Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 4 May 1998

43 articles found

IMF reviewing Thai reforms

IMF reviewing Thai reforms BANGKOK (Reuters): The International Monetary Fund will start a two-week review of Thai economic reforms today before announcing a decision on the next disbursement of loans under a US$17.2 billion multilateral bailout package for the country.

Rachman shines in pro bouts, Herry struggles

Rachman shines in pro bouts, Herry struggles JAKARTA (JP): Former national amateur boxing champions Rachman Kilikili and Herry Makawimbang maintained their winning run in pro Saturday.Rachman made short work of Sanusi Anwar in their junior bantamweight bout.

U.S. Democrats blast IMF over Indonesia

U.S. Democrats blast IMF over Indonesia WASHINGTON (Reuters): Congressional Democrats dealt a blow to President Bill Clinton on Friday by threatening to withdraw their support for the IMF over loans to Indonesia and the agency's push to open capital markets around the globe.

Fight for justice

Fight for justiceFrom KompasThe media have recently reported the objections voiced by Adnan Buyung Nasution and other lawyers to the relevant government agencies about the illegal practices of foreign lawyers in Indonesia.

Chandra gives young contenders a lesson

Chandra gives young contenders a lesson JAKARTA (JP): Veteran driver Chandra Alim dazzled his young challengers with sheer mastery in the opening leg of the national Formula Asia auto racing championship series at Sentul circuit, near Bogor, West Java yesterday.

Canceling sticker system

Canceling sticker systemFrom Media IndonesiaMr. Governor, your readiness to cancel the planned introduction of the car sticker system due to popular objections proves that you are a leader of people, not their ruler.

Robbery at gas stations rampant: Police

Robbery at gas stations rampant: Police JAKARTA (JP): Gas station robberies are on an upward trend, with both gas station attendants and gasoline buyers being victimized, police said over the weekend, with robberies reaching 21 in the city over the past four monthsA man was badly beaten Saturday by...

Diana King on promotional tour

Diana King on promotional tour JAKARTA (JP): Singer Diana King is scheduled to arrive here Tuesday for a three-day promotional tour for her second album, Think Like A Girl.The 25-year-old singer of Shy Guy and I Say A Little Prayer fame will perform at Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta on Thursday, singing...

New levy a new burden for CPO producers

New levy a new burden for CPO producers JAKARTA (JP): Crude palm oil (CPO) producers are claiming the government's plan to impose a redeemable levy on the interisland shipment of CPO and its by-products will cause them a heavy financial burden.

Malaysia promises bridging loan for RI

Malaysia promises bridging loan for RI KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Malaysia will provide a bridging loan to help Indonesia while it waits for the rest of a US$43 billion rescue package organized by the International Monetary Fund, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday.

Mangkusari buried in C. Kalimantan

Mangkusari buried in C. Kalimantan PALANGKARAYA, Central Kalimantan: H.D. Mangkusari, speaker of the provincial legislature, died Saturday at the age of 65.Mangkusari died in Jakarta and his remains were brought here yesterday morning so he could be buried in the afternoon.

Bad debt in property may reach Rp 35t

Bad debt in property may reach Rp 35t JAKARTA (JP): Bad debt in Indonesia's property sector may jump to Rp 35 trillion (about US$4.6 billion) by the end of 1998 unless the government comes up with ways to help the ailing industry, an analyst said yesterday.

Mahathir vows to fight haze

Mahathir vows to fight haze KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday Malaysia would work with its neighbors to fight the haze blanketing part of the region and ensure the Commonwealth Games would not be affected.

Hepatitis B affects one in three: Official

Hepatitis B affects one in three: Official JAKARTA (JP): An estimated one in three Indonesians are infected with Hepatitis B.The Ministry of Health's director general for communicable disease control and environmental health, Hadi M.

