South Korea has formed a special team to focus on boosting economic and investment cooperation with Indonesia in response to a request from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The request was conveyed Wednesday morning in Seoul to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak through a letter handed over by Indonesia's Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa. Yudhoyono wanted to invite South Korea to take part in Indonesia's programs to support its 2025 economic development visions.

Indonesia is targeting to draw more tourists from fellow ASEAN country members and boost the number by nearly 30 percent this year. Chrismiastutie, deputy director for ASEAN at Indonesia's Culture and Tourism Ministry, said Wednesday in Jakarta that the country was targeting to boost the number to 3.2 million tourists in 2011 from last year's 2.5 million. “We haven't fully exposed our seat capacity, so there remains a large potential to maximize the figure,” she said as quoted by Antara.

Bali Tries to Find a Balance Between Profit, Development and Cultural Preservation in Debating Island-Wide Zoning Regulation. A leading Balinese voice on environmental and legal issues, Professor Sr. I.G.N. Wairocana, questions the sincerity of Balinese officials efforts to save Bali's natural environment. He sees the policies implemented by local office holders as more concerned with their own narrow local and regional interests, rather than with the wider concern for saving Bali.

More Than 25 Structures on Governor Pastika's List of Building Standing Too Close to Bali's Uluwatu Temple. A formal letter from Bali's governor Made Mangku Pastika to the regent of Badung has identified at least 25 villas and hotels under threat of demolition if the 2009 Zoning Law (RTRW) is enforced to the letter of the law.

Be worried. Be genuinely worried. At the risk of being branded an alarmist, we view the growing controversy over zoning in Bali as a potential tinder box that, if handled incorrectly, could grow into a pitched battle with tragic consequences for the people and the island of Bali.

TEMPO Interactive, Denpasar:Almost half of advertising businesses in Bali is starting to be dominated by foreign advertising companies. Yet, the market is only one percent of the total national advertising spending. “The advertising market in Bali is valued at less than Rp1 trillion,” said Roy Guritno Wicaksono, Chairman of Bali Indonesia Advertisers Union, in Denpasar, yesterday. The tourism sector, said Roy, has accelerated growth of the advertising industry.

Padang, West Sumatra (ANTARA News) - The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) has set a target of investment for 2011 at Rp240 trillion compared to Rp208 trillion last year. The 2011 investment target represented a significant increase compared to 2009 when investment reached Rp135 trillion, BKPM Regional Director II Yuliot said here on Wednesday.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - US businessmen grouped in the US-ASEAN Business Council hope Indonesia as current chair of ASEAN could create an integrated market in the region. "US companies are hoping for an integrated market in Southeast Asia that would make them easy to expand their businesses in the region`s free market," the president of the US-ASEAN Business Council, Alexander C Filedman, said to newsmen at the vice presidential palace here on Wednesday.

Seoul (ANTARA News/Yonhap/OANA) - South Korean companies plan to invest US$12 billion in Indonesian business sectors such as steel, power production and distribution, the government said Wednesday. The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said the investment plan, unveiled at a bilateral meeting of senior policymakers in Seoul, will help the two countries have mutually complementary economic structures.