Jakarta Post articles from April 2012

Jakarta Post archives from April 2012

Local wine dealers find their legs.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Mariel Grazella, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta One Wednesday evening, representatives of 16 French vineyards gathered at a caf? in South Jakarta to introduce their wares to a hundred or so guests at a wine-tasting and dinner party. A...

No checks on coal exploitation.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia may be the world's top coal exporter, but limitations in the supervision of coal mining may be placing the country at risk of massive financial losses and environmental damage, an...

Bali urged to diversify markets.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Wasti Atmodjo , The Jakarta Post/Bali Daily, Denpasar The Bali tourism industry must penetrate new markets to anticipate the impact of the current global economic crisis that has hit its traditional market in Japan and Europe. ...

Coalition driven by SBY's 'indecisiveness'.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The place of the rebellious Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) in the ruling coalition again appears secure, despite weeks of discontent from members of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party. ...

'Becak' parade enlivens 24-hour Solo dancing event.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Kusumasari Ayuningtyas, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta In conjunction with the commemoration of World Dance Day, 30 dancers opened the 24-hour Surakarta dancing event in the city of Surakarta, Central Java, by dancing on up to 50 becak...

Discourse: RI-US economic relations: Small things can make a big difference.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, With the US economy showing clearer signs of recovery, Indonesia's Ambassador to the US, Dino Patti Djalal, one of the most trusted aides of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, says targets to double bilateral trade...

Agus Criticizes President on New Income Tax Plan
April 30, 2012... Byline: Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo criticized his boss over a planned regulation that would allow for fewer people paying taxes, saying that such a move could create an annual loss of...

Angelina turns to religion.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Democratic Party lawmaker Angelina Sondakh is reportedly getting in touch with her religious roots since being incarcerated in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detention center last Friday. ...

Strategic firms work to keep their secrets safe.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post, Malang, East Java Despite financial trouble, state-owned firms in the strategic industry are putting extra effort into human resource management with one objective in mind: Keeping the country's...

Thousands of workers to protest on May Day.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Margareth S. Aritonang, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta At least 100,000 workers from the Greater Jakarta area are expected to stage a rally around the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta to observe International Workers Day. The...

Foreign universities free to operate in RI.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh welcomed foreign universities to operate in Indonesia, as long as their executives were willing to collaborate with domestic higher-learning institutions. Nuh...

'La Galigo' gets UNESCO nod.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has put South Sulawesi's ancient literary epic La Galigo on the Memory of the World (MOW) list, making it the second document...

Four injured in clash over land row.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Apriadi Gunawan , The Jakarta Post, Medan Four people were injured on Saturday, two of them critically, during the latest in a long line of clashes between farmers and security officers employed by oil palm companies in Sumatra. ...

Nine Brimob members named suspects.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Andi Hajramurni , The Jakarta Post, Makassar Nine members of the Gorontalo Mobile Brigade (Brimob) have been named suspects in a brawl with members of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) that took place on April 22, 2012. ...

5.3-magnitude quake jolts Nabire.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Nabire: Residents in Nabire regency, Papua, felt an earthquake for three seconds at 8:52 a.m. on Sunday. The 5.3-magnitude earthquake, whose epicenter was located 69 kilometers east of Nabire at a depth of 11...

Editorial: Regional connectivity.(Editorial)
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Amid the constant flow of bad news about the excesses of the 2001 decentralization policy -- after more than 170 regional leaders were implicated in corruption and thousands of bylaws on taxes and user charges...

Indonesia-Malaysia deal is good news for fishermen.
April 30, 2012... Byline: I Made Andi Arsana, Sydney On Jan. 27, Indonesia and Malaysia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in respect to the common guidelines concerning treatment of fishermen by maritime law enforcement agencies of the two countries....

Revisiting Indonesia's tsunami early warning system.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Syamsidik , Banda Aceh, Aceh A powerful earthquake and a giant aftershock struck Aceh on April 11, 2012. Unlike the disastrous earthquake and tsunami of 2004, the latest temblors, measuring 8.5 and 8.2 on Richter scale respectively,...

