“ … Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013.

They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader ..."
"Update on Current Events" – Jul 23, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: The Humanization of God, Gaia, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Benevolent Design, Financial Institutes (Recession, System to Change ...), Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Nuclear Power Revealed, Geothermal Power, Hydro Power, Drinking Water from Seawater, No need for Oil as Much, Middle East in Peace, Persia/Iran Uprising, Muhammad, Israel, DNA, Two Dictators to fall soon, Africa, China, (Old) Souls, Species to go, Whales to Humans, Global Unity,..... etc.)
(Subjects: Who/What is Kryon ?, Egypt Uprising, Iran/Persia Uprising, Peace in Middle East without Israel actively involved, Muhammad, "Conceptual" Youth Revolution, "Conceptual" Managed Business, Internet, Social Media, News Media, Google, Bankers, Global Unity,..... etc.)
.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Exxon Mobil still expects to manage Indonesia`s Natuna gas block

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Exxon Mobil Corp said it still expects to manage the Natuna D-Alpha gas block in partnership with Indonesia's state oil company PT Pertamina, an official said Thursday.

On February 19, the Indonesian government asked Pertamina to replace Exxon as manager of the Natuna block after talks to retain Exxon's contract were halted without the issue having been resolved.

Exxon Mobil holds a 76 percent interest in the block while Pertamina owns the rest.

Indonesia terminated Exxon's contract in 2006 on the grounds that Exxon had failed to begin development on the block after 20 years.

Exxon Mobil has argued that the basic agreement allowed for two contract extensions, each for a period of two years. So when the contract expired in 2005, it still had two extensions available to it.

BP Migas, the regulator for the upstream oil and gas business in Indonesia, ceased negotiations with Exxon earlier this month after the parties failed to reach an agreement that would allow Exxon to manage the block.

Deva Rachman, spokeswoman for Exxon Mobil Oil Indonesia Inc, said Exxon recently received a letter from the Indonesian government regarding the Natuna block and it is currently evaluating the content of that letter.

Rachman declined to say what the contents of the letter were.

She said Exxon Mobil remains committed to progressing the development of the Natuna resource and maximizing its value in partnership with Pertamina and the Government of Indonesia.

"We have been in discussions with the government within the framework of the Natuna production sharing contract (PSC) and believe these are appropriate structures that would advance the project in a manner that is satisfactory to all parties."

"ExxonMobil is uniquely positioned to develop this project quickly and efficiently in partnership with Pertamina and will bring our unique technologies, proven large-scale project execution capability, and production experience with complex gas projects similar to Natuna," she was quoted by Thomson Financial as saying in a statement.

Separately, Alan Frederick Pangaribuan, head of the legal division at BP Migas, said the government is seeking the help of local and foreign lawyers to defend it in the event Exxon takes the dispute to international arbitration in London.

"They (Exxon) insist that the contract has not expired. So, clearly, we have different opinions," Pangaribuan said.

"Our position is that the contract was automatically terminated in 2005 when there was no commercialization of the project. So it was terminated by (the) contract (itself), by its own terms. Why would Exxon still hold a contract?" he said.

The government has estimated it may require an investment of up to 30 billion dollars to develop the Natuna D-Alpha block, which is located off the west coast of Borneo.

Nirwana going public to fund expansion

Agustina Wayansari , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta , Thu, 02/28/2008 11:29 AM

Low-cost housing developer PT Nirwana Kharisma announced Wednesday its plans to sell a 30 percent stake through an initial public offering (IPO) scheme this month in a bid to help finance its expansion.

Nirwana finance director Leny Chandra said the firm expected to rake in some Rp 46 billion (US$5 million) in proceeds from the sale.

"We will offer shares with an initial price of between Rp 100 and Rp 140," Leny said after a due diligence meeting.

The company will also issue a warrant with a one to one ratio.

A warrant is a security which entitles the holder to buy the stock from the company that issued it at a specified price, usually higher than the stock price at time of issue.

Nirwana has appointed PT Investindo Nusantara Sekuritas as its underwriter for the IPO.

Leny said the company was expected to gain as much as Rp 90 billion from the IPO and warrant deal.

Some 75 percent of proceeds would be used to finance the Puri Nirwana residential project in Cikarang, and the remaining 25 percent for Puri Kosambi (1 and 2) projects in Cibinong, as well as Puri Nirwana 3 project, in Kerawang, all in West Java.

"We will actually need up to Rp 200 billion to finance the Puri Nirwana project, which covers a total 81 hectares," Leny said.

The company would plug the remaining financial needs with bank loans, internal cash and customer advance payments. The firm has already secured loans from state-owned Bank Tabungan Negara, which specializes in financing low-cost housing projects.

Lenny estimated the company's capital expenditure would reach around Rp 220 billion.

PT Investindo Nusantara Sekuritas associate director Fajar R. Soeharto said the book building would be conducted between Feb. 28 and March 14, and an official listing would be made April 22, 2008.

Fajar was positive about the offer because Nirwana primarily engages in constructing low-cost houses, which carry less risk than high-cost residential, he said.

At present, Nirwana has secured orders for 1,000 units in the Puri Nirwana project, mainly from the corporate sector which would supply houses to employees.

As of October last year, Nirwana recorded sales revenue was Rp 9.68 billion and net profit was Rp 2.4 billion.

This year, the company is targeting to tap a sales revenue of Rp 149.6 billion and net profits of more than Rp 11 billion.

Industrial machinery fair planned for May in Jakarta

Novia D. Rulistia , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta,Thu, 02/28/2008 11:29 AM

Indonesia will hold the seventh industrial machinery fair in May, with around 250 local and foreign machinery producers set to participate.

The annual fair will feature industrial machinery ranging from packaging and food processing machines to pharmacy and printing machines.

"Through this fair, we hope businessmen will be able to easily find affordable machinery suitable for their business so they can produce high quality products," director of PT Mass Komunikasi and fair organizer Irene said Wednesday.

The fair will be held at the Jakarta Fair Ground from May 14-17.

"Of the total (participants), 100 are foreign ... from Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Italy and Korea, while the other 150 are local big machinery producers," she said.

