Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 9 August 1997

60 articles found

Soerjadi's PDI ponders reconciliation

Soerjadi's PDI ponders reconciliation JAKARTA (JP): Smarting from its general election defeat, the Soerjadi-led Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) has offered a reconciliation with PDI rival faction led by Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Where to go in Jakarta:

Where to go in Jakarta:Exhibitions * Painting Exhibition: by Sri Hadhy, Nyoman Darsane, Mas Dibyo and Budiman at Kafe Pinang, Hotel Kristal Jl. Tarogong Raya, Cilandak Barat, South Jakarta, open 24 hours, until Aug. 10. * Painting Exhibition: The 2nd Figuratif, at Andi's Gallery, Jl.

Review of UN rights 'counterproductive'

Review of UN rights 'counterproductive' ASEAN's suggestion for a review of the United Nations declaration on human rights, which was sparked last week by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, seems to be finding little support. Political scientist Juwono Sudarsono discusses the issue.

Concessionaires ordered to stop burning forests

Concessionaires ordered to stop burning forests JAKARTA (JP): The government has ordered forestry concession holders to stop the practice of burning forests to clear land for timber estates or plantations, because thick smoke is now disrupting activities in towns across Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Garuda to get B737-500 jet later this month

Garuda to get B737-500 jet later this month JAKARTA (JP): National air carrier Garuda Indonesia will receive later this month one of the 17 Boeing B-737 aircraft it ordered from Boeing of the United States during the 1996 Indonesia Air Show (IAS), a company spokesman said yesterday.

PT Prima Comexindo selected for jet deal

PT Prima Comexindo selected for jet deal JAKARTA (JP): The government will assign PT Prima Comexindo, a trading house owned by businessman Hashim Djojohadikusumo, to export palm oil, coffee and rubber to Russia as part of the countertrade deal for jet fighters and helicopters.

Jakartans willing to endure long wait for their dream car

Jakartans willing to endure long wait for their dream carBy John Aglionby WHEN approaching Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport by air, one of the few visible sights during the past year, however thick the polluted haze, has been the massed ranks of Timor cars parked beside a runway.

Scout's 36th anniversary next week

Scout's 36th anniversary next week JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Try Sutrisno will lead the 36th anniversary ceremony of the Indonesian Scout Movement (Pramuka) in Purworejo, Central Java, on Thursday.Pramuka chairman Himawan Sutanto said the theme of this year's anniversary is "Gearing Pramuka...

Indostar launch delayed

Indostar launch delayed JAKARTA (JP): The country's first direct broadcasting satellite (DBS) Indostar-1 of PT Datakom Asia will be launched on Oct. 15, delayed from its original schedule between Aug. 15 and Sep. 30, the company said here yesterday.

Dengue epidemic hits Jember

Dengue epidemic hits Jember JEMBER, East Java: Eleven people have been admitted to various health centers in Jember regency because of dengue fever, Antara said.Regency spokesman Chaidaroh Hasan blamed the spread of dengue on people drinking contaminated water from the river.

Austrade opens in Medan

Austrade opens in Medan JAKARTA (JP): Australia plans to open a regional office of its trade promotion body, Austrade, in Medan, North Sumatra, to serve the rapid increase in trade with the province.Australia's ambassador to Indonesia, John McCarthy, said in Medan yesterday that Austrade was...

Agent of illegal magazine launches book

Agent of illegal magazine launches book JAKARTA (JP): Danang Kukuh Wardoyo, an office boy jailed when he was 19-years old for distributing an unlicensed publication, has launched a memoir recounting his experience in prison.

Eng San free after court overturns his verdict

Eng San free after court overturns his verdict JAKARTA (JP): Businessman Hasan, alias Eng San, walked out of the Salemba Detention Center yesterday after the Jakarta High Court overturned a guilty verdict against him in the murder of rival businessman Nyo Beng Seng.

Frightful school days

Frightful school days Going back to school after a long break is something most students would normally look forward to, if not for the classes, at least for the reunion with friends. This is probably not the case for many students at junior and senior high schools in Jakarta nowadays.

