Members of the Indonesian Palm Oil Commission are distributing materials that misrepresent the carbon balance of oil-palm plantations, according to accounts from people who have seen presentations by commission members. These officials are apparently arguing that oil-palm plantations many times the amount of CO2 as natural forests, and therefore that converting forests for plantations is the best way to fight climate change.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A noted oil industry observer has criticized Indonesia`s oil and gas law as causing the country to become a permanent net oil importer as it was not conducive for investment in and discovery of new oil reserves.

Singapore/Jakarta (ANTARA News) - French car maker Renault SA is looking at starting production in Indonesia, while other car manufacturers plan to step up their existing operations, a government official told Reuters. Indonesia is keen to compete with Thailand as the region's centre for car production, catering to a regional market of about half a billion increasingly affluent consumers.