AsiaPulse News articles from March 2004

AsiaPulse News archives from March 2004

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS STRONGER - MARCH 1, 2004.
March 1, 2004... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar opened stronger this morning, tracking a firmer euro over the weekend after a choppy session of trading. At 0700 AEDT the local currency was trading at .7735/40 compared with Friday's...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2004.
March 1, 2004... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH - The woman who has accused a number of Bulldogs players of raping her will be videotaped by police as she re-enacts events on the night of the alleged...

SAMSUNG OPENS SEMICONDUCTOR R&D CENTER IN CHINA.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Samsung Electronics Co. (KSE:005930) said it has opened a research and development center for system large-scale integration (LSI) semiconductors in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. Samsung's R&D center,...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR HIT BY RISING DOLLAR.
March 1, 2004... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - A new survey shows that the rise of the Australian dollar has seen a significant decline in manufacturing activity in February. The Australian Industry Group PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian Performance of...

AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY SURGES AHEAD IN 2003.
March 1, 2004... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's economy powered ahead in 2003, with one survey estimating that gross domestic product (GDP) was likely to have grown by 1.5 per cent in the December quarter. The AAP economic indicator for February...

STOCKS - BSE CLOSES UP - MAR 01, 2004.
March 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The sensex rallied sharply and soared by 156 points at close for the second session in a row in brisk activity on the Stock Exchange here today on hectic buying by retailers and operators as well as heavy purchases by...

FOREX - US DOLLAR MILDLY CHEAPER AGAINST RUPEE - MAR 01, 2004.
March 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The US Dollar ended mildly cheaper against the Rupee at Rs 45.24 per dollar but the Pound sterling turned dearer at Rs 84.47 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market here today. ...

SK CORP., KEPCO UNIT SIGN LONG-TERM COAL DEAL.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - SK Corp. (KSE:003600) said it has signed a coal supply deal with the Korea Western Power Co., a power-generation unit of the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO). Under the contract, SK is to provide about 500,000...

S KOREAN BANKS TARGET RECORD PROFITS IN 2004.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's 19 major banks are aiming for a combined record net profit of 7.8 trillion won (US$6.7 billion) this year, due to improvements in the overall business environment, according to government sources. ...

KOREAN MOBILE PHONE CO SECURES ONE MILLION SUBSCRIBERS.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - KTF Co., the second-largest of South Korea's three mobile phone operators, said it had secured one million new subscribers so far this year, as at 4 p.m Saturday. The mobile unit of fixed-line giant KT Corp....

SK TELECOM APPOINTS NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - SK Telecom Co. (KSE:017670), the country's largest cell phone operator, said Friday its managing director Kim Sin-bae has been promoted to chief executive officer. Kim assumed the post on Friday and is to be...

N. KOREA'S ECONOMIC RECONSTRUCTION "VITAL" FOR REGIONAL PEACE.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - The economic reconstruction of North Korea is a precondition for resolving the military tension on the Korean Peninsula, a U.S. researcher said Friday. The comment came from Peter Haynes, executive director of...

S KOREAN GROWTH FOR 2004 SET TO SURPASS 5.3PCT.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - Kim Choong-soo, president of the Korea Development Institute (KDI), has said that growth figures for 2004 are likely to edge up from the 5.3 per cent figure estimated by the think tank last year. Speaking to...

S. KOREA'S RAW MATERIAL CRISIS WORST IN SIX YEARS: POLL.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - Manufacturing companies in South Korea are experiencing their worst shortage of raw materials in six years, a survey has shown. In a poll of 2,064 small- and medium-sized manufacturers by the Industrial Bank of...

BERGER INT'L REGISTERS US$1.8 MLN NET PROFIT.
March 1, 2004... MUMBAI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore-based Berger International Ltd (BIL) (SGX:BEGR), in which Asian Paints (BSE:ASPN) had taken a controlling stake last year, has reported a net profit of S$3.1 million (US$1.82 million) for the year ended...

S KOREAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PASSES ANTARCTIC ENVIRONMENT LAW.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's parliament has passed its first-ever law to protect the environment of the Antarctic and promote related scientific research, officials said Friday. The National Assembly's action is part of an...

S.KOREA TO PLAY GREATER ROLE IN NORTHEAST ASIA COOPERATION.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea expects to play a greater role in increasing financial cooperation and coordination in Northeast Asia, participants in an international conference said Saturday. Experts on regional development such...

SINGAPORE'S FACTORY OUTPUT UP 18.1PCT IN JANUARY.
March 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, March 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore's factory output for January was up by a robust 18.1 per cent over the previous month's figure, the Economic Development Board said. The growth was boosted by higher production in the biomedical...

S. KOREAN PM PLEDGES CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD PROSPERITY.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's prime minister said Saturday that South Korea will continue exerting efforts to contribute to global peace and prosperity as a responsible member of the international community . Delivering a...

HONG KONG'S DEFICIT HITS US45.8 BLN FOR FIRST 10 MONTHS.
March 1, 2004... HONG KONG, March 1 Asia Pulse - Hong Kong's official deficit surpassed HK$45 billion (US$5.8 billion) for the first 10 months of the 2003-2004 Fiscal year. The government announced Friday that the deficit for the 10-month period ending...

CHINA AIRLINES' SALES IN JANUARY HIT RECORD MONTHLY HIGH.
March 1, 2004... TAIPEI, March 1 Asia Pulse - China Airlines (CAL) - Taiwan's largest carrier - posted a record single-month high in business sales of NT$7.7 billion (US$231 million) in January, with pre-tax profit hitting around NT$500 million, a CAL executive...

LUFTHANSA PLANNING TO REOPEN TAIPEI-FRANKFURT ROUTE.
March 1, 2004... TAIPEI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Germany's Lufthansa is planning to reopen the Taipei-Frankfurt route after a hiatus of four years, the carrier announced in a press release issued recently by a Taiwan public relations company. Lufthansa first...

FIRE BREAKS OUT AT POSCO PLANT IN POHANG, S KOREA.
March 1, 2004... POHANG, March 1 Asia Pulse - A plant of POSCO (KSE:005490), the world's fourth largest steelmaker, at Pohang, 374 kilometers southeast of Seoul, caught fire Saturday night. The fire at the POSCO plant, which annually produces 620,000 tons...

NEW AGRI-BIOTECH PARK LAUNCHED IN TAIWAN.
March 1, 2004... TAIPEI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian has presided over a groundbreaking ceremony to launch a national agricultural and biotechnology park in southern Pingtung County. Chen said about 30 companies are planning to...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN INDEX OPENS HIGHER - MARCH 1, 2004.
March 1, 2004... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket lifted higher at the open today, led by resource stocks after a virtually flat end to the US market last week. By 1018 AEDT the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was up 13.7 points at...

N. KOREA DENOUNCES U.S. HARD-LINE STANCE.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - There will be no progress in international efforts to resolve the nuclear issue as long as the United States keeps its hard-line stance, North Korea said Sunday. "The United States has shown little effort to...

TAIWAN FIRM ABOUT PROTECTING 'SENSITIVE' AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.
March 1, 2004... GENEVA, March 1 Asia Pulse - A senior Taiwan trade official in Geneva made it clear that the island will stand firm in protecting its "sensitive" products such as rice when the new round of Doha Development Agenda trade talks are resumed. ...

S KOREAN GOV'T TO DOWNSIZE TAX PROBES OF FOREIGN-INVESTED FIRMS.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - The South Korean government will significantly scale down its tax probes into foreign-invested companies in a bid to help lure more direct investment from abroad, the National Tax Service (NTS) said Sunday. The...

"SILMIDO" BREAKS SALE PRICE RECORD FOR KOREAN FILM GOING TO TAIWAN.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's blockbuster movie "Silmido" broke the record sale price for a Korean film sold to Taiwan, the film's promoter said Sunday. Silmido, about a group of mainly ruffians trained as commandos to...

