Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 30 May 1998

61 articles found

Stock Exchange

Stock ExchangeStock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on May 29, 1998: Shares Close Change Trading Volume -------------------------------------------------------- Ades Alfindo 650 0 0 AHAP Insurance 500 0 0 Alter Abadi 775 0 0 Alumindo Light Metal 275 -25 110,000 Alumindo Perkasa 275...

Hari replaces Syarwan as House deputy speaker

Hari replaces Syarwan as House deputy speaker JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction in the House of Representatives Hari Sabarno assumed his new post as House deputy speaker yesterday, replacing Lt. Gen. (ret) Syarwan Hamid who was recently appointed Minister of Home Affairs.

Asian crisis threatens Japanese carmakers' high

Asian crisis threatens Japanese carmakers' high TOKYO (Reuters): Japan's vehicle exports in April notched a 23rd straight month of year-on-year gains, although shrunken demand in Asia threatens to end the trend, manufacturers said on Friday.Exports rose 4.

Habibie pays social call on ailing Abdurrahman Wahid

Habibie pays social call on ailing Abdurrahman Wahid JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie paid an informal visit yesterday on the ailing chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem organization, Abdurrahman Wahid, at the latter's residence in Ciganjur subdistrict, South Jakarta.

Rights body to probe Irian violations

Rights body to probe Irian violations JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights promised yesterday to investigate reports of killings and vandalism in a number of Irian Jaya villages allegedly committed by an Armed Forces unit.Commission members B.N.

Govt to conduct full probe into clove trade irregularities

Govt to conduct full probe into clove trade irregularities JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Cooperatives and Small Enterprises Adi Sasono said yesterday that the government would conduct a comprehensive investigation into irregularities in the country's clove trade.

Food stall owners protest late payment

Food stall owners protest late payment JAKARTA (JP): The city administration promised yesterday to investigate allegations of delays in payment to many food stall owners engaged by the Ministry of Social Services to provide cheap meals to the poor.

Thousands of BCA customers rush to branches, ATMs

Thousands of BCA customers rush to branches, ATMs JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of customers of Bank Central Asia (BCA) flocked to branches and automated teller machines (ATMs) throughout the city yesterday and queued for hours to withdraw their money.

Turmoil in Jakarta

Turmoil in Jakarta When a person is driven into a corner, his ingenuity is put to the test. Bisnis Indonesia this May 16 reported that many people were still scared on May 15 that the riots would explode again.

Trust must be restored

Trust must be restored In his recent televised speech, President Habibie correctly pointed to the necessity to do something quickly about the disastrous and still worsening economic crisis. That requires immediate international support, a minimum of political stability and, most importantly, trust...

BCA rating changed to 'not meaningful'

BCA rating changed to 'not meaningful' MELBOURNE (Dow Jones): Standard & Poor's credit rating agency changed yesterday its counterparty rating on Bank Central Asia or BCA, to "not meaningful" from triple-Cpi in response to the bank coming under the supervision of the Indonesian Banking...

PT Krakatau Steel delays payment for Aussie project

PT Krakatau Steel delays payment for Aussie project SYDNEY (Reuters): Meekatharra Minerals Ltd said yesterday the joint venturers in their South Australian-based pig iron export project would look for funding elsewhere because of a delay in payments from their Indonesian partner.

Bekasi official dismissed

Bekasi official dismissed JAKARTA (JP): Bekasi Mayor H. Nonon Sonthanie dismissed a Bojong Rawa Lumbu subdistrict official on Thursday for deliberately hindering the processing of local resident's identification cards.

PT Jamsostek elects new executive board secretly

PT Jamsostek elects new executive board secretly JAKARTA (JP): PT Jamsostek, the state-owned workers insurance company, recently criticized for allegedly greasing the passing of a controversial manpower bill, elected a new executive board behind closed doors Wednesday.

Payment clarification

Payment clarificationCorrection: The writer's name for the letter Payment clarification in yesterday's edition was wrongly spelled. The correct name should be ELLYANA FUAD, not RILYANA FUAD. We apologize for the error. -- Editor

Reform and insurance

Reform and insurance I would like to record my strong support for Mr. Kustarjono Prodjolalito's comments reported in The Jakarta Post May 27 on behalf of the Retailers Association on the stance taken by the Insurance Council toward recent rioting and looting in Jakarta and elsewhere.

