Batam to get new promotion center

Batam to get new promotion center

BATAM, Riau Islands: A new promotion center will soon open in
Batam that will cater to all 10 provinces on Sumatra island.

The center's management board director, Andi M. Lutfi, said on
Sunday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was scheduled to
inaugurate the building on Nov. 23, after being delayed several
times.

Presentation of Aceh's rehabilitation and reconstruction by
the European Union will mark the opening ceremony, which will be
followed by the week-long Sumatra Expo. All provinces in Sumatra
will take part in the exhibition.

Construction of the center began in May 2003 and cost Rp 70
billion (US$7 million). Riau province owns a 53 percent share in
the center and the Batam Industrial Development Authority owns
the rest.

The eight-story building stands on a hectare of land and is
near the Batam Center and next to the international ferry
terminal.

The construction of the center was based on an agreement
between Sumatra governors who met in September 2002 to discuss
the Sumatra Agenda 2001-2005 in Lagoi on Bintan island, Riau. --
JP