STOCKS - DSE REMAINS TRADELESS FOR YET ANOTHER WEEK.
March 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - The Delhi Stock Exchange witnessed another tradeless week ending February 27 with most of the market participants carrying out business on the country's other leading bourses. Marketmen said member brokers,...

STOCKS - SENSEX DIVES BY 3.13% FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE WEEK.
March 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - The sensex dived by another 3.13 per cent even as stocks staged a smart recovery on Friday on the Stock Exchange, Mumbai (BSE) in the week under review. The BSE Benchmark 30-share Index that extended its losses...

ASIAN AEROSPACE 2004 ANNOUNCES US$3.52 BLN WORTH OF DEALS.
March 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, March 1 Asia Pulse - Asian Aerospace 2004 re-affirmed its position as the world's second most influential air show, announcing US$3.52 billion worth of deals over the exhibition's four trade days. The amount surpassed the US$3.2...

QANTAS APPOINTS JAMES PACKER AS NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
March 1, 2004... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX:QAN) today appointed James Packer as a non-executive director of its board. Qantas chairman Margaret Jackson said Mr Packer would fill a casual vacancy on the Qantas Board and take up the...

SEOUL STOCKS LIKELY TO BE MIXED THIS WEEK.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's main bourse is expected to undergo corrections this week as Wall Street remains sluggish and foreign investors in Seoul also reduced buying this week, analysts said Saturday. The Korea Composite...

INDIA, PHILIPPINES TO STRENGTHEN ECONOMIC COOPERATION.
March 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - India and the Philippines on Friday agreed to cooperate in the sectors of information technology, railways, small/medium enterprises and pharmaceuticals, and to make efforts to boost the current level of US$596...

FITCH UNLIKELY TO RAISE S KOREA'S RATING FOR 1-2 YEARS: REPORT.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - Global credit appraiser Fitch Ratings is not prepared to upgrade its current sovereign rating for South Korea because of the ongoing North Korean nuclear issues, Dow Jones reported in a Seoul dispatch Saturday,...

INDIAN MINISTER MOOTS ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE UNIT.
March 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - In an apparant bid to check manipulations and price rigging, Federal Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie on Friday suggested creation of an 'economic intelligence unit' to monitor markets and said he had mooted...

UNIFIED KOREA LIKELY TO CONTRIBUTE TO ARMS REDUCTION IN ASIA.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - A unified Korea will be in a position to play a major role in furthering peace in Asia by triggering a fundamental move towards arms reduction, University of Pennsylvania professor Lawrence Klein said Saturday. ...

DILITHIUM NETWORKS, NETCENTREX ENABLE SOLUTIONS FOR 3G VIDEO.
March 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) LARKSPUR, Calif. & PARIS, March 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Dilithium Networks, the leading supplier of 3G multimedia solutions and NetCentrex(TM), the leading enabler of converged...

TV PFALZ DOUBTS FINDINGS OF SFK ACCIDENT COMMISSION.
March 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) FRANKFURT, 27 Feb. /newsaktuell-AsiaNet/ -- Fraport AG: TV Pfalz' Statement Confirms Our Objective Criticism of the SFK Opinion Frankfurt am Main (ots) - TV Pfalz (the technical...

PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI INVITES THE WORLD TO JAPAN.
March 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) Tokyo, February 27/Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ -- -- Visit Japan Campaign promotional video features Japanese leader -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi bids the world a warm...

PACE URGES RECALL OF BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES.
March 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- The following statement is from the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical & Energy Workers Intl. Union: The 300,000 member Paper,...

ING AUSTRALIA POSTS 50 PCT RISE IN YR NET PROFIT.
March 1, 2004... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - ING Australia, the nation's fourth largest retail fund manager and life insurer, has booked a 50 per cent increase in net profit in 2003. The ING Australia operation, which is 49 per cent owned by the Australia...

