THE INDONESIAN EMBASSY BI-WEEKLY BULLETIN · ISSUE II/02 · 18 February2008 Indonesia News and Views IN THIS ISSUE: Politics Economy Society & Culture International Others Editorial USEFUL LINKS: Government (www.indonesia.go.id) Department of Foreign Affairs (www.deplu.go.id) Department of Cultural and Tourism Lembah Anai Nature Reserve: (www.budpar.go.id) West Sumatra National Agency for Export Development “Lembah Anai” is the famous 40 meters high waterfall situated at the edge (www.nafed.go.id) of Tandikat volcano, which is one of the nature reserves waterfalls in West Sumatera. As part of tourism attraction, the surroundings of the Anai Investment Valley are magnificent with the dense of tropical forest which creates a Coordinating Board nature reserve where is near the Tandikat volcanic cone unit existed of (www.bkpm.go.id) summit and craters area, adjacent to Singgalang volcano, one of the famous mountain in West Sumatera. Statistics Indonesia (www.bps.go.id) (Source: my-indonesia.info) The Jakarta Post (www. thejakarta- post.com) Issued by THE INDONESIAN EMBASSY, INFORMATION & SOCIO-CULTURAL AFFAIRS Kuusisaarentie 3, 00340 Helsinki, Finland, Phone. (358-9) 477 0370, Fax. (358-9) 458 2882, E-mail. [email protected] The Indonesian Embassy, Bi – Weekly Bulletin. Issue 18 February 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS POLITICS • POLAND WANTS CLOSER STRATEGIC TIES WITH RI …………................ 1 • INDONESIA, QATAR SUPPORT EACH OTHER IN IPU NOMINATIONS ..... 1 • AKBAR READY TO VIE FOR GOLKAR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY IN CONVENTION ………………………………………………………………….. 2 ECONOMY • MANDATORY USE FOR BIOFUEL MAY BE SET AT 2-2.5% …………….… 2 • RI CAR EXPORTS EXPECTED TO INCREASE 40 PCT IN 2008 …………. 2 • ELECTRONICS EXPORTS PROJECTED TO REACH US $ 8 BILLION IN 2008 …………………………………………………………. 3 • AGENCIES DISCOVER HYDROCARBON IN ACEH ……………………….… 3 • INDONESIA AIMS AT EXPORT MARKET …………………………………….. 4 • JAMBI'S NON OIL EXPORTS WORTH 524.92 MILLION US DOLLARS ….. 4 SOCIETY & CULTURE • BUKITTINGGI, THE MOST RELAXED TOWN IN ALL SUMATRA ………………………………………………………………….. 5 INTERNATIONAL • UN ANTI - CORRUPTION CONFERENCE : MONEY LAUNDERING OPPORTUNITIES REDUCED …………………………………………………… 6 • EXPORT - IMPORT BANK TO FINANCE ELECTRICITY PLANT PROJECT ………………………………………………………………………….. 7 • EUROPE GRANTS RP. 132.3 BILLION FOR BIRD FLU …………………….. 8 OTHERS • TOURIST ARRIVALS IN DECEMBER 2007 UP 10 PCT …………………….. 8 • BALI TO HOLD 17 FESTIVALS IN SUPPORT OF VISIT INDONESIA YEAR 2008 …………………………………………………………. 9 • NEW AIRPORT PLANNED FOR WEST SUMATRA …………………………. 9 • BENGKULU WILL HAVE NEW PORTS ………………………………………… 9 EDITORIAL • SOEHARTO'S ASEAN LEGACY …………………………………………… 10 The Indonesian Embassy, Bi – Weekly Bulletin. Issue 18 February 2008 He said Kaczynski's statement was in POLITICS line with Prime Minister Donald Tusk's talks with Indonesian House Speaker POLAND WANTS CLOSER Agung Laksono when the latter visited STRATEGIC TIES WITH RI Warsaw in December last year. Jakarta - The Polish government wants On the occasion, Tusk and Agung to step up its strategic relations with Laksono reached an agreement to Indonesia, along with other key players develop bilateral relations and in Asia Pacific such as China, India, and cooperation at a strategic level because Japan, Polish President Lech Kaczynski of the two countries outstanding said, according to a press release positions and roles in their respective made available by the Indonesian regions. Embassy in Poland. Ever since obtaining European Union According to Indonesian Ambassador to membership in 2004, Poland with a Poland Hazairin Pohan, President Lech population of about 40 million had been Kaczynski's statement was quoted by enjoying an average economic growth the Polish presidential office in relation of 6 percent per year. (ANTARA) with an early-year meeting with foreign INDONESIA, QATAR SUPPORT diplomats. EACH OTHER IN IPU The Polish president celebrated the New NOMINATIONS Year in January with the diplomats and made an evaluation of developments in Doha - The Indonesian government Poland's foreign relations and on the supported the nomination of Qatar to be priorities of his policies in 2008. the next president of the International Postal Union, and in return Qatar "We have a profound interest in seconded Indonesia's candidacy of stepping up relations and good becoming next Inter-Parliamentary cooperation with Indonesia in the field of Union (IPU) president, an Indonesian economy and politics, the improvement envoy said. of the cooperation will be conducted through bilateral channels as well as Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar Rozi Polish position as a member of Munir said that both countries supported European Union," Kaczynski said. each other as they had close political relations. He specially noted that there were