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RI, Norway continue talks on gas emission reduction

2010-08-14T19:12:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian and Norway governments will discuss the continuation of the one-billion-dollar gas emission reduction loan, a minister said.

"Yesterday`s meeting with the Norwegian ambassador in Indonesia was relating with the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) Plus cooperation and on August 18-19 an envoy from Norway will come to further discussthe matter," said Indonesian Economic Coordinating Minister Hatta Rajasa here Friday.

The discussion was about the first loan disbursement of 30 million U.S. dollars now in preparation for realization in 2014.

"The first phase withdrawal was supposed to be 200 million US dollars, but it was finally agreed at 30 million US dollars, and we will make gradual withdrawals up to one billion US dollars," he said.

Besides loan terms and conditions discussions also covered appointing provinces for the pilot project, establishment of a consultative group and a credible and internationally standard financial institution.

In the Letter of Intent (LoI) signed on May 26, 2010 it is mentioned that the 200 million US dollars funding instrument will begin to be implemented in 2011 by the Norway government.

The document also mentioned about the launching of the Provincial REDD Plus pilot project which will start in January 2011, and to be continued in the second province in 2012.

As the LoI follow-up, the government will set up three supporting institutions namely financial institutions, MRV (measurement, reporting and verification) agency, and the REDD Plus agency.(*)

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1281748356/ri-norway-continue-talks-on-gas-emission-reduction

Air Force Two Gulingkan Pesawat Lain, Biden Selamat

2010-08-12T11:27:00.002+07:00

Washington (ANTARA News) - Pesawat resmi Wapres AS Joe Biden menggulingkan pesawat lain saat lepas landas, Rabu, dalam kecelakaan yang tidak menyebabkan korban, kata Angkatan Udara AS.

Pesawat kepresidenan yang dijuluki Air Force Two tersebut membawa Biden beserta istri, Jill, saat bergerak perlahan sebelum lepas landas dari Bandara West Hampton, negara bagian New York, 120 kilometer sebelah timur kota New York, sebagaimana dikutip dari AFP.

"Pesawat 757 itu mengakibatkan pesawat Piper Cub, yang berada berdekatan dengan area parkir Air Force Two, terangkat hingga menyebabkan sayap kiri Piper Cub rusak," demikian pernyataan Angkatan Udara.

"Wapres AS berada dalam penerbangan, tidak ada korban dan tidak ada orang dalam Piper Cub."

Boeing C-32, versi khusus dari 757, membawa keluarga Biden kembali ke Washington setelah berlibur bersama rekannya selama dua pekan di Hamptons, tempat berlibur musim panas yang terkenal bagi warga New York kalangan atas dan terletak di bagian timur New York, Long Island.

Source : http://antaranews.com/berita/1281582182/air-force-two-gulingkan-pesawat-lain-biden-selamat

RI, Malaysia to sign new MoU on migrant workers

2010-08-04T23:22:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said Indonesia and Malaysia would sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Indonesian migrant workers in the neighboring country by mid August 2010.

"Some of the subject matters of the MoU were settled during meetings with Malaysian representatives last month. The only problem left now is about the cost of sending Indonesian workers to Malaysia," said the minister here on Tuesday.

Previously, Indonesia had objected to the Malaysian government`s proposal to set the transportation costs for migrant workers from Medan, Jakarta and Kalimantan at the same amount.

The salary of the workers was also among the tough issues during the negotiations as the Malaysian government proposed 500 Ringgit per month and Indonesia insisted it should not be less than 800 Ringgit.

Muhaimin did not say whether both sides had agreed on the two subject matters. However, he said Indonesia and Malaysia were committed to sign the MoU as soon as possible at the latest by August this year.

Last June 2009 Indonesia freezed its supply of maids to Malaysia following some cases of maid abuse and lack of benefits, absence of a minimum monthly salary and no provision for day-offs.

Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta last May 18 signed a Letter of Intent to give a new dimension to the employment of domestic workers in Malaysia and the two countries agreed on revised terms to be included in a new MoU scheduled to be signed at the latest in July 2010.

However, due to the tough going in the negotiations on several issues, the July time frame could not be kept.

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1280879251/ri-malaysia-to-sign-new-mou-on-migrant-workers

Japan approves UN sanctions on Iran

2010-08-04T23:21:00.000+07:00

Tokyo (ANTARA News/AFP) - Japan imposed sanctions against Iran over its contentious nuclear programme on Tuesday in line with a UN resolution and said it plans to announce additional punitive measures later this month.

The cabinet of Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced the steps as the US State Department`s special adviser for non-proliferation and arms control Robert Einhorn was headed for Tokyo as part of an East Asian tour.

The measures include an asset freeze on 40 Iranian entities and one individual suspected of being involved in nuclear and missile development.

The UN Security Council in June slapped its fourth set of sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt its uranium enrichment work, part of a nuclear programme which many nations fear masks a drive for nuclear weapons.

