Indonesia morning news for August 15

Indonesia morning news for August 15
Advertisement
Online English lessons

Indonesia morning newsWill $1.6b Hydroelectric Plant in South Tapanuli Endanger World’s Rarest Great Ape?
The development of a $1.6 billion hydroelectric project in North Sumatra could potentially threaten the survival of the world’s rarest great ape, a global activist group said on Monday (13/08).
— Jakarta Globe

UAE, Indonesia target $5.5bn trade boost after halal deal
The UAE and Indonesia are targeting a significant increase in bilateral trade to $5.5 billion after signing an agreement to harmonise standards for halal products.
— Arabian Business

Indonesia mulls dollar bonds as Turkey crisis deepens rout
As a sell-off in Indonesian rupiah debt persists, the government is weighing a global dollar bond offering as an option to bridge the nation’s budget deficit, according to a finance ministry official.
— The Star Online

Indonesia slaps tariffs on consumer goods as rupiah slides
Indonesia’s finance minister said on Tuesday the government was prepared to take “strict corrective” measures to control swelling imports as policymakers scrambled to contain a slide in the rupiah currency.
— Bangkok Post

Indonesia suffers double-digit decline in foreign investment
Foreign direct investment in Indonesia shrank 12.9% on the year in the April-June quarter as companies wary of policy shifts ahead of the April 2019 presidential election stayed on the sidelines.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Govt to reduce imports without disrupting growth
The Indonesian government is considering reducing the import of several types of raw materials and consumer goods to control the current account deficit without disrupting the economic growth.
— Antara News

Tax revenues reach 48.26 percent of 2018 target in seven months
The Finance Ministry said tax revenues in the first seven months of this year reached Rp687.17 trillion or 48.26 percent of the target of Rp1,424 trillion in 2018.
— Antara News

South Korean Bank Joins Govt`s Mortgage Subsidy Program
The Public Works and Public Housing Ministry signed an Operating Cooperation Agreement (PKO) with South Korea-based Bank Hana Indonesia or Hana Bank.
— Tempo.co

Indonesia’s Presidential Elections Could Set Jakarta Back
Last week, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, the vice governor of Jakarta, was officially chosen as the running mate for Prabowo Subianto, one of the candidates in the 2019 presidential election.
— The Diplomat

Air pollution in Jakarta, an invisible health threat
Looking back, two or three decades ago when the number of motorized vehicles in Jakarta was relatively small, the air that Jakartans breathed might have been okay and healthy.
— The Jakarta Post

Malindo Air’s new route to connect Malaysia with Lake Toba
Malaysian-based airline Malindo Air is set to open its latest route from Subang Skypark International Airport in Selangor, Malaysia, to Silangit International Airport in North Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on Aug. 17.
— The Jakarta Post

Why did Jokowi pick cleric Ma’ruf Amin?
After several weeks of speculation, on 9 August, Indonesian President Joko Widodo finally announced 75-year-old Ma’ruf Amin as his running mate in the upcoming presidential elections.
— The Asean Post

Economic nationalism eclipses Islam as key Indonesian election issue
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has given food for thought for those observers focused on the risk that the Muslim-majority country hitherto proud of its largely secular democracy is becoming more Islamist.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Indonesia woman irked by mosque noise on trial for blasphemy
Indonesian prosecutors have sought an 18-month prison term for a woman who was charged with blasphemy after she complained about the volume of a mosque’s loudspeakers.
— Bangkok Post

‘Land swap’ plan endangers Indonesia’s rainforest
A proposal by the Indonesian government intended to prevent wildfires has been criticized by local environmental groups.
— Deutsche Welle

Golden Agri falls into Q2 loss of US$39m amid soft palm oil prices
GOLDEN Agri-Resources fell into a net loss of US$39.02 million for the second quarter from a year-ago profit of US$21.88 million amid softer prices and foreign exchange losses, the Indonesia-based palm oil producer announced on Tuesday before the market opened.
— The Business Times

Indonesia gives Chevron 3 months to submit IDD proposal
The government has given US oil giant Chevron Corporation three months to complete its proposal on the Indonesian Deepwater Development (IDD) project, one of the biggest gas projects in the country, an official has said.
— The Jakarta Post

More Southeast Asian Voices Emerge in Second Docs by the Sea
Workshop and pitching forum for South East Asia-based documentary filmmakers, Docs by the Sea, returned to Bali last week.
— Jakarta Globe

