Stock markets in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia have been “remarkably resilient” and investor interest may increase, drawn by Southeast Asia’s economic growth and an equities rally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. said. Thailand’s economy is estimated to expand 8.5 percent this year, the fastest among the four nations, JPMorgan analysts Sriyan Pietersz and Adrian Mowat wrote in a report yesterday.

Yahoo Serious

Indonesia. The rapid growth of mobile Internet users and the untapped market of people yet to have online access had spurred Yahoo to “seriously invest in Indonesia,” an executive of the Web giant said on Tuesday. Pontus Sonnerstedt, country manager of Yahoo Indonesia, said that of the 25 million Indonesians with access to the Internet, about 15 million used their mobile devices to go online.

JAKARTA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's restriction on beef imports is aimed at protecting local breeders, spokesman of Trade Ministry Robert Bintaryo said here Wednesday. The statement was made following a concern from New Zealand over Indonesia's import regulation, which it considers very complicated. "The restrictions aim to control the number of imported beefs, in a bid to manage prices at favorable level for our breeders," Bintaryo told Xinhua over phone.

Lahat, S Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Minister of Agriculture H Suswono said that the government is trying to become self-sufficient in soybean by 2014, and develop Lahat in South Sumatra, as its barn. The minister said this in a working visit and soybean grand harvest in Pagarjati village, Kikim Selatan subdistrict, Lahat, on Monday. He said that of all the raising soybean locations in Indonesia, Lahat was the only area with good harvests.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The marine sector contributes nearly 22 percent of the country`s gross domestic product, a marine expert said on Monday night calling on the government to pay more attention to the sector. "Based on the results of my calculation, the marine sector contributes 22.5 percent of the GDP," Prof Tridoyo Kumastanto of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) said at a public discussion on the marine bill.

Kendari, South East Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Saudi Arabia`s Bin Laden Group has postponed its plan to invest in South East Sulawesi as a consequence of the global financial crisis last year, the region`s governor said. Southeast Sulawesi Governor Nur Alam said here on Tuesday the Saudi firm had only postponed its investment in a `basmati` rice development project in the province.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The appreciation of the rupiah which now has reached Rp8,900 per US dollar is weakening the competitiveness of furniture industry and handicraft products, a furniture businessman said. Chairman of the Indonesian Handicraft and Furniture Industry Association (Asmindo), Ambar Tjahyono, told the press here on Tuesday that the government should immediately take steps to safeguard domestic industry at home due to the rupiah appreciation.