Ministry lifts ban on chemical
Ministry lifts ban on chemical
JAKARTA: The Minister of Industry and Trade has issued a
decree allowing the import of 4 chloro-3 and 5-dimethylphenol
(PCMX), two chemical substances required for soap production.
The Decree No. 417/2003 annuls a previous ministerial decree
outlawing the import of the two substances.
"The substances have been used widely in 63 countries in the
world including Indonesia, and therefore we see no reasons for
maintaining the import ban," director of import at the Ministry
of Industry and Trade Aang Adikusumah told reporters here on
Tuesday.
However, he said that only importer producers recognized by
the directorate general of foreign trade at the Ministry of
Industry and Trade could import the substances.
"This way, we can be assured that PCMX will be used by
purveyors only for producing soap and not for further trading,"
he said.
The new decree took effect on June 17. -- Antara
;Agencies;
ANPAf..r..
Moneymatter-China-outlook-Jetro
China outlook gloomier: Jetro
JP/16/Money
China outlook gloomier: Jetro
TOKYO: Japanese companies operating in the greater China area
became more pessimistic over the region's near-term business
outlook in June due to fears about the impact of the SARS
outbreak, a trade organization said Tuesday.
Japanese companies and affiliates doing business in Asia
overall also were generally more negative about current economic
conditions in the region, the Japan External Trade Organization,
or JETRO, said in a survey.
"In all five ASEAN countries, sentiment is worse compared to
the previous month," said the group, referring to the Association
of Southeast Asian Nation countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
"In addition, with the exception of Singapore, Indonesia and
the Philippines, the outlook for the next two to three months is
heading down, and particularly sharply in China and North Asia,"
JETRO said. The group classifies Hong Kong, Taiwan and South
Korea as 'North Asia'. -- Dow Jones
;Agencies;
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Moneymatter-ADB-emergency-policy
ADB drafting emergency policy
JP/16/Money
ADB drafting emergency policy
MANILA: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is drafting a
"comprehensive emergency policy" to deal with the problems of
strife-torn member-countries like Afghanistan, the bank said
Tuesday.
In its annual report for 2002, the bank said that this new
policy would address "key gaps and limitations" that the ADB has
discovered in its review of its experiences in lending to
countries still emerging from violent conflicts.
This group includes Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and East
Timor, the Manila-based bank said.
It did not say when the bank would come out with the policy.
The bank's 61 member countries and territories are to hold a
one-day annual meeting in Manila on June 30. Earlier plans to
hold the meeting in Turkey in May were called off due to the war
in neighboring Iraq.
Among the limitations found by the ADB review were "the
failure to fully address critical issues such as sustainable
livelihoods, weak governance, institutional capacity and human
and social depletion." -- AFP
;Agencies;
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Moneymatter-RP-drop-govt-workers
RP to drop up to 8,000 govt workers
JP/16/Money
RP to drop up to 8,000 govt workers
MANILA: Up to 8,000 government workers are to be pensioned off
this year as part of a plan to trim the million plus-strong
Philippines bureaucracy, Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin said
Tuesday.
Manila plans to convince between 6,000 and 8,000 civil
servants to agree to a voluntary retirement program this year
that will cost the government 10 billion pesos (US$188 million),
she said on ABS-CBN television.
However, no government agencies will be abolished and the
government is not ruling out hiring in other agencies that need
additional staffing, Boncodin said.
"The more important thing here is that we are able to
rationalize (government) functions," she said.
She said a trimmer bureaucracy could save the government
between six and seven billion pesos ($113-$131 million) annually.
-- AFP