VP tries out comforts of hybrid cars on show

Antara News, Friday, July 23, 2010 19:55 WIB | Science & Tech

Jakarta  (ANTARA News) - Vice President Boediono here Friday officially opened an Indonesia International Motor Show and during a tour of the exhibition tried out the comforts of some hybrid cars.

Flanked by Industry Minister MS Hidayat, Boediono was first attracted by a Toyota FT-EV II, He slipped into the driver`s seat and listened to explanations from a stand attendant.

Holding the steering wheel Boediono looked amazed by the comfort of the green car.

After enjoying the feel of the Toyota hybrid car, the vice president did the same with similar cars of the Honda and Daihatsu brands.

Boediono opened the 10-day exhibition and then toured several stands including that of Mercedes-Benz where SLS AMG, E-Class Cabriolet cars were on display, that of Nissan showing Juke and Micra cars and that of Ford exhibiting its newest product Fiesta and that of Chevrolet displaying Spark cars and a green Transformer robot.

Suzuki in the show came up with cars that were already being marketed in the country as as well as its newest edition, Alto, and R3, the MPV concept, shown for the first time in India early this year.

Daihatsu meanwhile presented e:S which was shown in Tokyo last year plus "World Premier", which is its latest concept of a cheap car for the Indonesian market.

Mitsubishi exhibited MPV Delica D5 and PX-MiEV, a plug-in hybrid concept car.

RI to host Asean disaster relief exercise in March 2011

Antara News, Friday, July 23, 2010 20:20 WIB

Jakarta  (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is to host an ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Disaster Relief Exercise in March 2011 in Manado, North Sulawesi.

The joint exercise co-chaired by Indonesia and Japan would aim to strengthen international cooperation and increase the capacity of related government officials to handle post-disaster situations.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa and his Japanese counterpart , Katsuya Okada, made the announcement in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Friday during the ARF`s Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting.

The idea to hold the exercise in Manado was raised since Indonesia was considered very experienced in handling post-disaster situations as it was prone to seismic upheavals due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arch of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Officials from 27 countries including the European Union were expected to participate in the exercise.

The main scenario to be used in the exercise would be an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale which struck Wori district, North Sulawesi, followed by a tsunami wave that caused many casualties and damage to the area.

The exercise would focus on coordination among officials at the disaster mitigation office, evacuation and identification of victims, logistics distribution, hospitalization system after the disaster and relocation program.

Some preparatory activities had already been started by related parties in Indonesia, namely the Foreign Affairs Ministry, National Disaster Mitigation Board (BNPB), Defense Ministry, National Defense Forces and the government of North Sulawesi.

During the 16th ARF Ministerial Meeting in Thailand last year, Indonesia announced its intention to host a disaster relief exercise.

RI students win international food technology competition in US

Antara News, Friday, July 23, 2010 02:24 WIB

New York (ANTARA News) - Indonesian students won in first, second and third places of an international food technology competition in Chicago, the US, in the 10th Institute of Food Techonologists (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo from July 17 to 20.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago said on Wednesday the students of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) under its Crantz team had been inaugurated as First Winner, and the Zuper T team the Second Winner, while the students of the the Brawijaya University of Malang through their Arrice team were the Third Winner.

The three Indonesian teams won the championship after passing the final stage selection in May 2010 for the international food technology competiTIon for the developing countries.

On that stage, they beat 30 other teams from Malaysia, South Africa, and Indonesia.

During the competition which took place at McCormick Place -- the biggest exhibition center in Chicago and the Midwest -- the Crantz team consisting of four IPB students comprised Saffiera Karleen, Margaret Octavia, Stefanus, and Agus Danang Wibowo, presented their scientific work on crantz cereal breakfast.

Crantz, is made of cassava, soybean and banana, contained high protein and enery.

The annual meeting and 10th IFT food exhibition was attended by 24,000 participant members and non-members from 75 countries and followed by more than 1000 pavilions.

The Institute of Food Technology (IFT) is an international non-profit organization on the development of food science and technology.

The biggest world food science and technology organization has 22,000 members throughout the world.

The 11th FT annual meeting will be held in June 2011 in New Orleans, the US.

