Archive: 4 March 1998
62 articles found
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
ASEAN ties to remain strong
ASEAN ties to remain strong KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Malaysia's prime minister said the mass repatriation of illegal immigrants would not affect the spirit of solidarity in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. As the region's economic woes intensify, throngs of illegal immigrants have entered Malaysia in recent weeks, causing the country to step up border controls. Most immigrants have entered from Indonesia, where unemployment rates have multiplied dramatically.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Japan ready to help Indonesia beat crisis, says Sakakibara
Japan ready to help Indonesia beat crisis, says Sakakibara KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Japan is ready to explore ways to help Indonesia cope with its economic troubles, Japanese Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Eisuke Sakakibara said yesterday. The visiting Japanese official, speaking at a news conference in the Malaysian capital, declined to comment when asked for his views on a proposed currency board in Indonesia.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Marsetio leads colleagues in rallies
Marsetio leads colleagues in rallies By Sirikit Syah SURABAYA (JP): Indonesia has recently witnessed a spate of student demonstrations over many critical issues -- from skyrocketing prices to the need for the People's Consultative Assembly to issue decisions that will usher in economic and political reform. Most of the time the students were protesting alone. On several occasions, however, alumni came along and lent greater credence to their demands.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Most Asia-Pacific stock prices end lower
Most Asia-Pacific stock prices end lower TOKYO (AFP): Most Asia-Pacific stock markets ended lower yesterday as investors locked in profits on recent gains and waited for fresh leads to emerge. Jakarta's bourse was the star performer of the day, putting on 4.4 percent amid heavy trade in leading counters. U.S. special envoy Walter Mondale held talks in Jakarta with President Soeharto to press for full implementation of economic reforms promised by Indonesia to foreign creditors.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Bud of hyper-inflation
Bud of hyper-inflation A 12.76 percent rate of inflation last month, almost double the general price rise in January and way above last year's 11.05 percent rate of inflation, could be the bud of hyper-inflation if the rupiah remains weak and unstable for much longer. For inflation to have taken such a leap when the price of most staples was still subsidized leaves people understandably apprehensive of what will happen when those subsidies are one by one repealed.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
RP out of IMF sick ward
RP out of IMF sick ward MANILA (Reuters): President Fidel Ramos yesterday compared the Philippines to a fully recovered patient of the International Monetary Fund, leaving the sick ward this month as its once healthy neighbors hobbled in for treatment. The Philippines is negotiating for a precautionary arrangement with the IMF, involving close to $2 billion in standby funds, after its expected exit from the Fund by the end of this month, officials said.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Britain moots ASEM trust fund
Britain moots ASEM trust fund BANGKOK (AFP): Britain mooted yesterday setting up an "ASEM trust fund" to provide assistance to struggling Asian economies, British and European Union (EU) officials said in Bangkok. Special EU envoy Derek Fatchett, a British junior foreign minister, raised the idea in meetings with senior Thai politicians in Bangkok at the start of a Southeast Asian fact- finding tour.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Team formed to trace killer
Team formed to trace killer SEMARANG, Central Java: The Kudus police precinct has formed a special team to trace the killer of a woman whose boneless remains were found in a ditch near Jati Wetan livestock market Saturday. The head of the precinct, Lt. Col. Halba Rubis Nugroho, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that the team was sparing no efforts to find the suspected murderer of the female, who was in her 50s.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
TV today
TV today TVRI 7:00 a.m. Morning News 7:30 Talk Show 8:00 Breaking News 8:10 Music 9:00 Breaking News 9:10 Profile: Paket Profil Pembangunan 9:27 Music 10:10 Talk Show 10:40 Music 11:00 TVRI News 11:15 Music 11:40 Profile: Paket Profil Politisi 12:00 p.m.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Stock Exchange
Stock Exchange Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on March 3, 1998: Shares Close Change Trading Volume ------------------------------------------------------------- Ades Alfindo 800 50 62,500 AHAP Insurance 400 0 0 Alter Abadi 525 0 5,000 Alumindo Light Metal 400 75 3,586,000 Alumindo Perkasa 275 0 1,000 Aneka Kimia Raya 625 25 322,000 Aneka Tambang 1,650 25 8,754,500 Anwar Sierad 300 50 1,525,000 Apac Centertex Corp.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
MPR reminded to heed workers' aspirations