The United States, European Union, Canada and Australia have also announced additional sanctions, which have been opposed by Russia and China, now Iran`s closest trading partner, with major energy interests in the country.

Japan is also considering its own additional sanctions, the top government spokesman Yoshito Sengoku said.

"The government will push ahead with studying measures our country should take so that we will have a conclusion as soon as possible, by the end of August," Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku told a press conference.

"We believe we need to address the issue sternly to reach a diplomatic, peaceful solution," he said.

European foreign ministers last week adopted measures targeting Iran`s oil and gas industries, going beyond the latest UN sanctions.

The EU measures include a ban on the sale of technology and services to Iran`s energy sector, hitting activities in refining, liquefied natural gas, exploration and production, and a ban on investments in the energy sector.

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1280826975/japan-approves-un-sanctions-on-iran

Bomb explodes in Bangkok, seriously wounding man

2010-07-30T23:17:00.000+07:00

Bangkok (ANTARA News/Reuters) - A bomb exploded in Bangkok early on Friday, seriously wounding a man and stoking fears of civil unrest following a deadly blast five days ago and violent anti-government protests in April and May.

The government denounced the blast as an attempt to damage its attempts to maintain public order following the prolonged unrest earlier this year. An opposition leader said the incident was aimed at discrediting anti-government activists.

Police said a grenade tied with an oiled rubber band and wrapped in a garbage bag exploded at about 2 a.m. (1900 GMT Thursday) in an alley near Victory Monument, a transportation hub usually choked with traffic and surrounded by hospitals,
military compounds and nightclubs.

"I do not want to speculate on the cause at this point and whether it`s politically motivated or an attempt to stir chaos," said Metropolitan Police Chief Lieutenant General Santarn Chayanond.

No group took responsibility for the attack which followed a blast that killed one person and wounded 10 on Sunday in a shopping district occupied by tens of thousands of "red shirt" protesters for seven weeks until a May 19 army crackdown.

Jatuporn Prompan, an anti-government protest leader, condemned the attack, which wounded a garbage collector. "We condemn anyone who carried out such act of cowardice in an attempt to discredit the opposition," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thugsuban said whoever carried it out was using violence to "make the government look like it`s not in control of the situation".

Several workers in the area said they believed the attack was brought on by a local dispute over illegal parking by taxi vans and was not politically motivated.

STATE OF EMERGENCY

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva lifted a state of emergency in six provinces on Thursday, but said the special security law would remain in place in 10 others, including Bangkok.

The emergency decree has been in force since April, giving security forces broad powers to deal with anti-government protests which spiralled into the worst political violence in modern Thai history when demonstrators clashed with troops in
April and May, leaving 90 people dead and at least 1,800 wounded.

Sunday`s bomb exploded shortly after polls closed in a Bangkok by-election in which a ruling party politician narrowly defeated a jailed red shirt anti-government protest leader representing the opposition.

The state of emergency bans political gatherings of more than five people and gives the government powers to impose curfew and censor media and detain suspects without charge for 30 days.

Voters in the north and northeast, hotbeds of anti-government activists, broadly support former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006 and is
wanted on terror charges for his alleged role in orchestrating the May riots.

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1280472238/bomb-explodes-in-bangkok-seriously-wounding-man

Australia tightens sanctions on Iran

2010-07-30T23:15:00.000+07:00

Sydney (ANTARA News/AFP) - Australia Thursday tightened its sanctions on Iran in a fresh bid to convince Tehran to allay international concerns over its nuclear drive.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the new measures target more than 100 Iranian groups and companies, and restrict Australian business dealings with the country`s oil and gas sector.

"In adopting this package, Australia stands at the forefront of international community efforts to have Iran meet its international obligations in relation to its nuclear program, one of the most serious security challenges facing the international community," he said.

The measures also include a ban on trading weapons and items which could be used for nuclear, chemical or biological arms or missiles.

They follow this month`s new United Nations Security Council resolution against Iran and fresh sanctions announced by the European Union and Canada.(*)

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1280408295/australia-tightens-sanctions-on-iran

Vietnamese PM calls on ASEAN to boost regional cooperation

2010-07-21T07:03:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called on Southeast Asian countries to take concrete steps in boosting cooperation in the region.

The Vietnamese PM made the call when opening the 43rd ASEAN foreign ministers meeting (AMM) in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Tuesday.

He also called on ASEAN member countries to boost cooperation in a wider regional working framework.

ASEAN, he added, also need to contribute actively to joint effors of the international community.

"I hope the foreign ministers will intensify in discussing and cooperation effectively with the sectoral ministers and the relevant partners in dealing the challenges," he said.

He underlined a number of challenges faced by Southeast Asian countries including the financial and economic crisis, climate change, natural disasters, pandemic, and declining natural resources.

While mentioning a number of significant achievements ASEAN had made, the Vietnamese PM said there were still so many things to be done by the ASEAN community.