Last year, she said, the fair attracted more than 12,000 visitors with 8,900 of them making purchases, including such major firms as plastic producer PT Lion Star and consumer goods producer PT Indofood Sukses Makmur.

"The total transaction from local participants reached Rp 9 billion," Irene said, declining to reveal the total transaction from foreign participants.

The fair is supported by the Trade Ministry, the Industry Ministry, the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Indonesia Packaging Federation, the Taiwan Food and Pharmacy Machinery Manufacturer's Association and the Taiwan Plastics Industry Association.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Indonesia Strengthens Position in Palm Oil Excellence

Tuesday, 26 February, 2008 | 19:06 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Indonesia will strengthen its position as the country of excellence in the world's palm oil industry by holding the World Palm Oil Summit and Exhibition (WPOSE) on 20-24 May, 2008 in Jakarta.

"The government welcomes this event. The palm oil industry must be

developed because we have a large palm oil production," said Agricultural Minister, Anton Apriyantono, during a press conference, Monday (25/2).

Indonesia's palm oil plantations are six million hectares wide with the crude palm oil production in 2007 reaching 17.2 million tons. In 2008, the production is targeted to reach 18 million tons. "We'll direct it to the downstream industry because the added value is higher," said Anton.

In the meantime, General Chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (GAPKI), Akmaludin Hasibuan, said that the implementation of WPOSE can make Indonesia prepare to be the main player in palm oil industry. "As the largest CPO producer, Indonesia has that potential," said Akmaludin.

Indonesia has the opportunity to present itself in the event that gathers the world's palm oil industry stakeholders. "Businesses also have the opportunity to develop a network to advance the palm oil industry," said Akmaludin.

GABRIEL WAHYU TITIYOGA

Panasonic to expand plasm TV technology in Indonesia

Osaka (ANTARA News) - Panasonic Gobel Indonesia (PGI) President Commissioner Rahmat Gobel said his company would continue to expand flat-screen TV technology in an effort to create awareness of the importance of efficient and environment-friendly technology in Indonesia.

Gobel made the remark here on Tuesday while accompanying Vice President Jusuf Kalla on a visit to the headquarters of Panasonic, one of Japan`s major electronic companies.

Kalla came to Japan from Seoul where he attended the installation of South Korea`s new president on Monday (Feb 25). He flew to Osaka to see the factory that produces flat TVs and will later go to Nagoya to see a Toyota car plant.

"It is now time for Panasonic to show its newest technology to Indonesia while building public awareness about the importance of efficient digital technology which is also environment-friendly," Gobel said.

While in Osaka, Rahmat Gobel with his partner Matsushita (owner of Panasonic), will introduce the largest 150-inch flat screen TV with plasm and efficient technology. This product has not yet been put on market.

"This will show us how far plasm technology has advanced. Its superb capabilities will be personally witnessed by the vice president," Gobel said.

Papua regency enters venture with Merpati

JAYAPURA, Papua (The Jakarta Post) : The Tolikara regency administration has forged a joint venture with PT Merpati Airlines, investing Rp 7.4 billion (US$822,000) in a Fokker 27 plane to serve the Jayapura-Wamena route.

The initial phase of the cooperation, during which all profits will go to the administration, will last seven months.

"We have handed over the money to Merpati, and the plane will start operating today," said Tolikara Regent John Tabo in Jayapura on Tuesday.

The plane will fly the Jayapura-Wamena route three times daily with tickets costing Rp 550,000.

Tolikara is located in the Pegunungan Tengah region and Wamena acts as a transit city.

Tabo said the number of daily flights on the Jayapura-Wamena route remained limited and unable to cope with people's transportation needs.

Regencies in Pegunungan Tengah are enjoying sufficiently rapid growth in the current special autonomy era that limited air transportation is seen as a setback.

Galleries, apartments planned in Old Town

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city administration is inviting the State Ministry for State Enterprises to develop Jakarta's Old Town by allowing businesses to make use of the ministry's vacant buildings.

Jakarta Culture and Museum Agency head Aurora Frida Tambunan said Tuesday her agency working to accommodate businesses expected to flourish in the area.

"The Old Town should be a cultural tourism site featuring both city heritage and high economic values. It's the ultimate goal of the Old Town's revitalization," she said at City Hall after a meeting with State Minister Sofyan Djalil and Governor Fauzi Bowo.

"We are now seeking business opportunities with the private sector to have 12 abandoned state-owned buildings (under the ministry's management) in the area (opened for other uses)."

Parts of the 283 preserved buildings in the Old Town heritage site, the 12 vacant buildings are situated on West Jakarta's Jl. Pintu Besar Utara through to Jl. Kalibesar.

Among the buildings' owners are PT Dharma Niaga, PT Cipta Niaga, PT Aneka Niaga, PT Kerta Niaga, Bank Mandiri, Bank Negara Indonesia and United States-based bank Standard Chartered's former branch.

She said a number of local and foreign investors had expressed interest in using and transform the state-owned buildings into restaurants, art galleries, museums and apartments.

"Many investors are interested in using the Old Town's preserved buildings to run their businesses but constraints have since emerged as to where they have to ask for a permit or what policies they should comply with," she said, while declining to provide further details on the investors' identities.

"Therefore, the administration will forge a team to thoroughly examine this plan."

In response, State Minister Sofyan said he endorsed the administration's plan and had promised the governor they would "save the Old Town and let the abandoned buildings be taken care of".

"I'm looking forward to seeing the buildings, which predominantly belong to state-owned enterprises having financial difficulties, being renovated and used to the administration's plan," he said.

Meanwhile, city planner M. Danisworo who joined a city-appointed team in drawing up the Old Town master plan, said the state ministry must first deal with its own regulations in order to make the administration's plan work.

"Businesses, as designed in the Old Town master plan, are mandatory to help spur the Old Town's revitalization and development," he told The Jakarta Post.

"But they need first to address a major obstacle -- a state ministry policy prohibiting the use of state-owned buildings for business purposes like the administration is planning for."

