Tommy leads Indonesian businessmen into Myanmar

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)