MPR reminded to heed workers' aspirations JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's only sanctioned labor union called on the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) yesterday to draw up State Policy Guidelines which prioritized workers' welfare and the creation of new jobs.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Brick by brick, Abbas lays foundation for development
Brick by brick, Abbas lays foundation for development KUNINGAN, West Java (Antara): It is backbreaking work making bricks for a living, but Abbas is content with his life. It brings with it a feeling of satisfaction for this modest man from Pendeyrawey hamlet in Cikananga village of Kuningan regency, West Java. He is happy to know that his bricks are used in the development of Kuningan, including construction of modern houses, better roads and bridges.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
RP concerned over satellite
RP concerned over satellite MANILA (AFP): Philippine foreign secretary Domingo Siazon cautioned China yesterday against any move to install satellite facilities on a reef in the disputed Spratly islands. Siazon told reporters he had heard about an announcement by Beijing to set up a ground satellite station on an island in the Paracels, which China occupied in 1995.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Controversial timber estate ready for harvest
Controversial timber estate ready for harvest By Sylvia Gratia M. Nirang SUBANJERIJI, South Sumatra (JP): After facing sharp criticism from environmental bodies since the early stages of its inception, PT Musi Hutan Persada (MHP) is now ready to harvest part of its 193,500-hectare timber estate. Company general manager H.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
PDI donates session honorariums
PDI donates session honorariums JAKARTA (JP): The "I Love My Homeland" drive, initiated by People's Consultative Assembly member Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana who sold U.S. dollars for rupiah, returned to the spotlight yesterday after a period of inertia. It was the faction of the minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) which gave new blood to the nationwide campaign to help the government alleviate the economic crisis.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Mondale's mission
Mondale's mission U.S. President Clinton's special emissary, former U.S. vice president Walter Mondale, has officially come to Indonesia to discuss the economic crisis with President Soeharto. But speculation has arisen on both sides of the Pacific over the real nature of his mission. Mondale's domestic and international stature and Indonesia's precarious political situation helped to fuel speculation that there was more than meets the eye in his talks with Soeharto yesterday.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Boom and bust: Natural cycle hits Indonesia hard
Boom and bust: Natural cycle hits Indonesia hard By Sri Pamoedjo Rahardjo JAKARTA (JP): The monetary fiasco in Indonesia is proving to be a complicated situation. Heads of states and directors of international organizations have visited our shores offering all kinds of solutions and financial assistance. The value of the rupiah has dropped sharply causing private sector overseas debt, when measured in rupiah terms, to quadruple.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Clean cabinet campaign gains momentum
Clean cabinet campaign gains momentum JAKARTA (JP): The push for cleaner government stepped up a gear yesterday, as People's Consultative Assembly legislators and observers debated whether would-be cabinet ministers should declare their personal wealth. United Development Party (PPP) spokesman Endin A.J. Soefihara told an Assembly plenary session that all top state officials, including ministers, should be subject to auditing procedures before taking up their posts.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Soeharto's spech 'incomplete'
Soeharto's spech 'incomplete' JAKARTA (JP): The ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), Megawati Soekarnoputri, said yesterday that President Soeharto's accountability speech was incomplete as it did not include sufficient details on issues such as political development.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Vice president
Vice president As a retired civil servant I was interested in Gen. (ret.) Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo's article Foreigners questionable agenda, Feb. 20, 1998. Sayidiman was unhappy with the opinion of former U.S. ambassador to Indonesia Paul Wolfowitz, former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, and a number of western media that suggested Indonesia should refrain from electing B.J. Habibie as the next vice president.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Unsold plywood stock totals 1.2 million cubic meter
Unsold plywood stock totals 1.2 million cubic meter JAKARTA (JP): At least 1.2 million cubic meters of unsold Indonesian plywood have accumulated in warehouses over the past two months due to a sharp drop in demand of plywood overseas, the Association of Indonesian Wood Panel Producers (Apkindo) has said. Apkindo executive director A. Tjipto Wignjorajitno said Monday the sluggish demand of plywood overseas had resulted in the increase in plywood stocks.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Spotlight