Both parties, he said, should also consider providing prospective investors with regulation, tax and fiscal incentives.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Govt to speed up construction of Cibitung-Tanjung Priok turnpike

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (Antara): Construction of the Cibitung-Tanjung Priok turnpike will be accelerated to overcome traffic jams from and to Jakarta's Tanjung Priok seaport, a government official said.

"The government will speed up construction of the turnpike from Cibitung to Tanjung Priok port," deputy for infrastructure and regional development to the coordinating minister for the economy, Bambang Susantono, said Tuesday on the sidelines of a seminar on the medium-term national development program in the transportation sector.

Bambang said the acceleration would be part of the government's efforts to resolve traffic problems around Tanjung Priok.

The government will also extend the turnpike to industrial areas in Cikarang and Cikarang Timur, he said.

The government has earmarked Rp 200 billion to clear land for the construction of the Cibitung-Tanjung Priok tollway, he said.

Group with Google and others building cross-Pacific Broadband cable

The Jakarta Post

TOKYO (AP): A group of six international companies, including Google of the U.S., is building a US$300 million underwater fiber optic cable linking the United States and Japan.

The trans-Pacific 10,000 kilometer broadband cablesystem called Unity will respond to the expected growth in data and Internet traffic between Asia and the U.S., the companies said in a statement Monday. A signing ceremony was held Feb. 23, they said.

Besides U.S. Internet search company Google Inc., the consortium - also named Unity - includes Bharti Airtel Limited, India's leading integrated telecom services provider, and Japanese telecommunications company KDDI Corp.

The others are Malaysian Internet company Global Transit; Pacnet, a telecom company headquartered in Hong Kong and Singapore; and SingTel, a leading Asian communications and mobile company.

NEC Corp. and Tyco Telecommunications are suppliers for the project, set to be up and running in the first quarter of 2010. Construction begins immediately, according to Unity.

The cable will connect Chikura, near Tokyo, with Los Angeles and other U.S. West Coast points, and the system connects to other Asian cable systems via Chikura, the companies said.

"The Unity cable system allows the members of the consortium to provide the increased capacity needed as more applications and services migrate online, giving users faster and more reliable connectivity," said Unity spokesperson Jayne Stowell.

UK, RI volunteers to partner

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post) : A total of 15 Indonesian volunteers aged 20-35 will participate with UK volunteers in a community development exchange program later this year.

Under the Global Community Xchange Program the volunteers will spend three weeks together in Yogyakarta in May and in Luton in the UK in August. They will share experiences in three clusters around the themes of education, social service and small business enterprise.

The program follows a joint agreement signed by the British Council and Muhammadiyah last Friday. The Council said the Indonesian participants would be limited to volunteers from Yogyakarta, Magelang or Klaten.

Low-cost housing development to increase up to 30 percent

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A real estate association said Monday it would aim for a 25 to 30 percent increase in the development of houses for low-income people throughout the country in 2008.

"We will continue to develop more subsidized houses for low-income people, particularly in Greater Jakarta, Bandung (West Java), Sidoarjo (East Java) and in some other areas," the chairman of Real Estate Indonesia (REI), F. Teguh Satria, said.

"Demand for low-cost houses has increased, especially in Batam in the Riau islands, Pekan Baru, Semarang and Makassar."

Teguh said the association aimed to build around 130,000 low-cost houses throughout the country this year.

The target for last year was 100,000, but developers only managed to build some 78,000 units.

Both figures were below the target set by the government, which wanted at least 1.35 million low-cost houses built during the 2004-2009 period, or around 280,000 units per year.

Teguh said developers were not able to meet the government's target because they faced various obstacles including a limited availability of land, high taxes and short supplies of water and electricity.

To support the low-income group, the government increased the subsidy on low-cost houses by Rp 300 billion last year to Rp 800 billion in 2008.

The subsidy is taken from the state budget and is to cover interest rates charged by banks to low-cost households.

"The government's subsidy on housing will be given to the buyers, not the developers," Teguh said.

"That way, low-income people can afford to buy houses."

The association defines a low-cost home as one priced below Rp 60 million.

"However, we differentiate the prices for houses in Papua and Bali, where construction materials and land in those two areas are more expensive than in Java," he said.

The association defines low-cost homes in Papua and Bali as those priced below Rp 75 million.

Lawmaker Abdullah Azwar Anas said the central bank should push big banks to allocate higher portions of their loans for the development of low-cost houses in order to speed up the pro-poor housing program.

"Most banks are reluctant to finance the development of low-cost houses because it offers a low profit margin," Teguh said.

State lender Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) has been the most supportive so far, he said. (rff)

Indosat goes all-out to expand network, boost competitive edge

Agustina Wayansari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The country's second-largest telecom company, PT Indosat, is to issue bonds worth a total of Rp 1.5 trillion (around US$163 million) to support its expansion drive.

The company is also seeking another $400 million in external funding in the form of bank loans or global bonds. The company's expansion plan this year is expected to cost up to $1.2 billion.

President director Johnny Swandi Sjam said Monday Rp 1.5 trillion in bonds, currently entering the book-building process, would be offered in a conventional bond amounting to Rp 1 trillion and in a sharia-based bond of Rp 500 billion.

"I am optimistic investors will accept the offerings as both of the bonds have very good ratings of idAA(sy)+ from the Indonesian rating company PP Pefindo," Johnny said, adding that the book-building period would take place between Feb. 25 and March 6.

Both bonds will officially be listed on April 10.

"We'll use the proceeds to finance our business expansion in developing a base station subsystem and transmission for the cellular networks," Johnny told a press conference.

He said Indosat had 9413 base transceiver stations (BTS) as of September last year and was targeting to add 3,000 more this year.

The company boasts around 28 percent of the country's cell phone users.

By the end of last year, around 24.5 million people had subscribed to Indosat's GSM services, the postpaid Matrix and prepaid Mentari and IM3, and some 600,000 people to its CDMA-based service, StarOne.

Indosat is targeting an increase of six million GSM customers. The company is 44 percent owned by the public, 40 percent by Singapore Technology Telemedia and 14 percent by the government.