dynamic developments last year in "Indonesia intends to nominate House Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Speaker Agung Laksono to be IPU president, while Qatar wants to be the In his statement, the Polish president next president of the International Postal also indicated a positive signal to Union," Rozi Munir said. improve relations with Russia and Belarus, and his support for the Middle The ambassadors said that the two East peace process. countries wanted to intensify the bilateral ties. Meanwhile, Hazairin Pohan said he welcomed the Polish president's strong Indonesia and Qatar were both commitment to improving relation and members of several international cooperation with Indonesia. organizations, and once were 1 permanent members of the United would equal 1.2 million to 1.5 million Nations Security Council. kiloliters (kl) per year. The two countries also shared similar Evita H. Legowo, the first secretary of political views and especially supported the committee, told The Jakarta Post it the independence of a sovereign had been suggestedthe policy come into Palestinian state, the ambassador said. effect in July before the committee's (ANTARA) tenure ended in August. AKBAR READY TO VIE FOR The policy would be imposed in every GOLKAR PRESIDENTIAL region across the country, not only in CANDIDACY IN CONVENTION Java and Sumatra as previously proposed, she added. Yogyakarta - Former Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung said he was "I don't think the policy will cause any prepared to be elected the party's 2009 problems as Pertamina is currently presidential candidate through a party distributing Biosolar fuel with a biofuel convention. content of 2.5 percent in most provinces in Indonesia," Evita said. Therefore, Golkar should hold a convention where its candidate for the She said the proposed policy was quite 2009 presidential election could be realistic as the country was already selected through debates and dialogs, producing between 1.5 million and 1.8 he said. million kl of biofuel per year. "If a convention will be held, I will surely Evita said it had not been decided participate. I will then take part in whether the policy would be applied in debates with whoever else is nominated, the industrial sector, the transportation including Jusuf Kalla," Akbar said. sector, or both. (The Jakarta Post) He said he would be ready to accept RI CAR EXPORTS EXPECTED TO whatever the outcome of the convention INCREASE 40 PCT IN 2008 would be. "If Kalla wins, I will accept Jakarta - Indonesia's exports of defeat but if I win, I hope Kalla will also completely-built-up (CBU), completely- accept it," he said. knocked-down (CKD) cars and "However, because so far there is no automotive components are projected certainty Golkar will hold a convention, I to increase in value by about 40 percent will wait and see. For sure, I am ready to in 2008, an industry ministry official said. devote myself to the nation and country Exports of CBU, CKD cars and totally and with full commitment," he automotive components in 2008 are said. (ANTARA) expected to reach a total value of 2.9 billion US dollars or up by about 40 ECONOMY percent from 2.1 billion US dollars in HIGH INFLATION RATE WILL BOOST 2007, director general of transportation MANDATORY USE FOR BIOFUEL vehicle industry and telematics at the MAY BE SET AT 2 - 2.5 % Industry Ministry, Budi Darmadi, said. Jakarta - The National Biofuel "This year CBU car exports could reach Development Committee has suggested 75,000 to 80,000 units up from 55,000 the government make it mandatory for units in 2007," he said. biofuels to constitute 2 to 2.5 percent of Budi said he was optimistic the value the nation's total fuel consumption. This and volume of car and automotive component exports would increase in 2 2008 as car making principals were The disturbance could however be increasingly allowing the automotive reduced by expanding the export industry in Indonesia to export. markets to include non-traditional destinations such as countries in the PT Daihatsu Astra Motor (ADM) had set Middle East, Africa, East Europe and itself the target of exporting 18,000 Asia. units of Grand Max minibus and pickup cars under the brandnames Toyota "There have been requests for Town Ace and Toyota Lite Ace to Japan Indonesian electronic goods such as in 2008. televisions and dry batteries from Poland," Abdul Wahid said. ADM would also export Daihatsu Terios cars. Therefore, he predicted that Indonesia's consumer electronic products would PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing reach a value of between US$7.5 billion Indonesia (TMMIN) would export and US$8 billion. Indonesia's Toyota Fortuners, Innovas and Avanzas electronics exports in 2006 were to a few countries. Indomobil would do recorded at US$6.9 billion and they