He also underlined a number of other issues in urgent need of attention of the region including maintaining peace and security in Southeast Asia.

Vietnam is now the ASEAN alternate chairman. ASEAN groups Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.

The Indonesian delegation at the meeting is headed by Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and the Political, Legal and Security affairs Coordinating Minister.(*)

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1279649497/vietnamese-pm-calls-on-asean-to-boost-regional-cooperation

Bomber attacks British firm in N.Iraq, 4 killed

2010-07-19T07:02:00.000+07:00

Mosul, Iraq (ANTARA News/Reuters) - A suicide car bomber ploughed into a convoy carrying employees of a British company in northern Iraq on Monday, killing four of them and wounding five Iraqi civilians, Iraqi security officials said.

The suicide bomber targeted the last vehicle of the convoy in restive Mosul, a dangerous city where al Qaeda remains active, and the force of the blast threw the armoured vehicle 40 metres into a ravine, killing everyone inside, police said.

"I saw the other members of the convoy bring out four dead foreign civilians from the smashed car. One of them was beheaded," an Iraqi military officer, asking not to be named, said by telephone from the site of the attack in northern Mosul.

Iraqi officials said the firm was a British construction company but its name was not immediately known and there was no independent confirmation. The British embassy had no immediate information on the incident.

The nationality of the dead foreigners was not immediately known.

Mosul is on the front line of a longstanding feud between Iraq`s Arabs and minority Kurds over land, power and oil wealth.

The region is also a hub for Sunni Islamist insurgents, and the U.S. military, which will end combat operations on Aug. 31, sees Mosul as al Qaeda`s last urban stronghold in Iraq.

Iraq is on high alert for insurgent attacks after a March 7 national election produced no clear winner and left the country adrift in political uncertainty.

Overall violence has dropped sharply since the height of sectarian carnage in 2006-7. But bombings and killings continue daily.

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1279537109/bomber-attacks-british-firm-in-niraq-4-killed

ASEAN foreign ministers to convene 43rd meeting

2010-07-17T06:59:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - ASEAN foreign ministers are to meet for the 43rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Hanoi, from July 19 to 23, according to Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat.

With the focus of the world on East Asia, the AMM and related meetings with ASEAN`s Dialogue Partners represented a testimony to the central role played by the region in the regional architecture, Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr Surin Pitsuwan said as quoted on the Secretariat` website.

Dr Surin also said that the meetings demonstrated Vietnam`s steering role as the Chair of ASEAN in the region`s ongoing efforts in integration and in making ASEAN more recognised internationally.

The series of meetings will also see the convening of the Post Ministerial Conferences, where the ASEAN Ministers meet their counterparts from ASEAN Dialogue Partners, and the 17th ASEAN Regional Forum.

Discussions on ASEAN community building, the regional architecture and the implementation of the ASEAN Charter are all expected to feature on the agenda of the AMM on 19-20 July, the ASEAN Secretariat said on its website.

The five-year Work Plan of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) is also expected to be approved.

At the PMCs, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers will meet their counterparts from the Plus Three Countries (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), in addition to Australia, Canada, the European Union, India, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.

Among other topics, they will be discussing dialogue partnership commemorative
Summits in the coming two years.(*)

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1279372282/asean-foreign-ministers-to-convene-43rd-meeting

First car bomb hits police in Mexican murder capital

2010-07-17T06:58:00.000+07:00

Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (ANTARA News/AFP) - Suspected drug gang members who attacked a police convoy this week used a mobile phone-triggered car bomb packed with C4 explosives, the army said Friday, confirming the first such strike in Ciudad Juarez.

The attack left four people dead: two policemen, a paramedic and a doctor, according to General Eduardo Zarate, commander of the Fifth Military Zone.

Zarate confirmed Thursday`s attack was the first car bombing in Ciudad Juarez, known as Mexico`s murder capital for the deadly rivalry between the Juarez and Sinaloa drug cartels. It sits across El Paso, Texas, and is a major drug-trafficking crossroads.

"Residue from 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of an explosive known as C4 and the remnants of a mobile telephone device were found," he told reporters.

The general also said it was the first car bombing in Mexico directed at the police force.

Despite the high-profile bombing, Attorney General Arturo Chavez insisted Mexico`s drug cartels were not involved in terrorism.

"We don`t have any evidence in the country of narcoterrorism as it has occurred in other countries," he told reporters, adding that the objective of the car bombing was "not to destabilize the state but to frighten society."

Zarate said police were investigating how the explosive-packed car was able to ram a convoy of three police vehicles, but that evidence on hand indicated the bomb was triggered with a call from a mobile phone.

He also said two police officers and a paramedic were killed in the initial car bombing, which set all the vehicles on fire and also damaged nearby buildings.

When rescue crews arrived on scene, a second explosion killed a doctor, he added without clarifying whether the second blast was intentional or accidental.

The city`s public security ministry said the attack was retaliation for the capture of Jesus Armando Acosta, a leader of La Linea gang, the armed wing of the city`s notorious Juarez cartel.

