Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 17 December 2005

69 articles found

Famine in Papua

Famine in PapuaFrom Koran Tempo It's indeed a sorrowful affair that after 60 years of independence there are still many remote and isolated regions in this country where people can die of malnutrition. The latest such place is Yahukimo regency in Papua.The area cannot be reached overland.

Forwarding company adds facilities

Forwarding company adds facilities JAKARTA: More warehousing facilities will be seen in Soewarna Business Park, as freight forwarding company PT Schenker Petrolog Utama began construction on an integrated warehousing system on Friday.

DEKOPIN protests minister's decree

DEKOPIN protests minister's decree The systematic takeover of the Indonesian Cooperatives Council (DEKOPIN) by the State Minister of Cooperatives and Small-Medium Enterprises (UKM) has culminated with the issuance of Decree No.

Life insurance books 31.8% growth

Life insurance books 31.8% growthAnissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta Boosted predominantly still by unit-linked products, the life insurance industry reported that it booked a 31.8 percent growth in premium during the first nine months of 2005.

Indonesia, Turkey plan $2 billion in trade by 2007: Envoy

Indonesia, Turkey plan $2 billion in trade by 2007: EnvoyVeeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post/ Jakarta Departing Turkish Ambassador to Indonesia Feryal Cotour Onder says the relationship between Turkey and Indonesia is moving in a positive direction and there are big plans on the horizon.

On fingerprints

On fingerprints The plan to fingerprint students at Islamic schools as part of the police strategy to fight terrorism will create new problems. The government should think carefully before making this decision. If such a step is taken, it should be applied to all citizens. YULIASTUTI Jakarta

Recontruction body praises GAM's role in rebuilding Aceh

Recontruction body praises GAM's role in rebuilding AcehMuninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta The head of the Aceh and Nias Reconstruction Agency (BRR) praised on Friday the role of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in the work being done to rebuild the tsunami-hit province.

Science competition organized to search for Nobel material

Science competition organized to search for Nobel materialTb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta Indonesia is organizing an international science competition called the "First Step to Nobel Prize in Chemistry" in the hopes of helping young local scientists to achieve a Nobel in the future.

Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on Dec.16, 2005

Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on Dec.16, 2005 __________________________________________________________________________ Shares Close Change Trading volume ___________________________________________________________________________ Abdi Bangsa Tbk 275 0 0 Ades Waters 1,690...

Environment conventions yet to be applied effectively

Environment conventions yet to be applied effectivelyTb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta Indonesia has been unable to effectively implement three United Nations (UN) conventions relating to environment protection due to the classic problems of lack of information dissemination and weak...

Little has changed for workers in East Java

Little has changed for workers in East JavaID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post/Surabaya The cemetery was quiet in the afternoon, with only the sounds of birds chirping in tamarind trees and the bleat of grazing goats being audible.

Court to promote Constitution

Court to promote Constitution JAKARTA: The Constitutional Court signed memorandums of understanding on Friday with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and the Ministry of National Education to teach children about the Constitution.

JP/Arief Suhardiman

JP/Arief SuhardimanMany locals flock to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Jl Thamrin, Jakarta to celebrating New Year's Eve rather than staying at home or going to nightspots. The picture was taken on New Year Eve's 2004.

Santa Clauses invade the city

Santa Clauses invade the cityTantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta Jakarta may never see a "white Christmas" but that fact has never stopped Santa Claus from coming to town.In fact, Santa seems to be everywhere in the city this December -- at least in Jakarta's shopping malls -- and he has...

Press freedom -- so valuable it must not be curbed

Press freedom -- so valuable it must not be curbedArdimas Sasdi, Jakarta The government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has, time and again, promised to protect the country's recently acquired freedom of the press.

Condoms: Not just in brothels

Condoms: Not just in brothelsChristopher Purdy, Jakarta At night, the Klakahrejo brothel in Surabaya is alive with music, lights and the sound of men parking their motorcycles. Not long ago, I walked down the narrow alley that leads to the twenty or so houses which make up the Klakahrejo complex.

Software opens up new world for blind

Software opens up new world for blindTantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta "I love the Internet because it opens up new worlds for me, anything I want to know about is there, and thanks to screen reader I don't have to depend on others to understand," said 18- year-old M.

Rescued orangutans to go home to RI

Rescued orangutans to go home to RI MALAYSIA: Seven orangutans snatched from the Indonesian jungle and forced to work in Malaysia as show animals have been rescued and are returning home, a news report said on Friday.