Construction of access roads to toll ways to be restricted

Construction of access roads to toll ways to be restricted JAKARTA (JP): The government is reluctant to approve the construction of access roads from housing estates and industrial zones to toll roads, a Ministry of Public Works official said yesterday.

Luminary, Westin to build hotel in Bali

Luminary, Westin to build hotel in Bali JAKARTA (JP): Investment company Luminary and United States' Westin Hotels and Resorts agreed yesterday to develop and operate a five-star hotel in an integrated resort complex in Pecatu Bay, Bali.

Palm oil firm in Europe on Indonesian buying talk

Palm oil firm in Europe on Indonesian buying talk LONDON (Reuter): Talk that Indonesia was buying palm olein from Malaysia firmed palm oil prices on the European vegetable oil market yesterday morning."Palm oil is very hot this morning because of the Indonesia buying," said one trader.

S'pore, Cambodia, Vietnam hail ASEAN achievement

S'pore, Cambodia, Vietnam hail ASEAN achievement KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Singapore owes its economic prosperity to the peace and stability that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) brought to the region, Singapore's Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said in an interview released here...

Growth of satellite cities blamed for traffic woes

Growth of satellite cities blamed for traffic woes JAKARTA (JP): The rapid growth of Greater Jakarta's satellite cities has exacerbated the capital's already-chaotic traffic problems, Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said yesterday.

Singapore's economy posts strong 7.8 percent growth

Singapore's economy posts strong 7.8 percent growth SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore's economy expanded strongly by 7.8 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 1997 amid a recovery in the manufacturing sector, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said yesterday.

ALatieF gets $60m loan

ALatieF gets $60m loan HONG KONG (Reuter): PT ALatieF P&O Port Development Co (APPDC) has completed a US$60 million term loan facility with six financial institutions, arranger HSBC Investment Bank's Singapore branch said yesterday.

Rain fails to clear haze

Rain fails to clear haze PEKANBARU, Riau: Most of Pekanbaru was still covered by haze yesterday, despite a two-and-a-half hour downpour on Thursday night, Antara reported.Visibility, however, slowly improved yesterday, from 600 meters at around 7 a.m. to between 1,500 and 2,000 meters by 9 a.m.

Singaporean tried for Ecstasy

Singaporean tried for Ecstasy JAKARTA (JP): A Singaporean was indicted at the Central Jakarta District Court yesterday, charged with keeping and possessing 1,900 Ecstasy pills.Prosecutor Zen Idris said the 38-year-old Low Gin Ang alias Jimmy or Jack, was arrested by police on April 16 at a hotel in...

Two forces work in favor of China

Two forces work in favor of ChinaBy Lie Tek Tjeng JAKARTA (JP): How should we interpret the historic handover of Hong Kong? After 156 years under British colonial rule, Hong Kong was returned to China on midnight June 30 based on a joint declaration signed on Dec.

Portugal, RI agree to hold more talks

Portugal, RI agree to hold more talks UNITED NATIONS (Agencies): Ambassadorial-level talks between Indonesia and Portugal on the question of East Timor ended on Thursday with an agreement to meet again in a few weeks. However, no date was set for the next session.

Comings and goings

Comings and goingsFrom Pikiran RakyatAn essential element in human rights is freedom of an individual to travel wherever he or she wishes. So in this republic one would be free to travel from Sabang to Merauke, from Pacitan to Manado.

Zubairi against discrimination of HIV carriers

Zubairi against discrimination of HIV carriersBy Renata Arianingtyas JAKARTA (JP): AIDS campaigner Zubairi Djoerban has many concerns, including some people's tendency to discriminate those who have Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Candidates short-listed

Candidates short-listed PADANG, West Sumatra: The number of governor candidates has dwindled from around 20 to six, Antara reported.The remaining governor-hopefuls include deputy governor Muchlis Ibrahim and West Sumatra Legislative Council chairman Noer Bahri Said Pamuncak, both of whom have...

Quest for education with international standards

Quest for education with international standardsBy Mochtar Buchori JAKARTA (JP): During a number of seminars on education I attended recently, one question kept cropping up: Can we achieve education with international standards through our present national curricular?Whether the discussion was...