Spotlight Photo A: Hilton Jakarta Hilton International VIP GUEST: Slovakia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Zdenka Kramplova (second from left) and the Ambassador of Slovakia for Indonesia, Peter Ambrovic (third from right), are escorted by Michael Nigitsch, general manager of Jakarta Hilton International (right), and Dewi Widiyanti, the hotel's public relations manager (left). The minister arrived Feb. 18.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Asian currencies soften over Indonesian uncertainty
Asian currencies soften over Indonesian uncertainty SINGAPORE (Reuters): Asian currencies drifted lower in slow trade late yesterday as uncertainty over Indonesia and a lack of fresh impetus elsewhere dampened interest. Indonesia remained in the spotlight as visiting U.S. envoy Walter Mondale met President Soeharto ahead of next week's elections. Mondale told a news conference he had stressed the need for "full, demonstrable and vigorous" implementation of IMF reforms to Soeharto.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Passports of 15 Sri Lankans found
Passports of 15 Sri Lankans found JAKARTA (JP): Police have located the passports belonging to 15 Sri Lankans who were arrested Thursday at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport for attempting to travel abroad without the necessary documents. City police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said yesterday the 15 detainees would be released after police completed their investigation into the incident.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
UK colleges offer help amid crisis
UK colleges offer help amid crisis JAKARTA (JP): At least 33 British universities and colleges are offering help to Indonesian students intending to study overseas on how to beat the monetary crisis, a British Council executive said yesterday. Geoff Evans, senior consultant for education and training, said a delegation of the 33 education institutions was scheduled to arrive in Indonesia next month to explain about study in England.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Proposed bus fare increase prompts public outcry
Proposed bus fare increase prompts public outcry JAKARTA (JP): Councilors and commuters voiced yesterday their opposition to a proposed fare increase for city buses and minibuses of between 70 percent and 150 percent. Those contacted by The Jakarta Post said the proposition was unacceptable, particularly at a time when it would further burden low-income people who were the main users of cheap transportation.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Obituary
Obituary Maska Ridwan, a Golkar member of the House of Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly, died yesterday morning at Mitra Keluarga Hospital in East Jakarta, where he had been treated for a stroke in the past week.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Ananda tests Mugello circuit
Ananda tests Mugello circuit JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Formula 3 racer Ananda Mikola had the opportunity to test the Mugello circuit in Italy and did not experience any obstacles. "I am satisfied with the test and I am grateful for the cooperation between the Marlboro Humpuss team and RC Motorsport in giving me this opportunity," Ananda said Tuesday from Italy. He is on the Marlboro Humpuss team. Ananda tested the circuit for four hours and did 30 laps.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Forest fire losses may exceed Rp 100b
Forest fire losses may exceed Rp 100b JAKARTA (JP): The fires that have ravaged more than 20,000 hectares of brush and forest in East Kalimantan over the last two months have incurred Rp 76.2 billion in losses for Indonesia. According to the latest data, areas belonging to timber estates accounted for Rp 65.4 billion of the total losses, forest concessions for Rp 8.5 billion, and plantations for Rp 2.1 billion, Antara reported yesterday.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Minority, dominant factions differ on reforms
Minority, dominant factions differ on reforms JAKARTA (JP): The minority parties pressed ahead yesterday with their demands for clean governance and political reform to be included in the State Policy Guidelines for the next five years while government factions in the People's Consultative Assembly downplayed the need for change.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Catch of the day at Pluit Fish Market
Catch of the day at Pluit Fish Market For even the most avid seafood connoisseur, the pungent odor of a fish market may rank up there with hospitals and garbage dumps as the place you least want to visit on a regular basis. But if you want an ironclad guarantee that the morsel on the end of your fork was still swimming around when you went to bed last night, start breathing through your nose.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Thai rice for Indonesia
Thai rice for Indonesia BANGKOK (Reuters): Thailand is expected to sell at least 1.5 million tons of rice to Indonesia this calendar year from the country's projected total import demand of 5.0 million tons, a senior Thai trade source said yesterday. Vorapong Pichpongsa, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, told Reuters that if the main 1998/99 rice crop to be harvested in October and November was good, Thailand might be able to export more.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Perumka carries 3.8m passengers