City of Java and unplanned urbanization.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Ratih Hardjono , Jakarta I was recently caught in a gridlock just outside the small city of Pasuruan, East Java, for more than an hour. None of the vehicles moved. I wound down my car window and asked the policeman standing by the...

Festival aims to improve city's sidewalks.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Novia D. Rulistia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta In a bid to increase awareness among Jakarta residents about the importance of sidewalks and walking habits, the city administration organized on Sunday the first Jakarta Pedestrian...

Fortunes found in futsal frenzy.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Jakarta When Dudin Zaenuddin started a futsal courts renting, he did not expect that he would get rich quick. However, just four months after opening, the profits of his futsal (indoor soccer) court rental...

Armed robbers nabbed after car chase.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Jakarta: After hours of pursuit from Cikampek toll road to Lebak Bulus on Saturday, the Jakarta police finally nabbed a group of armed robbers allegedly involved in a string of robberies in the capital. During the...

Students exhibit creative works.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: Thousands of students from 210 senior and vocational high schools across Jakarta took part in the "Gebyar Hari Pendidikan National", exhibiting the creativity of various students at the National Monument on...

PAM to build new water installation.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: City-owned water company PAM Jaya said on Sunday that it was planning to establish new water installations to anticipate the lack of water supply in the city during the upcoming drought season. The water...

Amid many challenges, Vietnam's star continues to rise.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Veeramalla Anjaiah , The Jakarta Post, HaNoi It may not yet be a tiger but it certainly is the new rising star in Asia. Vietnam is an emerging country with an average of above 7 percent economic growth during the first decade of the...

Djarum turns northern coastal highway green with massive tree planting campaign.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Agus Maryono , The Jakarta Post, Pemalang, Central Java The Djarum Foundation's Djarum Trees for Life (DTFL) program recently planted thousands of trembesi trees along the northern coastal highway of Java as part of its commitment to...

HPI allocates US$100 million for JICT area expansion.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Elly Burhaini Faizal, The Jakarta Post, Hong Kong PT Hutchison Ports Indonesia (HPI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of port investor, developer and operator Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH), plans to spend US$100 million on the expansion of...

EXECUTIVE Column: 'Soaring oil prices are the least of the challenges facing Mandala'.(Interview)(Column)
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Supported by the financial backing of diversified invesment firm Saratoga Group, Mandala Airlines has survived a period of internal restructuring and finally resumed business on April 5 and was back serving its...

Semen Gresik raises output following Q1 success.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Raras Cahyafitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After reporting impressive financial results in the first quarter of 2012, PT Semen Gresik, Indonesia's largest cement producer, is poised to benefit from the operational debut of two...

Pertamina ready to crank up non-subsidized fuel output.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Rangga D. Fadillah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta State-run oil and gas firm PT Pertamina says it is prepared to supply more nonsubsidized fuels (Pertamax, Pertamax Plus and Pertamina Dex) should the government execute its plan to limit...

Berau's net profit drops 65 % on higher costs.(Financial report)
April 30, 2012... Byline: Raras Cahyafitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Publicly-listed coal producer PT Berau Coal Energy reported a significant setback in its financial performance in the first quarter of the year, in which the company's net profits fell by 65...

Indonesia to issue bonds in renminbi, won in 2013.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Following the success of its yen-denominated "Samurai Bonds", the Indonesia government says it will issue bonds denominated in the currencies of China and South Korea next year. ...

Metland to disburse 20% of profits as dividend.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: The annual shareholders meeting of Metropolitan Land (MTLA), a subsidiary of property giant Ciputra Group, agreed on Friday to payout 20 percent of its 2011 net profits, Rp 31.32 billion, as dividends. ...

Merpati to open three more routes to Balikpapan.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: Ailing state-owned PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines (Merpati) says it will open three new routes to Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, after receiving three new Boeing 737 series aircraft earlier this month. The...

