Infrastructure conference finally gets go-ahead The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia is due to hold its twice-delayed 2nd infrastructure conference and exhibition in November in an effort to drum up much needed private-sector investment to bring the country's woefully inadequate infrastructure into the 21st century.

Govt to issue new license for int'l call services The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government plans to allow another telecommunications company to provide direct international call services in competition with the two existing operators, PT Indosat and PT Telkom Indonesia. Information and Communications Minister Sofyan Djalil said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the new license would be sold by way of auction to an existing telecommunications firm.

Tax breaks for investors Sahminan, Jakarta As reported in The Jakarta Post on June 9, the government is now considering offering tax breaks for foreign investment in the automotive industry. The policy is obviously intended to help attract foreign direct investment. The question is: Will tax breaks be effective in attracting FDI. Experience shows they may not be.