Perumka carries 3.8m passengers BANDUNG, West Java: State-owned railway company Perumka transported more than 3.8 million passengers during the 30-day Idul Fitri exodus, starting from Jan. 15, the company's spokesman said yesterday. Helmy Azis said the number of travelers rose by 11 percent from the previous year's total of 3.4 million. Helmy said the number of homeward-bound passengers totaled 1.3 million while 2.2 million passengers traveled on trains after the holiday.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
StanChart's Brougham stays
StanChart's Brougham stays LONDON (Reuters): Banking group Standard Chartered Plc said yesterday that director David Brougham is to remain on the board following his appointment as chairman of the creditors' committee established for Indonesia. Brougham was due to leave the board in April after a board reorganization announced last October. But last month he was appointed chairman of a committee that comprises lenders with exposure to Indonesia.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Stocks jump on stable political situation
Stocks jump on stable political situation JAKARTA (JP): Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) rose for a second consecutive day yesterday, with the main price index gaining 4.4 percent at the close of trading. Stockbrokers said foreign and local investors were upbeat with the stable political and social situation during the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly to elect a president and vice president.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
How critical is the role of the vice presidency?
How critical is the role of the vice presidency? By Pandaya JAKARTA (JP): The raging debate on who will become the republic's next vice president has died down since all of the five political factions that make up the 1,000-strong People's Consultative Assembly picked B.J. Habibie as their sole candidate.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
PT ARG declines to comment on sticker sales deal
PT ARG declines to comment on sticker sales deal JAKARTA (JP): PT Angkasa Rona Graha (ARG), which was appointed to raise funds for last year's 19th SEA Games through the sale of stickers, declined to comment on its extended contract to raise funds until April 30, 1998. A PT ARG official, Bimmy Indrawan Tjahja, was appointed by the consortium's executive director Bambang Yoga Soegama in a letter dated Oct.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Students launch hunger strikes, call for reform
Students launch hunger strikes, call for reform JAKARTA (JP): More university students in Java staged protests yesterday demanding political reforms and lower prices for basic foodstuffs. As the 11-day General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) entered its third day, seven students from the Surabaya-based Airlangga University initiated a hunger strike.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Bob Hasan's fan club
Bob Hasan's fan club JAKARTA (JP): Reporters on a quest for the great quote of the day are not the only people tracking timber tycoon Muhammad "Bob" Hasan these days. As the member of the People's Consultative Assembly was attacked with "tough questions" from swarming reporters Monday, a young woman squeezed herself into the group and handed Bob a notepad and a pen. "May I have your autograph, sir," muttered the flustered woman in her early 20s.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Garuda cuts domestic, international flights
Garuda cuts domestic, international flights JAKARTA (JP): State-owned airline Garuda Indonesia has cut the frequency of its domestic and international flights 26 percent and 30 percent respectively as a response to lower ticket sales due to the economic crisis. Garuda spokesman Pujo Broto said yesterday the airline had reduced its domestic flights to 28 from 38 daily and its international flights to 28 from 40 a week. The reductions started last month.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
USDA plans Indonesian aid
USDA plans Indonesian aid WASHINGTON (Reuters): The U.S. Agriculture Department is still considering extending PL480 program assistance to help financially struggling Indonesia buy U.S. agricultural goods, a USDA aide said Monday. "We're still working on it," USDA Undersecretary Gus Schumacher told reporters. Schumacher said the USDA is working with the U.S. Agency for International Development on the PL480 program for Indonesia.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Japan provides new $158 million loan to Jakarta
Japan provides new $158 million loan to Jakarta JAKARTA (JP): The Japanese government has agreed to provide a 20 billion (US$158 million) quick disbursement loan to support Indonesia's human resource development. The new loan, in the form of a sector program loan, was handed over yesterday by Japanese Ambassador Takao Kawakami to Director General for Foreign Economic Relations Soemadi D.M. Brotodiningrat.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Album
