Suriname offers timber, palm oil cooperation
Suriname offers timber, palm oil cooperation
JAKARTA (JP): Visiting Suriname President Jules Albert
Wijdenbosch offered Indonesian timber companies and palm oil
plantations yesterday to expand their business in the South
American country.
Wijdenbosch also told President Soeharto that his country was
interested in cooperating with Indonesia in the agricultural and
fishery sectors, especially the prawn breeding business.
"The government encourages private timber companies to invest
in Suriname, one or two of our companies are operating there
now," said Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono in a briefing on
the two leaders' meeting.
The presence of Indonesian timber companies in Suriname
sparked controversy in 1995. Environmentalists alleged that two
Indonesian companies had been awarded logging concessions by
collusion.
NV Mitra Usaha Sejati Abadi (MUSA) and SURI Atlantic obtained
the concession of 150,000 hectares of forest in 1993 near the
Courantyne River in West Suriname.
Suriname's government was forced by opposition parties to
postpone the companies' second request for an additional 1.105
million-hectare logging concession.
"Indonesian investors operating here must obey local
regulations and the Suriname government should not hesitate to
reprimand and impose sanctions against Indonesian firms violating
the rules here," Soeharto said when visiting the country in
October 1995.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and his counterpart
Errol G. Snijders signed yesterday two memorandums of
understanding on agriculture and the establishment of a joint
commission to boost economic relations.
Trade between the two countries is still low. Indonesian
exports in 1996 amounted to US$1.13 million while imports was
only $173,683.
The two countries also signed an agreement on cultural
cooperation. This is considered important because about 14.2
percent of Suriname's population of 425,000 people are Surinamese
of Javanese descent.
The Javanese immigrants were brought to the country early this
century by the Dutch, who colonized both Indonesia and Suriname.
Wijdenbosch and his entourage arrived here Tuesday for a four-
day official visit. His entourage includes Minister of Natural
Resources Liakat Errol Alibux and Minister of Agriculture,
Husbandry and Fisheries Saimin Redjosentono.
"We will also encourage our private companies to open palm oil
plantations there," Moerdiono said.
This morning Wijdenbosch will visit Borobudur and Prambanan
temples in Yogyakarta before leaving for Bali in the afternoon.
He will return to Suriname tomorrow on a commercial flight.
(prb)