The University of Indonesia, pictured here, has been ranked the third best college in Indonesia behind the Bandung Institute of Technology and Gadjah Mada University. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)

Related Article:

Four Indonesian Universities Make Asia's Top 100 List

Garuda orders six Airbus planes for US$1.15 billion

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 07/22/2010 11:12 AM

State-owned airline PT Garuda Indonesia placed an order with Airbus SAS at the Farnborough Air Show for six A330-200 wide-body jets in a deal valued at US$1.15 billion, the airline said in a statement Wednesday.

The planes are expected to arrive in Indonesia in the fourth quarter of 2012 and will supplement four A330-200 and six A330-300 Airbus planes currently used by Garuda.

The six aircraft will be equipped with the Trent 700 engine from Rolls-Royce and serve the airline’s routes in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Europe, said Garuda.

“Since we started operating the plane last year, the A330-200 has proven an excellent performer, particularly in terms of economic and operational efficiency,” said Garuda president and CEO Emirsyah Satar.

He added that the A330-200 would be the right choice for the airline’s medium-range routes.

Tom Enders, president and CEO of Airbus, said the company was pleased to revive a long-term relationship with Garuda. He added the A330 excelled in efficiency compared to other airlines in its class.

On Wednesday, the third day of the airshow, Airbus also booked an $1.49 billion order for seven A330-300 wide-body jets from Thai Airways International Pcl, Thailand’s biggest airline.

Boeing said it booked an order Wednesday for two 777 wide-body aircraft from Qatar Airways Ltd and for two 777-200LR wide-body aircraft from Air Australia.

Bloomberg reported Wednesday that Airbus and Boeing were almost tied for new orders and had racked up collective orders for 243 aircraft valued at more than $23 billion.

Boeing won 121 orders worth $11.6 billion as of Tuesday while Airbus has sales agreements for 122 jets valued at $11.7 billion, excluding 50 A320s ordered by Chile’s LAN Airlines and subject to confirmation.

Orders at this year’s event are more than three times the 78 announced at last year’s Paris Air- show, with which the Farnborough event alternates. The tally trails the 373 firm orders announced by Airbus and Boeing in 2008.

Construction of Taman Ria Senayan Awaits Amdal

Tempo Interactive, Tuesday, 20 July, 2010 | 23:17 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Another shopping center will soon be constructed in Senayan, Central Jakarta. The developer will reconstruct Taman Ria Senayan to become a shopping center.

“We are not sure yet what the developer will build. Certainly, we are waiting for the environmental impact analysis (Amdal),” said the Jakarta Building Management and Supervision Office head, Hari Sasongko, yesterday.

However, Hari would not mention the name of the developer. He said the developer has fulfilled the administration requirements, such as the land ownership certificate. However, the office has not granted the permission because it is still waiting for the Amdal. “The Amdal will determine whether to give the license or not. The policy, however, is not our concern,” he said.

HERU TRIYONO

Kupang Builds International Hotel

Tempo Interactive, Tuesday, 20 July, 2010 | 22:44 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Kupang:East Nusa Tenggara governor Frans Lebu Raya and the CEO of PT Dwi Pratama Sukses, Jusuf Sawurin, have signed an MoU on the construction of an international four-star hotel in Kupang.

The construction will be carried out by an international hotel network, Best Western, at Lasiana Beach in Kelapa Lima, Kupang City. The hotel will have 200 rooms, a ballroom, and an entertainment center.

Jusuf said the physical construction of the hotel will be done after his office has completed the architectural design. “The design will be finished within two months at the latest. Then we will immediately build the building,” he said.

Best Western selected Kupang because the capital city does not have a hotel with adequate facilities to hold regional events. “There are some three-star hotels here, but they are not internationally-rated,” he said.

Frans said the hotel can also hire local workers therefore it can reduce the number of unemployment in the area. “We will be promoted in 88 countries in Best Western’s network,” he said.

YOHANES SEO

Netherlands, Banten cooperate on educational program

The Jakarta Post, Banten | Tue, 07/20/2010 7:31 PM

Serang Raya University (Unsera) of Banten has begun cooperation with Programma Uietzending Manager (PUM) of the Netherlands on a management program.

“The joint program aims at developing enthusiasm of entrepreneurship among our students,” Unsera director of students Kamil Husain said Tuesday, adding that the program kicked off last month.

Kamil said he hoped the partnership could yield in five years, as quoted by Antara.

ADB Extends $35 Million for Sanitation Improvement in 2 Indonesian Cities

Jakarta Globe, July 20, 2010

Indonesia.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is extending a $35 million loan to help Indonesia rehabilitate and expand sanitation facilities in the cities of Medan and Yogyakarta.

Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province, and Yogyakarta, the capital of Yogyakarta province, have a combined population of around 4.5 million people.

The loan will be used to build around 280 communal sanitation facilities in poor areas in the two cities, as well as two wastewater treatment systems for low-cost housing development projects in Medan.

Sewerage systems will be rehabilitated and expanded with up to 28,000 additional household connections.

The Metropolitan Sanitation Management and Health Project will also provide support to mobilize community involvement in the planning, operation and maintenance of communal facilities, and will ensure women are strongly involved in the process.

“A gender action plan in the project design will ensure women fully participate in the decision-making process for the development of facilities, and that they benefit equally with men from improved communal services,” said Rudolf Frauendorfer in ADB’s Southeast Asia Department.

Sanitation services have steadily improved in Indonesia, but still lag behind many neighboring countries, with partial sewerage coverage only available in a small number of urban centers.

Since the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998, new sanitation investments have been postponed and existing treatment systems have deteriorated due to lack of repair and maintenance.

As a result, many of the poor living in informal settlements suffer high rates of diarrhea, skin diseases and other illnesses caused by polluted water and untreated waste.

“This project will sharply reduce pollution of surface and shallow groundwater in the two cities, resulting in improved health and quality of life particularly for women, children and the elderly who suffer the most from unclean environments,” Mr. Frauendorfer said.

The loan is structured to ensure that operating and maintenance spending on revenue-generating services can be fully funded from user tariff income by the middle of 2014, while remaining affordable to low-income communities.

Insufficient revenue for service providers and low user charges, which deter private investment in new facilities, have been a major impediment to the expansion of sanitation services.

To complement the loan, ADB will provide a $500,000 grant from its Technical Assistance Special Fund to strengthen the capacity and management capabilities of local governments, utilities and communities involved in providing or overseeing sanitation services.

Further technical assistance of $1 million in the form of a grant from the Government of Australia, will be administered by ADB.

The loan has a 25-year term, with a five-year grace period and an interest rate determined in accordance with ADB’s LIBOR-based lending facility.

The government of Indonesia will provide additional funding of $14.2 million, with regional governments committing $13.5 million, and provincial governments almost $500,000, for a total project of about $63.2 million.

The Ministry of Public Works is the executing agency for the project which is expected to be completed around December 2014.

S’pore firm to invest $500m in RI cacao industry

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 07/19/2010 10:33 AM

ADM Cocoa Pte Ltd, an intermediate cacao product manufacturer based in Singapore, plans to invest about US$500 million in the cacao processing industry in Indonesia, says a senior official.

“The company expects to process between 80,000 and 100,000 tons of cacao per year,” Deputy Agriculture Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi told The Jakarta Post on Sunday via text message.

He said ADM Cocoa had acquired land in South Sulawesi for a cacao plantation to supply cocoa beans for the company’s processing plants.

“It intends to develop a new factory or upgrade its existing plant. Talks are still under way,” he said.

“We estimate national production of cocoa beans at 750,000 tons this year,” Bayu said, adding that Indonesia exported 350,000 tons of cocoa each year.

Apart from cacao, he said, the ministry had also accelerated its campaign to promote other agricultural products, including coffee.

Accompanied by the Indonesian Coffee Exporters Association (AEKI) and representatives from 20 coffee producers, a ministry delegation led by Bayu recently toured China to promote Indonesian coffee, starting with a pitch at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China.

“Chinese consumers very much enjoy Indonesian coffee,” he said, adding they preferred coffee with exotic aromas such as Toraja and Mandailing coffees. He said Chinese consumers also loved the Indonesian coffee specialty Kopi Luwak.

The Luwak coffee stand is one of the more popular stands at the Indonesia pavilion at the six-month Expo that kicked off May 1.

It serves between 300 and 500 cups of coffee each day to visitors.

“This is proof that coffee drinking is becoming more popular among the traditionally tea-loving Chinese,” Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said last week.

The government has set a new target of 5 million visitors to the Indonesia pavilion, which it hopes to reach by the end Expo on Oct. 31, after the initial target of 3 million visitors was met last week.

Bayu said Indonesian coffee producers were targeting young Chinese consumers, an estimated market of 350 million people.

