Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 26 March 1998

61 articles found

Punishment for pedophile hailed

Punishment for pedophile hailed MEDAN, North Sumatra: The Indonesian Institute for the Protection of Women and Children has hailed the punishment meted out by the Medan District Court to Asinia David, 37, for sodomizing and killing three-year-old M. Anwar.

How to understand the crisis

How to understand the crisis The economic crisis befalling Indonesia has been dragging on with no hint as to when it will be over. The following two articles provide a political-culture approach to the crisis with an historical perspective. Dr. Mark R.

Man arrested with 4.8kg of heroin

Man arrested with 4.8kg of heroin TANGERANG (JP): Customs officers at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport have made their first illegal drugs arrest of the year of an Indonesian man who allegedly tried to smuggle 4.884 kg of second-grade heroin into the country.

RI private debt to be rescheduled

RI private debt to be rescheduled TOKYO (Agencies): Leading banks from Europe, Japan and the United States are likely to agree on a plan to reschedule repayments of principal on loans made to Indonesia's private- sector companies, the Japanese daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported in yesterday's...

ABRI starts dialog with critical groups

ABRI starts dialog with critical groups BANDUNG (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) made good on its recent offer yesterday by opening a series of dialogs with critical groups in a bid to settle the monetary crisis and answer growing calls for reform.

Brunei orders schools closed

Brunei orders schools closed BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (AFP): Brunei authorities ordered yesterday all schools closed for two weeks as haze from forest fires in nearby areas worsened.Citizens of the largely-Moslem sultanate have also been requested to fast for two days to pray for rain, and prayers were...

Local orangutans face extinction

Local orangutans face extinction SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Forest fires and illegal hunting have been posing grave threats to orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) living in East Kalimantan's forests, an expert of the Ministry of Forestry said yesterday.Dr.

Robbery believed behind murder of Taiwanese lady

Robbery believed behind murder of Taiwanese lady JAKARTA (JP): A Taiwanese woman, found dead at a residence in North Jakarta Tuesday afternoon, is believed to have been murdered during a robbery, police said yesterday.City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E.

Side meetings arranged for Habibie at ASEM

Side meetings arranged for Habibie at ASEMBy K. Basrie LONDON (JP): The Indonesian Embassy here has arranged a series of bilateral meetings for Vice President B.J. Habibie with several Asian and European leaders when they gather here next week.

Krugman mocks currency board proposal for RI

Krugman mocks currency board proposal for RI HONG KONG (Dow Jones): Leading U.S. economist Paul Krugman lashed out yesterday at "economic snake-oil salesmen" seeking to offer a quick fix to Indonesia's complex problems.

Banned referees cry foul at charges

Banned referees cry foul at charges JAKARTA (JP): A group of soccer referees, banned from officiating after an alleged match-fixing scam, decried yesterday what they termed unfair treatment by the All-Indonesia Football Federation (PSSI).

Unemployment surged to 8.7 million in February

Unemployment surged to 8.7 million in February JAKARTA (JP): The number of unemployed people doubled from 4.4 million last year to 8.7 million at the end of last month, an official said yesterday.Sri Harto, spokesman for the Ministry of Manpower, also said the number of people working less than 35...

Irian Jaya to get new governor

Irian Jaya to get new governor JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: The provincial legislative council has elected Commodore Freddy Numberi, chief of the Jayapura naval base, as the new governor for the 1998/2003 period to replace Jacob Patippi.

Kidney patients ask for help

Kidney patients ask for help BANDAR LAMPUNG, Lampung: Some 30 kidney patients of the Abdul Moeloek General Hospital have requested help in continuing their treatment from the ministers of health and home affairs.They said dialysis had become so expensive they could no longer afford it.

Fair play

Fair play The current economic situation has forced a rise in production costs, and those affected include The Jakarta Post. Since this newspaper's announcement on March 15 that it would downsize to eight pages, I feared the worst, expecting eight pagers every day.