Panic button service

Panic button service I would like to comment on news that the Jakarta Police have teamed up with a private company to provide panic button services. Jakarta residents must be familiar with the phrase: "Nothing's free in Jakarta". Even to pee in public toilets we have to pay.

2. Firdos -- Policies needed to minimize problems of

2. Firdos -- Policies needed to minimize problems of International Labor 1 x 30 Minimizing labor migration problems Carunia Mulya Firdausy Jakarta3. Cristo -- Condoms in Indonesia: Not just in brothels 1 x 30 Condoms: Not just in brothels Christopher Purdy Jakarta

Police probe sale of controversial atlas

Police probe sale of controversial atlasAntara/Banjarmasin A senior police officer has confirmed that Bali Police have confiscated 59 atlases depicting pictures of the outlawed Bintang Kejora flag, which symbolizes an independent Papuan state.

Economy of Year of the Rooster heading for bleak finale

Economy of Year of the Rooster heading for bleak finalePrimastuti Handayani The Jakarta Post/JakartaFor "Donny", a 32-year-old employee of a private company in Central Jakarta, the Year of the Rooster has brought no good."This year sucks," he said.

Aceh needs more attention

Aceh needs more attention The Indonesian government leaders, especially the House of Representatives must remember that the nation is tired of waiting to see true progress in the improvement of the lives of the Acehnese.

Govt to revise fishing contracts

Govt to revise fishing contracts JAKARTA: The government will not allow foreign fishing vessels to operate in the country's waters after 2007 unless they agree to process the bulk of their catch domestically, an official said.

Government plans more polio drive

Government plans more polio driveTb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta The government said on Friday that the third nationwide polio vaccinations were a success, and expressed optimism that the crippling disease could be completely eradicated by carrying out two additional mass vaccinations...

RI proposes int'l drive against graft

RI proposes int'l drive against graft JAKARTA: Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh has proposed international sanctions for countries that provide sanctuary for graft suspects, terrorists and other transnational criminals.

Famine in Papua

Famine in PapuaFrom Koran Tempo It's indeed a sorrowful affair that after 60 years of independence there are still many remote and isolated regions in this country where people can die of malnutrition. The latest such place is Yahukimo regency in Papua.The area cannot be reached overland.

Famine in Papua

Famine in PapuaFrom Koran Tempo It's indeed a sorrowful affair that after 60 years of independence there are still many remote and isolated regions in this country where people can die of malnutrition. The latest such place is Yahukimo regency in Papua.The area cannot be reached overland.

India's "flexible" approach at ASEAN

India's "flexible" approach at ASEANSiddharth Srivastava New Delhi The Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur last week, which was followed by the first East Asia summit, had made it apparent that the heat is on India to push through economic changes and reforms that are crucial for...

Nurdin 'may stand trial for graft again'

Nurdin 'may stand trial for graft again'The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Nurdin Halid may have to cut short his celebrations as Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan insisted on Friday that the businessman had not been acquitted of all corruption charges."He (Nurdin) was not exonerated.

City budget deliberations deadlocked

City budget deliberations deadlockedBambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta The contentious issue over the city administration's bizarre programs in which trillions of rupiah of taxpayers' money will be handed out without a system of accountability, has dragged the deliberation of the draft...

Ring road safety questioned

Ring road safety questionedFrom KompasAs a user of the Serpong-Kampung Rambutan Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR), I feel concerned about the presence of lots of dead animals on the road along the Serpong-Pondok Ranji section of the turnpike.

Elephants go on rampage in Sumatra

Elephants go on rampage in Sumatra JAKARTA: Wild elephants went on a rampage on Indonesia's Sumatra island, destroying palm-oil plantations in Riau province, media reports said Friday.A "conflict" between the wild beasts and encroaching villagers was cited as the cause of the elephant's rampage...

Depok, Tangerang named 'dirtiest' cities

Depok, Tangerang named 'dirtiest' citiesTb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta The government announced a list of the country's dirtiest cities for the first time on Friday in a bid to encourage municipal administrations to clean up their acts, and their heavily polluted urban areas.

Samsung targets 10% growth in 2006

Samsung targets 10% growth in 2006 JAKARTA: Sluggish economic growth has prompted PT Samsung Elektronik Indonesia (SEIN), a local unit of South Korean electronic giant Samsung, to lower its growth target to 10 percent next year from this year's 30 percent.

Last call for JiFFest movies

Last call for JiFFest moviesEvi Mariani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta Attention movie buffs! Lest you forget, today and tomorrow are your last chances to see JiFFest movies you may have targeted days before the 7th festival was unveiled.

