Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 1 November 1999

46 articles found

Airlines' load factor rises, passengers drop

Airlines' load factor rises, passengers drop JAKARTA (JP): An association has said local airlines had recorded an increasing load factor this year but the number of passengers was steadily declining.President of the Indonesian National Air Carriers Association (INACA) Soelarto Hadisoemarto said...

RP oil firms cut price hike

RP oil firms cut price hike MANILA (DPA): Oil companies in the Philippines on Saturday told President Joseph Estrada they would scale down impending increases in petrol and petroleum products.But the oil companies rejected Estrada's request to hold off petrol price increases, citing the drop in...

Family agonizes over lack of ICU space

Family agonizes over lack of ICU space JAKARTA (JP): The lack of an available space in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta has left a man's family fearing that he will die from injuries suffered in a vehicle accident.

KL's central bank to open inquiry

KL's central bank to open inquiry KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysia's central bank will investigate its officers after a former senior official said he cooperated with ex-finance minister Anwar Ibrahim in setting up political slush funds, finance minister Daim Zainuddin said.

Blessings on the duumvirate

Blessings on the duumvirateFrom Rakyat MerdekaThe relationship between Indonesia and the United States, which went rather sour during the administration of B.J. Habibie, seems now to have improved with the congratulations that President Bill Clinton has conveyed to the duumvirate of President Gus...

Southeast Asia bouncing back in recovery

Southeast Asia bouncing back in recovery SINGAPORE (AFP): Key Southeast Asian economies are expected to bounce back with strong growth rates in 1999 in a stunning export-led recovery from recession, regional experts say.

Singapore retailers upbeat as tourists flock back

Singapore retailers upbeat as tourists flock back SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore retailers are beginning to see a pick up in sales as tourists flock back to the region's premier shopping centre and domestic consumption is buoyed by economic recovery, analysts say.

Indonesia loses $4b to illegal fishing

Indonesia loses $4b to illegal fishing JAKARTA (JP): Illegal foreign fishing in Indonesian waters costs the country an estimated US$4 billion in lost revenue every year.Newly appointed Minister of Maritime Exploration Sarwono Kusumaatmadja noted that foreigners were getting more out of Indonesia's...

Police say no head scarves for policewomen in Jakarta

Police say no head scarves for policewomen in Jakarta JAKARTA (JP): The City Police said on Friday that it strictly prohibits Muslim female officers to wear headscarves, unlike the recent ruling in Aceh forcing female officers to wear them."It's not permitted.

East Timorese celebrate as troops leave

East Timorese celebrate as troops leave JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of East Timorese flocked the streets of Dili on Sunday to celebrate an annual religious ceremony hours after the last Indonesian troops sailed out of the harbor.

President visits former NU head

President visits former NU head JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid visited ailing Idham Chalid, a distinguished politician and former head of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), at his residence on a relaxed Sunday afternoon.

Racing against time

Racing against time Just one week after his installation as Indonesia's fourth President, KH Abdurrahman Wahid and his team are finding themselves confronted by challenges in almost every area -- some inherited from the old administration, others created by Gus Dur (President Abdurrahman) himself.

Student first aid teams enter the fray

Student first aid teams enter the fray JAKARTA (JP): Student-organized medical teams have taken on a crucial role in treating the injured from student protests and clashes with security personnel.Amid a reluctance of official medical personnel to venture out into the danger of the violence, the...

Govt urged to react over Aceh finding

Govt urged to react over Aceh finding JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights in Aceh urged the government on Sunday to take necessary measures in response to a new finding of rights violations in the restive province.

Manila, Kuala Lumpur nearly came to blows over Spratlys: Reports

Manila, Kuala Lumpur nearly came to blows over Spratlys: Reports MANILA (AFP): Malaysian and Philippine aircraft nearly engaged while flying over a Malaysian-occupied reef in the disputed Spratly islands last week, in what Filipino defense chief Orlando Mercado downplayed Sunday as a "normal...

Hubert Neiss visit 'may influence JSX'

Hubert Neiss visit 'may influence JSX' JAKARTA (JP): The planned meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) director for Asia Pacific Hubert Neiss with the new Indonesian economic team early this week may influence the share trading on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX), according to security...

