INDONESIA'S growth spurt over the past year has turned it into a success story of sorts for the region and the flavour of the month for foreign and local investors. Media reports across the world have praised the country's rise from the pits of authoritarian government, economic crisis and political turmoil in the late 1990s.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Itochu Corporation, a Japanese investor, plans to invest around US$2 billion or equal to Rp18 trillion to build a railway line in Central Kalimantan. The construction is expected to facilitate commodity transport. Up to now, commodity transportation is very expensive and inefficient because it relies on a long river stream. “In the dry season, commodity transportation stops,” said the Coordinating Minister of Economy, Hatta Rajasa, in Jakarta yesterday.

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Bali province`s handicraft and other non-oil/non-gas exports to China and Hong Kong have been increasing continuously reaching an average value of US$ 3.5 million per month or a total of US$ 17.1 million in the January-May period in 2010.

VIVAnews - Indonesia will in no time sign a bilateral free trade agreement with several other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, India, and Chile. The joint study group to the countries has been prepared. Director General of International Trade Partnership at the Ministry of Trade, Gusmardi Bustami, revealed that the FTA will improve Indonesia's competitiveness in exports. "Thai products are easily imported to the Australian market compared to ours.