Foreign companies would be given the same treatment as local companies when registering their pre-notification of merger and/or acquisition plan with the Commission for the Supervision of Business Competition, an official said Thursday.

The Commission for the Supervision of Business Competition launched Thursday a guideline on franchise practices as stipulated in the law on monopoly. Implementation of article 50 of Law No. 5/1999 on monopoly, which regulates the exception of franchise agreement from the law, is further explained in the guideline officiated in March. “It basically says the exception can not be applied unconditionally,” Director of Communication for the commission, A. Junaidi, said on Thursday.

Andra Wisnu, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA Despite an overall decline in Jakarta’s property market since the global financial crisis hit, property analysts are confident the real estate sector will continue to grow. According to 2009 first quarter analyst reports, the real estate market in the city should continue to attract buyers and developers will carry on building malls and apartments. “There are new plazas in Slipi and Kebon Jeruk [both in West Jakarta], and they’re both getting tenants.