(off Coast of Singapore) to be Held in NYC - Feb. 27, 2008 New York, New York - February 1, 2008 - The American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (AICC) in cooperation with the Province of Riau Islands and the Consulate General of Indonesia in New York invite internationally-focused investors, executives, financial and service professionals, journalists and other interested individuals to attend an Investor Forum highlighting trade and investment opportunities within Southeast Asia's New Expanded...

(off Coast of Singapore) to be Held in NYC - Feb. 27, 2008 New York, New York - February 1, 2008 - The American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (AICC) in cooperation with the Province of Riau Islands and the Consulate General of Indonesia in New York invite internationally-focused investors, executives, financial and service professionals, journalists and other interested individuals to attend an Investor Forum highlighting trade and investment opportunities within Southeast Asia's New Expanded...

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia's latest move to hike the crude palm oil (CPO) export tax rate to a maximum of 25 percent from 10 percent previously could boomerang on the economy and even hurt local CPO producers, industry officials said Tuesday. They said the tax hike would only push the global CPO price yet still fail to stabilize cooking oil prices in the domestic market. What is worse for the local industry is that the move could benefit its strongest rival, Malaysia.

Achmad Syafriel, Research Analyst Without self-sufficiency in food supply, Indonesia may continue to lose out in the midst of a global surge in commodity prices. Over the past two years, prices of soft commodities such as palm oil, soybean, corn and wheat have sky-rocketed and reached historical highs.

The powerful lobbying group the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) on Tuesday dissolved the high-profile Committee for National Economic Recovery (KPEN). To take over KPEN's duties and a number of other important areas of the economy, Kadin will set up the Committee for the National Economy (KEN). Kadin chairman M. S.

The government has set the benchmark selling price for geothermal power generated by independent power producers at between 5.9 U.S. cents to 10 cents per kilowatt hour (kwh). Director General of Electricity and Energy Utilization Purwono told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday the calculation of the prices was based on the formula generally used by state power firm PT PLN. "We have agreed the tariff is equal to 80 percent of the total costs PLN usually spends to produce power," Purwono said.

Agustina Wayansari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta With an oversupply of spaces in Greater Jakarta's shopping malls, developers are likely to cut leasing prices by 30 percent over the next two years in order to survive stiff competition in the sector, a property consultant says. "It's not easy to predict the (reduction) amount, but the price could drop by 30 percent.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Despite feeling optimistic about their businesses this year, about two-third small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country will not add more employees, an HSBC sponsored survey says. Of 300 respondents surveyed within October until November in Jakarta, the survey says, approximately 66 percent refused to add more employees, four percent plans to cut less than 20 percent of their workers and one percent to let go more than 20 percent.

Responding to mounting concerns from the public, the government has decided to slash this year's annual collective leave for civil servants from eight to four days. State Minister for Administrative Reforms Taufik Effendi told a media gathering Tuesday that government employees would be given joint leave days on Sept. 29 and 30 and Oct. 3 for the Idul Fitri holiday, and Dec. 26 for the Christmas holiday. "The total number of joint leave days is five, one of which had already been used (on Jan.

In a review of the government's performance in 2007, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) says that it is disappointed with the government's economic plans and their implementation. Kadin's economic research team head Faisal Basri said Tuesday that the government had failed to come up with reliable economic forecasting, which led to a series of problems hampering progresses and growth.

Tuesday, 05 February, 2008 | 16:38 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Indonesia will export Daihatsu cars to Japan starting February 14. Toyota Astra Motor Indonesia’s President Director, Johny Darmawan, said that the export target is not only Daihatsu, but also Toyota. Car sales to Japan each month are expected to reach 1,200 units. “So it will be routine,” he said yesterday (4/2). According to Johny, earlier Indonesia was known as a car importer from Japan.

Tuesday, 05 February, 2008 | 15:26 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: : PT Jasa Marga Tbk is planning to accelerate elevating and widening the Professor Sedyatmo toll road. The toll road which leads to Soekarno-Hatta Airport that was planned to be reconstructed in the middle of this year will be speeded up to March 2008. It is expected that the project that was targeted to be completed within a year can change the road to the airport to be free from floods.

Tokyo (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Japan's Yamaha Motor Co. (TSE:7272) plans to bring online a new motorcycle factory in Indonesia this year, seeking to raise capacity in that country by 40 per cent to 3 million to 3.2 million units a year in 2010, The Nikkei learned Monday. The investment is expected to total about 10 billion yen (US$93 million). The move comes on the heels of the firm expanding capacity by 400,000 units last year.

London (ANTARA News) - The Island of Bali has received an appreciation as the Best Exotic Destination from the Luxury Travel Magazine handed by editor Alyson Cook to Indonesia, in this case the Indonesian Embassy`s Economic Counsellor Tumpal MH Hutagalung and First Secretary Mayuzar Adamy in London. The January 2008 edition of Luxury Travel Magazine the magazine`s readers picked Bali Island as the Best Exotic Destination, Embassy First Secretary Mayuzar Adamy said in London on Monday.