Johnny said Indosat also planned to lease some of its BTS towers to other operators to help boost revenue.

Temasek unit opts to sell stake in BII

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Responding to the central bank's single presence policy, a unit of a subsidiary of Singapore's investment firm Temasek Holdings will divest all shares in BII, an official says.

"We have evaluated our options under the single presence policy in Indonesian banking and are exploring the sale of our investment in Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII)," Temasek corporate affairs managing director Myrna Thomas said in a statement send to The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The policy, introduced late last year, forbids the same shareholder from owning majority stakes in more than one bank.

Temasek's Fullerton Financial Holdings Pte Ltd. since 2003 has owned 75 percent of the shares of Sorak consortium, which in turn owns a 55.85 percent stake in BII, the country's sixth-largest bank by assets.

Fullerton also holds a 59 percent majority share in the country's fifth-largest bank, Bank Danamon.

The news of the divestment was first published by The Wall Street Journal Asia edition on Wednesday using an anonymous source, saying the potential bidder for the stake included "cash-rich Chinese banks eager to expand in emerging markets globally".

Myrna said Temasek was still optimistic about the country's financial services sector.

Also issuing a press statement Monday, BII president director Henry Ho confirmed the decision.

"The management of BII respects Fullerton's decision. This is, however, a shareholder's issue and does not affect the day-to-day operations of the bank. The bank continues to operate on the basis of business as usual," Henry said, adding that Fullerton expected to complete the sale before 2010.

Bank Danamon said in a statement that by choosing the option to sell its BII stake, Fullerton had ruled out the other option of merging BII with Danamon.

The single presence policy is part of a central bank policy package aimed to encourage consolidation within the country's banking sector, which boasts more than 130 banks.

The policy package is expected to create a healthier and more dynamic banking industry, the sector hit the hardest by the 1997-1998 financial crisis.

The policy also requires investors who own controlling stakes in more than one bank to merge their banks, conduct an acquisition or establish a holding company by 2010.

The consolidation process includes a requirement to increase minimum capitalization of Rp 100 billion by the end of 2010, through either injections or mergers.

Those failing to achieve the minimum capitalization will be allowed to operate only as secondary or rural banks.

RI considering buying six US-made F-16s

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is considering buying six US-made F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighters to increase its air force`s combat readiness, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said.

"We are considering a US offer to sell six F-16 jet fighters with payments to be made in four to five years` time," Juwono said after accompanying visiting US Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the State Palace here Monday.

Juwono said the country would buy the six F-16 jet fighters under a multi-years financing scheme agreed upon by the Finance Ministry and the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission I for information, defense and foreign affairs.

"We are also still considering whether the payments will be made through the FMF and FMS mechanisms. This will all depend on the DPR because this year the government is focusing the state budget on improving the people`s welfare," he said.

He said the planned purchase of the six F-16 jet fighters would not affect the government`s commitment to procuring Russian-made military armament systems.

"Each (arm producing) country has its own advantages and disadvantages. Our difficulty to buy US-made armaments lies with the bureaucracy while our difficulty to buy Russian-made rests with the payments," he said.

Meanwhile, Rear Marshal Soenaryo, commander of the Indonesian Air Force`s material maintenance division, said the country still has 10 F-16 jet fighters six of which were still airworthy.

"The ten are of A/B types. We will increase their capacity to make them equal to the latest variants of Block 52 of C/D multi role F-16 Fighting Falcons, particularly their avionic systems," he said.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Indonesian coal miner says borrows $180 mln for power plant

Mon Feb 25, 2008 6:48am EST

JAKARTA, Feb 25 (Reuters) - A unit of Indonesian coal miner PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam Tbk PTBA.JK said on Monday that it would borrow 1.64 trillion rupiah ($180 million) in bank loans to build a 200 megawatt coal-fired power plant in south Sumatra.

The subsidiary, PT Bukit Pembangkit Innovative, said in a statement that the Banjarsari power plant would boost electricity supply in South Sumatra.

Parts of Java, Indonesia's most crowded island, and the resort island of Bali were plunged into darkness last week as bad weather hampered coal deliveries to power plants.

Indonesia's power sector has been beset by problems because of ageing plants, high costs and low funds as tariffs are highly subsidised and still among the lowest in the world.

($1 = 9,125 rupiah) (Writing by Andreas Ismar, editing by Sara Webb)


Related Story:

Indonesia's Star Energy to build 2nd Wayang Windu power plant for 220 mln usd


Tomini Bay a new economic growth hub in East Indonesia

Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

At a time when poverty remains prevalent in almost 200 out of over 450 regencies and municipalities in the country, Tomini Bay has been introduced as a future hub of economic growth in East Indonesia, following in the footsteps of Batam in the West.

Long before regional autonomy shifted into full gear on the heels of the fall of New Order regime in 1998, the government had named Batam in Riau Islands, Tomini Bay and Bone Bay in Sulawesi, and Sabang in Aceh as the engines of economic development for their respective neighboring areas.

Batam's rapid economic growth of over 8 percent per year has had an impact on nearby areas, including Bangka-Belitung province, and Karimun and Natuna islands.

State Minister for Development of Disadvantaged Regions Lukman Edy says the government is trying to revive the dormant plan to develop the growth hubs. Development of Tomini Bay will take place first because it already has supporting infrastructure and the government has done enough study on the area, says Lukman.

The development of Tomini Bay and later Bone Bay as growth hubs is expected to cut the number of disadvantaged regions in East Indonesia.

"This year we'll finalize our plan and next year, I hope physical development can commence," Lukman said after witnessing the signing of a joint agreement to develop the bay on Togean Islands in Tojo Una-Una regency, Central Sulawesi, last week.

The six regents signing the agreement were from Tojo Una-Una, Banggai, Banggai Islands, Poso, Parigi Moutong regencies in Central Sulawesi and Pohuwato regency in Gorontalo.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry and the Office of State Minister for the Environment will provide assistance to the regents, who had met to discuss development of fisheries and tourism as the prime sectors in Tomini Bay.

