Indonesia Morning News For October 25

Banned! Indonesia acts against condensed milk marketing
Indonesia’s food safety watchdog has laid down a stern warning about the health risks of sweetened condensed milk and banned advertising that suggests the product is actual milk, or uses pictures of young children.
— AEC News Today

Ease of doing business deregulation increases investment
The Ministry of Agriculture states that the ease of doing business deregulation has increased investment in the agricultural sector by 14.2 percent in 2017.
— Antara News

BI: Jakarta Contributes to 17 Percent of Indonesia`s Economy
Bank Indonesia`s office head in Jakarta, Trisno Nugroho, said the capital city made a significant contribution to the national economy.
— Tempo.co

Some 5.2 million people have no access to electricity: Minister
Some 5.2 million Indonesians, or two percent of the country`s population, have no access to electricity, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan stated.
— Antara News

Indonesia’s Most Valuable Brands Outpace GDP with Stellar 13% Growth in BrandZ™ Top 50 Most Valuable Indonesian Brands 2018
Indonesia’s most valuable brands are growing at more than double the rate of GDP, up 13% compared to 5.2% for the overall economy, according to the BrandZ™ Top 50 Most Valuable Indonesian Brands 2018, announced today by WPP and Kantar Millward Brown.
— PR Newswire (media release)

Creative industries contribute Rp 1.12 quadrillion to GDP, says Bekraf
Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) head Triawan Munaf has said that the creative industry sector contributed Rp 1.12 quadrillion (US$73.74 billion) to gross domestic product (GDP) this year.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia, Japan agree on 79 billion yen loan for MRT
The Governments of Indonesia and Japan have agreed on a 70.210 billion yen (Rp10 trillion) loan to finance the construction of the track of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) in the second phase.
— Antara News

FACEBOOK LAUNCHES SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMES IN INDONESIA
TO SUPPORT the local developer community’s growth in Indonesia, Facebook launched two scholarship programmes for its Developer Circles (DevC) community.
— Digital News Asia

Abdominal obesity common among women in rural Indonesia
Abdominal obesity is seven times more common among women than among men in Indonesia’s rural area.
— EurekAlert (media release)

BPS announces new rice data with 2.85m ton surplus
Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Wednesday a new projection on rice production, which was based on new methodology jointly developed by several institutions in trying to provide more accurate rice data in the country.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia’s motorbike sales up 2 pct y/y in Sept – Association
The annual growth of Indonesia’s motorcycle sales
decelerated slightly to 2 percent in September from 2.4 percent in August, an industry association said, citing its own data combined with the government’s.
— Reuters

Korea Aerospace donates $100,000 to Indonesia
Korea Aerospace Industries said Wednesday the company will make a donation of $100,000 for the restoration of damages in Indonesia, which suffered enormously from a heavy earthquake that occurred in the area of Sulawesi Island and the resultant tsunami.
— The Korea Herald/ The Jakarta Post

Energy Minister Jonan Claims Electrification Ratio Reaches 98 Percent as of Q3 2018
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said until the third quarter of 2018 the national electrification ratio had reached 98 percent. This figure exceeds the target set in the medium-term development plan (RPJM) document.
— Netral English

Riverbank fails, shops collapse after rain in North Jakarta
The rainy season that has just begun had caused a riverbank to collapse on Tuesday in Pejagalan, North Jakarta.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia ranks 7th on Lonely Planet’s list of the best countries to visit in 2019
It’s fair to say that, for most people outside of Southeast Asia, Indonesia is known for little more than Bali and news stories about terrorism or natural disasters. But in-the-know travelers can tell you that Indonesia is home to plenty of hidden gems and breathtakingly beautiful destinations beyond Bali’s shores.
— Coconuts Indonesia (paywall)

Commentary: Financial risks could detail Indonesia’s growth
Asia has the potential to continue to be one of the main contributors to global growth. But this does not mean that the road ahead will be easy.
— Channel NewsAsia

Indonesians Slam LGBT Comments by Top Malaysian Politician
Indonesian officials on Wednesday debunked a Malaysian opposition leader’s claim that last month’s ferocious earthquake and tsunami on Sulawesi island were God’s way of punishing gay people, while the mayor of a devastated town slammed him for lacking common sense.
— Benar News

WeChat Pay and Alipay to enter Indonesia via BNI
Two Chinese mobile payment apps Alipay and WeChat Pay reportedly will enter the Indonesian market.
— Yahoo News

Jokowi launches 33rd Trade Expo Indonesia
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Wednesday launched the 33rd Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition in Tangerang, Banten, on Wednesday.
— The Jakarta Post

Jokowi Tells Businesses to Seek Profit from Trade War
President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo asked Indonesian businesses to make use of the trade tension between the US and China.
— Tempo.co