RI niche in world furniture market remains small

RI niche in world furniture market remains smallBy Berni K. Moestafa JAKARTA (JP): In spite of an almost unlimited supply of wood and rattan, Indonesia has so far only managed to carve a less than two percent share in the global furniture trade.

Calls for House to publish PwC report intensify

Calls for House to publish PwC report intensify JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives must publish as soon as possible the full PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) audit report into a high profile Bank Bali scandal in a bid to regain international support in recovering the country's crisis-hit...

Fund scarcity curbs efforts for flood relief

Fund scarcity curbs efforts for flood relief JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso admitted that a shortage of funds in the city budget has meant his administration is unable to combat flooding effectively."We have to admit that we haven't handled flooding problems optimally and integrally due to a...

Astra, Fuchs launch lube

Astra, Fuchs launch lube JAKARTA (JP): Publicly-listed automotive component maker PT Astra Otoparts has launched two brands of lubricants produced by German lubricant producer Fuchs Oil -- Fuchs Titan Sports and Fuchs Titan Ranger -- onto the domestic market.Company director Eko D.

End of an episode

End of an episode East Timorese independence leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao could not have put it better. Paying a brief visit to see off the last Indonesian Military (TNI) contingent in East Timor as the soldiers were making preparations for their flight home from Dili airport during the...

Restructuring the energy industry

Restructuring the energy industryBy Ian Scott JAKARTA (JP): The underlying importance of the energy industry in Asia is perhaps only surpassed by that of the banking sector, with its critical need for restructuring and the management of non-performing loans.

Gus Dur amidst the pluralistic 'pesantren' chain

Gus Dur amidst the pluralistic 'pesantren' chainBy Ainur R. Sophiaan JOMBANG, East Java (JP): It was the afternoon of Oct. 20 when close relatives of Abdurrahman Wahid, affectionately called Gus Dur, gathered in a modest house on Jl.

Why A.S. Hikam?

Why A.S. Hikam?From RepublikaThere is a big question as to why A.S. Hikam was chosen as State Minister for Research and Technology in the "National Unity" Cabinet. It should be realized that the challenge of the free market within the ASEAN region during the next four years (to 2004) is quite...

TNI in the Cabinet

TNI in the CabinetFrom Rakyat MerdekaWith reference to a report in a daily in the capital on Oct. 27, 1999, in which it was said that the Action Front of Students for Reform and Democracy (Famred) does not feel happy about the presence of a number of military officers in the present Cabinet, I, a...

More technologies and services to support e-business

More technologies and services to support e-businessBy Zatni Arbi JAKARTA (JP): Remember Eckhard Pfeiffer? He used to be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Compaq Computers, the company that sells the most PCs in the world. Six months ago, he was told to quit.

Dengue, malaria feared in Manado

Dengue, malaria feared in Manado MANADO, North Sulawesi (JP): Local health officials here warned that the province could be in the grip of an epidemic of dengue and malaria fever.The head of the contagious diseases eradication unit at the local health office, Soetjipto, expressed concern on...

Winds batter C. Java village

Winds batter C. Java village PEMALANG, Central Java (JP): Strong winds and rain which began Saturday and persisted throughout Sunday destroyed 60 houses and damaged 100 in Walasanga village, Moga district.Officials said 700 trees were uprooted.

Abdurrahman deserves a chance: Expert

Abdurrahman deserves a chance: Expert MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid should be given a chance to prove his Cabinet lineup can work to overcome future challenges, an expert said on Sunday.A sociologist of state Hasanuddin University, M.

Workers protest manpower minister

Workers protest manpower minister PEKANBARU, Riau: Dozens of workers from PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper who are members of the Indonesia Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) remained in the local council building here on Sunday to protest the appointment of Bomer Pasaribu as manpower minister.

Stricter laws on drugs required: Experts

Stricter laws on drugs required: Experts JAKARTA (JP): Government, police and other law enforcement agencies should take strict concrete measures to reduce rising drug trafficking in the capital city, experts said over the weekend.

