Relentless Promotions to Lure Foreign Investors

Indonesia, the world's 4th most populous nation, is Southeast Asia's largest economy. No doubt, its large domestic market is highly attractive, especially to foreign investors.

President Joko Widodo when visiting Digital Media City in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo source: Cabinet Secretary website/Anggun)

Jakarta, GIVnews.com – The ongoing economic reforms introduced under the current leadership of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo is boosting the image of Indonesia as one of the world's most attractive investment destinations. Indonesia's current economic policies are viewed as being on a firmer footing.

Of late, the country is on the list of the top 10 most attractive countries for foreign investments. The other countries are China, the US, India, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Thailand, the UK and Japan.

With such encouraging pictures, President Jokowi and his ministers are moving ahead with their relentless efforts to lure foreign investors to come to Indonesia.

During his three-day visit to South Korea, which ended on Wednesday (18/5), not only that the President addressed a business forum attended by 100 South Korean and Indonesians businessmen, he also visited several major firms in the 'creative economy' sector. He told reporters that Indonesia needs to form partnerships with Korean companies to develop its creative economy as soon as possible, thejakartapost.com reported.

South Korea is Indonesia's strategic trading partner while more than 2,200 South Korean firms now have investments in Indonesia.

Another example of the government's seriousness was the visit to Hong Kong conducted by the Investment Coordinating Board (BKM) Head Franky Sibarani.

On Tuesday (17/5), while in Hong Kong, Franky Sibarani held a working dinner at the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong in cooperation with the consulate general and UOB Bank.

In the meeting which was attended by Hong Kong's top business executives, Franky Sibarani made presentation about Indonesia's infrastructure projects until 2019. They included the building of 15 new airports, 163 new seaports, 35,000 MW power generation, 2,024 railways and 621 miles of toll roads. He also explained about the government's ongoing economic reforms to cut red tape in obtaining business permits, according to a report by Detik.com.

In response, four Hong Kong investors told Franky Sibarani that they have interest in expanding their businesses to Indonesia. They include producers of machines for manufacturing, textile, property and infrastructure projects.

Others in the Hong Kong meeting showed their interest in the agricultural, maritime and tourism sectors.

Last September, in his talks with visiting Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive CY Leung, President Jokowi requested the latter to boost their investments in Indonesia.

BKPM will take follow up measures to push Hong Kong investors to materialize their plans.

Source: Relentless Promotions to Lure Foreign Investors

Indonesia uneasy over ‘anti-communism’ policing by military

JAKARTA, 19 May 2016: 

Indonesia's military elite are openly stoking public anxiety about communism, gays and other 'foreign influences', a drive critics say is aimed at seizing a greater role in civilian affairs of the world's third-largest democracy.

However, the military's crackdown on suspected communist activity and ambitions to create a massive civilian defence force are beginning to create unease within president Joko Widodo's administration.

Widodo last week publicly rebuked the military after it detained a handful of Indonesians suspected of spreading communist ideology, the first public resistance by the president to the military's growing influence in everyday life.

"The president has firmly and clearly told the military and police chiefs to bring their forces to order," cabinet secretary and presidential aide Pramono Anung told reporters.

Under Widodo, the military has joined the nation's fight against drugs, terrorism and corruption, areas previously reserved for the police.

But a line was crossed this month when soldiers briefly detained two student activists in eastern Indonesia for wearing red T-shirts emblazoned with a picture of a hammer and sickle inside a coffee cup.

It was the latest in a string of military and police raids against suspected left-wing radicals.

"The reason the local military command gave (for the detentions) was that the men were spreading communism through T-shirts," said Abdon Nababan, head of the organisation to which the two activists in North Maluku province belong.

"We protested because military soldiers cannot arrest, interrogate and confiscate property of civilians."

A local military spokesman declined to comment on the detentions.

Security forces have also recently begun seizing leftist books from citizens in an apparent attempt to prevent a feared revival of communism.

Armed forces spokesman Tatang Sulaiman said the military is working within the law.