Singapore visitors down 20%

Singapore visitors down 20% SINGAPORE (Reuters): Tourist arrivals in Singapore in the first quarter of 1998 fell by nearly 20 percent to 1.52 million over the year-earlier period.Singapore's Straits Times newspaper reported yesterday that the Singapore Tourist Board (STB) said visitor arrivals in...

Street singers release new album

Street singers release new album JAKARTA (JP): Street singer group Kelompok Penyanyi Jalanan released their second album featuring songs with social themes Saturday.The group leader, Anto Baret, said he was well-aware that launching a new album during the economic crisis would not be profitable.

Chavalit seeks results on baht

Chavalit seeks results on baht BANGKOK (Reuters): Former Thai premier and opposition leader Chavalit Yongchaiyudh challenged Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai yesterday to disclose results of an official probe into the Bank of Thailand's bungled defense of the baht in 1997.

Economic crisis hits more female workers with layoffs

Economic crisis hits more female workers with layoffs JAKARTA (JP): Female workers have become the prime target of lay-offs and dismissals in Greater Jakarta, a women's organization said.The Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (APIK), which has been monitoring labor relations in Jakarta,...

Business, Mideast peace on Gore-Mubarak agenda

Business, Mideast peace on Gore-Mubarak agenda CAIRO (Agencies): U.S. Vice President Al Gore met with President Hosni Mubarak yesterday to discuss the collapsing Arab- Israeli peace process and deepening business ties with Egypt.

Monas traders worry of conflict

Monas traders worry of conflict JAKARTA (JP): About 200 street vendors recently relocated to the southern periphery of Monas (the National Monument) in Central Jakarta are worried about conflicts for space at the new site.

Curbing dengue fever gets highest priority

Curbing dengue fever gets highest priority JAKARTA (JP): The city administration is considering shelving "less urgent" projects and using the money to finance efforts to curb a dengue fever outbreak expected to peak next month.

1,800 companies report foreign debts to BI

1,800 companies report foreign debts to BI JAKARTA (JP): About 1,800 local companies have reported their foreign debts to Bank Indonesia, the central bank, chairman of the private offshore debt team Radius Prawiro said.

Better salary key to boosting judges' integrity and quality

Better salary key to boosting judges' integrity and quality JAKARTA (JP): A better salary and complete organizational separation from the bureaucracy are key to improving the integrity and quality of judges in Indonesia, head of the Bandung District Court Djoko Soetono said.

Passengers escape fire on Ambon ferry

Passengers escape fire on Ambon ferry AMBON, Maluku: Hundreds of Indonesians survived a fire which broke out Saturday aboard the passenger ship MV Simpati as it was to set sail for Buru island from Ambon.No one was killed. The fire was most likely caused by a short circuit, Antara reported.

Can the UN direct disarmament?

Can the UN direct disarmament?By Imron Cotan and Iwan Wiranataatmadja This is the first of two articles on the efforts of the UN to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. JAKARTA (JP): Due to their devastating impacts on human beings and the environment, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons...

Seven students killed in crash

Seven students killed in crash BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung: Seven elementary students were killed Saturday afternoon when the small public minivan they were riding in collided with a Muncul interisland bus.The seven students, with an average age of 12, were on their way home after attending a ceremony...

Brunei delegation to monitor fires

Brunei delegation to monitor fires SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: A nine-member delegation from Brunei is expected to arrive here this week to take a close look at forest fires in the province which have so far razed up to 500,000 hectares of brush and forest, a local environment official said here on...

Leading maritime law expert dies

Leading maritime law expert dies BANDUNG, West Java: Komar Kantaatmadja, professor of the School of Law here at Padjadjaran University, died yesterday at the age of 62.Komar is known as one of the country's few leading maritime law experts.

Campuses quit after massive student protests

Campuses quit after massive student protests JAKARTA (JP): Students took a break yesterday from incessant protests as faculty staff from one university decided to suspend classes after rallies in several major cities Saturday left dozens injured.