Acosta allegedly had taken part "in at least 25 executions of Sinaloa cartel members," the ministry said in a statement.

Ciudad Juarez is at the heart of Mexico`s drug violence, which has sharply increased since President Felipe Calderon launched a military crackdown on organized crime after taking office at the end of 2006, setting off new turf wars.

Police have reported more than 1,500 murders in Ciudad Juarez since January 1.

More than 7,000 people have died across Mexico in drug-related attacks this year alone, and almost 25,000 have died in the past three and a half years, according to official figures released by the attorney general`s office on Friday.

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1279341411/first-car-bomb-hits-police-in-mexican-murder-capital

Britain to hand control of violent Afghan area to US: report

2010-07-07T08:29:00.000+07:00

London (ANTARA News/AFP) - British troops are to withdraw from one of the deadliest areas of southern Afghanistan where its forces have suffered heavy casualties, and hand control to the United States, reports said Wednesday.

British servicemen will be pulled out of Sangin district in the north of Helmand province, the Guardian newspaper and the BBC reported. US forces, who now outnumber British troops in Helmand, will then be put in charge.

Of 312 British service personnel to have died in Afghanistan since operations began there in 2001, around a third were killed in Sangin.

The area is particularly dangerous because it contains a patchwork of rival tribes and is a major centre for the country`s opium-growing trade.

British Defence Secretary Liam Fox was expected to announce later Wednesday that the country`s forces will refocus their efforts on Helmand`s central belt, leaving the north and south to the US, said the reports.

It is understood the withdrawal of British troops, which number about 1,000 in Sangin, will not begin for several months.

The decision followed Britain handing over command in Helmand to an American general last month.

It also came as President Barack Obama`s troop surge pumps greater numbers of US forces into Helmand -- there are now some 20,000 American marines in the province.

Britain`s Ministry of Defence refused to confirm the reports. A spokesman said: "Any changes to force lay down affecting UK personnel will be announced in the usual way."

While policymakers will strive to present the changes as simply a reorganisation of international forces in the province, observers voiced fears the move could be seen as a retreat and used as propaganda by the Taliban.

"People will assume... that this is preparing the ground for the eventual withdrawal in 2015 and it is bound, of course, to be interpreted in that way by the Taliban," said former Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell.

He added that people would think back to events in Basra, Iraq, "where the moving of British troops was somehow presented as if they had created some kind of retreat."

Britain has 8,000 servicemen in Helmand province, the lion`s share of the their 9,500 forces in Afghanistan, which are part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

Britain is the second largest contributor of forces to the Afghan war effort after the US.

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1278482270/britain-to-hand-control-of-violent-afghan-area-to-us-report

Australian defence minister to quit cabinet after polls

2010-07-07T08:25:00.000+07:00

Sydney (ANTARA News/AFP) - Australia`s Defence Minister John Faulkner on Wednesday said he would quit the cabinet after coming elections, but denied his decision was prompted by last month`s abrupt change of prime minister.

Faulkner, a Labor Party heavyweight and a known ally of ousted leader Kevin Rudd, said he had always intended to step down after the government`s first term to encourage younger talent.

"Inevitably some will suggest that the recent change in our party`s leadership is responsible for my decision," he told reporters. "I can`t say strongly enough that any such speculation is just plain wrong."

Faulkner said new Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who deposed Rudd in a shock party coup, had persuaded him to contest his Senate seat in a bid to remain in parliament.
"Julia Gillard has my absolute support," he said.

"I was unstinting in my efforts to see Kevin Rudd elected prime minister three years ago and no one will work harder than me for the government`s re-election under Julia`s leadership."

Rudd made Faulkner defence minister in June last year after Joel Fitzgibbon stepped down.

Faulkner was famously caught unawares during last month`s rapid leadership challenge when he admitted knowing nothing about the drama unfolding behind the scenes in Canberra.

"It might be on the ABC news, but it`s also news to me," Faulkner said during a TV interview in the midst of the coup.

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1278481735/australian-defence-minister-to-quit-cabinet-after-polls

Turkey to cut ties unless Israel apologises over Gaza raid

2010-07-05T08:24:00.000+07:00

Ankara (ANTARA News/AFP) - Turkey will sever diplomatic ties with Israel unless it apologises over the commando raid on an aid convoy to Gaza in which nine Turks died, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quoted as saying Monday.

"Relations will be broken" unless Israel apologises or accepts the conclusions of an international inquiry into the May 31 attack on the aid convoy bound for Gaza, he told Monday`s edition of the Hurriyet newspaper.

Turkey has until now called for an international probe into the raid but in a break with that position, Davutoglu did not reject the creation of Israel`s own commission to investigate the raid.

"If this commission concludes that the raid was unjust and if they apologise, that will be sufficient," he said, although he insisted that Turkey wanted compensation from the Jewish state.

The foreign minister also said that Turkey had closed its airspace to all Israeli military flights in reaction to the raid.