Pacific Bank survives test from CLS

Pacific Bank survives test from CLS SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): Pacific Bank Swadesi of Surabaya survived a testing time against city mate Cahaya Lestari Surabaya (CLS) 89-84 after five minutes of overtime in the 1999 A Mild Kobatama national basketball league's fifth series on Sunday.

Cuscus slips toward oblivion

Cuscus slips toward oblivion MANOKWARI, Irian Jaya: Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) scientists warned here on Saturday that the number of white cuscus (phalanger urinua) in Irian Jaya was dwindling at an alarming rate and the animal was nearing extinction.

Women clever in covering up extramarital affairs

Women clever in covering up extramarital affairs JAKARTA (JP): Women know how to cover up their extramarital affairs better than men, a noted sexologist revealed.Boyke Dian Nugraha said he was surprised by the fact that women were aware of changes in their sexual organs after extramarital...

RI woman charged in Pakistan

RI woman charged in Pakistan JAKARTA (JP): Customs officers at Pakistan's Quaid Azzam International Airport arrested a 29-year-old Indonesian woman last week for allegedly attempting to smuggle 3.4 kilograms of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) out of the country.

Firecrackers go off at police station

Firecrackers go off at police station PURWOKERTO, Central Java: Six police officers, three men and two children were injured when thousands of confiscated firecrackers exploded at Banjarnegara Police Station on Saturday.

Fishermen need direct access to distribution

Fishermen need direct access to distribution JAKARTA (JP): After years of living in poverty and uncertainty, Jakarta's traditional fishermen have laid their hope on commitments from President Abdurrahman Wahid's Cabinet to develop the country's marine industry.

Rehabilitating East Timor: The daunting task ahead

Rehabilitating East Timor: The daunting task aheadBy T.M. Callahan JAKARTA (JP): Responding to the suggestion that East Timor is not viable without Indonesia, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta recently remarked: "One does not have to be an Einstein to do slightly better than those...

Where to go in Jakarta:

Where to go in Jakarta:Museums * Bayt Al-Qur'an Museum, at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Bambu Apus, East Jakarta (Phone: 8416466), Monday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. * Adam Malik Museum, Jl. Diponegoro 29, Menteng, Central Jakarta (Phone: 337403), Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m.

Malaysia, Thailand agree to jointly buy natural gas

Malaysia, Thailand agree to jointly buy natural gas ALOR SETAR, Malaysia (Agencies): Malaysia's state-oil firm Petronas and Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) on Saturday agreed to jointly purchase natural gas from an offshore basin in Malaysia-Thailand's overlapping joint development area.

No reason to be pessimistic about RI's economy: Scholar

No reason to be pessimistic about RI's economy: Scholar Economist and observer of Indonesian economic and political affairs, Dr. Howard Dick, Associate Professor at the Department of Management, the University of Melbourne, believes that the new Cabinet has the makings of a strong democratic...

A minister for privatization

A minister for privatizationFrom Pikiran RakyatChapter XIV, Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution stipulates the following:1. The economy is arranged as a common enterprise based on the principle of family spirit, and thus such an enterprise should be in the form of cooperatives.2.

An East Indonesia state?

An East Indonesia state?From Media IndonesiaThe unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia stretching from Sabang to Merauke was established with the sacrifice of blood and the lives of heroes from the whole country, including East Indonesia.

Chinese police arrest RI pirates

Chinese police arrest RI pirates GUANGZHOU, China (Xinhua): Police in south China's coastal city of Shantou, Guangdong Province, have arrested 10 Indonesian pirates who allegedly hijacked a Thai oil tanker off Teiman Island near Singapore.

Two killed as violence returns to troubled Aceh

Two killed as violence returns to troubled Aceh JAKARTA (JP): Violence broke the semblance of peace in Aceh when a policeman and civilian were killed in separate incidents, police said on Saturday.Provincial Police chief Brig. Gen. Bahrumsyah confirmed that Sgt.

Ferry runs aground near Bakauheni

Ferry runs aground near Bakauheni BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung (JP): The Tribuana ferry bound for Merak, West Java, ran aground at Dua Island only two miles from its departure point of Bakauheni Port, Lampung.There were no reports of casualties among the 306 people on board on Saturday night.