Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 2 June 1998

55 articles found

Governor gets the thumbs down

Governor gets the thumbs down SEMARANG, Central Java: In response to the outcry against the renomination of incumbent Governor Soewardi, the provincial legislature as decided not to place him on the list of nominees for the upcoming gubernatorial election.

Indonesia may field smaller team in Asiad

Indonesia may field smaller team in Asiad JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council is considering a sizable cut in the Indonesian team for the Asian Games in Bangkok in December due to many sports' poor preparations.

Park animals hungry as crisis bites

Park animals hungry as crisis bites CISARUA, West Java (JP): The prolonged economic crisis and political uncertainty has forced many businesspeople to temporarily close their factories, shops and offices.

Stocks and rupiah lose ground in thin trading

Stocks and rupiah lose ground in thin trading JAKARTA (JP): The country's financial markets lost ground yesterday with the rupiah closing lower against the U.S. dollar and stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) falling 1.5 percent, analysts and dealers said.

Bali receives fewer tourists

Bali receives fewer tourists JAKARTA (JP): The number of foreign tourists visiting Bali, the country's top tourist destination, fell 7.3 percent in the first four months of this year to 356,114 from 384,033 in the same period last year.

Economic repair urgent

Economic repair urgent It seems President B.J. Habibie's government is still being swept by the reform tide. It is still busy responding to complaints and making sweet sounding promises about the nation's future.

40 public firms penalized

40 public firms penalized JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Stock Exchange said yesterday it would require 40 companies listed on the exchange to pay a fine of Rp 10 million (US$1,000) each for a delay in submitting their audited 1997 financial reports.

Rallies target corrupt officials

Rallies target corrupt officials JAKARTA (JP): Emboldened by the success of student demonstrations for reform in major cities, fishermen, farmers and other groups are holding rallies to call attention to their own causes.

Tales of the unexpected from the Bintan resort

Tales of the unexpected from the Bintan resort BINTAN ISLAND, Riau (JP): In a resort that induces sleep more at dawn than at night, most prefer to stay in bed past 10 a.m.Still, early risers have nothing to worry about. The Waterfall Terrace greets those up by 7 a.m. with a sumptuous breakfast.

$150m from Marubeni to CA

$150m from Marubeni to CA TOKYO (Reuters): Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp said yesterday it had extended a loan worth $150 million in February to a petrochemical joint venture in Indonesia.A Marubeni spokesman said the loan was to help the venture, PT Chandra Asri, meet its debt repayment...

BCA employee jailed for embezzlement

BCA employee jailed for embezzlement JAKARTA (JP): West Jakarta District Court sentenced an executive of privately run Bank Central Asia (BCA) yesterday to eight months in jail for swindling Rp 396 million from customers.

Police to replace stolen motorbike

Police to replace stolen motorbike JAKARTA (JP): Newly installed City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman promised yesterday to give a motorbike to a reporter whose motorcycle was stolen at the city police headquarters on Saturday.

GDP falls 8.51% in first quarter

GDP falls 8.51% in first quarter JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's economy contracted by 8.51 percent in the first quarter of 1998, the Central Bureau of Statistics said yesterday.Sugito Suwito, the agency's chairman, also predicted that gross domestic product (GDP) would shrink by 10.

Expert adamant on cause of Lt. Dadang's death

Expert adamant on cause of Lt. Dadang's death JAKARTA (JP): A forensic doctor said yesterday she was prepared to put her job on the line in differing from official police reports on the death of a Bogor Police officer last month.Police said a student mob stoned Second Lt.

Probe into graft under Soeharto govt starts

Probe into graft under Soeharto govt starts JAKARTA (JP): The government has launched an investigation into corruption under former president Soeharto but has no plans to specifically target the former Indonesian leader, Attorney General Soedjono C.

Dibyo urged to resign over Udin's killing

Dibyo urged to resign over Udin's killing YOGYAKARTA (JP): The local chapter of the Association of Indonesian Journalists (PWI) are calling on National Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo to resign over the failure of his force to solve the 1996 murder of journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin.

Asian palm oil market eyes Pakistan developments

Asian palm oil market eyes Pakistan developments KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Asian palm oil traders are closely watching developments in Pakistan after the country carried out nuclear tests last week.Weak technical factors could pressure prices this week, dealers said.

Price of selected medicines to be cut

Price of selected medicines to be cut JAKARTA (JP): The government is set to lower prices of various generic drugs by 10 percent this week in consideration of the public's declining purchasing power.H. Sampurno, the director general for the supervision of drugs and food, was quoted by Antara as...

Rain brings W. Cup relief to Vietnam

Rain brings W. Cup relief to Vietnam HANOI (Reuters): Water levels in the reservoir of Vietnam's biggest hydroelectric power plant are rising after good rains and electricity cuts are to be relaxed."Don't worry about power cuts.

BI returns benchmark rates ceiling to Jibor

BI returns benchmark rates ceiling to Jibor JAKARTA (JP): Bank Indonesia (BI) reverted to the Jakarta Interbank Offered Rates (Jibor) yesterday as the basis for determining the ceiling of bank deposit rates.