Asahan reduces operation

Asahan reduces operation TOKYO (Reuters): Nippon Asahan Aluminum Co Ltd said yesterday it had further reduced operations at its smelter in Indonesia due to falling water levels in a lake which supplies power to the plant.

Bambang, Indra resign from Bimantara

Bambang, Indra resign from Bimantara JAKARTA (JP): Former strongman Soeharto's second son and son- in-law have resigned from publicly listed PT Bimantara Citra amid mounting public demands for an investigation into the family's wealth.

Elections will be held next year: Habibie

Elections will be held next year: Habibie JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie spelled out for the first time yesterday his promise that Indonesia would hold a free and democratic general election next year to enable it to have a new president and democratically elected government.

Tat Lee cuts RI exposure

Tat Lee cuts RI exposure SINGAPORE (Dow Jones): Tat Lee Bank Ltd of Singapore said yesterday that it has reduced its loan exposure to Indonesian clients with Singapore assets as collateral, in line with the fall in property and equity values, confirming a report in the Business Times.

Military says rumors of 'wild troops' baseless

Military says rumors of 'wild troops' baseless JAKARTA (JP): The city military command dismissed as baseless rumors yesterday reports that about 200 deserting elite troops loyal to Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto had arrived to take control of the capital.Command spokesman Lt. Col. DJ.

Liem stake in UIC 'not for sale'

Liem stake in UIC 'not for sale' SINGAPORE (Reuters): Indonesian tycoon Liem Sioe Liong has not put his stake in Singapore property group United Industrial Corp up for sale, Tan Kong King, managing director of KMP Pte Ltd, said yesterday.KMP is a Singapore company privately owned by Liem.

A crop of new parties

A crop of new parties With the winds of reform only just starting to blow across this country, Indonesians have been watching with a good deal of amazement, if not amusement, the emergence of new political parties which are ready to luster up a general election, the schedule of which, at least for...

Police plan to review cooperation with Tutut

Police plan to review cooperation with Tutut JAKARTA (JP): The National Police will review its cooperation agreement with a company belonging to Siti "Tutut" Hardijanti Rukmana whose dealings it claims are riddled with corruption and nepotism.

Farewell Indonesia

Farewell Indonesia Six years in Indonesia have come to a too fast end for my wife and myself and now it is time for us to say goodbye to a country and its people that had developed into a place we called our home and where we really enjoyed living.

$4.4b up in smoke due to 'poor govt policy'

$4.4b up in smoke due to 'poor govt policy' JAKARTA (JP): Two international environmental organizations charged yesterday that poorly designed government policy helped escalate last year's calamitous forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan which, according to fresh estimates, caused US$4.

Bus accident takes three lives

Bus accident takes three lives JEMBER, East Java: Three people were killed when an intercity bus rammed into a tree early yesterday morning at Yosorati village, Sumber Baru district.The bus, license plate L 1789VA, crashed into the tree after veering out of control to avoid a head-on collision with...

19th Games consortium seeks debt clearance

19th Games consortium seeks debt clearance JAKARTA (JP): Chances appear slight the 19th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) underwriting consortium will sway management of the Gelora Senayan sports complex to waive its Rp 1 billion (US$100,000) in debt arrears.

Bakrie appointed to resilience council

Bakrie appointed to resilience council JAKARTA (JP): The government has appointed the chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Aburizal Bakrie, to replace noted businessman Anthony Salim as the secretary-general of the Economic and Monetary Resilience Council.

'Natural selection' will sort out new parties: Syarwan

'Natural selection' will sort out new parties: Syarwan BANDUNG (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid, facing the prospect of new political parties cropping up on a daily basis, has said there should no restriction on the number of parties in existence.

Chinese-Indonesians

Chinese-Indonesians At the beginning of World War II, Japanese-American citizens were put in concentration camps throughout the United States by then president Roosevelt. Sensing this mistake, the government subsequently released them and later on, the Japanese-Americans formed Japanese battalions...