“Chinese demand accounts for about 17 percent of our total exports each year,” he said, adding that exports of Indonesian coffee to China could reach 50,000 tons annually.

Bayu added that a global coffee association had included four Indonesian blends in its list of the 10 best coffees in the world — Toraja, Gayo, Mandailing and East Java. (ebf)

DuPont set to double RI business in 5 years

Alfian, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 07/19/2010 10:25 AM

Global giant DuPont expects its sales and investment in Indonesia to at least double by 2015, citing positive progress in the local economy.

DuPont, an industrial materials producer, has been operating locally for 35 years and has invested more than US$100 million in Indonesia during that time.

The company estimates its sales in Indonesia will reach around US$200 million this year, DuPont Asia Pacific Limited president Carl J. Lukach said.

“My hope is to more than double our business [in Indonesia] within five years. More than double in terms of sales, employment and investment,” Lukach told The Jakarta Post during a recent interview.

He added that the company had set an optimistic target for its Indonesian operations, because of the positive outlook in the local economy.

“The government policy seems to be going well. I am very pleased to see the government’s focus on the removal of corruption from the system. This is a very important thing for DuPont in doing business,” Lukach said, adding that Indonesia was also ideal for DuPont to grow its business because it was nearly self-sufficient in terms of raw materials and energy, and less dependent on global economic factors, and also had a growing skillful labor force.

According to the company’s reports, DuPont’s sales in emerging markets grew by 80 percent over the past five years.

In 2008, DuPont booked $9 billion in sales in emerging markets, accounting for nearly one-third of its total sales for 2008, which totalled $30.5 billion. Because of the global crisis, DuPont sales in the emerging market dropped by 10 percent in 2009, but the company estimates its emerging market sales will rebound and reach approximately $13 billion by 2012.

About 40 percent of the $200 million in sales expected to come from Indonesia this year is projected to come from DuPont’s agriculture-related products.

PT DuPont Indonesia president director George Hadi Santoso said his company had a big opportunity to expand its agriculture business, citing the example of corn plantations. According to George, of the total corn plantation area in Indonesia, only one-third of it was using hybrid seed, while the remaining two-thirds were using traditional seed.

“Two-thirds of the area present us with an opportunity to convert from traditional seeds to hybrid seeds,” he said.

DuPont is often referred as the world’s third-largest chemical producer, but Lukach said the contribution of its chemical businesses to its total sales had decreased to between 15 and 20 percent.

In Indonesia, DuPont operates 11 of its 13 business lines. The company’s top-five businesses in Indonesia are Pioneer Hi-Breed (producing hybrid corn and rice seeds), crop protection products, packaging and industrial polymer, Titanium Dioxide and Protection Technology. DuPont runs four manufacturing facilities in Indonesia. Its crop protection products plant is in Sidoarjo and Pasuruan, its Hybrid Parent Corn Seed plant is in Malang, and its Powder Coating plant is in Cikarang.

Australia Announces Debt Conversion for Indonesia

Tempo Interactive, Thursday, 15 July, 2010 | 17:35 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Australia has unveiled conversion for AUS$75 million of its loan to Indonesian government into global health fund, during the visit of Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith today (15/7).

The conversion would translate into obligation by Indonesia to invest half of the loan into debt2health initiative, to fight the spread of AIDS, tuberculosis, and Malaria in Indonesia, which was signed by Australia, Indonesia, and debt2health. Indonesia has the third largest TB-infected population with more than 90,000 deaths every year.

Director General of Debt Management of the Finance Department Rahmat Waluyanto said in the occasion "We have supported the initiative from the beginning, (it) enables us to divert (payment) for debts to public health programs."

ISMA SAVITRI

RI chosen for EU study on free trade and jobs

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 07/13/2010 9:24 AM | National 

The ongoing project to assess the effects of trade on employment in Indonesia is expected to support new national trade and labor market policies, a labor official said Monday.

The Assessing and Addressing the Effects of Trade on Employment (ETE) program — a US$4.5 million European Union-funded project —  aims to analyze the effects of free trade on employment.

Indonesia was chosen as a research case because of its huge potential in the economically-active Southeast Asian region, said Ralf Peters, the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) chief technical adviser on ETE. 

Bangladesh, Benin, and Guatemala were also chosen for the study The ILO hopes that ETE, which started in 2009 and will run until 2013, will help policy makers and researchers reduce the negative effects of free trade on employment, he said.

