Trade and Investment News

Trade and Investment News,
Tuesday, 03 June 2008
Highlights
Politics
· Number of poor expected to fall after cash assistance policy
· General Election Commission says 51 parties clear electoral hurdle
Regions
· Mud from East Java mud volcano may be used to form new coastline
· Indonesia, US armies in tsunami training drill in West Sumatra
Economy
· International Monetary Fund maintains growth forecasts
· Goldman Sachs says Indonesia candidate for ‘BRIC’ status

Bali invites 12 foreign Ambassadors to watch Cultural Attractions
Bali`s provincial government has invited the ambassadors of 12 countries to watch cultural attractions before the opening of the 30th Bali Arts Festival on June 14. "The 12 ambassadors are from countries which will take part in our annual arts activity this year," the head of the Bali Provincial Cultural Office Nyoman Nikanaya said on Friday. He said the countries included the United States, Japan, Singapore, India, South Korea, Thailand, Britain and Malaysia.

Visitor Arrivals to Indonesia from January to April increased 12.71%
The number of International visitors through all gates from January to April 2008 amounted to 1,864,585 visitor arrivals or increased 12.71%, compared to the same period in 2007 amounted to 1,654,351 visitor arrivals. The Number of international visitors to Indonesia through all gates in April 2008 amounted to 459,129 visitors or increased 4,50 % compared to the same period of the year 2007 amounted to 439,365 visitor arrivals.

Trade and Investment News, 26 May 2008
Highlights
Politics
· The government raised fuel prices by an average 28.7%
· Police believe wanted terrorist Noordin M. Top may have fled from Indonesia

Regions
· Envoys from Asia, Africa meet with Papuan officials
· North Sumatra earthquake creates disruption

Economy
· Inflation tipped to hit 12% following fuel price rises
· Three-tier fuel price policy to be introduced

U.S. lifts travel warning imposed on Indonesia following terrorist attacks
Monday, 26 May 2008
The United States lifted a travel warning it had placed on Indonesia following several terrorist attacks, and said security has improved in the world's most populous Muslim nation. The last known suicide bombing was more than 2 1/2 years ago on Indonesia's Bali island. “The government ... has disrupted, arrested and prosecuted numerous terrorist elements,” U.S. Ambassador Cameron Hume said Sunday in announcing the decision to lift the warning, which was put in place after several bombs went off in the capital, Jakarta, in 2000.

U.S. lifts travel warning for Indonesia
The U.S. State Department has lifted its travel warning for Indonesia, the U.S. ambassador in Jakarta said on Sunday, reflecting improved security and paving the way for closer ties between the two countries. The Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiah, which wanted to create an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia, carried out a series of deadly bomb attacks in Indonesia between 2002 and 2005, dealing a severe blow to the country's tourism and trade.

Greenpeace encourages sustainable growth of palm oil industry
Greenpeace has called on crude palm oil producers to think of sustainable growth to prevent environmental damage. "We are not against industries, but they need to understand the need for the most appropriate management of the environment so that industries could continue operating safely, without harming the environment," Southeast Asia Greenpeace political advisor Arief Wicaksono told a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday. He added that the expand of land for the cultivation of oil palm should be temporarily stopped to enable the industries to continue operations safely.

Handprints displayed to support Borobudur preservation
Youth activists displayed more than 10,000 handprints at Borobudur in Magelang, Central Java, on Sunday, as part of a campaign to help preserve the temple. As many as 140 banners with the handprints were carried in a procession by the young activists around the temple ahead of Waisak Day (Buddha's Day of Enlightenment) on Tuesday. Indonesia World Heritage Youth Network (IndoWYN) coordinator Lenny Hidayat said the handprints were collected by 16 university students in Jakarta, Medan, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Bogor between May 5 and 15.

Trade and Investment News, 19 May 2008
Highlights Politics · The three convicted 2002 Bali bombers have launched yet another appeal · A total of 66 political parties have registered for the 2009 polls. Regions · Indonesia is to share bird flu samples with a new independent data base · Vice President tells religious leaders to stop spreading sectarian conflict. Economy · Indonesia to move to market prices for fuel · Economy moves forward 6.28% in first quarter.

Govt needs to issue transparency standards for oil and gas companies
The Indonesian International Transparency (TII) non-governmental organization (NG) and the Publish What You Pay coalition had urged the government to issue rulings and standards impelling oil and gas companies operating in Indonesia to carry out their business activities transparently. "The government needs to have the guts to tell the oil and gas companies to be more transparent, as many of them have been hiding behind the socalled secrecy clause," coordinator of the Publish What You Pay coalition Ridaya Laodengkowe said during the launching of a TII Report on Transparency of Oil and Gas Companies` Income 2008 in Jakarta on Tuesday.