Wednesday, 30 April, 2008 | 17:51 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Indonesian Tax Legal Aid institution (LBHPI) has eventually been officially launched. Eddy Mangkuprawira, the Head of LBHPI, said that the establishment of this institution had been ignited by low concern regarding tax legal issues. “This is a sad situation because tax contributes 70 percent to the state budget,” he said during the LBHPI launching at the Business Center of Allson Apartments, Jakarta, on Wednesday (30/04).

Domestic coal consumption would exceed coal exports, sometime between 2015 and 2020, if the government cap on coal exports remains in place, an association said Tuesday. Indonesian Coal Mining Association president Jeffrey Mulyono said domestic coal demand would jump to 75 million tons in 2009, from this year's 52 million tons.

Publicly listed footwear maker PT Sepatu Bata (Bata Indonesia) has allocated Rp 70 billion (US$7.46 million) for its corporate actions this year in the hopes of retaining its seven percent share in the local footwear market amid fierce competition from Chinese imports. Merchandising Director Anita R.N.

Novri Irza Hidayattullah, Jakarta The fluctuation of international commodities prices, including food and fuel, has triggered big worries in the domestic food industry over whether the industry will able to survive and pass the turbulence. As the commodities prices in the international market fluctuate, most producing countries are holding their crops to protect their domestic supply.

Ika Krismantari The government plans to sell half of its stockpile of 14 million barrels of crude oil this year to increase revenues to compensate for oil subsidy demands amid rising oil prices. Energy and mineral resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said Tuesday the government would sell 30,000 barrels per day (bpd) over eight months this year, amounting to about 3 percent of the country's oil sales target. "Our crude oil storage is very high how," Purnomo said.

The new chairman of BPMigas, the country's upstream oil and gas regulator, pledged Tuesday to promote efficiency and transparency in the powerful agency. Speaking at his inauguration, R. Priyono said the agency would cut bureaucratic processes oil and gas companies must undergo to obtain exploration licenses. "If they (oil and gas companies) have to go through three or four tables, let's make it just one." "Such a bureaucratic system is simply out of date," Priyono said.

Sylvia Darmaji, Analyst Indonesia, the world's biggest thermal coal exporter, should adopt new technologies to overcome the threat of global warming. In the wake of emerging economies, the demand for energy sources has increased over the last few years. Oil prices have grown 194 percent since early January 2007, reaching a record high of US$119.4 per barrel in April 2008.

Vast opportunities exist for Singapore and Indonesia's Gorontalo province to cooperate in the agricultural sector Singapore envoy says. As city-state with no hinterland, Singapore's economy has relied on trade and port sectors, Singaporean Ambassador to Indonesia Ashok Mirpuri said Wednesday. Opportunities to invest in other areas such as Gorontalo, known as a corn-exporting province, were worth considering for the sake of common prosperity, he added.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian exports probably bounced back in March, after dropping slightly in February, helped by stronger oil and gas prices, economists said. Exports stood at $10.53 billion in February, down 5 percent from the all-time high of $11.09 billion hit in January, but were up 28.5 percent from a year before. Eight out of 10 economists polled by Thomson Financial are expecting exports in March to come in between $10.66 billion and $11.62 billion.

INDONESIA: May 2, 2008 JAKARTA - Indonesia's biofuel sector is not a major force destroying tropical forests or squeezing out land used for food production, a senior industry official told Reuters on Wednesday. The grain and oilseed-based biofuel sector has come under attack from green groups for accelerating the destruction of forests, while some analysts blame it for contributing to soaring world food prices by diverting crops that could be used for food.