Nazarruddin deserves better treatment: Expert

Nazarruddin deserves better treatment: Expert The Anticorruption Court on Wednesday sentenced General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin to seven years in prison for receiving billions of rupiah in kickbacks from an insurance company that won a contract to insure the...

1. 5FOOD (2x18)

1. 5FOOD (2x18) Malnutrition stalks children in Cirebon 2. 5ATLAS (2x24) Police probe sale of controversial atlas 3. 5TIGER (1x27) Sumatran tiger under threat 4. 5BURUH1 (1x42) Little has changed for workers in East Java 5. 5BURUH2 (1x32) Sujono: Portrait of a manual laborer

1. DISCOURSE: 1 X 42

1. DISCOURSE: 1 X 42 Nazarruddin deserves better treatment, says media expert 2. SBY: 1 X 30 3. GAS: 2 X 16 EMP signs $1.9b in gas contracts 4. TEROR: 4 X 10

Minimizing labor migration problems

Minimizing labor migration problemsCarunia Mulya Firdausy, Jakarta The Indonesian economy once again finds itself in trouble. In addition to the continuing unstable exchange rate, there are the problems of inflation and unemployment. Inflation reached 17.

Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on Dec.16, 2005

Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on Dec.16, 2005 __________________________________________________________________________ Shares Close Change Trading volume ___________________________________________________________________________ Abdi Bangsa Tbk 275 0 0 Ades Waters 1,690...

1. Poor ---- 3x16

1. Poor ---- 3x16 Expert claims 1.2 million jobs lost this year 2. Aceh ---- 2x22 Reconstruction body praises GAM's role in rebuilding Aceh 3. Nurdin -- 1x34 Nurdin 'may stand trial for graft again' 4. KLH ---- 1x32 Depok, Tangerang named 'dirtiest' cities

Stocks slide for first week in five as Telkom falls

Stocks slide for first week in five as Telkom fallsNaila Firdausi and Soraya Permatasari, Bloomberg/Jakarta Indonesia's stock index recorded its first weekly loss in five as some investors bet the recent rise was excessive given the central bank's forecast of slowing economic growth.

Commission to summon Wiranto

Commission to summon WirantoTiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta The Indonesia-Timor Leste Truth and Friendship Commission (CTF) plans to summon former Indonesian Military chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto and several other generals in relation with the violence that took place in the then East Timor in...

Garuda to increase Aceh flights

Garuda to increase Aceh flights BANDA ACEH, Aceh: State-owned PT Garuda Indonesia plans to increase flights into Aceh due to rising demand ahead of first year anniversary of the tsunami disaster on Dec. 26.

Just press the button!

Just press the button! If you experience a break-in or have learned of a nearby robbery there are a number of things you could do. The Jakarta Police, however, suggest activating a panic button is the quickest way to get help. They will arrive within minutes to handle the situation.

Malnutrition stalks children in Cirebon

Malnutrition stalks children in CirebonNana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post/Indramayu Food shortages and malnutrition are not problems confined to barren areas, but also to major rice-producing areas such as Cirebon and Indramayu.

Human rights in a 'So what, gitu loh' country

Human rights in a 'So what, gitu loh' countryTertiani ZB Simanjuntak JakartaLet me save you the suspense of having to look up the dictionary or Wikipedia as the Internet-savvy people usually do. So what, gitu loh (So what, there you go) is a popular expression among young people in the capital, an...

Churches told to dig holes to dispose of bombs

Churches told to dig holes to dispose of bombsEva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta Police have told churches in Surakarta, Central Java, to dig holes to dispose of bombs and other suspicious objects in anticipation of possible terrorist attacks during the Christmas holiday.

Ashmore Reef: Indonesia's or Australia's?

Ashmore Reef: Indonesia's or Australia's?I Made Andi Arsana Sydney Ashmore reef (a.k.a. Pulau Pasir) is currently being disputed by Indonesia and Australia. If we talk about an island/reef/islet, we are talking about sovereignty. In dealing with sovereignty we do not consider distance.

Rupiah Rates Dec. 16

Rupiah Rates Dec. 16 Banknote rates TT rates Selling Buying Selling Buying Australian dollar 1 7,717.58 6,967.60 7,381.45 7,303.51 Brunei dollar 1 6,204.69 5,603.14 5,934.45 5,873.26 Canadian dollar 1 8,945.23 8,079.28 8,555.63 8,468.78 Swiss franc 1 8,017.81 7,242.39 7,668.60 7,591.

Malaysia says mission to Myanmar should be credible

Malaysia says mission to Myanmar should be credible Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said on Friday that his planned trip to check the progress of democracy in military- ruled Myanmar must be credible.