No foreign films dubbed by October

No foreign films dubbed by October JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Information R. Hartono has ordered all television stations in the country to stop airing foreign programs that are dubbed into the Indonesian language by October.

Legislator denies accepting money from contractors

Legislator denies accepting money from contractors JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives' Commission VI for industry, mining, manpower and investment denied yesterday a newspaper report alleging House members have accepted money from mining firms to speed up the examination of their...

New Infiniti price raised

New Infiniti price raised JAKARTA: Nissan has already raised the price of its luxury car, the Infiniti I30, less than two months after it was launched.A company representative said demand for the car was still strong but because of tax and other financial reasons, the price has been raised from Rp...

Taiwan's Chang charts Sabah Masters victory

Taiwan's Chang charts Sabah Masters victory KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia (JP): Taiwan's Chang Tse-peng continued his rise to the forefront of Asian golf yesterday by taking the halfway lead in the US$200,000 Sabah Masters at the Sabah Golf and Country Club.

Air-con use jumps

Air-con use jumps BONN: You almost can't sell a car without air-conditioning in Indonesia, but until recently, the situation has been the reverse in Europe.However, Europeans are now embracing the benefits of air-conditioning. In 1990, only 12.

ASEAN festivities begin

ASEAN festivities begin JAKARTA (JP): Kicking-off the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), President Soeharto urged members yesterday to reinforce national resilience to overcome lurking regional security problems.

Games rowing organizers need more funding

Games rowing organizers need more funding JAKARTA (JP): Organizers of the 19th SEA Games rowing, canoeing and traditional boat race events complained yesterday that they had only received Rp 65 million (US$24,857) of their Rp 700 million budget.

Big funds involved in recent currency attack

Big funds involved in recent currency attack KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad blames U.S. financier George Soros for the recent chaos in Southeast Asian currencies, but analysts say many other big funds were also involved.

Police shoot robbery suspect

Police shoot robbery suspect JAKARTA (JP): A man accused of robbing a bus passenger was shot dead at the Grogol bus terminal in West Jakarta early yesterday morning.The victim, identified as Rusliandi Siregar of Jembatan Besi, was arrested by police while he and an accomplice were attempting to get...

Bazaar at Old City

Bazaar at Old City SEMARANG: The mayoralty opened a three-day bazaar at Kota Lama (Old City) yesterday, Antara reported.The event is part of commemorations to mark Indonesia's 52nd independence anniversary, bazaar organizing committee member Agnes Murni said.

JSX share prices continue losing ground

JSX share prices continue losing ground JAKARTA (JP): Share prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) dropped for the third consecutive day yesterday, with the composite index falling 2.5 points to close at 675.436.

Mandela and Nigeria

Mandela and Nigeria During the apartheid days in South Africa, Nigerians were at the forefront of the fierce fight against this evil system. Many of us were in fact ready to die for the black majority who were the real victims of apartheid.

Stock Exchange

Stock ExchangeStock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on Aug. 8, 1997: Shares Close Change Trading Volume ------------------------------------------------------- Ades Alfindo 1,000 0 51,000 AHAP Insurance 2,500 0 0 Alter Abadi 1,100 25 92,500 Alumindo Light Metal 1,225 -50 465,500...

Timor says it has no plan to cut prices of its sedans

Timor says it has no plan to cut prices of its sedans JAKARTA (JP): PT Timor Distributor Nasional, distributor of the country's much disputed Timor car, said yesterday that the rupiah's sharp depreciation against the U.S. dollar and Kia Motor's financial problem would not affect its car prices.

Popular Teater Koma beats the odds by turning 20

Popular Teater Koma beats the odds by turning 20By A. Ariobimo Nusantara JAKARTA (JP): Theater groups which mark 20 years in existence, as Teater Koma is doing this year, are a rarity in Indonesia.The odds are always stacked against their survival.

Workers protest over dismissal

Workers protest over dismissal JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of workers fired from a Bogor-based steel company visited the Ministry of Manpower for the second time on Thursday to ask for help to regain their jobs.

