Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 23 January 1999

47 articles found

SE Sulawesi to recruit 11,000 civilian militia

SE Sulawesi to recruit 11,000 civilian militia JAKARTA (JP): Southeast Sulawesi's provincial government is planning to recruit 11,661 trained civilian militiamen to help oversee the June 7 general election in the province.

Asia counts social cost of economic crisis

Asia counts social cost of economic crisis BANGKOK (Reuters): Officials from Asian countries and multilateral agencies have concluded that Asia's 18-month economic crisis had taken heavy social and human tolls in the area.

BI hopeful interest rate to fall below 30% soon

BI hopeful interest rate to fall below 30% soon JAKARTA (JP): Bank Indonesia director Miranda Goeltom expressed optimism on Friday that domestic interest rates could fall to below 30 percent before the end of March as long as uncertainties in the political situation and the bank recapitalization...

City Hall workers ignore Sutiyoso warning

City Hall workers ignore Sutiyoso warning JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of city administration employees paid no heed on Friday to Governor Sutiyoso's warning of punishment for those failing to show up for work after the Idul Fitri holiday.

Moerdani joins Soeharto in visit to Tien's grave

Moerdani joins Soeharto in visit to Tien's grave JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto and his 150-strong entourage, including former Armed Forces (ABRI) commander Gen. (ret) L.B. Moerdani, visited the grave of his late wife Tien in Giribangun, Surakarta, on Friday.

Habibie appeals for clam over sensitive issues

Habibie appeals for clam over sensitive issues JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie urged the nation on Friday not to be easily provoked by rumors that manipulate polarizing issues such as religious and ethnic group differences and inter-group relations.

Thai firm to export RI coal

Thai firm to export RI coal BANGKOK (AP): Thai power and mining company Banpu PCL says its new coal mining business in Indonesia is on schedule to put out 500,000 tons of coal this fiscal year to export around Asia.

TV Today: Saturday, Jan. 23, l999

TV Today: Saturday, Jan. 23, l999TVRI 5:30 a.m. Religious Teachings: Hikmah Pagi 6:00 Morning News 7:00 Children's Program: Lagu Anak Nusantara 7:30 TV Series 8:00 Music 8:30 Documentary 9:00 TV Drama: Diantara Dua Sisi 10:00 Interval 2:00 p.m.

Influx begins in earnest as crowds return to Jakarta

Influx begins in earnest as crowds return to Jakarta JAKARTA (JP): The capital has begun to groan under a massive influx of people returning to the city after celebrating the Muslim Idul Fitri holiday with relatives at home in Java and Sumatra.

Conversion Rates

Conversion Rates Bank Bali's conversion rates on Jan. 22, 1999: TT rates Bank notes rates Buying Selling Buying Selling Rp Rp Rp Rp U.S. dollar 1 8,750.00 8,900.00 8,750.00 8,950.00 Australian dollar 1 5,503.05 5,737.00 5,490.00 5,790.00 Austrian schilling 1 737.26 753.21 - - Belgian franc 1 251.

PWRI's stance on political bill

PWRI's stance on political billFrom Media IndonesiaIn connection with the ongoing deliberations of the political bills in the House of People's Representatives (DPR), the Central Board of the Association of Civil Service Pensioners of the Republic of Indonesia (PWRI), whose membership comprises...

Rupiah sinks further over riots; baht, peso also lose value

Rupiah sinks further over riots; baht, peso also lose value JAKARTA (JP): The country's beleaguered rupiah fell again on Friday hitting an intraday low of 9,050 against the U.S. dollar as continued riots weighed down the currency.

Holiday Inn has new suites

Holiday Inn has new suites JAKARTA (JP): Holiday Inn Resort Hotel Lombok announced on Friday the completion of 30 two-bedroom Mangsit suites, with four-star hotel standards for visitors.General Manager Helen Jacobe said that each two-bedroom apartment had king and twin-beds with ensuite bathrooms,...

Govt to lower CPO export tax to 40%

Govt to lower CPO export tax to 40% JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Industry and Trade Rahardi Ramelan reaffirmed on Friday his earlier promise that the export tax on crude palm oil (CPO) would be cut from the current 60 percent to as low as 40 percent.

Remains of U.S. soldiers returned

Remains of U.S. soldiers returned JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: The chief of staff of the Trikora Regional Military Command, Brig. Gen. Idris Gassing, handed over to U.S. authorities the remains of eight American airmen killed in what was then Dutch New Guinea during World War II.