Rates hike 'blow to banking industry'

Rates hike 'blow to banking industry' JAKARTA (JP): The current high deposit rates are a further blow to the beleaguered banking sector, which has very few options for reinvesting the money, banking experts said yesterday.

Presidential decree on sticker system issued

Presidential decree on sticker system issued JAKARTA (JP): A presidential decree on the sticker system which will replace the controversial three-in-one traffic system was issued on Monday and the city is preparing supporting bylaws, an official said yesterday.

Sagori islanders splash half their income on fresh water

Sagori islanders splash half their income on fresh waterBy Rolex Malaha KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi (Antara): The inhabitants of isolated Sagori island could live comfortably on an average income of Rp 5,000 a day, except they lack one of life's basic necessities: water.

Jakarta on track with its transportation services

Jakarta on track with its transportation services JAKARTA (JP): A traveler's first steps in Jakarta may be tentative ones as he or she adjusts to the daunting task of becoming familiar with the byways and highways of this sprawling city.

Ecstasy dealer gets four years

Ecstasy dealer gets four years JAKARTA (JP): The North Jakarta District Court sentenced a man on Tuesday to four years in jail and fined him Rp 150 million ($15,000) or three months imprisonment for possessing 13 Ecstasy pills.

RI's Moslem community coming into its own

RI's Moslem community coming into its own B.J. Habibie's election as vice president and the predominantly Moslem cabinet has fanned questions about the political map of Islam in Indonesia. Moslem intellectual Nurcholish Madjid, rector of Paramadina Mulya University, discusses the implications.

Badminton world rankings

Badminton world rankings LONDON (Reuters): Leading world rankings issued by the International Badminton Federation yesterday:Men: 1. Sun Jun (Chn) 348pts 2. Peter Gade Christensen (Den) 346 3. Luo Yigang (Chn) 293 4. Dong Jiong (Chn) 270 5. Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen (Den) 269 6.

National drive required to conserve water

National drive required to conserve waterBy Asep Fathulrachman Unfortunately, it is not a case of water, water everywhere for the world today. An estimated two billion people lack clean drinking water and many countries suffer acute water shortages.

Consumers turn to local cosmetics

Consumers turn to local cosmetics JAKARTA (JP): Whether there is an economic crisis or not, cosmetics, in the words of a beauty expert, are "a second skin to urban women".Claudia Angelique, a skincare and make-up facilitator at John Casablanca's Modeling and Career Center, says this need for...

Car production, sales may drop 90% in March

Car production, sales may drop 90% in March JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries estimated yesterday that the country's economic crisis would drag down car production and sales by 90 percent this month.The association's chairman, Herman Z.

PT Semen Padang in the international market

PT Semen Padang in the international market PT Semen Padang is the oldest cement plant in Indonesia. It began production on March 18, 1910, as NV Nederlands Indische Portland Cement Maatschapij. Production in 1913 was 22.9 tons per year. By 1939, production had risen to 172,000 tons a year.

What religion means to Indonesia politics

What religion means to Indonesia politics JAKARTA (JP): A quarter of a century ago the political scientist and Indonesia specialist Benedict Anderson suggested that to understand Indonesian politics one must attempt to view events from the perspective of Javanese religious assumptions about the...

U.S. farm exports to RI may fall 50%

U.S. farm exports to RI may fall 50% WASHINGTON (Reuters): U.S. agricultural exports to financially-troubled Indonesia could decline by 50 percent in fiscal 1998 (October-September), a top U.S. Agriculture Department official said yesterday.

Shooting lesson for journalists

Shooting lesson for journalists JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Military Command gave journalists a shooting lesson at its main regiment headquarters in Condet Raya, East Jakarta yesterday.Command spokesman Lt. Col. D.J.

Hendro told to improve transmigration sites

Hendro told to improve transmigration sites JAKARTA (JP): The government intends to improve the quality of existing transmigration sites rather than open new ones, President Soeharto said yesterday.The President told Minister of Transmigration and Resettlement of Forest Squatters A.M.