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1278322435/turkey-to-cut-ties-unless-israel-apologises-over-gaza-raid

First activist murdered under new Phillipine leader

2010-07-05T08:23:00.001+07:00

Manila (ANTARA News/AFP) - Gunmen killed an activist in the Philippines on Monday, police said, the first suspected politically motivated murder under the watch of President Benigno Aquino`s new government.

Village council member Fernando Baldomero, an area coordinator for the leftist Bayan Muna (Nation First) group was shot in the head and neck as he was taking his children to school in the central island of Panay, police added.

"He is the first activist killed in five days into the new Aquino administration," Bayan Muna said in a statement.

The militant group held the military responsible for the murder, linking it to the killings of other leftists in recent years.

"Mr Aquino must send a clear message to state security forces that these killings have to end and perpetrators will be prosecuted, heads must roll in the armed forces," Bayan Muna said.

Last week, Aquino`s newly-appointed Justice Secretary Leila de Lima vowed to put an end to the extra-judicial killings that have been widely criticised by other governments and human rights groups.

Local rights group Karapatan has said over 900 activists who were critical of government, including students and labour leaders, have been killed in the past nine years.

The assassinations are normally carried out by gunmen on motorcycles.

In its annual report on human rights worldwide in March, the US State Department cited such killings in the Philippines during the tenure of then-president Gloria Arroyo.
It mentioned "arbitrary, unlawful, and extrajudicial killings by elements of the security services and political killings, including killings of journalists, by a variety of actors".

In 2007, the UN`s special rapporteur on extra-judicial killings, Philip Alston, and a Philippine government fact finding mission blamed the military for many of the extra-judicial killings. The military has consistently denied the accusations.

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1278321442/first-activist-murdered-under-new-phillipine-leader

Malaysian deputy PM to give general lecture

2010-06-29T07:04:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Dato Haji Muhyiddin Haji Mohd Yassin will be delivering a general lecture at Universitas Indonesia on Tuesday.

Universitas Indonesia`s Communications Office chief Wishnu Juwono in his invitations said in Jakarta Monday that the general lecture will be themed "Enhancing Social Responsibility in Asia".

The program will be attended by Universitas Indonesia Rector Muhammad Anis, Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Dato Syed Munsshe Afdzaruddin Hassan and 300 participants.

"The 300 participants are a combination of students, public institutions, academicians, social workers and activists," Vishnu said.

The general lecture initiated by the UI Student Executive Council is expected to bolster mutual understanding between the two countries in facing the dynamics of social and economics between the two countries in Southeast Asia and in Asia in general.

Not only that, the program was also aimed at generalizing views and perceptions between the two countries on global issues which may affect the condition of the countries in Southeast Asia and Asia in some time to come.

He said the activity will also encourage cooperation between the younger generation of the two countries, intellectuals, cultured people, and social workers of the two countries in many humanitarian projects.

Tan Sri Dato in his two-day visit to Indonesia had paid a courtesy clal on Vice President Boediono to discuss many things relating to the relations between the two countries.(*)

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1277761421/malaysian-deputy-pm-to-give-general-lecture

RI still has potential to attract investors

2010-06-29T07:02:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia still has a good chance of attracting foreign investors as world trade has been improving.

Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) for investment, transportation, information and telecommunication Chris Kanter said in Jakarta Monday that actually Indonesia has some special features which attracted foreign investors.

"World trade would soon be restored, and the Asian region may rise quicker, and Indonesia will have the positive utility of economic restoration. In the restoration process and afterward Indonesia would become increasingly interesting to foreign investors," he said.

He said that some of the pluses Indonesia has include in attracting foreign investment include the large population, the readily available work force and productivity would could still be further raised, the availability raw materials, political stability and the still wide space for market mechanism application.

Besides, he added, costs not having directly to do with economic activities have been increasing, in other words a good corporate governance is already in existence.

Direct foreign investment to the developing countries especially to Indonesia, he said, may be restored in the 2010-2014 period.

However, in the competition of direct foreign investment, Chris Kanter said, the developing countries need to be improve themselves.

In the meantime, the independent commissioner of PT Indosat Tbk also suggested to strengthen the domestic market, produce a conducive climate for investment and improve infrastructure to reduce fixed production cost.

To boost domestic investment, Chris reminded the government to give concrete support.

Several stimuli like tax and custom duty reforms, policy and implementation synchronization, and improvements in manpower and infrastructure sector, are all considered the `sugar` which the government needs to provide. (*)

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1277761344/ri-still-has-potential-to-attract-investors

Kyrgyz unrest "systematic, well organised": HRW

2010-06-27T07:33:00.002+07:00

Bishkek (ANTARA News/AFP) - The deadly inter-ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan this month was systematic and well-organised, Human Rights Watch said Saturday, urging an international inquiry into the unrest.

The New York-based watchdog also warned that the government`s decision to proceed with a referendum on a new constitution on Sunday risks sparking a resurgence of the violence between majority Kyrgyz and minority Uzbeks.