Garuda's annual reports rank best worldwide.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: Garuda Indonesia's annual report 2010 "Ready for the Next Journey" won the 2010/11 Vision Awards Annual Report Competition from League of American Communications Professionals LLC (LACP) San Diego, US, a...

RI's Tontowi-Liliyana defends India Open title.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Niken Prathivi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesian favorites Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir defended their mixed doubles title in the 2012 India Open badminton tournament in New Delhi after outclassing Thailand's Sudket...

The natural.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Trisha Sertori , Contributor, Klaten, Central Java Thirty-seven-year-old batik producer Sarwidi is thin and wiry. His home in Kebon Agung Jarum village is humble, with unpainted brickwork, raw cement floors and sticks of rough...

Growing demand for safe and sound gated communities.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Sudibyo M. Wiradji , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Many young couples prioritize security and comfort when it comes to choosing their residential area, leading to the increasing popularity of gated communities known locally as "cluster...

Wait and see on landed residential market.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Arief Rahardjo , Contributor, Jakarta Both developers and buyers are expected to be vigilant in 2012 as several planned national policies will be effectively applied during the year. They include the planned oil price adjustment in...

Property Tips.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, The growth in annual demand within the Jakarta residential market is predicted to outpace supply growth in 2012 and 2013 and lead to a continuation of the land price increases in all areas. What makes this property...

Health: Covered up and keeping hair healthy.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, W hen it comes to her hair-care regimen, Zaskia Adya Mecca washes her hair daily, uses hair vitamin tonics and also takes intensive hair creambaths. The 24-year-old actress, who has worn the headscarf since 2005,...

Guess what?: Nikita Mirzani wants to pose for 'Playboy'.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: Actress Nikita Mirzani says she wants to try her luck posing for Playboy next year. "Next year, I actually want to go to San Francisco, and then Hollywood. I just want to give it a try. Not only Playboy...

Guess what?: Olga Lydia busy directing film.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: Model Olga Lydia says she is currently busy directing her second film. The project, which includes four other directors, is called Curhat dengan Sahabat (Telling your problems to your Best Friend). "I...

NAOMI SRIKANDI: Making art matter to the public.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Ika Krismantari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Theater is more than just a childhood game or room for self-expression for playwright and director Naomi Srikandi. Above all, the artist believes that performance is a medium that she can...

Govt braces for May Day with 'optimism'.
April 30, 2012... The government claims it has made headway in improving workers' welfare over the past year and is confident that the rallies planned to observe International Workers' Day on Tuesday will proceed peacefully. Presidential spokesman Julian...

Middle class prowess evident in fashion, food sales.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Mariel Grazella, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The inclination for the middle class to spend is already markedly high at the beginning of 2012 as companies targeting this segment, through the sales of both food and clothes, report...

New tax plan, a May Day gift for labor: Minister.
April 30, 2012... Despite the potential for a substantial loss of tax income, the government says it will implement a policy to exempt workers with a monthly salary of no more than Rp 2 million (US$218) from income tax. In the policy, which Manpower and...

Mari to tap the potential of indigenous people.(Interview)
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu recently traveled to North Maluku, a province in the eastern part of Indonesia, known for its exotic traditional culture and breathtaking scenery. Mari was in...

KPK Eyes Angelina's Colleagues at the House
April 30, 2012... Byline: Ina Parlina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has said that graft suspect Angelina Sondakh did not work alone in a bribery case surrounding a rigged bid for an athletes' village and several other...

Scam reported at ministry.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Education and Culture Ministry's plan to disburse Rp 190 billion (US$20.6million) in grants to the country's private universities for 2012 has become the target of a scam. The money is part of an...

Local Golkar politician rues Ical's bid for presidency.
April 30, 2012... The formal nomination of Golkar Party chairman Aburizal "Ical" Bakrie as the party's presidential candidate in 2014 will deepen divisions within Golkar, a local party leader has said. "I used to believe that Golkar would unite under Ical's...

