Don't frighten off investors: Jacob

Don't frighten off investors: Jacob

JAKARTA: Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea urged all parties on Monday to refrain from making statements that could discourage investors.

"All parties should help create a conducive situation so as to invite investors to enter the country and not encourage investors to run away," he said.

Jacob said that there would be no more rallies or strikes because such activities only frightened away investors.

He made the remarks in a dialog with businessmen from Japan and South Korea following threats by militant groups to launch "sweeps" against foreigners working or living in Indonesia in retaliation to the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan.

Jacob also denied reports that thousands of Indonesian workers in the textile and shoe manufacturing sectors had been laid off due the impact of the current brouhaha over the anti-U.S. sentiment.

"I'm not sure about the accuracy of the reports. Sometimes people just talk without the support of facts," he said, adding that he supported rallies to raise compassion for the people of Afghanistan, but was against any plan to search for and expel foreigners or to those who made false claims about massive dismissals. -- Antara