The bay is rich in fish and other marine resources, and stands a great opportunity of emerging as a popular tourist destination thanks to its biodiversity and beautiful nature. Dozens of enchanting small islands dot the bay.

However, nine of 10 regencies across Tomini Bay alone are among the country's disadvantaged regions, with most residents working as fishermen and living under the poverty line.

Central Sulawesi deputy governor Achmad Yahya said Tomini Bay has 587,670 tons of fish reserves. It is also home to a large number of coral reefs that form the bay's rich biodiversity.

The development of fishery and tourism, however, has been impeded by the region's lack of qualified human resources, supporting infrastructure, especially transportation, and investment, said Yahya.

The latest data issued by the Office of State Minister for Development of Disadvantaged Regions revealed that 68 percent of the disadvantaged regions are located in East Indonesia.

The government aims to remove 40 disadvantaged regencies and municipalities from poverty by 2009.

"We're using the hub-growth approach to develop these regions," Lukman said.

Lukman said the government was considering a special authority which would involve several ministerial offices and the private sector to facilitate Tomini Bay's development.


Related Information:




pdf (pdf file 295Kb)

Red Cross organizes emergency drill

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thousands of people in coastal Muara Baru, North Jakarta, took part Sunday morning in a two-hour disaster drill aimed at preparing residents and authorities to respond to a tidal wave.

Up to 2,000 Muara Baru residents were involved in the drill, which was organized by the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Red Cross.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Prijanto said good coordination and communication were important in responding to any disaster.

"Too often flood-affected residents refuse to move to shelters set up by the government, saying they want to stay close to their houses," he said.

The drill, the first ever in Indonesia to prepare residents and officials to respond to a tidal wave, was part of a Red Cross campaign to increase public awareness about the threat of tidal waves.

During the drill, residents were led to open and higher ground, in this case an unused field owned by a real estate company, where the Red Cross had set up a coordination post.

Residents were instructed to use the main road, instead of the narrow lanes of their densely packed neighborhoods, and head for the post, located about a kilometer from the coast.

The post included emergency medical assistance, a pharmacy, shelters and kitchens.

The drill also involved hundreds of personnel from the National Search and Rescue Agency, the provincial natural disaster coordinating unit, the Jakarta Military Command, the Jakarta Police and the Navy's Western Fleet.

Trained locals also participated by sounding an early warning to the tidal wave and then providing first aid.

Though usually a seasonal phenomenon, because of global warming and environmental degradation, high waves have caused losses to coastal residents over the past few months in the form of floods and by preventing fishermen from going to sea.

In early February, flood victims in Kampung Rawa, West Jakarta, built shelters on nearby railway tracks. They said the shelters provided by the government were too far from their homes.

Jeung Park, a representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the Indonesian Red Cross was measuring and evaluating its capacity to deal with a tidal wave disaster with Sunday's drill.

"Although there are weaknesses, like in the information system, it's a good thing that they can learn from the simulation," he said. (dre)

Bakrieland expands to infrastructure projects

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Publicly listed PT Bakrieland Development is expanding to infrastructure projects, acquiring a 100 percent stake in PT Semesta Marga Raya (SMR) -- the developer of the 35-kilometer Kanci-Pejagalan turnpike.

Bakrieland Development president director Hiramsyah S. Thaib said in a media statement over the weekend that the acquisition, currently being conducted by a subsidiary, would be finalized early March at a cost of Rp 690 billion.

While the company's core business will remain in the property sector, Hiramsyah said, it is now entering the lucrative infrastructure sector -- focusing on toll roads and monorails.

"In the future, we predict the infrastructure sector will be able to contribute between 35 and 40 percent of the company's total revenue," he said.

At Oct. 31 last year, the company's unaudited net profits had reached Rp 88.8 billion, on revenue of Rp 547.7 billion. January-October 2007 profits surpassed 2006's full-year profits of Rp 67.8 billion.

Commenting on the Kanci-Pejagalan project (part of the massive Trans Java scheme), Hiramsyah said SMR had completed all the land-acquisition needed and would soon begin construction.

Bank Rakyat Indonesia and Bank Negara Indonesia have expressed interest in financing up to 70 percent of the project, estimated to cost around Rp 2.3 trillion, he said.

In addition to city residential projects, the company also develops hotels and resorts such as the Legian Nirwana Suites & Residences in Bali.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

IBM's KidSmart takes computer education to schools

Susanna Tjokro, Contributor The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

"My students have lots of fun, so they do not realize that they are learning," said Nurhaida Saragih, a teacher at Abata Islamic Kindergarten in West Jakarta.

Abata kindergarten is just one of more than 250 schools in Indonesia that have been participating in the KidSmart Early Learning Program, run by IBM. The program includes the Young Explorer Early Learning Center, a colorful, child-sized computer manufactured by the Little Tikes company that features award-winning software and technology from Edmark and IBM.

According to its website, IBM has donated more than 40,000 Young Explorer Learning Centers to preschools and non-profit childcare centers in over 50 countries.

Children are easily attracted to Little Tikes' Young Explorer computer, which looks more like a toy than a computer. Intended for children from 3 to 9 years of age, the desk has been designed to place the monitor at a child's eye level, and the computer is loaded with easy-to-play edutainment programs -- or "games", according to Abata students.

KidSmart teaches reading, mathematics, science and English skills in a fun, interactive way, and features lots of colors, shapes, letters, numbers and sounds with multiple levels of difficulty.

For example, in one "game", a cheerful animated bee appears on screen and says, "Terrific!" after a child successfully assembles a boat and colors it.

"The programs will praise my students when they get something right, and will suggest them gently to try again when they make a mistake," said Nurhaida.

KidSmart is part of IBM's worldwide corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, and was launched in Indonesia in 2003.

Through KidSmart, IBM donates one Young Explorer unit to select schools and also installs educational software for free on a school's existing computers. The program includes follow-up services: If the schools experience software-related problems, IBM will fix the problems and reinstall the programs if necessary.

"Usually we only give one Little Tikes computer to a school, but in some cases, we have donated several computers to a school," said Hartini Haris, marketing country manager at IBM Indonesia.