Nippon Steel to boost output of automotive flat sheets in Indonesia
Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. will step up local production of automotive flat steel products in Indonesia to meet growing demand from Southeast Asia’s largest auto market.
— The Japan Times

How South Korean investors help crank Indonesia ‘ease of doing business’
Indonesia may have significantly moved up the ranking of the World Bank’s Ease Of Doing Business Index these last few years under President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, but he wants more.
— The Jakarta Post

Jokowi’s challenger trails in social media
Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s lone challenger in next year’s election, Prabowo Subianto, has a long way to go to catch up with the incumbent’s social media popularity as the candidates seek to seize early campaign momentum.
— The Asean Post

Indonesia promises haze-free Asian Games
The government is determined to carry out all necessary measures to prevent forest and land fires from spreading on the island of Sumatra, as the Asia Games are set to kick off on Aug. 18 in Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra, at the peak of the dry season.
— The Jakarta Post/ Inquirer.net

Indonesia to require oil contractors to sell crude output to Pertamina -energy ministry
The Indonesian government will require all oil contractors in the country to sell their crude output to state energy company PT Pertamina, energy ministry spokesman Agung Pribadi said on Tuesday.
— Reuters

100,000 Police And Soldiers To Provide Security For The 2018 Asian Games
Indonesia is deploying 100,000 police and soldiers to provide security for the 2018 Asian Games, the biggest event ever held in its terror attack-prone capital Jakarta, parts of which have been dramatically spruced up as the city readies to welcome tens of thousands of athletes and visitors.
— Indonesia Expat

Indigenous people: The struggle for home
When the then Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhyono, was presented with two maps of the country’s primary forests by different government agencies at a cabinet meeting in December 2010 on ongoing REDD+ work, it became clear that the spatial data presented was conflicting.
— The Asean Post

KPU declares all candidates fit to run for election
The General Election Commission (KPU) declared here on Tuesday that all presidential and vice presidential candidates were fit to run for the election scheduled in April next year.
— Antara News

President Jokowi Wants Indonesia Forex Reserves to be Strengthened
After returning from visiting Lombok Islands, Indonesia President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo has led a follow up meeting on policy strategies to strengthen foreign exchange (forex) reserves at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Tuesday (08/14).
— Netral News

BKPM Admits Difficulties in Achieving Year-end Investment Target
The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) admits that it is quite difficult to attain this year`s investment target of Rp765 trillion.
— Tempo.co

Indonesia’s tough love won’t crisis-proof rupiah
JUST how worried are emerging markets about the dollar? We’ll find out in Jakarta on Wednesday.
— The Business Times

Coming, ready or not: Thousands pour into Indonesia for Asian Games
Thousands of athletes are flying in as Indonesia makes final preparations to host the Asian Games — the world’s second biggest multi-sports event, taking place against a backdrop of terrorism fears, environmental concerns and logistical headaches.
— Japan Today

Compounding Trauma: Indonesia’s Abortion Law
In July 2018, the news broke that a 15-year-old Indonesian teenager in Jambi, Sumatra had been sentenced to six months in prison.
— The Diplomat

Avanti Communications banks $20m payment from Indonesia government
Avanti Communications Group confirmed that it had received the full $20.1m outstanding payment from Indonesia, related a positive ruling in the London Court of Arbitration.
— Shares

LRT Palembang Accommodates Over 100,000 Passengers in 3 Weeks
Light Rail Transit (LRT) Palembang had accommodated 100,938 passengers within the past 22 days. Aida Suryanti, the spokesperson of Palembang Regional Division III at the state-owned railway company PT KAI, said the number of passengers increased during the weekend.
— Tempo.co

New VAT refund rule expected to take effect during Asian Games
The Finance Ministry is accelerating the ongoing revision of the value-added tax (VA) refund for tourists to gain benefit from the visit of foreign athletes, officials and spectators of the Asian Games 2018, which will take place from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2 in Jakarta and Palembang.
— The Jakarta Post

 

Feature photo David Stanley

 

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Indonesia morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Indonesia news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities and is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

 

The following two tabs change content below.

Stella-maris Ewudolu

Journalist at AEC News Today

Stella-maris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Education from Ebonyi State University, Nigeria in 2005.

Between November 2010 and February 2012 she was a staff writer at Daylight Online, Nigeria writing on health, fashion, and relationships. From 2010 – 2017 she worked as a freelance screen writer for ‘Nollywood’, Nigeria.

She joined AEC News Today in December 2016.

Support independent media by sharing using these tools. Do not steal our content

Make a comment

Your email address will not be published.