Tight Antipodean bastards.

Debnath Guharoy, Consultant What a year it's been. By any yardstick, 2008 was an exceptional one for most people regardless of age, gender or geography. In the turmoil, the established economic order is in question around the world. Many readers of this column will have lost significant chunks of their investments, seen their assets devalued, or both.

The Indonesian Industrial Estate Association, or HKII, on Tuesday urged the government to implement its industrial estate regulation, known as RPP KI, to better protect businesses and attract foreign investors. The RPP KI was drafted in 2006 to help streamline the foreign investment process in Indonesia by providing firms with a one-stop-shop for regulatory approval.

Slowing market demand and the international financial crisis have caused significant drops in gold, sliver, tin and copper production in Indonesia in recent months and also forced companies to revise down their targets for 2009, ministry officials said on Tuesday. Total revenue projections for the energy and minerals sectors next year are 21 percent lower than in 2008, while mining output should remain stable, the officials said.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, has delayed signing a trade deal with Australia and New Zealand, due to be inked this month, until March next year, a senior official said Monday. The deal is under the framework of the ASEAN free trade agreement (FTA) with Australia and New Zealand (AANZ-FTA), which was successfully negotiated on Aug. 28 in Singapore.

Tuesday, 30 December, 2008 | 19:19 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Indonesian Authority is planning to issue a free trade license for five ports in three free trade zones. Port and Excavation Director at the Transport Ministry, Cholik Kirom, said the license will come into effect in January 1st 2009. The ports are Lobang Port in Bintan, Citra Nusa Kabil, Sekupang, and Batu Ampar Ports in Batam, all in Riau Islands Province, and Tanjung Malarko Port in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra Province.