“We will start from a theoretical basis, and we will be very practical in implementation later,” Peters said.

The ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA), which went into effect on Jan. 1, will be included in the project assessment, he added.

Peters said the ACFTA would “no doubt” destroy jobs in Indonesia. However, the agreement will also reduce the price of intermediate goods imported from China and give Indonesian companies opportunities to increase exports of other products produced with existing competitive advantages, he said.

The experience of East Java under the ACFTA is not yet clear,  Manpower and Transmigration Ministry analyst Indro Warsito said.

The province recorded an overall trade deficit between March and May and its trade balance with China showed deficits of $39.93 million, $49.31 million, and $102.67 million in the same period.

“It’s premature to say that the agreement negatively affects employment in the province,” he said, adding that the ministry was investigating how many workers had been laid off or furloughed due to the trade agreement.

Warsito said the ACFTA could have a positive impact on employment and that import substitutions could reverse the trend of unemployment and encourage more workers to enter the labor market.

Chris Manning of the Australian National University said people had to look at the effect of trade development at a national level instead of focusing on regional effects.

“Indonesia has great capacity, as it is selling many commodities to the Chinese market,” he said.

Shinta Wijaya of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) said the government should amend labor law to create more business and employment opportunities. She said existing law did not accommodate the rights of workers and employers.

Indonesian laborers are not ready for free trade, as the government still ignores or overlooks fundamental labor problems such as basic workers rights, Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union chairman Rekson Silaban said. (tsy)

Newmont sets aside $30 million for CSR

Antara News, Sunday, July 11, 2010 15:28 WIB

Kuta, Bali (ANTARA News) - PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (PTNNT),  local subsidiary of US mining giant Newmont, has allocated US$38 million in funds for corporate social responsibility (CSR) program this year.

The funds would be used to finance community development near mining sites and in the rest of West Nusa Tenggara province, Kasan Mulyono, the company`s public relations manager, said at a mining workshop here on Sunday.

Part of the funds would be used to develop a number of schools which would be part of Islamic Center in West Nusa Tenggara, renovate Jami At-Taqwa Mosque in Sumbawa and develop a referential hospital, he said.

"Through the various activities, the people can hopefully benefit much from the presence of PTNNT in West Nusa Tenggara," Kasan said.

He said since the company started operating in the province a few years ago it had contributed a lot to the economic sector by paying taxes and royalties and increasing its spending on locally-made goods.

In the 2000-2009 period, the company paid US$413 million in taxes and royalties, he said.

PTNNT Community Development Manager Wagimin Sastrahadi said the company planned to increase the number of local students receiving scholarships from the company this year.

The scholarships this year would target 1,540 students, he said.

Bumi Karsa to build hydro power plants

Antara News, Friday, July 9, 2010 19:50 WIB

Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Construction service company PT Bumi Karsa plans to build two micro hydro power plants in Gowa and Palopo districts, South Sulawesi, at a total cost of Rp68 billion this year.

The construction of the Gowa power plant with a capacity of 2 megawatts would cost an estimated Rp28.5 billion, Fajaruddin, the company`s director for western region, said here on Friday.

The power plant would make use of water from Tanggara River, he said.

He said the company would spend about Rp40 billion on constructing the Palopo power plant with a capacity of 4 megawatts. The power plant would take advantage of water from Kadundung River to generate electricity.

It would take one year to build the Gowa power plant and one and a half years to build the Palopo power plant, he said.

He said the company was expected to sell electrical power from the two power plants to state electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN).

He said the Gowa power plant would be able to meet power demand from 4,000 household customers, while the Palopo power plant would be able to supply electrical power to 5,500 household customers.

The company would start constructing the two hydro power plants shortly after it signed a cooperation contract with PT PLN, he said.

Cargill, WWF to assess palm oil suppliers in RI

Antara News, Friday, July 9, 2010 16:28 WIB

Jakarta  (ANTARA News) - Cargill is collaborating with the World Wildlife Fund-U.S. (WWF) to undertake an assessment of its palm oil suppliers in Indonesia as part of its continued commitment to sustainable palm oil production.

The assessment would help gauge current progress amongst Cargill`s suppliers to implement the principles and criteria established by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Cargill said in a press release issued from Minneapolis, the US.

"We are committed to helping lead efforts to move the palm oil industry towards more sustainable palm oil production," said Paul Conway, senior vice president at Cargill, in the released published on the company`s website.