According to Hartini, while no specific criteria apply in selecting the schools, the program's main target is children who do not have access to computers. IBM thus coordinates with the National Education Ministry to select schools to be included in KidSmart.

Another issue is that, in order to implement KidSmart in classrooms, the teachers themselves must be proficient in using the technology -- but at many schools in Indonesia, teachers are unfamiliar with computers, mainly due to lack of access. So IBM also runs teacher training workshops as part of KidSmart to introduce teachers to the technology, and also to teach them how to integrate KidSmart as a classroom activity.

"Besides donating Little Tikes computers, we train the teachers to familiarize them with computers as well," said Hartini. "In Bali, we found out that many teachers were unfamiliar with computers. Also, when I was in Aceh, we saw how anxious the teachers were when they were 'introduced' to the computers.

"The less experienced teachers were even afraid to touch the computers. Maybe they were worried that they might delete some programs accidentally. I had to convince them the worst thing that could happen was the computer would hang, but not to worry, we could always fix it," Hartini said.

After the three-day training workshop, she added, the teachers were more confident and even became excited about using the computers in their classrooms. All KidSmart programs are user friendly and do not required advanced computer skills.

Each participating school sends its principal/headmaster and two teachers to the training workshop, which was led previously by the principal of Global Jaya elementary school. However, since 2007, Hartini herself leads the training workshops.

"Starting last year, our focus has been on people with disabilities, or PWD," she said. In cooperation with the Foundation for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Children (YPAC), Hartini said IBM is bringing computer access -- through KidSmart -- to disabled children as well.

YPAC is responsible for identifying suitable Sekolah Luar Biasa (special needs schools) for the implementation of KidSmart, and last year, IBM implemented KidSmart in 30 special needs schools in Jakarta, Semarang and Bali. This year, it aims to bring KidSmart to 30 other special schools.

IBM also plans to work closely with the education ministry to reach more students, with the ministry donating computers to underprivileged schools and IBM providing free installation of educational software. Hartini explained that the ministry has an education budget to purchase Young Explorer computers for this purpose.

"We want to give young children early exposure to technology. KidSmart helps children to acquire the basic knowledge of technology that they need for a good beginning in education," she said.

"We already know that technology can be very effective in teaching and learning. Our KidSmart program demonstrates how IBM can combine its best assets -- our technology and our talented employees -- in a program that brings real educational value to the global community," remarked Stanley S. Litow, vice president of Corporate Community Relations at IBM.

KidSmart is just one of IBM's CSR programs. Others include On Demand Community, a global program that promotes the spirit of volunteerism across IBM's workforce and retiree population, and SIMBA.

SIMBA stands for Sistem Informasi Bencana Aceh (Information System for the Aceh Disaster) and was implemented in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam following the 2004 tsunami. SIMBA is used to track displaced persons as well as to manage logistics.

For more information on KidSmart, visit www.kidsmartearlylearning.org.

Mimika building new airport

The Jakarta Post

TIMIKA, PAPUA: Mimika is constructing a new airport to reduce the isolation of remote areas in the regency, says a local official.

Chief of the local air transportation office, Markus Raturoma, said the new airport, already under construction, was located in Tsinga village, a mountainous area in Tembagapura, 1.9 kilometers above sea level.

Raturoma said the regency administration had received financial and technical assistance from copper and gold mining company PT Freeport Indonesia, which owns an airport near its mining site in Timika.

The new airport's 500-meter runway would allow small aircraft such as Twin Otters, Casas and Cessnas to land, he said.

He said the local administration also planned to construct a similar airport in Ombani, in Tembagapura subdistrict, and to procure a Pilatus Potter aircraft, at a cost of about Rp 20 billion, from Switzerland to help advance development and public services.

Two charter aircraft, belonging to Trigana Air and Associated Mission Aviation, already serve air transportation in the province, the regency says.

Due to a lack of ground transportation, remote areas in the province can only be reached by small aircraft.

Mall to introduce green lifestyle

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: To celebrate its 15th anniversary, Mal Ciputra shopping mall in West Jakarta is holding a "Go Green" event through Feb. 26.

The event is meant to boost public awareness of environmental issues, especially global warming.

Featured activities include a photography exhibition, talk shows and information on how to make fertilizer and herbal medicine, as well as a drawing competition for children on Sunday.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Malang Government Cooperates with Japanese Telecommunication Company

Friday, 22 February, 2008 | 17:49 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Malang Municipal Government once again is cooperating with NTT Advance Technology Corporation, a telecommunication company in the information technology sector of Japan.

The cooperation form is training and installing the Wireless Internet Protocol Access System (WIPAS) information technology network. “WIPAS will connect school networks in Malang with Japan and the countries joined in the Asia Pacific Telecommunication (APT),” said Head of Data & the Electronics Bureau of Malang government, Tri Widyani, Friday (22/2).

The choice of NTT Advance Technology Corporation (ATC) fell to Malang as Malang is regarded as specializing in e-government. This cooperation is a continuation to the cooperation between Brawijaya University (Unibraw), Malang and Keio University, NTT ATC and the Malang government which started last year.

The cooperation has been carried out in 2007. At that time WIPAS was only installed in seven locations: State Junior High School (SMPN) 1, State Senior High School 3, SMAN 4, SMAN 9, Puskowanjati, Unibraw and Malang government's Data & Electronic Processing Bureau. The installation will be increased to 19 locations. Out of that number, 14 locations will be in schools and five district offices, including role model schools, State Islamic Junior High School (MIN), State Vocational Schools (SMKN) 4 and Grafika Vocational Schools. “WIPAS installation in schools makes it easier to access to learning modules from Japan as the materials for learning enrichment,” said Tri Widyani.

The use of WIPAS-based internet technology will increase the Internet network capacity in Malang government’s scope. So far the network that is used is a wireless-based network. According to Tri, WIPAS' power is far higher than the wireless. By using WIPAS, the power will go up from 15 Khz to above 26 Khz. “This is very helpful for faster data access,” said Tri.