"Human Rights Watch research suggests that the violence, particularly the attacks on Uzbek neighborhoods, was systematic and, at least in some cases, well-organised," the group said.

It said that Uzbeks were accusing government forces of participating in the attacks on their neighbourhoods, recounting how armoured personnel carriers had been used to remove barricades in front of their neighbourhoods.

Local law enforcement officials had admitted that APCs had been used in the attacks but claimed however that the mobs had stolen weapons and military vehicles from nearby military bases, Human Rights Watch said.

HRW said it could not conclude whether Kyrgyz security forces were directly involved in the attacks based on the information collected so far but said the issue should be a key part of the investigation.

"There needs to be an international investigation to establish what happened, determine who was responsible, and ensure this kind of violence never happens again," said Ole Solvang, emergencies researcher at HRW.

The statement detailed how five days of violence erupted on June 10 when hundreds of Uzbeks gathered near a dormitory in the centre of the southern city of Osh.

"The Uzbek crowd torched several buildings, including a casino, and set fire to several cars.

"Violence escalated when rumours spread that people in the Uzbek crowd had raped a Kyrgyz girl in the dormitory, a rumour that turned out to be false," HRW said.

It warned that the government`s decision to proceed with the referendum and return tens of thousands of displaced people and refugees to "almost uninhabitable areas" threatens to make the situation "even more volatile".

"The interim government has not announced how it will ensure that refugees and individuals who lost their identification documents in the violence will be able to vote, raising concerns that the referendum will provoke new violence."

At least 264 people were killed in the clashes, according to the health ministry. But officials have admitted that many killed were not registered and have said the real death toll was probably much higher. (*)

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1277598409/kyrgyz-unrest-systematic-well-organised-hrw

Timor Sea oil spill forcing NTT fishermen to migrate

2010-06-24T07:16:00.000+07:00

Kupang (ANTARA News) - Thousands of fishermen in Kupang`s Oesapa area are preparing to migrate to Bangka Belitung in Sumatra to find a new livelihood, a fishermen spokeman said.

They will migrate because their fish catches from the Timor Sea have declined drastically since the waters were polluted by an oil spill originating in Australian territory.

"Since the Timor Sea was polluted by an oil spill from a blowout in the Montara oil field on August 21, 2009, local fishermen`s fish catches have dwindled drastically. Now they are thinking of migrating to Bangka Belitung to build a new life," H Mustafa, chairman of the East Nusatenggara (NTT)`s Timor Sea Traditional Fishermen`s Alliance (Antralamor), told the press here Wednesday.

Some 3,500 fishermen grouped in Antralamor whose livelihoods had traditionally depended on fish from the Timor Sea had been affected by the oil spill following an explosion at an oil rig of PTTEP Australasia in the Montara oil field in the West Atlas Block in the Timor Sea, he said.

The fishermen had also pulled back most of the fish traps they had set in the sea along the Kupang coast because the contraptions no longer yielded the usual quantities of fish.

Meanwhile, an edible fat and oil biochemist at Nusa Cendana University (Undana), Dr Felix Rebhung, said the apparent pollution of the Timor Sea had forced deep sea fish in the waters to migrate to other waters.

"Deep-sea fishes are very sensitive to the conditions of their environment. If their environment or habitat is damaged or polluted, they will leave, and try to find a more friendly environment," he said."So, the fishermen`s complaint about minimal fish catches is quite logical," he added.

Rebhung who teaches at Undana`s faculty of agriculture said if a sea was contaminated by oil, oil condensate or lead, it would take many years for its ecology to return to normal.

Ferdi Tanoni, a local observer of Timor Sea affairs, said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should address the Timor Sea pollution problem with the same care and firmness as US President Barack Obama had shown toward the Gulf of Mexico oil spill from a British Petroleum (BP) rig.

"If Barack Obama demanded 20 billion US dollars in damages from BP, the operator of the Monatara oil field should pay about 15 billion US dollars to compensate the losses of fishermen in the western part of East Nusatenggara and the islands of Rote, Sabu and Sumba," he said.

Tanoni also urged the Australian government led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to disclose as soon as possible the results of its investigation into the Montara oil spill disaster.

The oil spill had caused thousands of fishermen and seeweed breeders in the western part of NTT to lose their source of living, making it "a humanitarian tragedy of huge proportions," Tanoni said. (*)

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1277325220/timor-sea-oil-spill-forcing-ntt-fishermen-to-migrate

Over 100 dead or missing after heavy rains in China

2010-06-19T22:01:00.000+07:00

Shanghai (ANTARA News/Reuters) - Floods and landslides across southern China have killed at least 69 people and left 44 missing in a week, Xinhua news agency said on Saturday.

Torrential downpours triggered flash floods, inundated crops, disrupted traffic and telecommunications across southern China, forcing the evacuation of 493,000 people, it said.