"We already have responsible palm production policies on our own plantations and we want to play our part by working with the industry and the Indonesian government to encourage the adoption of sustainable production practices. WWF`s extensive experience will help us assess progress amongst our suppliers and will enable us to work with each supplier to implement the standards set out by the RSPO," he said.

The assessment will begin in August 2010 and the first phase will prioritize estates from Cargill`s key suppliers with the highest biodiversity concerns.

Cargill will release a summary of the overall findings and resulting action steps after the first stage of the assessment, which is expected to be complete in early 2011.

"This project is very important to WWF because it will help move the palm oil industry to higher levels of performance," said Jason Clay, senior vice president of markets at World Wildlife Fund.

Cargill has set a goal of buying 60 percent of its total crude palm oil from RSPO members by the end of 2010. It is encouraging its suppliers to join RSPO and to attain certification for all of their oil palm plantations.

Cargill`s oil palm plantation, PT. Hindoli in Sumatra, Indonesia has received the RSPO certification and smallholders at this plantation are scheduled in the next few months to be the first to be RSPO certified. It also is working towards getting RSPO certification for its other palm plantation, Harapan Sawit Lestari.

The company has its own policies in place for responsible palm production on its own plantations including commitments to not plant on high conservation value forests (HCVF); to not develop new plantations on deep peat land or land that would threaten biodiversity; and a strict no-burn policy for land preparation.

Government told to switch from coal to cleaner energy

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon | Fri, 07/09/2010 10:36 AM

International environment group Greenpeace has urged the Indonesian government to immediately stop using coal as an energy source for industry and power generation due to its detrimental impacts on the environment and people’s health and welfare.

Southeast Asia Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Arif Fiyanto said that coal also exacerbated the impacts of climate change.

“We have to push for the use of alternative energies, which are cleaner and renewable to replace coal and other fossil fuels,” Arif Fiyanto recently told The Jakarta Post in Cirebon, West Java.

Greenpeace was in Cirebon from July 3 to 5 as part of its activities to establish the Anti-coal Asian Community Network and campaigning for clean and renewable energy. The campaign was jointly supported by Cirebon’s Kanoman sultanate palace and a local environment group.

The police later dispersed the campaign and detained 15 of its activists, including 13 foreign nationals, for questioning before they were deported by the immigration office, which cited visa violations.

The activists come from China, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

Arif said that coal use should be immediately stopped to prevent huge losses in the future.

The biggest actual threat experienced by the Indonesian and international communities is climate change and global warming from the impacts of unclean energy use, such as coal. One negative impact on the socio-economic living of communities in East Kalimantan and Cirebon, West Java, is from excessive coal use and mining.

“There is proof that coal use has not contributed to people’s socio-economic standing. In East Kalimantan and Cirebon, people’s welfare has instead worsened since the presence of coal mines and coal power stations, as many people have lost their sources of livelihood,” said Arif.

“The government should instead immediately stop using coal and replace it with alternative cleaner energy sources.”

He said it would not be difficult for Indonesia to replace unclean energy sources.

“Potential energy sources, such as the sun, wind, waves and geothermal are abundant, but have not been exploited,” said Arif, adding that the clean energy sources could produce energy with economic value.

“Indonesia has the world’s biggest geothermal reserves, 40 percent of the global supply. Geothermal energy would have high economic value if it is exploited well,” Arif said. 

In order to switch to cleaner and renewable energy, he said the government needed strong political will.

Switzerland offers SBY contribution in corruption eradication

Antara News, Thursday, July 8, 2010 02:21 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The President of the Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard has offered a contribution of the Swiss government in corruption eradication in Indonesia.

"We have a long procedure but we are willing to contribute," President Leuthard said at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday after having a bilateral meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

He said his government can make suggestions on corruption eradication upon request.

"We would be able to apply new methods of corruption eradication," he said.

He added that his government understood if corruption is still facing a serious challenge in Indonesia and his government welcomes efforts of the government in eradicating corruption.

"This is important because corruption causes injustice," he said.

On the same occasion, President Yudhoyono expressed his government`s commitment to build a good government and wipe out corruption.

President Leuthard was making a working visit to Indonesia, which includes Jakarta and Surabaya, from July 6 to 9, 2010, for meetings with businessmen and government officials.

