Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 14 June 1999

47 articles found

Govt prioritizes ARCO's LNG project in Irian Jaya

Govt prioritizes ARCO's LNG project in Irian Jaya JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Mines and Energy Kuntoro Mangkusubroto said the government was prioritizing the development of the Tangguh liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Irian Jaya over other LNG projects across the country.

Athletes' hopes for medals still high despite fund crisis

Athletes' hopes for medals still high despite fund crisis BANDUNG (JP): Indonesia has been in recession for two years but it has failed dampen athletes' ambitions. Athletes being groomed for the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Brunei in August expressed confidence that they would win golds...

Weekly Asian currencies likely to maintain gains

Weekly Asian currencies likely to maintain gains SINGAPORE (AFP): Asian currencies are likely to maintain their gains against the dollar while regional stockmarkets look to domestic indicators and U.S. economic figures to provide direction in trade this week.

Bank Indonesia suspends trade financing facilities

Bank Indonesia suspends trade financing facilities JAKARTA (JP): Bank Indonesia (BI) has not provided pre- shipment and post-shipment trade financing facilities for exporters since a new central bank law became effective last month, according to a senior official at the bank.

Upholding dignity

Upholding dignityFrom Rakyat MerdekaThe Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) report to the military police about alleged bribery of Lt. Gen. Andi M. Ghalib, the attorney general, is not a purely legal matter.

GSM phone users surge in 1st quarter of 1999

GSM phone users surge in 1st quarter of 1999 JAKARTA (JP): The number of active cellular subscribers in Indonesia increased by 69.1 percent to over 1.37 million in the first quarter of 1999 from 815,577 in the corresponding period of 1998, according to telecommunications company PT Telkom.

Government slams planned Ramos-Horta visit

Government slams planned Ramos-Horta visit JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian government said on Sunday that 1996 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta and other East Timorese living abroad should not be engaged in campaign activities in Indonesia, including East Timor.

Sub-sea resources vital for E. Timor

Sub-sea resources vital for E. Timor SYDNEY (AP): Locked beneath the narrow strip of sea separating Australia and its island neighbor Timor is enough oil and gas to fuel a small nation.If East Timor, the disputed territory covering half of the island, breaks away from Indonesia and becomes a new...

Five killed in latest clash in troubled Aceh

Five killed in latest clash in troubled Aceh JAKARTA (JP): Five civilians, including two boys, were found dead with shot wounds after soldiers were involved in a battle with rebels in Peurelak, East Aceh, a military chief said on Sunday.

Financial reform's effect on SMEs

Financial reform's effect on SMEsBy Sahala Sianipar JAKARTA (JP): The recent Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand issued a joint statement on the need to empower member countries' small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to take more proactive roles...

KPU must be firm on repolling: KIPP

KPU must be firm on repolling: KIPP JAKARTA (JP): A leading poll watch activist said on Sunday that demands to repeat the polls should be carefully examined.The official Election Supervisory Committees at the national, provincial and regional levels should closely scrutinize the demands, and decide...

Re-count to be held in Jayawijaya

Re-count to be held in Jayawijaya WAMENA, Irian Jaya (JP): Thousands of ballot papers in 32 polling places in Jayawijaya regency will be re-counted, after the local elections committee said there were indications of violations in the tallying.

Forest guards to bear arms

Forest guards to bear arms PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: The government plans to arm the forest guards across the country with weapons, while also changing their title from jagawana (forest guard) to the English words "forest ranger", Minister of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin Nasution said here...

Dozens of houses razed by fire

Dozens of houses razed by fire JAKARTA (JP): At least 71 houses in a slum area in Warakas, North Jakarta, were razed by fire on Sunday, rendering hundreds of people homeless.No fatalities were reported.The fire, which started at about 2 a.m., originated from a house owned by Kasimin, 36, on Jl.

Monagro's hybrid corn

Monagro's hybrid corn JAKARTA (JP): Herbicide and seed producer PT Monagro Kimia announced on Friday plans to produce 10,000 tons of prime-seed C- 7 hybrid corn by 2001.Sales manager Sidi Asmono said the firm was developing the C-7 hybrid corn prime seeds on its corn plantations nationwide.

Namfrel notes positive features of Indonesian polls

Namfrel notes positive features of Indonesian pollsBy Jamil Maidan Flores JAKARTA (JP): They came, they saw, they were deeply impressed.That sums up the brief sojourn of the 108 volunteers of the Philippine National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), who came to observe the conducting of the...

