The government is hoping Japanese electronics giant Panasonic will continue to invest in Indonesia despite the closure of two of the company's factories here recently.
Industry Minister Fahmi Idris said Thursday in Jakarta that he would soon send a delegation to lobby Panasonic's executive board in Japan to keep investing in Indonesia.
The delegation, which would be led by the director general of transportation and telematic equipment industries, Budi Darmadi, would attempt to persuade the Japanese company's top executives in Japan to reopen the recently closed factories to manufacture liquid crystal display (LCD) panels.
"I will draft a letter requesting Panasonic to set up an LCD operation in Indonesia," Fahmi told Antara on Thursday.
Panasonic's two Indonesian subsidiaries, Matsushita Toshiba Picture Devices Indonesia and Panasonic Electronic Devices Indonesia (PEDI), recently closed their factories in Cibitung, West Java.
Fahmi said that Matsushita closed its cathode ray tube (CRT) factory amid the declining demand for conventional TVs from overseas buyers, while Panasonic Electronic Devices Indonesia (PEDI) had shut its loudspeaker plant and relocated production to Batam
However, Fahmi said that Panasonic still had production facilities in Indonesia, including its lithium battery factory, which was currently expanding production.
The closure of the factories drew massive protests from thousands of ex-employees
Fahmi said that he hoped the Japanese company would reopen the two factories to produce LCD panels so that thousands of former workers could be reemployed.
Fahmi did not disclose what inducements would be offered to Panasonic in order to convince it to start LCD production here.(AMR)
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