Japan's rising surplus may ignite trade friction

Japan's rising surplus may ignite trade friction TOKYO (Reuter): Japan's trade surplus surged in June, showing the country's tentative economic recovery still heavily reliant on exports, which economists said was bound to worsen trade friction with the United States.

Giant dragon in lantern display

Giant dragon in lantern display JAKARTA (JP): A pair of giant dragons made of 400,000 small glass bottles and weighing about five tons is the highlight of hundreds of Chinese lanterns that went on display at the Jakarta Fair Grounds last night.

Games athletes ready for overseas trials

Games athletes ready for overseas trials JAKARTA (JP): SEA Games table tennis competitors are ready to test their skills at the Malaysian Table Tennis Open tournament in Ipoh from Aug. 20 to Aug. 24, an official said Thursday.

SE Asian currencies nosedive

SE Asian currencies nosedive SINGAPORE (AFP): Malaysian's central bank intervened yesterday in currency markets to check the slide of the beleaguered ringgit, as southeast Asian currencies fell amid rumors of more economic troubles in the region, dealers said.

BASF, Petronas sign deal on petrochemicals

BASF, Petronas sign deal on petrochemicals KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): German petrochemical giant BASF AG signed a US$700 million joint venture agreement with Malaysia's state-owned Petronas oil company yesterday to build an integrated petrochemical complex in central Malaysia.

Police warns of stern action against disruptive students

Police warns of stern action against disruptive students JAKARTA (JP): The police said yesterday they would no longer compromise with students who were caught brawling or carrying weapons.City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. E.

Riot trials almost complete

Riot trials almost complete BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: The Banjarmasin District Court has settled 53 of 59 lawsuits relating to massive riots which rocked the town just before the general election in May.The riot left more than 123 people dead, most of them trapped in buildings that caught fire.

PDI legislators may be absent from crash course

PDI legislators may be absent from crash course JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) central board announced yesterday it will let its 11 House of Representatives members decide for themselves if they wish to participate in government-sponsored legislative crash courses.

New subscription rate

New subscription rate To meet with increasing production costs, The Jakarta Post will apply a new monthly subscription rate of Rp 22,000 as of Sept. 1, 1997. The new unregistered mailing rate will be Rp 66,000 for a three-month subscription. -- The Publisher

Pertamina mulls changes to its oil price formula

Pertamina mulls changes to its oil price formula SINGAPORE (Reuter): Indonesian state oil company Pertamina is again considering to adjust the official Indonesian Crude Price (ICP) formula for its crude sales, a company source said yesterday.

Legal aid body says ASEAN neglects aims, principles

Legal aid body says ASEAN neglects aims, principles JAKARTA (JP): As ASEAN celebrated its 30th anniversary yesterday, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) rebuked the grouping for neglecting its own aims and principles, resulting in "widespread human suffering and human rights violations".

Edi dismisses doubts on Sukhoi jet fighter

Edi dismisses doubts on Sukhoi jet fighter JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense and Security Edi Sudradjat refuted yesterday doubts cast on the quality of the Russian-made Sukhoi SU-30K jet fighter that Indonesia has decided to purchase."Every technology has its strengths and weaknesses.

English not spoken here

English not spoken here I am responding to Mr. Dady Wijaya's letter The importance of English (Aug. 4).Mr. Wijaya, I would join you in deploring the decision to stop teaching English were it not my unfortunate experience to have learned this may be the lesser of two evils.

TV today

TV todayTVRI 2:00 a.m. News: Berita Untuk Anda 2:30 Travel: My Country 2:35 Children's Film: Road to Avonlea 3:10 Culture Program: Lingkar Budaya 3:35 Travel: Wisata Nasional 4:00 Regional News 4:30 Sports 5:25 Variety Show 5:30 TV Series: 13 Wonder 5:55 Music 6:00 News: Lintasan Berita 6:05...

Bank Bali enters Shanghai

Bank Bali enters Shanghai JAKARTA (JP): Bank Bali opened a representative office in Shanghai, China yesterday as part of its overseas expansion program.The opening of the new representative office made Bank Bali, which is listed on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX), the first Indonesian bank to...