Album Photo A: Chiefs JP/oby CHIEFS' HUDDLE: Armed Forces faction Assembly members National Police chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo (left), Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Arief Kushariadi (center) and Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Sutria Tubagus, exchange thoughts during a meeting. Photo B: Bambang JP/oby CHECKING THE FINE PRINT: President Soeharto's second son Bambang Trihatmodjo reads documents distributed during an Assembly plenary session. Bambang is a representative of the Golkar faction.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Oil hovers above $14, waits for Saudi word
Oil hovers above $14, waits for Saudi word LONDON (Reuters): Oil prices hovered just above US$14 a barrel on Monday as traders waited to see if OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia would heed calls for an emergency meeting of the cartel to discuss a glut in world oil supplies. International benchmark Brent blend was trading three cents down at $14.14 a barrel at 1748 GMT -- more than $5 below the average price for last year and some $11 below a post-Gulf War peak hit about 16-months ago.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Conversion Rates
Conversion Rates Jakarta (JP): Bank Ekspor Impor Indonesia's (Bank Exim) indicative conversion rates on March 3, 1998: Buying Selling Rp Rp U.S dollar 1 8,250.00 10,250.00 Austrian shilling 1 593.10 804.30 Australian dollar 1 5,339.30 6,764.40 Belgian franc 1 209.40 264.30 Canadian dollar 1 5,538.30 6,978.80 Swiss franc 1 5,342.60 6,745.20 Deutschemark 1 4,305.60 5,473.90 Danish krone 1 1,133.40 1,431.60 French franc 1 1,288.00 1,628.50 Poundsterling 1 12,930.80 16,283.90 Hong Kong dollar 1...
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Clinton wants RI to stick to IMF plan
Clinton wants RI to stick to IMF plan JAKARTA (JP): U.S. President Bill Clinton said yesterday that pursuing economic reforms agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) remained the best way for Indonesia to overcome the economic crisis. The message was conveyed by Clinton's special emissary Walter Mondale during a meeting to discuss the crisis with President Soeharto at the latter's Jl. Cendana residence.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Members reject suggestions to cut Assembly session short
Members reject suggestions to cut Assembly session short JAKARTA (JP): People's Consultative Assembly members dismissed suggestions yesterday that the 11-day General Session be shortened as the Rp 44.7 billion (US$5 million) event was marching smoothly toward its foregone conclusions. A member of the dominant Golkar faction, Marwah Daud Ibrahim, said the need to hold the convention for 11 days was not an exaggeration given the extent of the materials legislators had to absorb and discuss.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Riot act for foreign hacks
Riot act for foreign hacks JAKARTA (JP): A Golkar news conference for foreign correspondents ended with a legislator reading them the riot act yesterday over the way international media were portraying Indonesia. After going to the trouble to explain Golkar's stand on current affairs, Theo L. Sambuaga took the chance to express his disappointment over how foreign media had reported Indonesia in the past fortnight.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Analysts urge govt to tackle inflation
Analysts urge govt to tackle inflation JAKARTA (JP): Economists are urging the government to continue economic reforms and secure adequate stocks of basic staples to prevent hyperinflation in the country's economy. Focusing on economic reforms would help stabilize the rupiah, Mari Pangestu, a senior economist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said yesterday.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Weightlifting association to punish wayward athletes
Weightlifting association to punish wayward athletes JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association's secretary-general, Djoko Pramono, told reporters yesterday that undisciplined athletes, even if they were world champions, must be punished. Djoko said that Indonesia's two top lifters would probably be punished following their recent undisciplined behavior during the 13th Asian Games training program in Gadog, Bogor.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Journalist fools journalist
Journalist fools journalist JAKARTA (JP): "Foreign journalists are here (in the city) like they are watching a rumbling volcano that may erupt any time soon," said a local reporter working as a stringer for an American news agency. The stringer, who claimed to have been in journalism for more than 10 years, said he was amused every time he observed the way foreign journalists viewed local affairs.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Refinery closure causes few oil ripples
Refinery closure causes few oil ripples SINGAPORE (Reuters): The closure of Indonesia's 125,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) Balongan refinery was unlikely to prompt a pick up in oil product imports in March, traders said yesterday. Indonesia's oil product imports have ground to a halt amid the countries worst economic crisis in decades. But Balongan is mostly geared to exports of oil products, so the biggest impact could be on Indonesia's dollar earnings, oil traders said.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Indonesia currency board must be ambitious: Hanke