Labor unions call for ILO pact ratification

Labor unions call for ILO pact ratification JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian trade unions are calling on the International Labor Organization (ILO), which begins a three-week convention in Geneva today, to press the Indonesian government to adopt ILO conventions in order to ensure the protection of...

Opposition figures observe Pancasila Day

Opposition figures observe Pancasila Day JAKARTA (JP): Opposition figures held an unprecedented celebration of Pancasila Day here yesterday, a date never formally recognized during the Soeharto era as the birthday of the nation's ideology.

Bank Niaga expects net loss in first quarter

Bank Niaga expects net loss in first quarter JAKARTA (JP); Publicly listed Bank Niaga is expecting a net loss in the first quarter this year against a net profit of Rp 31.81 billion (about US$3.18 million) over the corresponding period last year, its president said yesterday.

U.S. sees possibilities and real risks in RI

U.S. sees possibilities and real risks in RI VIENNA (Reuters): U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers yesterday said the current situation in Indonesia contained real possibilities but also real risks.

The statistics behind the resort's success

The statistics behind the resort's success BINTAN ISLAND, Riau (JP): On a warm May afternoon above a forested cliff, Ria Bintan Club Med Resort executives gathered to celebrate the resort's first summer season with 150 corporate clients and 230 journalists from around the world.

S'pore aid for RI trade to go ahead

S'pore aid for RI trade to go ahead SINGAPORE (Dow Jones): Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Monday plans to offer up to US$5 billion in trade financing to help Indonesia remain in place despite the abrupt change in government in Jakarta.

Deputy mayor acknowledges error

Deputy mayor acknowledges error SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Samarinda Deputy Mayor Achmad Amins said yesterday that he would publicly apologize for comments deemed slanderous by religious groups.After meeting with representatives from the Greater Family of Christian Students (KBMK) here yesterday,...

Many roads in Bogor damaged

Many roads in Bogor damaged BOGOR (JP): Bogor regent Eddie Yoso Martadipura has said that about 70 percent of roads covering a total length of 1,860 kilometers in the city are in disrepair."Only between 120 and 140 kilometers of the roads can routinely be repaired.

Holland attracts few Indonesian students

Holland attracts few Indonesian studentsBy Marieke van Heek JAKARTA (JP): An education exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center from May 7 to May 11 saw a fairly good representation from the Netherlands, with about nine universities and higher professional education institutes present.

Stock Exchange

Stock ExchangeStock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on June 1, 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 0 32,500 Alumindo Perkasa 275 0...

Tangerang court gets new chief

Tangerang court gets new chief TANGERANG (JP): West Java High Court chief Padmadisastra has installed Soebardi as the new Tangerang District Court chief, replacing Soedardji who is being promoted to be a judge at the Tanjung Karang High Court in Lampung.

An oasis of fun at luxury Ria Bintan Club Med Resort

An oasis of fun at luxury Ria Bintan Club Med Resort Fun and frolicking in these times is hard to imagine, but not at the Ria Bintan Club Med Resort, located on the north coast of Bintan island. Club Med, celebrating one of its first holiday seasons in Bintan since its opening last October, invited...

Food stall owners vow to seek compensation

Food stall owners vow to seek compensation JAKARTA (JP): The Roadside Food Stall Owners Cooperative vowed yesterday to continue pressuring the government to compensate them for losses suffered during the free-meal programs organized in March by former minister of social services Siti Hardijanti...

Floor price of unhusked rice to be increased to Rp 1,000

Floor price of unhusked rice to be increased to Rp 1,000 JAKARTA (JP): The government has decided to increase the floor price of unhusked rice this month by 43 percent to Rp 1,000 (10 U.S cents) a kilogram from Rp 700, Minister of Agriculture Soleh Solahuddin said yesterday.

Expats settle in N. Sulawesi

Expats settle in N. Sulawesi MANADO, Maluku: Expatriates from 31 countries, such as the United States, Australia, Slovakia and Yemen, have obtained permanent or temporary residence permits in North Sulawesi, Indonesia's northernmost province, this year.

Metro Pacific falls 6.17%

Metro Pacific falls 6.17% MANILA (Reuters): Metro Pacific Corp tumbled 6.17 percent in midsession yesterday on worries over the fate of its parent, Indonesia's Salim Group, brokers said."People are afraid of what's happening in Indonesia and how Salim will come out of the crisis," said Jose Ricardo...

Pertamina, Japan in talks on Arun field

Pertamina, Japan in talks on Arun field HONG KONG (Dow Jones): Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas concern, Pertamina, is currently negotiating with Japanese buyers over the possible extension of liquefied natural gas supply from the Arun field.

19 ABRI members go to trial Saturday

19 ABRI members go to trial Saturday JAKARTA (JP): Nineteen military personnel suspected of involvement in the fatal shooting of four Trisakti University students will be brought before a military tribunal on June 6, an official said yesterday.Head of the Jakarta Military Police, Col.