Bibin Bintariadi

Java, Bali facing more blackouts

Ika Krismantari and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta-Bandung

Electricity supply in Java and parts of Bali is at a critical balance as the country's biggest coal-powered generator, located in Central Java, burned through the last of its coal Friday night, with continued high seas hampering delivery of more coal.

A spokesman for state power firm PT PLN, Ario Subijoko, said Friday high seas were preventing ships carrying coal from docking near the Tanjung Jati plant in Jepara, further jeopardizing electricity supplies in Java and parts of Bali already suffering from rotating blackouts.

He said if coal ships were still unable to dock in Jepara by Saturday, PLN would attempt to transport by truck coal from ships now docked at a port in Semarang, the capital of Central Java province.

"However, it will be difficult as the loading capacity of each truck is only 20 tons," Ario.

The 1,320-megawatt Tanjung Jati power plant requires a coal supply of 3,000 tons each day.

The trip between Semarang and the plant takes about 60 to 90 minutes, if traffic is not bad.

Ario said if it proved impossible to transport the coal overland, the Tanjung Jati plant would have to shut down. However, he refused to say how much of a power supply deficit Java and Bali would suffer in this event.

He reported PLN was able to reverse a 300 megawatt deficit in power supply for Java and parts of Bali to a surplus of 230 megawatts after successfully switching some of its power generators to diesel fuel from coal.

The power surplus, he said, was sustainable at least through Sunday as factories and offices shut down their operations for the weekend.

Fabi Tumiwa, director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform, said if PLN failed to secure a coal supply, Java and Bali would suffer a power deficit of 600 to 1,000 megawatts, as the coal stocks of the other power supply providers such as the Cilacap and Paiton power plants were also depleting.

"For this weekend, the lower peak loads will help us, so there will be no blackouts until Sunday," Ari said, while warning of a critical condition for Java and Bali starting Monday.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, State Minister for Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman said the country immediately needed to begin work on a nuclear power plant, to end its dependency on diesel and coal, as demanded by a 2007 law on government planning.

He said of 16 locations surveyed by the ministry's office, six were found to ideal for a nuclear plant, all of them along the coast of Java Island.

"Of the six, the Muria Peninsula has the highest stability rate for the operation of a nuclear power plant. Nevertheless, we see some opposition from residents there," he said.

Kusmayanto said investors were already interested in the nuclear plant project.

In response, PLN commissioner Al Hilal Hamdi said more research and liability studies were needed before beginning work on a nuclear plant, to ensure public safety.

"Seismic activity is something that needs to be accounted for within the study .... Maybe it is better to put (the plant) far from human habitations, far from Java. Batam island could be an ideal place," he said

Earlier, the National Nuclear Power Agency said the blueprint for a plant in Muria with a 7,000 megawatt took into account the possibility of seismic activity.

iBiotech 2008 roadshow to hit four cities in Indonesia

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - "iBiotech 2008", a grand biotechnological roadshow will for the very first time be launched in four cities in Indonesia to introduce science, biotechnology in particular, to the public.

"iBiotech 2008 will hold interesting interactive biotechnological experiments for 7th and 12th grade pupils, spokesman for iBiotech 2008 Hosea S. Handoyo said in a press release in Jakarta on Friday.

The four cities are Jakarta on March 3 at the Rawamangun Lab School, di Bandung on March 5 at the Taruna Bakti Complex, Jl. Riau, in Yogyakarta on March 7 Maret at the Pharmaceutical Facultry of Gajah Mada University, and in Surabaya on March 10 at the Medical Faculty of Airlangga University.

Hosea said that actually bioteknologi has now become an interesting topic of discussions in the world of science in the last few decades. Through biotechnology the human race derived various benefits like in discovering new medical drugs and superior fruits.

Unfortunately, he said, in Indonesia the people has yet to be familiarized with biotechnology although Indonesia has abundant biotechnological resources. In the meantime, Indonesia has yet to properly apply modern biotechnology like enzyme technology and DNA manipulation.

However, generally people in Indonesia are already quite familiar with traditional technological products like soybean curd or tofu (tahu), fermented soybean cake (tempe), and soy cause (kecap), he said.

This program has been adopted from BioPop, a program on introducing science to the people in Europe with great success in Bologna, Italy, and in Delft, the Netherlands, in 2005 and 2006 by the Indonesian Biotechnology Students Forum (IBSF) with support of the Genomic Network for Young Scientists (GeNeYouS) of the Netherlands, and the Netherlands Education Support Office (NESO) in Indonesia.

The project also has the support of the Research and Technology Ministry in Indonesia, HAN University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, the pharmaceutical faculty of the Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta and the medical faculty of Airlangga University in Surabaya.

"IBSF has invited Terry Vrijenhoek, MSc., chairman of GeNeYouS, a young researcher, and a steering committee of BioPop to join us. Terry will introduce science which is not boring us," he said.

Friday, February 22, 2008

ExxonMobil, Indonesia's Pertamina sell 10 pct of Cepu Block to local governments

CNNMoney, February 22, 2008: 06:11 AM EST

JAKARTA, Feb. 22, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) Corp and Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina on Friday agreed to sell a combined 10 percent interest in the country's largest oil project, Cepu Block, to four local government-owned companies.

Exxon's stake in the block, held by its units Mobil Cepu Ltd and Ampolex Pte Ltd, has been reduced to 45 percent from 50 percent. Likewise, Pertamina's stake, held by its unit Pertamina EP, has been cut to 45 percent from 50 percent.

Mobil Cepu and Pertamina EP are the joint operators of the block.

The four companies are PT Sarana Patra Hulu Cepu owned by the Central Java provincial government, PT Asri Dharma Sejahtera owned by Bojonegoro Regency, PT Blora Patragas Hulu owned by Blora Regency and PT Pegro Gas Jatim Utama Cendana owned by the East Java provincial government.

Cepu, located in east and central Java, has estimated reserves of 600 million barrels of oil and 1.7 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Oil production from the field is expected to rise to an average of 160,000 barrels of oil per day, or nearly 16 percent of Indonesia's current nationwide output, in two to three years from an initial production of 10,000 barrels of oil per day.

