Indonesia still poses occasional business hurdle

Indonesia still poses occasional business hurdle

TOKYO (AFP): Japanese find Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
"extremely backward" places to do business while Indonesia, the
Philippines and Thailand pose "occasional hindrances", according
to a regional survey.

The survey by the Nikkei Industrial Daily also found that
Japanese businessmen had "no particular complaints" with either
Malaysia or Brunei.

Singapore was deemed an "excellent" place to do business and
easily ranked first out of the 10 Southeast Asian countries
covered in the survey of 34 Japanese companies with operations in
the region. The companies surveyed included electrical machinery
manufacturers, car makers and trading houses.

Respondents gave Singapore excellent marks in all but one of
12 categories covered, which ranged from transport,
telecommunications and power infrastructure to human resources,
living conditions and administration. In terms of technology,
respondents said they only had no particular gripes.

Brunei, ranked second overall, has no particular problems in
all areas except human resources, technology, living conditions
and administrative transparency where respondents cited
occasional obstacles to doing business, they said.

Malaysia, ranked third, received a similar assessment to
Brunei with occasional hindrances also seen in the area of human
resources along with traffic systems and electricity supplies.

Thailand, ranked fourth, has no particular problems with
airports or technology but has occasional obstacles to doing
business in all other areas except traffic systems which are
considered extremely backward.

The Philippines, ranked fifth, is similar with occasional
hindrances in all areas except traffic systems which are also
extremely backward. But human resources were singled out for
having no particular problems.

Indonesia, ranked sixth, has no particular problems with
airports but has occasional obstacles in most other areas.
Administrative efficiency and administrative transparency are,
however, extremely backward.

Vietnam, ranked seventh, is perceived as being extremely
backward in all areas except ports, telecommunications, human
resources and living conditions where Japanese businessmen suffer
only occasional hindrances.

Myanmar, ranked eighth, gets a slightly worse assessment with
extremely backward conditions in all categories except human
resources and living conditions where only occasional obstacles
occur.

Laos and Cambodia are ranked ninth and 10th, perceived as
being extremely backward in all areas. Cambodia won the
distinction of having the most backward financial system among
all of the countries surveyed and was the most underdeveloped
nation in terms of administrative efficiency and transparency.