By forming the Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETC) in November 26, 2009, Indonesia had been declared as a priority country as strategic partner of Switzerland in economic cooperation development.

Swiss investment in Indonesia is the 15th biggest in the 1990- 2009 period totaling 740.7 million US dollars covering 120 new projects in the January 2005 - September 2009 period worth USD 313 million.  

Sinar Mas reels from PR woes as Carrefour ends deals

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 07/07/2010 10:27 AM

Sinar Mas Group, a paper producer with investments in palm oil and financial services, has received another blow to the public image of its production network, as to retail giant Carrefour suspending all orders.

Carrefour has decided to cease all supplies of paper products from Sinar Mas’ subsidiary, Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), following a report from Greenpeace, which claims the paper company relies on timber from two forests areas that were home to endangered species.

“Carrefour is committed to sustainable development and has decided to cease sourcing of APP supplies for private label products from mid-year this year until further notice.” Carrefour Indonesia external communication manager Hendri Satrio told The Jakarta Post in a letter.

Carrefour’s decision is the latest in a series of bad news for Sinar Mas ever since Greenpeace issued its report in June. On July 1, US-based food producer Kraft foods also decided to cease buying all paper products from APP.

On Dec. 11 last year, PT Unilever Indonesia decided not to make new orders of crude palm oil (CPO) from Sinar Mas’ subsidiary, PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (SMART), due to Greenpeace findings that showed SMART’s oil palm operation had devastated large tracts of rainforest and peatlands.

Following Unilever’s decision, Switzerland-based food producer Nestle joined the move in April, also deciding to suspend purchases of CPO from SMART.

Greenpeace’s report on APP accuses the paper company of sourcing raw materials from two forest areas in Riau that are supposed to be protected, Bukit Tigapuluh and Kerumantan forests. The two areas are the habitats for endangered species including the Sumatran tiger.

The status of land is a constant source of conflict in Indonesia due to complicated and overlapping laws, poor enforcement regulations and deeply entrenched corruption through all levels of government.

“The company’s commitment to produce sustainable commodities are hardly worth the paper it is written on, and some of the world’s best-known brands are literally pulping the planet by buying from them,” Greenpeace Southeast Asian forests campaigner Bustar Maitar told reporters on Tuesday.

Bustar added, “We have not calculated the damages that the APP had caused on the two forests.”

Greenpeace said other giant retailers such as Walmart and Hypermart and fast food franchisers such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts all sourced products from APP. The report also lists WH Smith, the retail group, Corporate Express, the Dutch office supplies company now owned by Staples, and PaperlinX, the Australian paper merchant.

Sinar Mas Managing Director Gandhi Sulistiyanto denied all accusations made by Greenpeace and argued that the environmental group had a sinister agenda behind their campaign.

“They are part of the global competition. We suspect that Sinar Mas is merely an intermediate target,” Gandhi said over the phone. He added, “The NGO’s main target is the government. Our commodities have the potential to be the country’s main export.”

He said it was strange that Greenpeace was only attacking his company and hardly attacking other companies.

He stated that his company would this month release verification work conducted by independent consultants to counter all of Greenpeace’s accusations.

For the verification process, SMART has appointed two independent consultants, Control Union Certification (CUC) of the Netherlands and the British Standards Institute Group (BSI) through their representative offices in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and in Singapore.

Sinar Mas, which was founded in 1962 by prominent Indonesian entrepreneur Eka Tjipta Wijawa, currently comprises hundreds of incorporated companies with a total of 150,000 employees and an asset value worth over US$20 billion, with a presence in Asia, North America, Europe and Australia. (rch)

Related Article:

Greenpeace Urges Wal-Mart, Yum to Stop Buying Sinar Mas Paper

ADB Calls for Asia and Pacific to Make Transition to Solar Power

Asia Development Bank, 6 July 2010

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Many countries in Asia and the Pacific are well-suited to solar power initiatives, and incentives and low-cost financing mechanisms should be made available to help the region make the transition possible, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda said yesterday.

“The Asia and Pacific region has the right combination of elements – demand for energy, access to sunlight and arid land, technological maturity, and a sound investment climate,” Mr. Kuroda said at the First Asia Solar Energy Forum in Manila.

However, Mr. Kuroda said that obstacles such as high up-front capital costs of investing in solar energy and a high-risk perception had to date been keeping many solar energy investors on the sidelines.

