TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Around 500 workers took part in a rally held by the Workers Criticism Alliance (ABM) joined in in front of the State Palace, Jalan Merdeka Utara, Jakarta, yesterday (16/12).They demanded that the government get rid of the existing regional wage system and replace it with...

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia Inc. has stated that it rejects Pertamina's plan to produce gas earlier than oil from the Cepu field.The reason given by this United States oil company was that the amount of gas reserves at this field is not yet known exactly.

"The statement said the move was part of government reforms aimed at strengthening the sector."---- Nothing to do with Mr Bakrie holding a senior position in government then? Maybe it's some sort of reward following his high level of performance and integrity during the mudflow crises!

State-run electricity company, PT PLN, will host a tender for bidders interested in the construction of 30 coal-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 3,100 MW later this month.The 30 power plants, located outside Java, are expected to operate in two to three years, the company's...

Bank consolidation efforts got a boost on Monday (11/12/06), with a senior central bank official confirming stake sales in local operations to foreign investors from China, India and Australia.Relatively lenient regulatory restrictions on the size of foreign bank stakes are also a potent lure, said...

Indonesia has given mobile phone firm, PT Bakrie Telecom, currently operating only in some cities on Java, a license to operate nationally, the communications department said on Wednesday (13/12/06)."PT Bakrie Telecom will get three channels nationally," the department said in a statement,...

The country's largest mobile phone operator, PT Telkomsel, said it will build 5,000 more base transceiver stations (BTS) to expand its coverage in 2007.Currently, the subsidiary of state-owned telecommunications provider PT Telkom already has 15,000 BTS.Telkomsel will set aside $1.

Chinese entrepreneurs will explore the possibility of building a precious stone center and selling jewelry in Bali, Industry Minister Fahmi Idris said recently."I don't have any objection to the Chinese investors' plan so long as they train our precious stone craftsmen to develop specific...

Milk processing company, PT Nestlé Indonesia, will invest $80 million to expand the capacity of its factory in Pasuruan, East Java from 50,000 tons to 93,000 tons a year, senior Industry Department official Imam Haryono said.

Sun Business Network Ltd (SBN) said it will buy Maestro Mind International Ltd, a holding company that owns 95% of mobile content developer PT Monstermob Indonesia (PMTI) for $6.2 million, XFN-Asia reported.

Consumers were optimistic about the economy in November for the first time after more than a year of continued pessimism about the economy, a central bank survey showed on Monday (11/12/06).The consumer confidence index rose 3.5 points to 101.6 in November from 98.1 in October.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned on Monday (11/12/06) against moves to slow down the anti-corruption campaign, but said stakeholders should avoid excesses in the fight to root out graft.He said authorities should respect the principle of presumption of innocence and avoid issuing...

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia said that it had met creditors, floating rate notes holders in particular, in Singapore on Friday."Apart from explaining the company`s financial performance and operation, we also reported our plans and debt restructuring," Garuda president...

The country has lost over Rp 219 billion (some US$24.3 million) in potential tax revenue annually because of counterfeiting, research by the Institute for Economics and Social Research at the University of Indonesia (LPEM-UI) has shown.

Nani Afrida and Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Banda AcehThe Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) has failed to meet this year's targets to rebuild tsunami-hit areas because of bureaucratic problems and an unpopular tax on foreign disaster aid, an official says.