no matter how many times I read stuff like this it still astounds me. The only people that suffer when restrictions are imposed is the Indonesian consumer Out of interest how does this effect the buyout of Alfa Mart?

Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - A new presidential regulation imposes restrictions on foreign retailing companies allowing them to operate only in hypermarkets to protect Indonesia's local retailing industry. Under the regulation foreign retailing companies are not allowed to have supermarkets with floor space of less than 1,200 square meters and department stores with floor space of less than 2,000 square meters.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta In order to achieve a targeted seven million foreign tourists under this year's Visit Indonesia Year program, the government should intensify cooperations with players in the tourism industry and grab new potential markets, observers said. Yanti Sukamdani, head of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI), said the government should not work alone in making Visit Indonesia Year a success, as there were still many obstacles to be tackled.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said that Indonesia`s CPO exports in November 2007 dropped drastically by 61 percent compared to that in October 2007. "The drop in the CPO exports is caused by the grand harvest season in the September - October period, and probably also in December contracts," BPS deputy for statistics, distribution and services, Ali Rosidi, said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Khazanah Nasional Berhad's decision to pursue the option to merge Bank Niaga and Bank Lippo was welcomed by economists who said the move could spark further banking sector mergers. The Malaysia-based Khazanah last week said it had opted for the merger to comply with the central bank's "single presence policy", which requires investors owning a controlling stake in more than one bank to divest, merge or otherwise restructure by 2010.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the expected slowdown in the world economy`s growth in 2008 would have a minimum impact on Indonesia as its national economy was running on the right track with stronger fundamentals and the country was experienced in surviving global economic fluctuations. "Reports on our stock exchange`s performance indicate many things. It is clear that our post-crisis economic development is already on the right track.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indarwati has expressed optimism that the country`s mutual fund industry will grow at the same level as in 2004 or at a pre-crisis pace. Foreign confidence in the mutual fund industry in Indonesia was returning, she said here Wednesday. "The mutual fund market was volatile in 2005 due to massive capital flight. In 2008, the mutual fund market is expected to grow at an extraordinary rate and reach another historic high," she said.