Editorial: A balance on labor rights.(Editorial)
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, It is a universally accepted economic principle that business owners always want to reap as much profit as possible by means of, among other things, pressuring the costs -- particularly labor costs -- to the very...

May Day rally as part of labor union's strategic action.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Tauvik Muhamad, Jakarta Since the fall of the authoritarian Soeharto regime in 1998, thousands of workers from numerous labor unions across the country have taken to the streets every May 1 to mark International Labor Day or "May...

Attacks against the Ahmadis are new.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Akh. Muzakki, Surabaya Cosmopolitan tolerance is now at a crossroad, as seen in the violent acts against minority groups represented exclusively by Ahmadiyah. The public then may ask: Why has violence frequently been targeted at...

Toll road set for contraflow plan.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Iman Mahditama, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Jakarta Police say that they will implement a contraflow scheme on a six-kilometer stretch of the toll road on Tuesday. The scheme is aimed at reducing congestion along the toll road...

Jakarta needs decisive leader: Hendardji.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Lutfi Rakhmawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta As a mega city and the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta needs a decisive leader who can firmly impose regulations, Jakarta governor hopeful, Hendardji Soepandji, said. Hendardji, who joins...

Toll road firms report growth on increasing traffic.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Raras Cahyafitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Two publicly listed toll road operators PT Jasa Marga and PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada are reporting double-digit growth in the first three months of the year due to an increased vehicle...

Berau to spend $300m on infrastructure.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Publicly listed coal producer PT Berau Coal Energy (BRAU) plans to build a 2x20-megawatt power plant and a 43 kilometer overland conveyor belt in its mining area in Lati, Berau, East Kalimantan. The...

BMTR to buy back 10% stake at Rp1.7 trillion.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia's largest media company PT Global Mediacom (BMTR) has planned to buy back 10 percent of its shares listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) with a budget of up to Rp 1.7 trillion (US$185.3...

Putting it briefly: Senayan, Indorama and GMIS CC win.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: The top eight teams were finalized for the knockout stage of the Apple Coal JCA League 2011-12, after Sunday's cricket matches, where Senayan CC, Indorama & GMIS CC posted expected victories. In...

Govt to disburse funding for RI team's prep this week.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Niken Prathivi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After a disbursement delay for funding of the preparation of the Indonesian Olympic team sparked concern among team members, the government has again promised to release Rp 26.58 billion...

Making nature work.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Deanna Ramsay, The Jakarta Post, Lumajang, East Java "Smell this," the man urged, holding up a plastic jug filled with a thick brown liquid. Knowing the substance was produced from cow excrement, no one looked eager to take a whiff....

Guess what?: Meriam, Hotman make peace.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: Actress Meriam Bellina and lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea signed a nine-point agreement on Saturday, ending the feud between them. Hotman kissed Meriam's hand and cheek after lawyer Dwi Ria Latifa read the...

Guess what?: KD monitoring kids on social media.
April 30, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: Singer Krisdayanti says she monitors her children, including Aurel, her daughter with former husband Anang Hermansyah, partly through social media. "I communicate [with them] up to this day. The children...

TERRY HALL: The communicator.
April 30, 2012... Byline: Dina Indrasafitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta When what seemed to be a minor scuffle broke out among the audience during British ska band The Specials' set at Singapore's Rock and Roots Festival last month, singer Terry Hall paused to...

SuJu dazzles K-Pop enthusiasts at Ancol.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Irawaty Wardany , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Come to get you: : Korean boy band Super Junior mesmerizes thousands of fans with a stunning performance during a concert on Saturday.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama) South Korean group Super...

By the way ... The true cost of driving in 'the world's happiest nation'.
April 29, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Ipsos couldn't be right. It's hard to believe Indonesia is the world's happiest nation as shown in its survey, when you know for sure everyone is angry on the hellish streets of Jakarta. I suppose no one is happy...