Entering the multiparty system

Entering the multiparty systemBy Mulyana W. Kusumah JAKARTA (JP): Amid the protracted debate on political bills in the House of People's Representatives and the anticipated wide range of legal and political restrictions for the multi-party system, political parties have sprouted like mushrooms.

Govt, House to drop civil servants issue

Govt, House to drop civil servants issue JAKARTA (JP): The government and senior legislators emerged from a high-level meeting on Friday saying that they had agreed to drop the contentious issue of civil servants' political rights from bills currently being deliberated by the House of...

Salinas found guilty of murder

Salinas found guilty of murder TOLUCA, Mexico (Reuters): The brother of former Mexican president Carlos Salinas was convicted of murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison on Thursday in a dramatic finale to Mexico's most celebrated trial in recent history.

Nation in transition poised for elections

Nation in transition poised for elections JAKARTA (JP): The following are the results of a survey on what the people think of the upcoming election, the story of which appears on Page 1.POLL FINDINGS Attitude toward the holding of Survey area the 1999 general election Jkt Yogya Sby Dps Medan Total...

Asian air transport to grow

Asian air transport to grow JAKARTA (JP): Rolls Royce plc, a giant manufacturer of airplane engines, has said it expects the Asia-Pacific region to become the world's largest air transport market within the next two decades.

RP rapist set to be executed on Feb. 5

RP rapist set to be executed on Feb. 5 MANILA (AFP): Convicted child rapist Leo Echegaray will be executed on Feb. 5, the first in the Philippines in 23 years, Justice Secretary Serafin Cuevas said on Friday.

Protest against alcohol in Timika

Protest against alcohol in Timika TIMIKA, Irian Jaya: More than 1,000 mothers and children on Friday protested in Indonesia's easternmost province of Irian Jaya against the use of alcohol, residents said.

Caltex 'made dubious $190m business deal'

Caltex 'made dubious $190m business deal'By Johannes Simbolon JAKARTA (JP): PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia oil company has awarded a US$190 million cogeneration plant project to a company linked with Faisal Abda'oe, former president of state oil and gas company Pertamina, without competitive bidding,...

Rational approach necessary

Rational approach necessary While soothsayers and fortune-tellers are popular in Indonesia, perhaps a rational approach to predicting the future would benefit this country more. For example, the retaliatory atrocities committed in Aceh recently surely were wholly predictable given the extent of the...

Half of RI's WB projects at risk

Half of RI's WB projects at risk WASHINGTON (Agencies): More than half of the World Bank's ongoing portfolio of projects in Indonesia were at risk of failure, the bank said in a report Thursday."They have not failed; they are at risk, which means we have to concentrate on finding out how to salvage...

Dead man's body identified

Dead man's body identified JAKARTA (JP): A tatoo helped family members identify the mutilated body of a man found on Wednesday in the Ciputat Baru housing complex in Tangerang.The man was identified as Endang Kusnadi, 34, a resident of Jl. Parkit in Kampung Sawah, Ciputat.

Irianese want more than pledge of dialog

Irianese want more than pledge of dialog JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Leading Irianese demanded on Friday an official explanation about the government's reported plan to hold a dialog with local community leaders, which would be aimed at defusing tension over demands for greater autonomy in the...

In favor of dialog

In favor of dialog There is ample reason to fear that street demonstrations will once again break out in the coming days. Police are reported to have already registered a long list of groups planning to stage such actions beginning next week.

From bad to worse?

From bad to worse? Doomsayers are having a field day in Indonesia at the moment: hardly a day goes by without an outburst of violence, big or small, disrupting the traditional composure that has for generations been one of the hallmarks of Indonesian society.

Hope for change lies with students not politicians

Hope for change lies with students not politicians More than 130 new political parties have sprouted up since May of last year when the reformation era was ushered in, but will the people entrust these parties with their hopes for democracy? According to the latest poll jointly conducted by The...

Ex-governor robbed of his belongings

Ex-governor robbed of his belongings JAKARTA (JP): Central Jakarta Police detectives on Friday were still tracing the whereabouts of four thieves who stole cash and jewelry worth Rp 300 million from the house of the former governor of West Kalimantan, Sudjiman.