Stock Exchange

Stock ExchangeStock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on March 25, 1998: Shares Close Change Trading Volume -------------------------------------------------------------- Ades Alfindo 700 0 0 AHAP Insurance 500 0 0 Alter Abadi 600 25 86,000 Alumindo Light Metal 350 -25 311,000...

Thousands face food shortages on E. Timor coast

Thousands face food shortages on E. Timor coast BOBONARO, East Timor (JP): About 5,000 people in four coastal villages here are enduring food shortages after a dry spell since January caused massive crop failures, a local official has confirmed.

Pimps, patrons play strangers

Pimps, patrons play strangers PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): An encounter between officers, 10 pimps and 32 prostitutes in a police station on Monday took on shades of melodrama when many of the ladies of the night began to shed tears.

Doctoral exam turns into gripping argument on govt

Doctoral exam turns into gripping argument on govt JAKARTA (JP): A panel of the University of Indonesia's law professors turned a viva yesterday into a grievance session and led legal doctoral candidate A.S.S.

Subagyo hails Amien for wise criticism

Subagyo hails Amien for wise criticism BANDUNG (JP): Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo Hadisiswoyo praised the outspoken scholar Amien Rais yesterday for his mature and wise criticism of the government.The general said the Armed Forces (ABRI) would accommodate the views of the chairman of the 28...

City tightens building licensing

City tightens building licensing JAKARTA (JP): The city administration will refuse to issue occupancy permits for high-rise buildings unless they are provided with proper fire safety equipment, a senior official has said.

100 soldiers armed with vegetable seeds

100 soldiers armed with vegetable seeds JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Military Command will soon deploy 100 soldiers not to a battlefield but to grow vegetables on neglected land in Tangerang in a bid to help raise the production of basic staples, an officer said.Commander Maj. Gen.

Foreign investment, economic development

Foreign investment, economic development The present government has clear and well-defined economic policies, geared to promoting foreign investment in the country. The country welcomes private investment in all areas of the economy, with the exception of five sectors due to national security...

U.S. to offer $56m in aid to Indonesia

U.S. to offer $56m in aid to Indonesia WASHINGTON (Dow Jones): The U.S. will offer US$56 million in food and medical supplies to meet immediate humanitarian needs in Indonesia, a government official said Tuesday.

Crisis is a drag for drag race organizers

Crisis is a drag for drag race organizers JAKARTA (JP): Organizers of the national drag race championship series said yesterday they expected fewer participants in the opening leg April 5 due to the monetary turmoil.

Keating defends RI against market

Keating defends RI against market SYDNEY (Reuters): Indonesia has been "punished" by financial markets more severely than other Asian nations because of an inaccurate view that it was a rogue state, former Australian prime minister Paul Keating said yesterday.

Singapore steps up blitz on illegal workers

Singapore steps up blitz on illegal workersBy Raj Rajendran SINGAPORE (Reuters): A Singapore blitz on illegal workers may keep many Indonesians from trying to enter the island state, though some remain determined to flee their homeland's economic misery.

Ramos and rebel share prize

Ramos and rebel share prize MANILA (AFP): Philippine President Fidel Ramos said yesterday that he was delighted to have jointly won the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) peace prize with a former battlefield adversary.

Questions loom on norms in political life

Questions loom on norms in political lifeBy Mochtar Buchori JAKARTA (JP): When observing the behavior of our political leaders during this political and economic crisis, I cannot help comparing them with their predecessors in 1945 and the ensuing 10 years in our early existence as an independent...

Shares up on news of debt rollover plan

Shares up on news of debt rollover plan JAKARTA (JP): Share prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) rose slightly yesterday after falling for two consecutive days on news of the rollover plan to tackle the country's mounting private debt crisis.

'Jury still out' on talks between IMF, Indonesia

'Jury still out' on talks between IMF, Indonesia WASHINGTON (Agencies): It is too early to tell if the IMF and the Indonesian government will be able to put a stalled economic bailout package back on track, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.