National exams' Butterfly effect.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Schools nowadays absorb much of students' time. With national exams (UN) waiting for them in their senior years, they have to sit longer hours at school and undertake extra classes. ...

Angelina request for detention delay.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Rabby Pramudatama , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Less than 24 hours since her arrest on Friday afternoon, Democratic Party lawmaker Angelina Sondakh has requested that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) postpone her 20-day...

RI radio bans Bieber's songs over 'insult'.
April 29, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA: A local teenage radio station in Medan, North Sumatra, Kiss 105 FM, banned Justin Bieber's songs as a protest against the teenage pop sensation's remarks on Indonesia that sparked strong reactions from his...

Dewi Lestari Nourishing the seeds of ideas.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Indah Setiawati , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Dewi Lestari Rave reviews have been posted on blogs and social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Blogger Icha Sanusi wrote that previous novels -- Kesatria, Putri dan Bintang...

Behind the covers.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Felix Dass, Contributor, Jakarta The biggest questions in their executives' heads are what's next and what the future of the industry is. Being in the driver's seat has never been as uncomfortable as these days. The fast-moving...

Longer hours may not guarantee quality learning.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Indah Setiawati , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Concentrate: : A student of Junior High School SMP 216 works her way through the national exam in this April 23, 2012 photo. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama) Prior to 2004, students spent around...

At a Glimpse : Liyana Fizi: Crossing the lines.
April 29, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, She's fallen in love with Bandung and wants to spread her wings across Indonesia. Time will tell. Liyana Fizi is not your ordinary girl with a natural gift of a super-sweet smile and then cheerio. She's sexier...

Dealing with school-related stress.
April 29, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, Andita Tsara, a junior high school student, said she could not help feeling stressed a day before the national exams (UN) late in April. Although this year's requirement for graduation comprises 60 percent of UN and...

Resilient texts that refuse to wither.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Indah Setiawati , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Rare books in Galeri Buku Deklamasi, Central Jakarta. (JP/P.J. Leo) Despite wider Internet access and the growing popularity of e-books, some well-known secondhand bookstores still...

The week in review : Police initiative shot down.
April 29, 2012... Byline: The Jakarta Post, After a media blitz and a barrage of loud public objection, the National Police postponed the Rp 43 billion (US$4.7 million) electronic personal data system project, which critics dismiss as nearly useless because it...

Localized challenge for emission reduction targets.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Hanan Nugroho, Jakarta President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's pledge that the country's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020 "would be reduced by 26 percent -- from a business as usual scenario -- and 41 percent if foreign assistance...

A scandal that reads just like a thriller novel.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Nury Vittachi, Bangkok Emergency! One of my novelist friends called me in a state of panic. He'd just written a thriller about a small incident which grows into a major corruption scandal involving top political leaders. But then he...

Into a murderer's mind.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Triwik Kurniasari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Writer and filmmaker Joko Anwar reunites with producer Sheila Timothy in an English-language thriller, Modus Anomali. Indonesian moviegoers finally have their chance to watch Joko...

Putting IMF's war chest to good use.
April 29, 2012... Byline: ANN/The Straits Times, Singapore Singapore's decision to pledge US$4 billion (S$5 billion) loan to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help troubled economies must be seen as part of a broader international effort. It is...

Potsdam The city of palaces & parks.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Triwik Kurniasari , The Jakarta Post, Potsdam, Germany Sanssouci palace, the former summer palace of Frederick II of Prussia. It was a gloomy yet drizzly morning in Potsdam when I arrived after taking a train trip of about half an...

A woman 'forgotten'.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Triwik Kurniasari , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta (JP/Berto Wedhatama) Indonesians might be familiar with the stories of Hayam Wuruk, the mighty Majapahit king, and Gadjah Mada, the kingdom's great general and prime minister. However,...

School friends inspire young author.
April 29, 2012... Byline: Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Like most of us at that age, nine-year-old Celestine Jovanna Wenardy has a rich imagination. However, what separates her from the rest of us who only daydream about writing our own book one...