The block is expected to begin production at the end of this year.

(1 US dollar = 9,169 rupiah)

roffie.kurniawan@thomson.com

TNI prepares three Cassa planes for Simeulue quake victims

Banda Aceh (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Military (TNI) is preparing three Cassa planes to provide relief aid to the victims of a powerful earthquake that struck the western Indonesian island of Simeulue on Wednesday.

"We are preparing the planes to airlift logistics and medicines," spokesman for the Iskandar Muda Regional Military Command Maj Dudi Dzulfadli said on Friday.

Only Cassa planes could land at the Lasikin airstrip on the island, he said.

Two of the planes are being made ready in Banda Aceh, capital of Aceh province, and the other in Medan, capital of North Sumatra province, he said.

An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck under the island off the western coast of Sumatra on Wednesday, leaving three people killed and 25 others injured.

Indonesia`s Bumi Resources to acquire four mining companies

Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Indonesia's largest coal producer PT Bumi Resources (JSX:BUMI) is studying the possible acquisition of three or four potential mining companies in Indonesia.

Senior vice president for investor relations Dileep Srivastava made clear that Bumi is not interested in seeking stakes in U.S. gold mining companies Freeport Indonesia and Newmont.

Bumi, which has two major coal mining subsidiaries, Kaltim Prima Coal and Arutmin, is more interested in expanding its production capacity than buying a stake in the two gold companies, he said. Bumi is seeking to increase its stake in Australia's Herald Resources (ASX:HER), which has a lead and zinc mine not yet developed in Dairi, North Sumatra, from 20.19 per cent to 51 per cent.

Medan river project 'harms environment'

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

An alliance of non-governmental organizations have voiced strong opposition to the planned straightening of the Deli River, which divides Medan in North Sumatra.

The opposition comes after the alliance, including the Environmental Policy and Development Studies (Elsaka), the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and the Commission for Victims of Violence and Missing Persons (Kontras) in Medan, organized a walk to trace the 700-meter section of the river to be straightened.

The project, according to the NGOs, contravenes Government Regulation No. 35/1991 on river conservation. They also claimed the work would benefit businesspeople, who would gain some 22 hectares of free land, at the expense of thousands of poor families who would be removed from the banks of the river.

Elsaka director Effendi Panjaitan, who joined the river walk, called on the municipal administration and Public Works Ministry to review the plan.

In addition to affecting residents, the project will harm the environment and put the city at greater risk of floods by narrowing the river, he said.

"If the government is committed to conserving the river, local authorities should take the necessary steps, including the revival of the clean river program, to fight the river's heavy pollution," Effendi said.

He warned the government not to straighten the river, saying NGOs would file a lawsuit against local authorities if they went ahead with the project.

"This is part of our protest to the city administration and the six construction companies who won the contract," he said.

The six companies, including PT Kastil Kencana, PT Elpinki, PT SJA and PT Eka, confirmed they had secured formal permission from city authorities to begin work on the river project.

Kastil operations director Bernard Situmorang said the plan did not pose any threat to the city because flood control works would be constructed along the straightened section of the river.

North Sumatra Walhi director Job Purba said the government was required to conserve the river, which belonged to all citizens.

"This project reflects the city authorities' lack of commitment to developing the city and preserving the environment. Local officials should not take the business community's side in developing the city," he said.

He claimed the city would allow the construction of malls and hotels on the land cleared to make way for the project.

The city's decision on the project is final and all requirements, including an environmental impact study, have been met, head of the local environment, energy and mineral resources office, Purnama Dewi, said.

"We have reviewed all the positive and negative effects of the project," she said, but declined to comment on the absence of measures to curb river pollution and to use the river as alternative transportation infrastructure.

Effendi called on city authorities to punish more than 200 companies that dumped wastewater and hazardous material into the river.

"Because of the contamination, residents can no longer use water from the river, which is a burden for everyone," he said.

Dell offers award-winning products for retail consumers

Novia D. Rulistia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Global systems and services company Dell Inc. is now targeting Indonesia's consumer segment by launching four types of laptop computer systems and slim-build desktops, in cooperation with long-time partner PT Metrodata E Business (MEB).

"This is a great way for us to connect to Indonesian consumers we may have not reached in the past," said Dell's regional managing editor, Andreas Diantoro, on Thursday at the company's product launching at Wisma BCA in Jakarta.

The new products are the award-winning XPS M1330 and the Inspiron 1420 laptops, as well as the Inspiron 530 and 530s slim-build desktops, with prices ranging from US$600 to $1,200.

Dell launched these products in Malaysia and Singapore at the end of last year, and it plans to penetrate other countries in Southeast Asia after Indonesia.

"Notebooks will grow fast, as supporting facilities, like wifi and hotspots, are made more and more widely accessible," Andreas said.

Previously in Indonesia, Dell Inc. provided services and products for corporations working in several areas, including the mining, oil, manufacturing and telecommunications industries.

"Notebook sales in Indonesia have been growing higher than in Malaysia and Singapore. We are targeting 10 percent of the laptops on sale in the Indonesian market," said Dell's country manager Megawaty Khie.

The Indonesian Computer Corporation Association (Apkomindo) reported that 60 percent of the 1.5 million computer units sold last year were notebooks. In 2006, notebook sales made up 50 percent of total computer sales.

MEB president director Agus Honggo Widodo said the company planned to offer the consumer products in five major cities in Indonesia -- Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Medan.

"We are delighted to have been chosen as Dell's partner in reaching out to the consumer segment in Indonesia," said Agus, whose company has been Dell's authorized distributor since 2002.

Agus said he was confident the new products would soon become the preferred products of young professionals and small office and home office users.

Market observer International Data Corporation, in its Worldwide Quarterly PC tracker, predicted that laptop sales would reach 50 percent of total sales of computers in the world this year.

Apkomindo predicted in January that computer sales in Indonesia would reach 3 million units this year, with notebooks accounting for at least 65 percent of sales and personal computers 35 percent.

Indonesia's market for notebooks is currently dominated by international brands like Acer, Toshiba and Hewlett-Packard. (lva)