"If we find groups spreading communist ideology…or materials that can influence the thinking of the public, then we will act according to the law. Our role is to help the police."

The crackdown has coincided with Widodo's order for an investigation into an anti-communist purge of 1965, a move that irked some within the military elite.

Historians say at least a half-million people were killed in violence that began in October 1965, after suspected communists killed six generals in an attempted coup against then president Sukarno.

Successive governments have refused to apologise or accept that death toll.

Indonesia back then had the largest non-ruling communist party in the world, and it was supported by China.

Under the authoritarian Suharto who took over from Sukarno, the party was dissolved and all leftist materials and symbols – even Chinese characters on signs and in the media – were banned.

Critics heard echoes of that era in the central Javanese city of Yogyakarta, where an anti-communist group that included children of military and police officials recently prevented the screening of a workers' rights movie deemed too left-leaning.

"The event was not at all about communism. It was a film about workers," said Suarjono, an organizer of the screening.

For the military, memories of 1965 are still raw.

"Who was it that rioted and killed military generals at the time? It was the PKI (the communist party)," defence minister Ryamizard Ryacudu told Reuters in an interview. "Don't look for justification. I don't like that."

"We tried to eradicate them (communists) in the past so it's possible they want to get revenge," Ryacudu said.

"Definitely, there is a connection with 1965," he said when asked about the recent increase in suspected communist activity.

Ryacudu said the military hoped to establish nearly 900 training centres this year for a civilian defence corps known as "Bela Negara" (defend the country).

Its mission is to defend against "proxy wars" waged by communists, gays, religious militants and other "foreign influences", who want to divide the country and degrade its moral and nationalist values, the military says.

The training centres will teach millions of students, doctors, civil servants and others survival skills, first aid, and Indonesian history – but no weapons training.

"Bela Negara is a direct response to the threats we face from proxy wars," said Hartin Asri, a military officer in charge of the programme.

The Indonesian military has a history of being involved in civilian affairs dating back to independence from the Dutch in 1947.

Under a doctrine known as dwifungsi (dual function), the military was granted power over civil and political affairs to promote nationalism and development.

The doctrine was largely jettisoned after Suharto fell from power in 1998, but it still has adherents in the military.

"There are efforts within the senior ranks of the military to create this sense of paranoia that suggest that Indonesian nationalism needs to be re-ignited," said Sidney Jones, a Jakarta-based security expert.

"The military genuinely believes it has the solution to getting Indonesia back on track."

Source: Indonesia uneasy over 'anti-communism' policing by military

REC Solar Panels Used In Floating Solar Demonstration

The REC Peak Energy solar panels installed on many rooftops in Australia are so tough they can also be used in floating solar farm applications.

Floating solar farms are becoming increasingly popular around the world. In addition to preserving land, floating solar panel arrays help to reduce the growth of algae in dams and minimise evaporation rates.

Indonesia is a new and emerging solar market and while it has plenty of rooftops, land suitable for larger scale solar installations is at a premium.

REC and installation partner PT Kas Green Energy have installed a small floating solar installation pilot project at the Electricity & Renewable Energy Museum (Museum Listrik dan Energi Baru – MLEB) in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta.

The panels have been mounted on Hydrelio pontoons. The lightweight, UV-resistant floats are easy to deploy, dismantle and are 100% recyclable. Constructed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), Hydrelio pontoons can used on drinking water reservoirs.

The 5 kilowatt installation features 20 REC Peak Energy Series panels, which are expected to generate 6.7 MWh of electricity annually and avoid an equivalent of 5.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

"Stringent tests have confirmed REC's Peak Energy solar panels to be suitable for deployment at floating solar installations. The high standards of reliability, performance and quality are consistent with the rooftop and ground-mounted installations," said Torgeir Ulset, REC's Vice President for Sales and Marketing in Asia-Pacific.

" With a reliable power output and high quality standards, adopters of floating solar installations can be assured of the long-term performance of their REC solar panels. Therefore, REC extended its product and performance guarantee to floating applications."

