Boediono said among the step already taken by the government was revising negative list of investment by increasing transparency and more importantly, improving competitive edge and services. Perth, Australia (ANTARA News) - Visiting Vice President Boediono said the Indonesian government is improving transparency of investment regulations at central and regional levels as part of efforts to attract more investment. "Our long-term attention is particularly for foreign investors.

Antara, Jakarta A 8.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan and unleashed a 10-meter high tsunami may have the potential of affecting Indonesia`s exports to Japan, an official said. "So exporters, importers and business world alike should be patient or switch to new markets other than Japan," said Edy Putra Irawady, deputy for industry and trade to the coordinating minister for economic affairs. The natural disaster might also indirectly affect the domestic economy, he said Friday.

By Esther Samboh,Jakarta Indonesia’s exports and imports with Japan may be impeded by the recent massive earthquake and tsunami that resulted in damaged infrastructure in mainly coastal parts of the archipelago. Japan is the country’s number one export destination for non-oil and gas products, accounting for nearly 13 percent of overall exports, or US$16.5 billion last year.

By Muhamad Al Azhari State construction company Wijaya Karya has completed a Rp 500 billion ($57 million) diesel-fired power plant in Denpasar, Bali, with a total capacity of 50 megawatts. The state firm, known as Wika, plans to sell its electricity to Indonesia Power, a unit of state utility provider Perusahaan Listrik Negara, it said in a statement on Sunday. It will sell the electricity at Rp 446.14 per kilowatt hour.

Governor Pastika Wants Future Investors to Be Carefully Screened with Priority Given to Local Investors with a Demonstrated Commitment to Bali. Bali's governor Made Mangku Pastika has declared that Bali must become more selective in receiving investors in the future, accepting only those who demonstrate a shared concern for the island's environment.

Gianyar Bali Officials Post Closure Notice at Entrance to Ubud Hanging Garden Resort and Spa. The Bali Post reports that the regional government of Gianyar and local enforcement officials have affixed a closure notice (segel) at the entrance to the Hanging Garden Luxury Resort & Spa located in Payangan, Ubud. The notice, which could effectively close the 38-villa property in two months, was posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011.

While economists said in preliminary assessments that damage from Japan’s earthquake and tsunami would have a limited impact on world markets, some Indonesians were not so sure. Businesspeople and government officials sounded a note of concern about a potential disruption to trade and investment commitments from Japan, one of the region’s economic powerhouses.

From: The Jakarta Globe Singapore. Indonesian feed millers are snapping up corn cargoes from India, striking the biggest import deals with New Delhi in at least two years as Jakarta rushes to secure food supplies amid shrinking global grain stocks. After surprising the market with its large rice purchases, Indonesia has turned to corn as countries from Asia to the Middle East step up grain imports to ensure ample supplies in the face of rising food costs.

BI Eyeing 42% Jump in Foreign Investment From: The Jakarta Globe By Dion Bisara Nusa Dua, Bali. Bank Indonesia is bullish that foreign direct investment this year will surge 42 percent to $14.5 billion on the back of growing optimism about Indonesia, but it expects capital market inflows to fall as advanced economies recover.

TEMPO Interactive, NUSA DUA:Bank Indonesia’s research and monetary policy director Perry Warjiyo, said the flow of foreign funds to developing countries was increasing due to improvements in the US economy. Developing countries in Asia will receive foreign funds as they have promising potential. “Asia remains an attractive region this year,” Perry said in Nusa Dua, Bali, yesterday. Asia’s developing countries have obtained strong economic growth despite the global financial crisis.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The government has targeted the development of six national economic corridors which are expected to be the new economic development center. The six corridors are Java’s northern Coast corridor I), East Trans-Sumatra (II), South Trans-Kalimantan (III), Trans-Sulawesi (IV), Bali-Nusa Tenggara Track (V) and Papua (VI).

Guess whose turn to get hammered? Immigration Blitzkrieg Continues YES, last week it was our turn to come under the attention of the team from Immigrasi. Purely a coincidence, of course, and nothing to do with the report on Immigration activities which appeared in our previous newsletter (4 February). The outcomes - Two nights locked up in the Immigration detention cell at the Batam Centre Ferry Terminal for one of our Western staff.

EXPATS OPERATING businesses or consulting services in Batam are being alerted to be aware of a cabal of Immigration officials currently seeking to extort money over trivial or inconsequential technical breaches of Visa rules. “We seem to be seeing a sudden rash of exploitative ‘errors’,” said corp-orate consultant Gary Dean of Okusi Associates (Jakarta, Batam and Bali).