KPAI Discloses Unidentifiable Children Exploitation Modes from Mail Order Brides to Trafficking
The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) reveals a row of modes of exploitation of children that are difficult to identify, including mail order brides, child prostitution, babies buying and selling and trafficking.
— Netral English

First State Investments Utilizes Bloomberg Buy-Side Platform
Bloomberg announces First State Investments Indonesia (FSII), the investment manager of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia group, to use a buy-side platform from Bloomberg to improve efficiency and optimize operational workflows along with the company’s investment growth.
— Netral English

Developing Indonesia’s Financial Market
Thomas Lembong, chairman of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, shares his insight into Indonesia’s financial markets at the Bloomberg Modern Markets summit on Oct. 11 in Bali, Indonesia.
— Bloomberg (video)

Freeport CEO says copper supply gap to widen amid U.S.-China trade tensions
Freeport McMoRan (FCX -8.6%) sinks to a 52-week low, a victim of the U.S.-China trade tensions which are prompting FCX and other mining companies to defer investments in new projects, and “that will add to this impending supply gap situation for the industry,” according to CEO Richard Adkerson.
— Seeking Alpha

Indonesia expects nine new sugar mills in 2020 -official
Indonesia expects nine new sugar mills to start operation in 2020, Agriculture Minister official Syukur Iwantoro told reporters on Wednesday.
— Reuters

OYO launches in Indonesia, will invest $100 million and reach 35 cities
Indian hospitality startup OYO has launched in Indonesia, starting with 30 properties operated under lease or franchise agreements in three cities.
— PhocusWire

Go-Jek said to have invested in Indonesian films to expand into online content
Indonesian ride-hailing giant Go-Jek has invested in multiple Indonesian films as part of its ambitious foray into the content and film business, this portal has learnt.
— Deal Street Asia (paywall)

Poroshenko signs decree on humanitarian aid to Indonesia
President Petro Poroshenko has ordered the Cabinet of Ministers to organize and send humanitarian aid to those suffered from the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, the president’s press service reports.
— Ukrinform

China to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia, Malaysia
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Presidential Special Envoy and Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs, and Anwar Ibrahim, former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, separately on Wednesday in Beijing.
— CGTN (media release)

Yogyakarta designated as Asean city of culture
ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts (AMCA) have designated Yogyakarta as ASEAN City of Culture at the 8th AMCA meeting in Yogyakarta on Wednesday.
— Antara News

Indonesia, Germany agree to develop vocational partnership cooperation
The Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the German Trier Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK Trier) on a vocational education partnership program to improve the capacity of human resources as part of an economic equality policy.
— Antara News

Bintaro residents advised to wear face masks to protect against smoke
Bintaro subdistrict head Dimas Prayudi has asked residents of neighborhood unit (RT) 10, community unit (RW) 02 in Bintaro, Pesanggarahan, South Jakarta, to wear face masks to protect them from odorous white smoke coming out of a nearby mound.
— The Jakarta Post

40 writers attend Banda fiesta literary festival
At least 40 writers and poets from five allied countries as members of the Serumpun State Cultural Literature (PSBNS) attended a Banda Fiesta literary festival here on Wednesday.
— Antara News

Trans-Java toll road to connect Merak in Banten to Surabaya
Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono has expressed confidence that the trans-Java toll road will connect Merak Port in Banten to Surabaya in East Java by year-end as a number of the toll road sectors will soon be operational.
— The Jakarta Post

2 underage suspects in murder of Persija fan ask to be sent to religious school instead of prison
Two suspects in the fatal beating of Persija Jakarta fan Haringga Sirla in Bandung last month are currently on trial for murder. The suspects, who are still underage, are seeking dispensation from the maximum punishment for the…
— Coconuts Indonesia (paywall)

After drug suspect dies in custody, angry mob burns down police station in Aceh (VIDEO)
Yes, people in Aceh — the province where they publicly cane people for adultery — were so upset over alleged police brutality towards a suspected drug dealer that they burned down a police…
— Coconuts Indonesia (paywall)

Street vendors: When love, hate collide
Jakartans have long had a love-hate relationship with street vendors, who encroach on sidewalks and streets but at the same time, provide delicious and affordable meals.
— The Jakarta Post

Two Malaysian drug smugglers arrested in Surabaya
The Indonesian police have arrested two Malaysian citizens for allegedly smuggling 1.05 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine into Indonesia, East Java Provincial Police Chief Inspector General Luki Hermawan said here on …
— Antara News

Feature photo United Nations Peacekeeping

This week’s Indonesia morning news feature photo acknowledges United Nations Day, October 24.

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.

Indonesia morning news for October 25 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on October 25, 2018
View all posts by Stella-maris Ewudolu →

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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.