REC says its Peak Energy Series panels can be used in many freshwater applications; including water treatment facilities and chemical plants, irrigation storage ponds, dam reservoirs and aquaculture installations.

REC solar panels have been a popular choice for Australian residential and commercial solar installations since Energy Matters introduced the modules to the local market in 2010. The high-efficiency modules feature in Energy Matters' Platinum range of solar power systems for domestic applications.

Source: REC Solar Panels Used In Floating Solar Demonstration

Indonesia to probe Lion Air, Indonesia AirAsia ground handling ops

JAKARTA - Indonesia's transportation ministry on Wednesday said it plans to suspend the in-house ground handling operations of budget carriers Lion Air and Indonesia AirAsia at two of the country's biggest airports while it investigates possible handling errors.

Ministry spokesman Hemi Pamuraharjo at a briefing said the airlines have until Tuesday to hire other handling services before its investigation begins. He said, without elaborating, that the possible errors involved passenger handling.

The suspension will apply to Lion Air at Jakarta's main airport and to AirAsia in the resort island of Bali, he said, declining to disclose the duration of the investigation.

Lion Air is Indonesia's biggest budget carrier, while Indonesia AirAsia is an affiliate of Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd, Asia's biggest low-cost carrier.

Local media reported this week that Lion Air and Indonesia AirAsia allowed passengers on two international flights to disembark at domestic terminals, and that airport security officials had to redirect the passengers for immigration checks.

Flight numbers the ministry identified as involving possible passenger handling errors matched those in the media reports.

Lion Air declined to comment on the reports when contacted by Reuters. In a statement on Wednesday, Director Edward Sirait said the airline would continue to operate normally. "We urge our passengers not to worry about this decision because all of our operations are running norm ally," he said.

Indonesia AirAsia was not immediately available for comment.

Source: Indonesia to probe Lion Air, Indonesia AirAsia ground handling ops

JACK StudyAbroad Has Record Growth, Helps More Students Study Overseas

SINGAPORE, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- What began as student recruitment into Singapore's education system in 2005 has grown into an agency that employ's the second largest team in the country with the sole purpose of matching students to their dream universities in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368542

JACK StudyAbroad Has Record Growth, Helps More Students Study Overseas

JACK StudyAbroad has built its success steadily, and its extraordinary achievements over the last six years have enabled the agency to announce that it is opening branch offices in Hanoi, Vietnam and Jakarta, Indonesia. With its dedicated team, it is no wonder why JACK StudyAbroad is the fastest growing agency in Singapore.

With its expansion and the guidance it offers students and their parents, it's been said that JACK StudyAbroad is the "new star" in Southeast Asia. It's free services have given students the ability to study in Singapore and then continue their higher education overseas, which provides them with the opportunity to earn degrees that will secure them a solid future within their desired career.

Alongside providing expert guidance in overseas education, the agency also organizes helpful seminars for students and their parents. One such event took place on 7 May 2016, and gave over 200 students and parents the tools they needed to, as the seminar was titled, 'Succeed in UK/Australia Medical School Application at the First Attempt'.

Guest Speaker Dr. Christopher Nordstrom, MBBS BSc (hons) MRCP PgCERT FHEA and an expert in medical school admissions practises, provided comprehensive advice on the application process alongside techniques for scoring higher on aptitude tests and alternatives into medicine should the student still be unable to make the grade.

Students who have heeded Nordstrom's advice have been accepted into some of the world's best medical schools, and parents benefit with a better understanding of the processes through which their children must go. The collaboration between JACK StudyAbroad and its partners has the students' best interests and education at heart.

Their dream is JACK StudyAbroad's dream, and it is no wonder why the agency has become one of the most established brand names in the region. Its dedication to helping students achieve their overseas higher education goals is what has placed and will keep this extraordinary education agency on the map.

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SOURCE JACK StudyAbroad

Related Links

http://www.studyabroad.sg

Source: JACK StudyAbroad Has Record Growth, Helps More Students Study Overseas