Indonesia regrets Pakistan's tests

Indonesia regrets Pakistan's tests JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia "deeply regrets" Pakistan's decision to conduct five underground nuclear tests on Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said yesterday.

Giving sound to that which has long been unheard

Giving sound to that which has long been unheardBy Yogita Tahil Ramani JAKARTA (JP): Reform embeds itself and elicits a voice from the most unlikely of places. Expressions of hatred, tragedy, regret and, most of all, rejoicing, graced three nights at Taman Ismail Marzuki, a primary venue for...

50% public phones useless

50% public phones useless PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: More than half of all the public telephones in the city are out of order and the city administration has no immediate plans to repair them.Syaiful Mukmin, head of the local branch of state-owned PT Telkom, said here yesterday that 160 out of 311...

Govt announces sweeping reforms to lure investors

Govt announces sweeping reforms to lure investors JAKARTA (JP): The government will introduce massive reform of investment procedures in a bid to encourage domestic investors and lure back the foreign capital badly needed to restore the country's ailing economy, a senior minister announced...

JSX stocks strengthen but concerns remain

JSX stocks strengthen but concerns remain JAKARTA (JP): Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) gained slightly yesterday but concerns over the country's political and economic uncertainty remained, analysts and dealers said.

Military top brass briefed on ABRI's concept for reform

Military top brass briefed on ABRI's concept for reform JAKARTA (JP): The military top brass were briefed yesterday on the Armed Forces' (ABRI) concept of reform, as well as its campaign to help restimulate the economy and public confidence in the government.Armed Forces (ABRI) spokesman Brig. Gen.

Japanese banks aid Indonesia, but ensure of business outlook

Japanese banks aid Indonesia, but ensure of business outlook TOKYO (Reuters): Japanese banks have moved to support Indonesia's trade financing and boost capital in their Indonesian subsidiaries, but they are still far from optimistic about business prospects there.

Pertamina to undergo fundamental change

Pertamina to undergo fundamental change JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Mines and Energy Kuntoro Mangkusubroto pledged yesterday to introduce fundamental changes to the operations of state oil and gas company Pertamina.

Gloomy Asian marts shed early gains

Gloomy Asian marts shed early gains SINGAPORE (Reuters): Most Asian markets failed to hold early gains yesterday, while currencies also wilted as jitters over rising political tension in South Asia and fears of a looming recession hit sentiment.

Where to go in Jakarta:

Where to go in Jakarta:Exhibitions * Cartoon Exhibition: Population Issue, by Cartoonists from 9 countries in Asia, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in Gallery Pasar Seni Jaya Ancol, Jl. Lodan Timur, North Jakarta, until May 31. * Art Exhibition by Sixteen Female Artists, at the Regent Jakarta, Main Lobby, Jl. H.

Chinese invited to Thailand

Chinese invited to Thailand BANGKOK (AP): Thailand is wooing wealthy ethnic Chinese fleeing riots in Indonesia and other foreigners to take up legal residence in the country, with the price of admission 10 million baht (US$250,000) in investment.Capt.

More clubs lay off players as soccer body stops league

More clubs lay off players as soccer body stops league JAKARTA (JP): PSBL Bandar Lampung and PKT Bontang yesterday extended the list of soccer clubs sending their players packing after the All Indonesian Soccer Federation stopped the league earlier this week.

QAF cancels Indofood deal

QAF cancels Indofood deal SINGAPORE (Dow Jones): Singapore's breadmaker QAF Ltd said yesterday it decided to abort the proposed acquisition of a majority stake in Indonesian instant noodle maker Indofood Sukses Makmur, as a result of the region's woes.

India feels unthreatened by escalating arms race

India feels unthreatened by escalating arms race NEW DELHI (Agencies): India said yesterday it neither threatened nor feared Pakistan, its neighbor and rival that declared its nuclear capability with five tests a day before.

Indonesia's flight from modernity

Indonesia's flight from modernity Our Asia correspondent Harvey Stockwin remembers Gen. Ali Moertopo against the background of Indonesia's current crisis. This is the second of two articles. HONG KONG (JP): Some day, somebody should write a book on "Sycophancy In Asian Politics".