Indonesian housemaids in Gulf miss polls

Indonesian housemaids in Gulf miss polls JAKARTA (JP): More than 3,500 Indonesian domestic helpers in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar could not vote in the June 7 general election because they were refused permission by their employers, a student activist said on Saturday.

Australian govt not worried by slow vote count: Downer

Australian govt not worried by slow vote count: Downer MELBOURNE (Reuters): Australia said it saw nothing wrong with the slow vote count in Indonesia's first democratic elections in 44 years."We have been delighted with the conduct of the Indonesian elections," Australian foreign minister Alexander...

Experts urge Habibie to discharge Ghalib

Experts urge Habibie to discharge Ghalib JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie has been under mounting pressure to replace Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib from office to help speed up investigations into the latter's alleged ill- gotten wealth.

Manado students take over campus

Manado students take over campus MANADO, North Sulawesi: Hundreds of students of the State Islamic College (STAIN) here have occupied their campus and refused to take part in the scheduled examinations, in an attempt to force the resignations of the school's head and chief of administration affairs.

Counting completed in 13 regencies in C. Java

Counting completed in 13 regencies in C. Java SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): At least 13 regencies in the province have completed ballot counting, the local elections committee said on Sunday.Ari Pradanawati, deputy chairman of the Central Java Elections Committee, said the regencies were the...

Megawati yet to keep word she gave to Buton refugees

Megawati yet to keep word she gave to Buton refugeesBy Jupriadi BUTON, Southeast Sulawesi (JP): Muslim refugees from riot-torn Maluku waved to journalists and shouted: "Please tell Ibu Mega we are still waiting for the blankets she promised us!""Please remind her of her promises when she campaigned...

Bank branch manager summoned over Ghalib's case

Bank branch manager summoned over Ghalib's case JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police on Saturday summoned the manager of Bank Lippo's Melawai branch office in South Jakarta, Sihdianto, as a witness in the investigation into the public disclosure of information on the private accounts of Attorney General...

Three arrested for robbery

Three arrested for robbery JAKARTA (JP): Security guards of state Bank BNI arrested three men for allegedly damaging and removing money from an automatic teller machine (ATM) at one of the bank's East Jakarta branches late Saturday.The three men, arrested at 10:45 p.m.

Truck crashes off bridge; Six die

Truck crashes off bridge; Six die WONOGIRI, Central Java: Six people died and 14 others were seriously injured on Friday evening when a truck, overloaded with passengers heading for a wedding ceremony, drove off a bridge and plunged into a river at Deling village, Bulukerto district.

Planned tobacco tax ineffective: Official

Planned tobacco tax ineffective: Official JAKARTA (JP): The government's plan to base a cigarette excise scheme on nicotine and tar content in cigarettes can not be implemented in the near future because it would be difficult to control, a senior official at the Ministry of Finance said on Friday.

Golkar takes the lead in South Sulawesi

Golkar takes the lead in South Sulawesi UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): The ruling Golkar party took the lead on Sunday with 2,412,548 of the estimated 3.6 million votes in the province.The United Development Party was in second place with 279,351, followed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of...

Japan mulls action against U.S. steel ruling

Japan mulls action against U.S. steel ruling TOKYO (AFP): The Japanese government and steel industry representatives said Saturday they were considering counter- actions against a U.S. decision to slap punitive duties on imports of cheap Japanese hot-rolled steel.Nippon Steel Corp.

Suspend Ghalib from his duties

Suspend Ghalib from his duties I would like to make an appeal to President B.J. Habibie in connection with the Indonesian Corruption Watch report submitted to the military police, in which Attorney General A.M. Ghalib is suspected of having accepted bribes.

Asian govts gamble economic rebound will fix banks

Asian govts gamble economic rebound will fix banks SINGAPORE (Dow Jones): Asian governments are gambling that a percolating U.S. economy and a hoped-for resurgence in Japan will restore rapid growth in their economies and offer an easy fix for their deep-seated financial-sector headaches, bank...

Habibie protecting Ghalib

Habibie protecting Ghalib Once again the public must swallow its vexation. The hope that President B.J. Habibie would discharge, or at least suspend, Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib has been overturned. Habibie has preferred to take the more lenient action of auditing Ghalib's wealth.