Worst hit were the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan and Guizhou, and the Guangxi autonomous region. The economic damage was put at 6.5 billion yuan ($952 million.

Only a few months ago, parts of the southwest were suffering from the worst drought in a century.

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1276949484/over-100-dead-or-missing-after-heavy-rains-in-china

UN development chief says Myanmar, Thailand face challenges

2010-06-16T18:19:00.000+07:00

Hanoi (ANTARA News/AFP) - Myanmar faces a tough task to eradicate extreme poverty and meet other global development goals, while political instability is holding back Thailand`s progress, the UN development chief says.

In an interview with AFP, Helen Clark also said Vietnam had "a pretty good story to tell" about its efforts to achieve the so-called Millennium Development Goals, but faces a major challenge from climate change and rising sea levels.

Clark said military-ruled Myanmar, with "huge poverty", will find it difficult to meet any of the eight development goals by the 2015 global target.

"It would be tough," Clark, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said Tuesday on the sidelines of a conference.

The former New Zealand prime minister said Myanmar has the lowest foreign aid per capita of any developing country, and "political factors" restrict what the UNDP can do in Myanmar, "so it`s not so easy to make progress there at this time."

Myanmar, which has detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi for most of the past two decades, is under European Union and United States sanctions.

Neighbouring Thailand has made reasonable progress in tackling poverty, Clark said, but further development is being hindered by political tensions.

Outbreaks of violence in Bangkok during two months of anti-government protests from March until May killed 90 people, wounded nearly 1,900, and left the country deeply divided.

"Clearly, instability holds back a country`s development progress, and you end up punching below your weight when you could be punching to, or above, your weight," she said.

The unrest followed more than three years of political instability after the army seized power from then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a 2006 bloodless coup.

"Things haven`t been stable since and I think what`s really needed is a national dialogue on how to move to elections which are seen as free and fair and people will accept the result," said Clark, who assumed her post in April last year.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called a September summit in New York to accelerate efforts toward reaching the 2015 development goals deadline.

Clark said Vietnam will be able to report good progress towards the goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, and reducing child and maternal mortality.

The country has work to do to combat HIV/AIDS and add to the existing progress on access to water and basic sanitation, she said, while the environmental cost of old-style industrialisation also needs to be addressed.

But fast-growing Vietnam, which this year is set to attain "middle-income" status, faces a "huge challenge" from climate change, Clark said.

"And I believe that the government is acutely aware of this, aware now that Vietnam is one of the most exposed countries in the world to rising sea levels, intensity and frequency... of adverse weather events like typhoons," she said.

Vietnam is planning for a one-metre (3.3 feet) rise in sea levels by 2100, which would inundate about 31,000 square kilometres (12,400 square miles) of land -- an area about the size of Belgium -- unless dykes and drainage systems are strengthened, a UN discussion paper said in December.

It said the inundation threat is greatest in the Mekong Delta, the country`s main rice production area. Vietnam is the world`s second-biggest rice exporter.

If that land becomes unusable there are "serious implications" for the region, Clark said.

She spoke on the sidelines of a conference to review a pilot programme that aims to improve the coherence and effectiveness of UN assistance. Vietnam and Pakistan are among eight countries worldwide participating in the pilot which,the UN says, has hastened achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1276684081/un-development-chief-says-myanmar-thailand-face-challenges

Tiny Japan party bolts pm`s coalition before poll

2010-06-14T11:54:00.000+07:00

Tokyo (ANTARA News/Reuters) - Japan`s tiny Social Democratic Party (SDP) decided on Sunday to leave the ruling coalition ahead of an election, as unpopular Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama faced calls to step down over broken campaign promises.

The departure of the SDP is a blow to Hatoyama, already seen by voters as a weak leader, damaging his Democratic Party`s chances of winning a majority in an upper house election expected in July, which it needs to pass bills smoothly.

It does not force the Democrats out of power since they
boast a massive majority in parliament`s more powerful lower house, but may distract from the government`s struggle to rein in debt while nurturing a fragile economic recovery.

"We decided to leave the coalition," SDP leader Mizuho
Fukushima told a news conference after regional party
executives met in a Tokyo hotel, adding that the reason was Hatoyama`s decision to abandon a pledge over a U.S. base.

"As the Social Democratic Party, we want to keep the
promises we make to the people."

On Friday, Hatoyama dismissed Fukushima from her cabinet post after she refused to sign off on a U.S.-Japan deal to move a U.S. Marine base on the southern island of Okinawa from a city centre to a less populous area.

But he urged her to keep her party in the ruling coalition.
Hatoyama had raised hopes of Okinawa residents during his successful election campaign last year that the Futenma base could be moved off the island.

Coalition and opposition parties called for Hatoyama to
resign for failing to keep his promise on Futenma or to meet a self-imposed, end-of-May deadline for finding a solution acceptable to all the parties.

PM vows to stay in place

He said on Saturday he would stay on. Some in his own party think he should step down, but time is short for replacing him ahead of the upper house poll, expected on July 11.