Baby boom fears as contraceptives rise in price

Baby boom fears as contraceptives rise in price JAKARTA (JP): The soaring price of contraceptives, brought about by the deepening economic crisis, may lead to a baby boom, State Minister of Population Ida Bagus Oka warned yesterday.

Sempati Air grounded by monetary crisis

Sempati Air grounded by monetary crisis JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Transportation and Communications Giri Suseno Hadihardjono said yesterday PT Sempati Air, one of the country's six scheduled airlines, would stop operations after being crippled for months by the monetary crisis.

Reform vital in legal sector

Reform vital in legal sectorBy T. Mulya Lubis JAKARTA (JP): The legal sector is trailing behind other sectors. Historically, from colonial times, the law in political life has always been employed as an instrument of devide et impera (divide and rule) and repression, while in the economic realm,...

Where to go in Bandung:

Where to go in Bandung:Exhibition * Silver Accesories by Runa Jewelry at Preanger Aerowisata Bandung Hotel, Jl. Asia Afrika No. 81 (Phone: 022 431631), daily.Film * French Film at CCF - French Cultural Center, Jl. Purnawarman 32 Bandung (Phone: 022 4212417), 4 p.m.: Deux hommes dans la ville, Jun.

Foreign firms keep water contracts under new deal

Foreign firms keep water contracts under new deal JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has decided to continue cooperating with Lyonnaise des Eaux of France and Thames Water International of Britain in water management as long as the two foreign firms set up new joint ventures with city-owned...

Discriminatory act of the govt

Discriminatory act of the govt The government's decision to release Dr. Muchtar Pakpahan and Dr. Sri Bintang Pamungkas from prison has made me both happy and sad. I am happy because it suggests that Habibie's administration is committed to total reform within the bounds of the constitution.

Indonesian debt talks begin in Frankfurt

Indonesian debt talks begin in Frankfurt FRANKFURT (Dow Jones): Debt talks between a delegation of Indonesian government and banking officials and a steering committee of foreign creditor banks started in Frankfurt yesterday.The Indonesian debt team is headed by Radius Prawiro.

Time frame for MPR session 'proposed by House leaders'

Time frame for MPR session 'proposed by House leaders' JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie claimed yesterday it was the leaders of the House of Representatives (DPR) who proposed the time frame for the extraordinary session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) which will set the date for a...

Conversion Rates

Conversion Rates JAKARTA (JP): Bank Ekspor Impor Indonesia's (Bank Exim) indicative conversion rates on June 1, 1998: Buying Selling Rp Rp U.S. dollar 1 10,900.00 11,900.00Austrian 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.

Japanese statues impress Yogyakartans

Japanese statues impress YogyakartansBy R. Fadjri YOGYAKARTA (JP): Free forms of three-dimensional objects fill the modest gallery with various sculpting and engraving techniques. One which especially catches the eye is Gentle Seduction, a wooden statue two meters high.

STIC maintains profit

STIC maintains profit SINGAPORE (Reuters): Infrastructure based Singapore Technologies Industrials Corp (STIC) is maintaining its 15 percent profit growth target for 1998 despite the unrest in Indonesia, a top company official said yesterday.

Habibie names his team of economic advisors

Habibie names his team of economic advisors JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie appointed three senior economists as advisors yesterday and revamped the Economic and Monetary Resilience Council in a bid to accelerate revival of the country's ailing economy, a minister said yesterday.

Ex-IPTN worker reemployed

Ex-IPTN worker reemployed BANDUNG, West Java: Asep Rukmana, a former employee of state- owned Nusantara Aircraft Manufacturing Industry (IPTN) here, regained his job over the weekend, more than two years after his much-publicized dismissal.

TV today

TV todayTVRI 2:00 p.m. News: Berita 14 2:35 Children's Film 3:05 Performance: Tanah Airku 3:30 Village Program 4:00 Regional News 4:30 Music: Lagu Pop Daerah 5:00 English Lessons 5:30 Documentary 6:00 News: Lintasan Berita 6:05 My Country: Rona Nusantara 6:15 Sports 6:30 TVRI News (in English) 7:00...

Rates for Tax Payment

Rates for Tax Payment JAKARTA (JP): The new official conversion rates as the basis for payment of import duty, value-added tax on goods and services, sales tax on luxury goods, export tax and income tax, valid from June 1 to June 7: U.S dollar 1 Rp 10,500.00Austrian shilling 1 837.

No change in E. Timor policy, says Habibie

No change in E. Timor policy, says Habibie JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie said yesterday there would be no change in the government's policy on East Timor, according to Ambassador-at-large on the East Timor issue F.X. Lopez da Cruz.

Megawati calls on the nation to stop denouncing Soeharto

Megawati calls on the nation to stop denouncing Soeharto JAKARTA (JP): Opposition leader Megawati Soekarnoputri echoed fellow government critic Amien Rais yesterday in urging the nation to show compassion and stop battering fallen president Soeharto.