Foreign hypermarkets accused of dumping practices

Foreign hypermarkets accused of dumping practices JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Indonesian Retailers (Aprindo) is accusing foreign hypermarket operators of conducting dumping practices here in an attempt to drive local supermarket chains out of business.

S'pore opens up further to joint-venture law firms

S'pore opens up further to joint-venture law firms SINGAPORE (DPA): Five joint ventures of local and foreign law firms will be initially allowed in Singapore's liberalization of its legal market to give the financial sector a one-stop service for international contracts, it was reported on Saturday.

Answers to questions computer users frequently ask

Answers to questions computer users frequently askBy Zatni Arbi JAKARTA (JP): In my "Internet Explorer" I have set up a special folder that I've named "To Keep". I drag and drop all E- mail messages from my readers that I want to archive from my Inbox into this folder.

More speed needed

More speed needed Even as officials are straining to finish the vote count for last Monday's general elections, public calls to speed up the election of a new President are growing. The obvious reasoning is that waiting until the end of October for a new President and Vice President to be elected,...

Jakarta recount protested by polling officials

Jakarta recount protested by polling officials JAKARTA (JP): Several district polling committee officials raised objections on Sunday concerning the decision of the Jakarta Provincial Elections Committee to re-count ballot papers due to indications of serious mistakes in tallying.

Russian food relief chopper missing in Irian Jaya

Russian food relief chopper missing in Irian Jaya JAKARTA (JP): A Russian helicopter chartered by the Indonesian government to fly food relief to isolated jungle areas of Irian Jaya went missing on Friday with six people, including three Russians, on board.

Corporate governance: Problems and challenges

Corporate governance: Problems and challenges This is the first of two articles on good corporate governance prepared by Sauri Hasibuan, business development manager of PT Airindo Bersih Jaya. JAKARTA (JP): A lack of good governance in the public sector has created a crisis that hurts children by...

Mitsui buys U.S. stake

Mitsui buys U.S. stake TOKYO (Nikkei): Mitsui & Co. has bought a stake in a midsize New York fertilizer company Agrifos L.L.C. for an estimated three billion yen, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Sunday that company sources revealed.Agrifos makes phosphoric acid fertilizer and exports it to Asia.

Where to go in Jakarta:

Where to go in Jakarta:Exhibitions * Painting Exhibition: Tumbal by Hendro Suseno, at Galeri Milenium, Blok B-23, Jl. R.S. Fatmawati No. 15, South Jakarta (Phone: 7507828), until June 15. * Painting Exhibition: Misteri Wanita Dalam Ukiyo-e, at Pusat Kebudayaan Jepang - The Japan Foundation,...

Elephants in way of general election

Elephants in way of general election JAKARTA (JP): Eighteen poll officials and two police officers delivering ballot boxes to a remote village in Lampung found themselves holed up in the jungle for a night when their way was blocked by a herd of seven elephants.

KL says illegal workers must go

KL says illegal workers must go KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Sunday that Malaysia's plantation owners must repatriate their illegal foreign workers by July 15 or face government action.

RP and Thailand boost trade

RP and Thailand boost trade MANILA (AFP): Thailand and the Philippines said on Sunday they had agreed to boost trade and to cooperate in the fight against crime as part of ongoing attempts to strengthen ties.

Errata on autism

Errata on autism This is in reference to the article Parents struggle to help child with autism published in the Sunday edition of The Jakarta Post on June 6, 1999, written by Agni Amorita.With due respect to the people involved, I would like to submit several corrections on the following paragraph...

Aceh authorities cancel vote extension days

Aceh authorities cancel vote extension days JAKARTA (JP): The local elections committee canceled several vote extension days in the troubled North Aceh regency for security reasons, Antara reported on Sunday.

Mosque blast revelations to be announced Monday

Mosque blast revelations to be announced Monday JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police are scheduled to disclose on Monday the results of investigations in the case relating to the April 19 powerful blast at the Istiqlal Grand Mosque, following growing public speculation on the motive of those allegedly...

Elections riddled with infractions, reports say

Elections riddled with infractions, reports say JAKARTA (JP): Reports of widespread vote-rigging have been flowing in to Jakarta faster than the notoriously slow returns from the June 7 general election, with the Golkar Party saddled with most of the flak.