Palm oil opens lower

Palm oil opens lower LONDON (Reuters): News that Pakistan has suspended all foreign currency transactions amid the world-wide outcry over its nuclear tests hit opening palm oil prices in Europe yesterday.Crude palm oil opened $15 to $7.

Soeharto's fall a near repeat of Sukarno's ruin (2)

Soeharto's fall a near repeat of Sukarno's ruin (2)By Tjipta Lesmana JAKARTA (JP): In the mystery which still shrouds first Indonesian president Sukarno's downfall in 1966, some theories point an accusing finger at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

IMF may release aid next month

IMF may release aid next month JAKARTA (JP): The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to disburse its second US$1 billion tranche to Indonesia in the second or third week of June, a former economics minister said yesterday.

Bogor gets new military chief

Bogor gets new military chief BOGOR (JP): Chief of the Suryakencana Bogor military resort, Brig. Gen. Eddi Budianto, handed over his post to Col. Soeprapto yesterday.The installation ceremony was led by West Java/Siliwangi Military Commander Brig. Gen. Purwadi.

Rumors of looting rock Tangerang

Rumors of looting rock Tangerang TANGERANG (JP): Frightened proprietors closed hundreds of shops and offices in Tangerang yesterday after rumors of imminent looting and arson spread through the town center.

YLKI urges court settlement for water agreement dispute

YLKI urges court settlement for water agreement dispute JAKARTA (JP): Zoemrotin KS, an executive of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), urged the city-owned water company PDAM Jaya yesterday to settle its current dispute with its local and foreign business partners in court.

Conversion Rates

Conversion Rates Jakarta (JP): Bank Ekspor Impor Indonesia's (Bank Exim) indicative conversion rates on May 29, 1998: Buying Selling Rp Rp U.S dollar 1 10,500.00 12,000.00Austrian shilling 1 n/a n/aAustralian dollar 1 6,489.00 6,948.60Belgian franc 1 285.20 303.60Canadian dollar 1 7,206.60 7,655.

Govt to increase subsidies for fertilizer: Soleh

Govt to increase subsidies for fertilizer: Soleh JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to increase subsidies for sales of fertilizers to farmers in a bid to check rising farming costs and ensure quality crops, the agriculture minister said here yesterday.

Economic recovery must be top priority: Kadin

Economic recovery must be top priority: Kadin JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) reminded the government yesterday to keep a tight focus on restoring the country's economy despite its political reform commitment.

Implement democratic measures

Implement democratic measures The new President lacks Soeharto's charisma and does not exercise control over Indonesia's Armed Forces. If he does not implement measures to wipe out corruption, antigovernment forces will vent their wrath on him.

30,000 Indonesians deported by KL

30,000 Indonesians deported by KL KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Since the economic crisis deepened this year, Malaysia has deported 30,000 Indonesians found working without valid papers, the home ministry said.The figure for deportations between January and April given by Deputy Home Minister Tajol Rosli...

Civil servants hit the streets

Civil servants hit the streets KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Thousands of civil servants took to the streets yesterday, not to protest but to help clean up the city.An official at the provincial administration, Umbu Dapasapu, said the activity was part of celebrations to commemorate Environment Day...

City residents harvest crops

City residents harvest crops JAKARTA (JP): Twenty-one Cempaka Putih residents, five of whom were fired recently by their employers, enjoyed their first harvest of vegetable crops Thursday.After three weeks of planting on a 2.

OPEC oil price fell to $13

OPEC oil price fell to $13 LONDON (Reuters): The price of OPEC's basket of seven crudes fell to US$13.13 a barrel on Thursday from $13.21 a barrel on Wednesday, the OPEC news agency said quoting the OPEC Secretariat.

Elephants go on rampage in Riau

Elephants go on rampage in Riau PEKANBARU, Riau: Two elephants went on a rampage in Kampung Pinang village, Kampar regency, Antara reported.Community chief Hamzah was quoted as saying that the elephants damaged local banana and coconut farms.