10 we celebrated Heroes Day. In this Golden Year of Indonesia, Heroes Day will not celebrate its 50th anniversary but its 45th anniversary. Another different aspect of Heroes Day is that its monument is not in Jakarta but in the East Java city of Surabaya, Indonesia's second fastest growing city. The Heroes Monument in the city is also the first "national" monument to the revolution. Jakarta's came later.

Where to go in Jakarta:

Where to go in Jakarta: Music * Hotel Arya Duta, Jl. Prapatan 44-48,Central Jakarta: - Ambiente Italian Restaurant: Bonauli vocal group, Monday and Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 1.p.m.; Los Morenos, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 7 p.m to 11 p.m. - The Tavern Pub: Yeah Yeah Boys, Sunday and Thursday,9.30 p.m to 1 a.m ; Geometrics Band, Monday to Saturday from 9:30 p.m to 2 a.m.; Yeah yeah Boys Thursday 9 p.m. to a.m.: Front line Band, Friday from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. * Century Park Hotel, Jl.

Halim's airport control tower destroyed by fire

Halim's airport control tower destroyed by fire JAKARTA (JP): A fire damaged a control tower and a base operation building at the Air Force's Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta yesterday. The blaze also destroyed the arrival room for high-ranking Air Force officers. There has been no official statement in relation to the fire so far. Firemen said the blaze, which started at about 1 p.m., was caused by a gas leak from a stove in the operation building.

Jakarta welcomes rural development program

Jakarta welcomes rural development program JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja says that the program to modernize rural areas will help deal with the problem of migration to the capital city. The governor said yesterday that the program called Angga Suka Desa, which deals with the development of modern society in villages, will ultimately benefit Jakarta in the long run.

Images of power: Batuan masters rediscovered

Images of power: Batuan masters rediscovered By Jean Couteau UBUD, Bali (JP): While obviously very different from pre- colonial paintings, many modern Balinese have come to see the styles of painting born in Ubud and Batuan during the 1930s as "traditional". A new exhibition of the Batuan paintings held in the ARMA -- Agung Rai Museum of Arts -- in Ubud is bringing a new light to the matter.

Three corpses found in Bandung

Three corpses found in Bandung BANDUNG, West Java: The bodies of three people who died of unnatural causes, drowning and electrocution, were found in the Margacinta subdistrict this week. Antara reported that the body of Bayu Rasta, a 17-year-old student, was found floating on the Cibogo River on Monday. Rasiman, a 28-year-old construction worker, and Rusmini, an 18- year-old domestic helper, died of electrocution; their bodies were also found on Monday. East Bandung police chief Lt. Col.