Tommy leads Indonesian businessmen into Myanmar
JAKARTA (JP): Hutomo Mandala Putra, chairman of the widely- diversified Humpuss Group, has been appointed the chief of Indonesia House, a business service agency in charge of coordinating private investment and trade with Myanmar, a minister says.
"Hutomo (more well-known as Tommy) has already opened a business office in Myanmar and he is therefore in a better position to help arrange Indonesian business interests in that country, " Coordinating Minister for Industry and Trade Hartarto told reporters after meeting with President Soeharto yesterday.
Hartarto, Minister of Transport Haryanto Dhanutirto and Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave led a 30-member business mission to explore business opportunities in Myanmar last month.
One subsidiary of Humpuss, PT Rante Mario, an integrated timber firm, has been operating in Myanmar for eight months.
He said other executives of Indonesia House include Minister Ave and Minister Dhanutirto as the advisers and several young businessmen such as Peter Sondakh, Rayan Wijaya, Rudi Antara, Ponco Sutowo and Dali Sofari.
According to Hartarto, the Myanmarese government responded positively to his mission and welcomed Indonesia's intention to develop business ties.
"In fact, the Myanmarese government has appointed its chief development planner as the counterpart for Indonesia House," Hartarto added.
Myanmar, he said, offers various business opportunities in trade, forestry, mining, fishery and agriculture, tourism, transportation and telecommunications.
"Indonesian businessmen and the government will cooperate in providing Myanmar with training in pilot and hotel management," he said.
Haryanto said earlier this month that Sempati Air, one of the country's six airlines, will serve Myanmar later this year.
He said that Myanmar's airline will serve Indonesia starting in June, while Sempati can start serving that country whenever its management feels ready.
Sempati, one of the Humpuss Group subsidiaries, currently serves both domestic and international flights including Taiwan, Australia and Singapore.
Haryanto added that Myanmar was interested in buying two Merpati Fokker-27s and studying airport construction and management in Indonesia.
Growth Triangle
At the meeting with the President yesterday, Hartarto also reported on the progress of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT).
He said that the third ministerial meeting on IMT-GT in Medan on June 2 concluded a private sector trade and investment cooperation agreement covering 11 areas of business.
He said that the meeting also agreed to promote air and sea transportation services linking the IMT-GT areas.
"Mandala, Sempati and Bouraq (Indonesian private airlines) have been asked to open services linking Polonia in Medan, Blang Bintang in Aceh and Hatyai in Thailand and Penang, Malaysia," he said.
"In sea transportation, the three countries also agreed to establish ferry services linking Belawan in Medan, Lhokseumawe in Aceh, Hatyai and Penang to promote trade and investment," he said.
The growth triangle concept links northwestern Malaysia's Penang and Kedah, the southern Thai provinces, and North Sumatra and Aceh in Indonesia. (icn)