'Alcohol ban a half-baked plan'

'Alcohol ban a half-baked plan' The city administration recently decided to enforce a bylaw banning supermarkets from selling drinks with more than 5 percent alcohol content, except for duty-free shops. The Jakarta Post interviewed some residents about the plan.

Sujono: Portrait of a manual worker

Sujono: Portrait of a manual workerID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post/Surabaya The first thing on Sujono's mind when he decided to move from his hometown of Pacitan to Sidoarjo city six years ago, was to improve the financial state of his family.

Where to go in Jakarta: Saturday, December 17, 2005

Where to go in Jakarta: Saturday, December 17, 2005Exhibitions* Painting by Riduan Thompkins at Bentara Budaya Jakarta, Jl. Palmerah Selatan no. 17, Central Jakarta (Tel. 5483008), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., until Dec. 18 * Photo Zimbabwe - Permata Afrika by Deniek G.

Labor standards set for Aceh workers

Labor standards set for Aceh workers JAKARTA: The Aceh provincial labor office, domestic and foreign non-governmental organizations, and labor unions have established guidelines on the employment of construction workers in the tsunami-hit province.

A breath of fresh air?

A breath of fresh air?Edward McMillan, Jakarta That Jakarta's air is polluted is no great secret. Tall buildings seem to be perpetually covered in a dirty-brown haze, while traffic policemen peer out from ominous filter-masks and trees wilt in the face of constant chemical attack.

S'porean charged over RI maid's death

S'porean charged over RI maid's death SINGAPORE: A Singapore woman has been charged with negligence for ordering her Indonesian maid out of a window from where she fell to her death, a court document and a press report said on Friday.

Mission to Myanmar 'should be credible'

Mission to Myanmar 'should be credible' Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said on Friday that his planned trip to check the progress of democracy in military- ruled Myanmar must be credible.Syed Hamid will represent the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the visit, which...

Lack of funds stalls Papua aid mission

Lack of funds stalls Papua aid missionNethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post/Jayapura Food aid continued to pile up in Wamena, Dekai and Timika on Friday, as the local government said it did not have the money to transport the aid to the remote Yahukimo regency, where food shortages have reportedly...

Expert claims 1.2m jobs lost this year

Expert claims 1.2m jobs lost this yearRidwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta The true picture of the country's unemployment is much worse than is being acknowledged by the government, a prominent labor analyst said.

Supreme Court upholds PKS win in Depok poll

Supreme Court upholds PKS win in Depok pollThe Jakarta Post, Jakarta Members of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) were reveling on Friday after a victory in a protracted legal dispute over the coveted Depok mayoral post.

Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on Dec.16, 2005

Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on Dec.16, 2005 __________________________________________________________________________ Shares Close Change Trading volume ___________________________________________________________________________ Abdi Bangsa Tbk 275 0 0 Ades Waters 1,690...

240 toddlers malnourished

240 toddlers malnourished BOGOR: Head of the public health monitoring unit with the Bogor health agency, Camalia Wilayat, said that currently there were 240 children under five-years-old suffering from poor nutrition."Since January, we have found 240 malnourished children in 40 districts.

EMP signs $1.9b in gas contracts

EMP signs $1.9b in gas contractsLeony Aurora, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta The second largest publicly listed domestic oil and gas company PT Energi Mega Persada (EMP) has signed a natural gas sales agreement worth US$1.

1. TIMOR: 1 X 30

1. TIMOR: 1 X 30 Commission to summon Wiranto 2. ENGLISH: 1 X 30 11m English 'non-literate' in U.S. 3. PKS: 3 X 15 Supreme Court upholds Mahmudi's Bogor election win 4. JIFFEST: 1 X 29 Last call for JiFFest movies

East meets West in cinematic flash-in-the-pan

East meets West in cinematic flash-in-the-panPaul Agusta, Contributor/Jakarta The title of the Korean release, Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War, directed by Kang Je-gyu, is a harbinger of what viewers can expect; lots of blood and gore with a mix of melodrama.

Cop, councillor nabbed for drugs

Cop, councillor nabbed for drugs DENPASAR, Bali: A police officer and a Tabanan regency councillor had been arrested while having a drug party in a hotel in Denpasar, Bali Police revealed on Friday.From the councillor, police confiscated 0.

Sumatran tiger under threat

Sumatran tiger under threatJon Afrizal, Muko Muko, Bengkulu The population of the Sumatran tiger (panthera tigris Sumatraensis) in the forest of Muko Muko regency, Bengkulu province, is progressively dwindling.