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