TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Judith M.S., Head of the Indonesian Internet Café or Warnet Association, has said she considered that the government's activities will not be hampered by the utilization of open source software. There could be some obstruction when the migration process is carried out. However, when the operation system is launched, it can be handled on a gradual basis. “This is quite normal.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Investment climate in Indonesia has yet to improve and attract investors from Thailand, Indonesian Textile Producers Association (API) chairman Benny Sutrisno said here on Wednesday. "Therefore, Malaysia and Vietnam are more ready to attract investment from Thailand," Benny said, adding that Indonesia`s chance to relocate investors from Thailand remained dim because its investment climate had yet to get better.

The need for providing low cost housing in the cities has been acknowledged, but many stumbling blocks still lie ahead. As land becomes scarcer, residential areas in the city center are a privilege reserved for the upper income classes of society. Meanwhile the masses continue to be further sidelined to the outskirts. This ongoing trend has created major problems for big cities like Jakarta, in the form of daily traffic congestion. Land prices on the outskirts of Jakarta are continuing to rise.

PT JobsDB Indonesia, one of the largest online job placement companies in the country, has invested a total of US$300,000 in hardware infrastructure this year to improve services for its customers. The company has acquired an additional 21 blade server computers, JobsDB Indonesia managing director Eddy Tjahja said in a statement, to add to its existing service capacity, and support its plans to add new online features for its customers.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Tuesday the government would further ease investment procedures and offer more incentives to attract foreign investors to develop the country's untapped gas reserves. Opening a natural gas seminar and exhibition in Jakarta, the President said the government was prepared to offer tax and production sharing incentives to help meet rising gas demand at home, while at the same meeting the country's liquefied natural gas (LNG) export commitments.

Papua’s provincial administration is negotiating with PT Freeport Indonesia on a 9.36% stake offered by the US copper and gold mining company. Freeport earlier said it would sell the stake for $1 billion. Freeport made the offer as it is required by regulation to sell part of its shares to a local partner. "We are holding talks with Freeport. The offer attracted the region," Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu was quoted as saying by Antara on Tuesday (9/01/07).

State oil and gas firm PT Pertamina is earmarking capital expenditure (capex) of Rp15 trillion this year, with about 87% going to the upstream oil and gas business, finance director Frederick Siahaan said. To finance the capex, Pertamina has secured a $500 million five-year loan from 23 lenders, with Credit Suisse acting as the lead manager, Siahaan was quoted as saying by XFN-Asia. The remaining funds will be obtained from other sources, he said, without elaborating.

Indonesia is laying the foundation to become one of the world's top bio-fuel producers, with 59 energy firms and institutions inking 58 agreements on Tuesday (9/01/07) as their preliminary commitment to invest $12.4 billion in the renewable energy sector, The Jakarta Post reported.

Bank Indonesia on Friday (12/1/07) unveiled a policy package aimed at boosting domestic commercial bank sector lending and economic growth, Dow Jones Newswires reported. "The policy measures will have significant impact in our efforts to boost bank lending," Bank Indonesia Deputy Director Muliaman Hadad told reporters at a press briefing.

PT Astra International sees the country's vehicle and motorbike sales expanding by 10% this year as economic conditions start recovering, its president director, Michael D Ruslim, said on Friday (12/01/07). Astra, the country's largest car distributor, hopes to maintain its market share this year. "In the final three months of 2006, we have seen a pick-up in the sales trend. We are hoping this trend will continue," Ruslim told Reuters on the sidelines of the launch of a new vehicle.

PT Telkom plans to spin off its fixed-wireless operation, Telkom Flexi, into a separate unit next month, its president director, Arwin Rasyid, said Wednesday (10/01/07). The move aims to provide greater flexibility for the unit in fixed wireless telecommunications, where Telkom faces competition, Rasyid said, according to Reuters.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Boediono said Monday (8/01/07) the government will help the regions secure the more expeditious approval of their budgets from their local councils, and is devising policies to ensure that development funds are actually spent on time, rather then being parked in central bank treasury bills.

The government perceives no serious threat of a growth-stunting inflation surge in 2007 and will accelerate efforts to spur economic expansion this year, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Boediono said Tuesday (9/01/07). The only potential inflation source this year might come from disruptions in the supply of goods due to "weather and transportation vagaries", Boediono was quoted as saying by Dow Jones Newswires.

The Sinar Mas group signed memoranda of understanding on Tuesday (9/1/07) for $5.5 billion in bio-fuel development and said it would work with Russian investor Altimo in the telecommunications sector. The MoUs were with China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) and Hong Kong Energy (Holdings) Ltd.for programs in Kalimantan and Papua. The project will develop bio-diesel from crude palm oil and bio-ethanol from sugar cane or cassava.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - PT Coca-Cola Indonesia and PT Bintang Toedjoe launched an instant energy drink known as "Extra Joss Strike" at Shangrila Hotel here Tuesday. Under a cooperation, Coca Cola in Indonesia is entitled to produce and distribute instant energy drinks, PT Coca-Cola Indonesia managing director Robert Foye said.