INDIA, NETHERLANDS TO PROMOTE MUTUAL INVESTMENT.
March 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - India and the Netherlands on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote mutual investment. The MoU was signed by Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley and the Netherlands Economic Affairs Minister...

INDIA'S HUGHES SOFTWARE SETS UP LAB IN GERMANY.
March 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Hughes Software Systems (BSE:HUGH) on Friday announced the launch of its inter-operatbility services for handset equipment manufacturers and said it has set up a dedicated lab at its Germany development centre...

PROGEN RELEASES H1 RESULTS, SET TO MEET 2004 TARGETS.
March 1, 2004... (Full text of this release can be found at http:/www.asianetnews.net) BRISBANE, Feb 27/MediaNet International-AsiaNet/ -- Further Encouragement for PI-88 from Avastins Approval Progen Industries Limited (ASX: PGL, NASDAQ: PGLAF), a...

FTSE, INSTITUTIONAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES CREATE NEW INDEXES.
March 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) ROCKVILLE, Md. and LONDON, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- The growing number of investors wishing to measure and analyse non-financial risk will soon be able to use an innovative new...

CARAVAN ORGANIZED TO MARK OPENING OF AIRPORT IN CENTRAL TAIWAN.
March 1, 2004... TAIPEI, March 1 Asia Pulse - A caravan of cars and horses decorated with colorful flowers moved through the streets of downtown Taichung City in central Taiwan Sunday to mark the opening of an international airport in the region. The...

NEW TAIWAN DOLLAR TO MAINTAIN DEPRECIATION AGAINST U.S. DOLLAR.
March 1, 2004... TAIPEI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The new Taiwan dollar is expected to hover around against the U.S. dollar between a range of 33.35 to 33.45 this week, maintaining a trend of slight depreciation against the greenback, market dealers said Sunday....

LG ELECTRONICS TO STRENGTHEN R&D FUNCTIONS OF CHINESE PLANTS.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - LG Electronics (KSE:066570) said Monday it will expand the research and development (R&D) functions of its Chinese factories as part of a plan to make China its second digital television R&D base. "LG...

S KOREA'S HANARO TELECOM TO ISSUE US$600 MLN OF YANKEE BONDS.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - Instead of arranging a five-year syndicated loan, Hanaro Telecom Inc. (KOSDAQ:033630) plans to issue US$600 million of bonds in the United States to refinance debt, company chief executive officer Yoon Chang-bun said...

UNIONISTS OF KOREA'S KEB CREDIT AGREE TO RETIREMENT, END STRIKE.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - Unionists and management at KEB Credit Service Co., South Korea's third-largest card company, reached an agreement Saturday to end a strike and implement a voluntary retirement package system. Instead of the...

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES OPEN HIGHER - MARCH 1, 2004.
March 1, 2004... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo share prices opened higher Monday, with the Nikkei-225 index gaining 70.76 points, or 0.64 per cent, to 11,112.68 in early trade. ASIA PULSE 01-03 1207

HO WAH GENTING KINTRON NOTIFIES HAZARDS OF KB-1F CUBE TAPS.
March 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) KULIM, Feb. 27 /XFNHK-AsiaNet/ -- Ho Wah Genting Kintron SDN. BHD. wishes to notify consumers and merchandisers that models KB-1F cube taps (39 pcs) indoor extension cords that are...

RACING CLUBS TO SIGN TV DEAL WITH AUSTRALIA'S SKY CHANNEL:REPORT.
March 1, 2004... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Sydney's major racing clubs are reportedly set to sign a TV broadcasting deal with Sky Channel, despite spending weeks negotiating with other parties for a better deal. Newspapers today reported that Sydney's...

WOORI FINANCIAL CHAIRMAN CANDIDATE TO BE SELECTED WITHIN WEEK.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - The recommendation for the new chairman of Woori Financial Group will be made within the week, the company's selection board said Sunday. The head of the selection board, Lee Chae-woong, an economics professor...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2004.
March 1, 2004... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STAR: - Shah Alam is rapidly turning into one of the fastest growing corridors in the Klang Valley, with at least 15 property development projects on 6,500 to...

