Although Indonesia has not yet fully recovered economically or politically from its 1998 crisis, the country remains among the best places in the region to do business, former minister Rizal Ramli said. Rizal is now executive chairman of a new English language business magazine GlobeAsia but was formerly the coordinating minister for the economy under President Abdurrahman Wahid.

The government will set up a supervisory council and management agencies to oversee and manage free trade zones (FTZs) on Batam, Bintan and Karimun islands, as soon as the House of Representatives officially clears the legal basis for the concept. Coordinating Minister for the Economy Boediono said Friday the government would wait for the House's final decision on the current emergency law on FTZs -- slated for Oct. 10 -- and immediately advance work on the delayed FTZ plan afterward.