“As a result, there is a risk of ‘Solar Divide’ where developing countries cannot receive the benefit of environmental technology despite its large potential,” Mr. Kuroda said. “The role of multilateral development institutions, such as ADB and its partners, should be to play a catalytic role to overcome these institutional capacity, policy, technology, and financing barriers.”

The two-day forum, a part of the Asian Solar Energy Initiative (ASEI) announced by ADB earlier this year, brought together some 200 policy makers and solar energy-related professionals from 34 ADB member countries.

The event was hosted by ADB in partnership with the International Energy Agency (IEA), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP).

Under ASEI, ADB targets to catalyze projects for about 3,000 megawatts in solar power by 2013. The ASEI also includes the establishment of a knowledge platform named the Asia Solar Energy Forum, support for project preparation, and direct financing of solar energy projects.

It will also help raise concessional funds from donor countries to partly mitigate risks of the high up-front capital costs of investing in solar energy, and design other innovative ways to attract private-sector investment.

In her closing remarks at the Manila event on Tuesday, Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development Ursula Schaefer-Preuss said the forum represented a step towards a solar energy revolution in the Asia and Pacific region.

“Solar power has the potential to promote low-carbon growth, ensure energy security, increase access to energy for all and achieve ADB’s overall objective of poverty reduction,” she said. Ms. Schaefer-Preuss also announced that the second meeting of the forum will take place in Tokyo in December.

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Govt to develop tourism in 200 villages

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 07/03/2010 6:17 PM

               

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has selected 200 villages across the country as recipients of community empowerment fund (PNPM) in a bid to develop tourism there.

Director of Community Empowerment at the ministry, Bakri, said on Saturday each village in Java would receive between Rp 65 million (US$7,140) and Rp 70 million, while those outside Java would earn between Rp 85 million and Rp 90 million each.

The ministry expected the fund to help people in the villages develop tourism industry as a source of income. 

Borobudur village near the world’s largest Buddhist temple in the Central Java regency of Magelang is a success story of the program, he said.

“People in the village were scavengers who lived under the poverty line. But now after their village has turned into a tourist area, many tourists visit there, creating many jobs related to tourism,” Bakri told Antara news agency.

The ministry only initiated the program last year, with 104 villages receiving the empowerment fund. The fund will be channeled to 450 villages next year, according to Bakri.

Transport Department: Europe Lifts Flight Ban on Two Carriers

Tempo Interactive, Thursday, 01 July, 2010 | 16:45 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Transport Department claimed today that two indonesian carriers had been given permission to fly to Europe after Garuda Indonesia, the prime and state flagship carrier resumed its flight to Europe earlier this month.

More than a week after the latest meeting between the Transport Department and the European Commission to negotiate flight ban on the remaining Indonesia-based airlines, Director General of Air Transport Herry Bhakti Gumay said today (1/7) flight ban on Air Asia and Batavia Air has been lifted, while ban on Lion Air remains.

Herry said it was the result of the meeting though the European Aviation Safety Agency is yet to officially announce the revoke. He said announcement is expected in two weeks as the agency need to report first to the European Parliament.

European flight licenses of several Indonesian airlines were revoked in 2007 after a series of deadly crash, including one into the sea, which killed hundreds, left hundreds missing, and injured hundreds other on board and ground.

ADISTI DINI INDRESWARI

US envoy dedicates maritime radar equipment for Indonesia

Antara News, Thursday, July 1, 2010 18:38 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - US Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron R. Hume dedicated $56 million in coastal and shipboard radar systems at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Batam Regional Maritime Command Center on Wednesday (June 30).

The systems included 16 coastal radars, 11 shipboard radars, one set of headquarters equipment and two regional command centers, according to information on the official website of the US embassy here Thursday.

The Indonesian and US governments actively collaborated in the planning and installation of the systems. Indonesia can now boast one of the world`s longest Integrated Maritime Surveillance Systems, the embassy said.

The network covers more than 1,205 kilometers of coast line in the Straits of Malacca and approximately 1,285 kilometers of coast line in the Sulawesi Sea.

The intent of the donation is to ensure Indonesia has an initial operating capacity to detect, track and monitor vessels passing through Indonesian and international waters,the US embassy said.

This capability will help Indonesia combat piracy, illegal fishing, and smuggling of goods and people as well as provide situational awareness to maintain Indonesia`s border security and fight terrorism.