INDIA'S FOREX RESERVES REACH US$107.67 BLN.
March 1, 2004... MUMBAI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The country's foreign exchange reserves on Saturday surged ahead with further accretion of US$169 million due to fresh inflows and revaluation of the US currency vis-a-vis other currencies for the week ended...

AUSTRALIA'S ZINIFEX TO RAISE US$809.86 MLN IN IPO.
March 1, 2004... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - An initial public offer for Zinifex Ltd will raise A$1.05 billion (US$809.86 million) to A$1.35 billion (US$1.04 billion), with 500 million shares offered. The institutional offer indicative price range for...

HYUNDAI MOTOR INVESTING US$220 MLN TO EXPAND INDIAN PLANT.
March 1, 2004... CHANDIGARH, March 1 Asia Pulse - Hyundai Motor India Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company (KSE:005380) of South Korea, is investing an additional US$220 million to expand the capacity of the company's Chennai plant, a top...

PHILIPPINE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2004.
March 1, 2004... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE MANILA TIMES: - Malacaang has asked the Government Service Insurance System to relax its rules barring members with outstanding obligations from taking out additional...

INDONESIAN GOVT'S RICE IMPORT BAN EFFECTIVE: MINISTER.
March 1, 2004... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The recent ban on rice imports has been effective as it caused the rice price in the domestic market to rise, Trade and Industry Minister Rini MS Soewandi said here Thursday. Trade and Industry Ministry issued...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN INDEX HIGHER TO NOON - MARCH 1, 2004.
March 1, 2004... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket made gains of almost half a per cent to midday, helped along by rises by the big banks and key resource stocks. By 1208 AEDT the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was up 16.9 points at...

MALAYSIA'S INT'L RESERVES HIT US$47.7 BLN AT END JAN: CENTRAL BANK.
March 1, 2004... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - Malaysia's total international reserves as at end-January 2004 amounted to US$47,728.8 million, comprising official reserve assets of US$47,034.5 million and other foreign currency assets of US$694.3 million,...

NEW HOLLAND TRACTORS INDIA TEAMS UP WITH CORPORATION BANK.
March 1, 2004... BANGALORE, March 1 Asia Pulse - New Holland Tractors (India), part of CNH Global N.V. on Friday announced its tie-up with Corporation Bank (BSE:CRBK) to offer attractive finance schemes for New Holland tractor customers. Under the "Corp...

INDONESIAN INTEREST RATE ON "CALL MONEY" DOWN.
March 1, 2004... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The interest rate on "call money" in the interbank money market in Jakarta on Thursday slipped to 7.26/7.30 per cent from 7.51/7.55 per cent, while the rupiah's liquidity was still slack with the "overnight"...

INDIA'S TATA SONS SAYS IT CAN ALTER EQUITY PATTERN OF DTH VENTURE.
March 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Tata Sons has asked the federal government for permission to begin the US$300 million Direct to Home (DTH) venture through Space TV, while reserving the right to introduce any other group company as equity...

STOCKS - SINGAPORE STOCKS UP IN EARLY TRADE - MAR 1, 2004.
March 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore shares were higher in early trade, with the Straits Times Index up 13.49 points at 1902.12 at 10:30 a.m. ASIA PULSE 01-03 1311

FIEO SEES LARGE SCOPE FOR TRADE & INVESTMENT WITH KAZAKHSTAN.
March 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) on Friday outlined the potential for trade, joint ventures and collaboration between India and Kazakhstan. FIEO Director-General G Balachandran said...

INDONESIA PROPOSES DEVELOPMENT OF IT, COMMUNICATIONS TO G-15.
March 1, 2004... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda has called on G-15 countries to develop cooperation in information technology and communications. In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that...

STOCKS - MALAYSIAN STOCKS UP IN EARLY TRADE - MAR 1, 2004.
March 1, 2004... KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian sharemarket was up 0.12 per cent in early trade due to bargain hunting. At 10:30 a.m., the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index rose 1.06 points at 880.3. The broader Emas Index...