Forestry minister seeks to recover diverted funds

Forestry minister seeks to recover diverted funds JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin Nasution said on Friday that he would do his best to recover all the Rp 23 billion (US$2.8 million) reforestation funds used to buy shares of the now disbanded PT Dua Satu Tiga Puluh (DSTP)...

Floods hit villages in Riau

Floods hit villages in Riau PEKANBARU, Riau: A number of villages here and in Kampar district have been inundated following incessant rains over the past several days, Antara reported on Friday.The flooded villages include Meranti Pandak, Rumbai, and Teratak Buluh, where water reached up to almost...

Where to go in Jakarta: Saturday, Jan. 23, 1999

Where to go in Jakarta: Saturday, Jan. 23, 1999Exhibitions* Photo Exhibition: World Press Photo Exhibition: Erasmus Huis, Jl. HR Rasuna Said Kav.S-3, Kuningan, South Jakarta (Phone: 525 2321), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 a.m., Jan. 27 - Feb. 11.

Survey on election

Survey on election Confusion about democratic Survey area prospects in Indonesia Jkt Yogya Sby Dps Medan Total -------------------------------------------------------------------- The current government system is confusing 47.6 69.6 42.9 6.7 41.7 50.0 The political power map is not clear yet 50.

Durian plantation

Durian plantation If I write about a coffee, tea or cashew plantation, the reader of this letter would think it nothing new, but if I write about a durian plantation then it is really something.An affluent conglomerate led by Mr. Hartawan (not his real name), prefers to keep a low profile.

Delay elections, say Dayak people

Delay elections, say Dayak people PALANGKA RAYA, Central Kalimantan: Dayak tribal chiefs across the province have requested that the elections of a new governor for 1999-2004 be postponed until after the general election in June and the installment of a new legislative council, Antara said.

Death toll hits 45 in Maluku rioting

Death toll hits 45 in Maluku rioting JAKARTA (JP): Tension continued to grip residents of Maluku on Friday as the death toll from the three days of communal clashes there rose to 45, up significantly from the previous day's figure of 24, local police said.Maluku Police chief Col.

Perumka blames delays on unfair bulk buys

Perumka blames delays on unfair bulk buys JAKARTA (JP): State railroad company Perumka, battered by complaints over its ticket sales system, has countered that government and private institutions upset its operations by demanding the privilege of bulk orders of executive class tickets.

Student's lawsuit against city police rejected

Student's lawsuit against city police rejected JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta District Court rejected on Friday a lawsuit filed by Indonesian Christian University student Edward Taurus Karo-karo against the city police for wrongful arrest.

La Nina, poor use of land complicate flood problems

La Nina, poor use of land complicate flood problemsBy M.M.I Ahyani BANDUNG (JP): Many regions in Indonesia, especially its urban centers, are suffering from the -- somewhat ironic -- problem of floods during the rainy season and a constant shortage of clean water.

Rights observers appointed to Aceh

Rights observers appointed to Aceh JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights has appointed two liaison officers in Aceh to help record violations of human rights in the oil-rich province.The officers are Dahlan M.H.

Angry guards wreck cafes they once protected

Angry guards wreck cafes they once protected JAKARTA (JP): Twenty men hired to guard 170 street cafes in the National Monument (Monas) Park, Central Jakarta, looted and damaged the properties under their care after they were not given an Idul Fitri bonus, an officer said on Friday.Maj.

KL slams S'pore as opposition warns of new rift

KL slams S'pore as opposition warns of new rift KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): A top official from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling party blasted Singapore on Friday for allegedly failing to appreciate Malaysia's goodwill towards the neighboring republic.

Cinangka villagers questioned over vandalism

Cinangka villagers questioned over vandalism JAKARTA (JP): Bogor police officers on Friday were still questioning dozens of Cinangka villagers following the destruction of the office of the local Ciampea subdistrict chief on the previous day.

Aussie consul may be expelled

Aussie consul may be expelled KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: The Australian Honorary Consul for East Nusa Tenggara Donald Eric van Cooten is likely to be expelled from the province as the provincial Ministry of Manpower has refused to issue a letter of recommendation for the extension of his visa...

Idul Fitri a real boom time for the fireworks business

Idul Fitri a real boom time for the fireworks businessBy Juliane Gunardono JAKARTA (JP): In the nights before Idul Fitri it was not only the morning prayers and predawn meals that kept Adi awake. It was also the fireworks.