Indonesia currency board must be ambitious: Hanke WASHINGTON (Agencies): A key economic adviser to President Soeharto said the currency board he envisions for Indonesia should be considerably more ambitious than those in other countries, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. Johns Hopkins University professor Steve Hanke told the newspaper in an interview that a more ambitious currency board was essential because of the need to address weaknesses in Indonesia's banking system.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Foreign investors eye RI property market
Foreign investors eye RI property market JAKARTA (JP): Billions of dollars worth of property in the country could be bought up by foreign investors by the end of the year, a real estate analyst said yesterday. The president of the Center for Indonesian Property Studies, Panangian Simanungkalit, said local property owners strapped for cash due to the economic crisis might sell up to 30 percent of the country's office buildings located in the central business districts of Jakarta and other cities.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Boys' disappearance remains a mystery
Boys' disappearance remains a mystery TANGERANG (JP): Two eight-year-old boys have been missing for nearly two months despite extensive efforts by their parents and relatives to find them. Schoolmates Bayu Indra and Isni were last seen on Jan. 10 as they were heading home from school, Bayu's father, H.A. Baharzain, head of the Tangerang Sanitary Agency, said. "I'm worried about my son's wellbeing," he said Monday. Tangerang Police chief Lt. Col.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Traders puzzled by lack of coconut oil tax
Traders puzzled by lack of coconut oil tax LONDON (Reuters): European vegetable oil traders were puzzled Monday by the lack of any export tax on coconut oil from Indonesia. "It makes no sense at all, the Indonesians have not limited or banned the export of coconut oil, nor are they going to tax exports when it is a cooking oil, while they are taxing and limiting exports of palm kernel oil which is not a cooking oil," said one.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Govt may airlift cash-strapped students in Egypt
Govt may airlift cash-strapped students in Egypt JAKARTA (JP): The government is weighing the possibility of airlifting home many of the nearly 2,500 cash-strapped Indonesian students studying in Egypt. The students have been hard hit by the monetary crisis afflicting Indonesia, and without any immediate assistance in sight there may be no recourse but to repatriate them.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Malaysian sawn timber levy
Malaysian sawn timber levy KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysia will review its export levy on sawn timber to adjust in accordance with changes to be made by Indonesia, Primary Industries Minister Lim Keng Yaik said yesterday. "We are watching and monitoring the Indonesian policy and will adjust accordingly," he was quoted by the national Bernama news agency as saying. Indonesia has proposed to reduce its sawn timber export levy to $250 from $500 per cubic metre.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Live music for lunching members
Live music for lunching members JAKARTA (JP): A keyboard player, a singer and a couple of unembarrassed, musically eager diners turned the normally sterile and nondescript cafeteria at the People's Consultative Assembly complex into a lively lunch joint.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Indonesia: Quest for a civil society
Indonesia: Quest for a civil society By Budiono Kusumohamidjojo JAKARTA (JP): The 1997 general election has long since past and soon Indonesia will have its new president, vice president and cabinet. However, these political events have been marred by a number of domestic riots which were met with a massive deployment of security forces. A number of people died and enormous material damage was inflicted. Those who suffered most were, as usual, from among the lower layers of society.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Reimbursements for closed banks to start
Reimbursements for closed banks to start JAKARTA (JP): All customers of the 16 liquidated banks which have yet to recover all of their deposits and savings will be reimbursed in full from March 6, Bank Indonesia announced yesterday. The government will reimburse the deposits of customers in cash for up to Rp 75 million, while any remainder will be provided in cash if it is less than Rp 25 million, the central bank said.
Wed, 04 Mar 1998, 00:00 WIB
Three students jailed for murder
Three students jailed for murder BOGOR (JP): Three technical high school students were sent to jail after Bogor District Court found them guilty of mobbing and killing a student from a different school. During a trial session Monday, presiding judge Martini sentenced the Depok-based STM Kusuma Bangsa students, identified as Nesan, alias Toyang, 20; M. Husen, 16; and Akhyarudin, 18; to 20, eight and six months in jail respectively.