INDONESIA'S PT BUMI RESOURCES EXPECTING US$940 MLN IN 2004 SALES.
March 1, 2004... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Mining company PT Bumi Resources (BR) (JSX:BUMI) expects its sales revenue in 2004 to rise to about US$940 million from US$450 million last year. BR Financial Director Eddie Subari said the increase was...

THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIHGTS - MAR 1, 2004.
March 1, 2004... BANGKOK, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE BANGKOK POST: - The government is initiating several measures including a more attractive investment promotion package in three provinces in the South, hoping that...

PHILIPPINES EXPORTS JEEPNEYS TO PNG.
March 1, 2004... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Philippines has formalized the sale of around 4,000 jeepney units to Papua New Guinea, with Guam, India and Vietnam as the next export targets. Initially, some 1,000 units would have been sent by February,...

INDONESIA'S KIMIA FARMA ASKS GOVT TO DELAY DIVESTMENT PLAN.
March 1, 2004... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The management of state pharmaceutical company PT Kimia Farma (JSX:KAEF) has asked the government to delay its plan to divest its shares in the company over the next two years, a company executive said at the...

BILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE: UK JOURNALIST.
March 1, 2004... SEOUL, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - While South Korea's recent ratification of a free trade agreement (FTA) with Chile can be viewed as the South Korean government's attempt to push for market reform, the bilateral agreement itself is counterproductive...

SILICON MOTION, MONTAVISTA SOFTWARE PARTNER FOR CHINA SEMINARS.
March 1, 2004... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) SAN JOSE, Calif., March 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Silicon Motion Inc., a leading supplier of multimedia storage and acceleration solutions for mobile devices, has partnered with MontaVista...

HITACHI HOUSETEC DEVELOPS LESS SLIPPERY BATH FLOOR MATERIAL.
March 1, 2004... TOKYO, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Interior goods maker and marketer Hitachi Housetec Co. has developed a new type of flooring material for the bath area that reduces the risk of slipping and is easier to clean. Most flooring material for the bath...

STAKE IN INDONESIA'S BANK BNI MAY BE SOLD BEFORE END OF H1.
March 1, 2004... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The divestment of a 30 per cent stake in Bank BNI (JSX:BBNI) may be realized before the end of the first half of 2004, depending on market response. "If the condition of the market is not favourable, the...

OSAKA FIRM DEVELOPS BETTER WAY TO POLISH QUARTZ WAFERS.
March 1, 2004... HIGASHI OSAKA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Kashiwara Machine Mfg. Co. has developed a way to polish 300mm-diameter quartz wafers with high precision and efficiency. The new process involves half the usual number of steps and simplifies the task...

DTI TELLS CEMENT FIRMS IN CEBU TO CUT PRICES.
March 1, 2004... CEBU CITY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Department of Trade abnd Industry (DTI) has warned cement manufacturers in Cebu to price their products more reasonably or face intervention by the agency. DTI Secretary Cesar Purisima himself found out...

INDONESIA TO LODGE COMPLAINT OVER U.S. GOVT RIGHTS REPORT.
March 1, 2004... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia will lodge a complaint with the U.S. government about the latter's 2003 human rights practices report, which depicted the human rights situation in Indonesia as deteriorating further. "The one who...

NIPPON OIL SELLING COMPRESSOR LUBRICATING OIL IN CHINA.
March 1, 2004... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Nippon Oil Corp. (TSE:5001) is selling lubricating oil for air conditioners and refrigerators in China. The lubricating oil is vital to the operation of compressors in refrigerators and air conditioners, and...

CHINESE EEL WHOLESALE PRICES SURGE TO 6-YEAR HIGH IN TOKYO.
March 1, 2004... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - The wholesale price of broiled eel imported from China has hit a six-year high of 1,700 yen (US$15.58) per kilogram in Tokyo, up 700 yen from last autumn. The increase is due to the steep decline in the amount of...