34 firms sign up for German center in BSD complex

34 firms sign up for German center in BSD complex TANGERANG (JP): Registration of 34 local and foreign companies is confirmed for the eight-story German Center for Industry and Trade in the Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) housing complex here, the center's president said yesterday.

Thugs clean out rich man's house

Thugs clean out rich man's house TANGERANG (JP): Police are tracking down five men suspected of robbing a businessman of 400 grams of jewelry, a Rolex gold- plated wristwatch, a 29-inch TV set and Rp 7 million in cash early Tuesday.

Ratna denies being caught re-handed

Ratna denies being caught re-handed JAKARTA (JP): Stage actress Ratna Sarumpaet and five others who filed a lawsuit for wrongful arrest challenged police claims yesterday that they were caught red-handed holding an illegal political meeting on Feb. 10.

Small publications to get cheaper paper

Small publications to get cheaper paper JAKARTA (JP): PT Aspex Paper, the country's largest newsprint producer, has agreed to give a 30 percent discount to small-scale publishing companies.However, the newsprint to be sold to the small publications would be of lower quality, or BB grade, than that...

People's fate

People's fateFrom MerdekaAs a senior citizen, I was prompted to write this letter after reading reports in Merdeka regarding the IMF orienting (us) on liberalization, the arrest of members of the Democratic People Party in an apartment and a letter to the editor written by Michael De Rozari on...

'Ojek' driver murdered

'Ojek' driver murdered JAKARTA (JP): An ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver was found dead with his skull crushed early yesterday in a cassava field in Pamulang district of South Jakarta, City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said yesterday.

Boat people from Indonesia?

Boat people from Indonesia? Much has been said and written about the plight of the Indonesians who feel compelled to seek a better life in neighboring countries, Malaysia and Singapore in particular. There also can be no question about the government's sincerity in trying to resolve the problem as...

Rupiah in steady rise as other currencies rebound

Rupiah in steady rise as other currencies rebound SINGAPORE (AFP): The Indonesian rupiah persisted in its steady rise against the U.S. dollar in thin trade yesterday as other Asian currencies led by the Thai baht made up for their losses after a brief sell-off the day before.

W. Java flood victims need more aid

W. Java flood victims need more aid JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of residents in flood-hit areas in South Bandung regency, West Java, need more food and medical supplies to ease the suffering they have experienced over the past two weeks, Antara reported yesterday.

CDC plans SE Asia fund

CDC plans SE Asia fund MANILA (AFP): Taiwan's China Development Corp. (CDC) will organize a billion dollar venture capital fund to invest in four Southeast Asian countries hit by currency crises, a Philippine subsidiary of the firm said yesterday.

Govt, IMF discuss another revision of RI state budget

Govt, IMF discuss another revision of RI state budget JAKARTA (JP): The government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are discussing another revision of the country's 1998/1999 state budget, Minister of Finance Fuad Bawazier said yesterday.

Conversion Rates

Conversion Rates JAKARTA (JP): Bank Ekspor Impor Indonesia's (Bank Exim) indicative conversion rates on March 25, 1998: Buying Selling Rp Rp U.S. dollar 1 8,000.00 9,500.00Austrian shilling 1 574.90 742.80Australian dollar 1 5,114.90 6,178.10Belgian franc 1 203.30 244.60Canadian dollar 1 5,408.

All oil producers urged to cut output

All oil producers urged to cut output JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Mines and Energy Kuntoro Mangkusubroto asked all OPEC members and independent oil producers yesterday to voluntarily cut their output to prop up the crude oil price.

PT Toyota-Astra Motor launches new Corolla

PT Toyota-Astra Motor launches new Corolla JAKARTA (JP): PT Toyota-Astra Motor is shrugging off the worst ever recession in the history of the country's automotive industry and launching the latest generation of its Toyota Corolla tomorrow.

Consequences of high interest rates

Consequences of high interest rates This is not the first time the government has followed a policy of raising bank interest rates. When the government in August last year abandoned the intervention band that allowed the rupiah's value against the U.S.