Indonesia, Australia and overcoming the Asian crisis

Indonesia, Australia and overcoming the Asian crisis Former Australian prime minister Paul J. Keating, in his capacity as visiting professor of public policy, discussed the impact of the Asian economic crisis on the region in his lecture at the University of New South Wales in Sydney in March.

Gen. (ret) Soemitro still in coma

Gen. (ret) Soemitro still in coma JAKARTA (JP): Former chief of a now defunct internal security agency (Pangkopkamtib) Gen. (ret) Soemitro was still in a coma yesterday, two days after being hospitalized here for a stroke.

Political tension likely to worsen stock market

Political tension likely to worsen stock market JAKARTA (JP): The country's escalating political tension may further worsen the stock market, which has been severely hit by the central bank's high interest rate policy over the past several weeks, analysts have said.

Stickers must not be burdensome

Stickers must not be burdensomeFrom Media IndonesiaSubarticle two of Article Two of Presidential Decree No. 50/1998 on the stipulation of restricted traffic areas in the capital city of Jakarta says that the measure is " ...designated for vehicles...

Jobless court UI students

Jobless court UI students JAKARTA (JP): People who have lost their jobs due to the economic crisis have found that students are sympathetic to their plight.Dozens of workers from Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi flocked to the University of Indonesia (UI) campus in Depok, just south of here,...

World Bank agrees on loan to Indonesia

World Bank agrees on loan to Indonesia JAKARTA (JP): The World Bank has formally agreed to provide a US$381 million loan to finance infrastructure projects in Indonesia.The loan agreement was signed in Washington on Friday by the Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Dorodjatun Kuntjoro- Jakti...

Australia gives RI $19m in aid

Australia gives RI $19m in aid CANBERRA (Reuters): Australia will contribute A$30 million (US$19.4 million) to the United Nations World Food Program's (WFP) emergency operations for poorer areas of eastern Indonesia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said yesterday.

City cuts sticker price but commuters may not benefit

City cuts sticker price but commuters may not benefit JAKARTA (JP): City administration will cut the one-day Rp 5,000 traffic sticker to Rp 2,500 in response to mounting protests against a plan to implement the sticker system in lieu of the current three-in-one traffic regulation, an official said.

Teenager jailed for killing his mother

Teenager jailed for killing his mother JAKARTA (JP): Central Jakarta District Court sentenced a 17- year-old boy over the weekend to three years and six months in prison for killing his mother.Presiding judge Mahdi S.N.

Rainfall brings respite for fires in E. Kalimantan

Rainfall brings respite for fires in E. Kalimantan JAKARTA (JP): Intermittent rainfall in many areas of East Kalimantan recently has brought relief to the fire-ravaged province, where almost 500,000 hectares of forests have been razed this year, resulting in an estimated loss of Rp 9.

Ministry ordered to help crisis-affected students

Ministry ordered to help crisis-affected students JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto has ordered Ministry of Education officials and university rectors to help students with financial difficulties so they can continue their studies.

Where to go in Jakarta:

Where to go in Jakarta:Exhibitions * Painting Exhibition: Three Worlds by Ledek Sukadi, Herly Gaya, Kukuh Nuswanto, at Galeri TC, Jl. Kemang Raya No. 24A, South Jakarta (Phone: 7194270/78), Sunday, at 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Friday to Saturday 11:30 a.m.

Man mistakenly mobbed to death

Man mistakenly mobbed to death JAKARTA (JP): A 24-year-old man was mistakenly mobbed to death by a group of hoodlums in front of a discotheque on Jl. Pangeran Tubagus Angke, West Jakarta, early yesterday morning.The victim was identified as Rohmat, a resident of Jl.

Alumni back student calls for reform

Alumni back student calls for reform JAKARTA (JP): Alumni from 48 leading universities and institutions have thrown their weight behind student rallies for reform and vowed to establish a special network to aid families whose relatives "disappear".