Hatoyama`s government is seen to have wobbled on a range of promises, from cash allowances for parents of young children to abolishing highway tolls, depressing voter support to just over 19 percent in a poll published by Kyodo news agency on Sunday.

"The prime minister said he was putting his job on the
line, so naturally, he should resign," said Yoshihisa Inoue, secretary-general of the opposition New Komeito party.

"I think that Futenma symbolises the problem with the
nature of the Hatoyama cabinet and politics, that they easily break promises with the people and apologise but take no responsibility."

Fukushima said there was no possibility of returning to the coalition, even if Hatoyama were to step down, because that would not change the U.S.-Japan agreement on moving the Futenma base.

But the SDP might continue to cooperate with the Democrats in the election campaign in some local areas, she added.

Some analysts say Hatoyama will in any case likely cling to his job until a party leadership election in September.

"I think Hatoyama will stay until September," said Gerry
Curtis, a professor at Columbia University. "They`re not going to do well in the election, but it is not clear how badly they are going to do," he said.

Much would depend, he said, on how many disillusioned
independent voters stayed at home on polling day.

"I think a lot of people may come out to vote to express
their disgust with the party." (*)

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1275251948/tiny-japan-party-bolts-pms-coalition-before-poll

Israel rejects international inquiry into flotilla raid

2010-06-07T09:21:00.000+07:00

Washington (ANTARA News/AFP) - Israel will not participate in any international investigation of its raid on a ship seeking to break a blockade on the Gaza Strip, Israel`s ambassador to Washington said Sunday.

"We are rejecting the idea of an international commission," Michael Oren told "Fox News Sunday."

"Israel is a democracy. Israel has the ability and the right to investigate itself, not to be investigated by any international board," he added.

The Israeli diplomat said his government was talking to President Barack Obama`s administration about "the way in which our inquiry will take place," but had no intention of acceding to demands by a number of governments for a independent inquiry into the May 31 raid, which left nine people dead.

The operation, in which Israeli naval commandos boarded a ship seeking to deliver aid to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, provoked global outrage, straining Israel`s relationship with Turkey.

Eight of those killed in the raid were Turkish citizens and the ninth was a joint US-Turkish citizen, prompting a furious response from Turkey`s government, which recalled its ambassador to Ankara.

The United States offered its condolences to the families of those killed, and has said it is looking into the circumstances of the American citizen`s death, but refrained from the strong criticism issued by other governments.

Oren said the incident had not strained Israel`s relations with the Obama administration.

"I`ll say personally throughout this entire episode, days of work with the administration, I never heard one word of criticism, not one rancorous comment at all," he said.

The raid drew renewed attention to Israel`s blockade of the Gaza Strip, which it says is necessary to prevent Hamas from obtaining material that can be used to make weapons.

The United Nations and Washington have called the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip intolerable, but Oren said there was no better alternative to the blockade.

"We are open to any ideas of how to somehow deal with the Gaza situation," he said. "We`re talking about Hamas here. We`re not talking about a peaceful organization."

Israel felt "sadness" over the deterioration of relations with Turkey, Oren said, but added the Jewish state would not accede to Ankara`s demand for an apology.

"We regret all the casualties in this incident... particularly the Israeli casualties," he said.

But, he added: "Israel will not apologize for taking the measures necessary to defend its citizens and... to defend the lives of our soldiers." (*)

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1275866846/israel-rejects-international-inquiry-into-flotilla-raid

Sweden to open trade office in Jakarta

2010-06-02T08:32:00.001+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Swedish government has decided to open a trade representative office in Jakarta to expand cooperation between the two countries.

"Swedish Trade Office will be opened on August 1, as an indication of Swedish increasing interest in Indonesia," Swedish ambassador to Indonesia Ewa Polano said in Jakarta Tuesday.

He said the five staff members of the new trade office will closely cooperate with the Swedish embassy in Jakarta.

He also said that the 60 years of trade between Indonesia and Sweden will open more opportunities for cooperation in various sector.

The economic crisis in Greece, he said, will have an effect on European countries, including Sweden, but there is no need to worry about because the European Union will take the necessary safeguarding measures.

He also believed that Swedish investment in Indonesia would not be harmed.

Polano also believed the two countries would be able to further increase their cooperation in the economy, telecommunications, transportation and infrastructure development. (*)

Source : http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1275429013/sweden-to-open-trade-office-in-jakarta

BI predicts 2011 exchange rates to decline

2010-06-02T08:30:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Bank Indonesia (BI) has predicted that the rupiah exchange rate next year will remain steady but with an inclination to depreciate compared to this year`s.

"BI predicts the rupiah exchange rate will range from 9,200 to 9,600 with an inclination for an upward bias," Acting Bank Indonesia Governor Darmin Nasution told a hearing with the House budgetary body in Jakarta Tuesday night.

He said under the prediction, the average assumption of the rupiah exchange rate used by the government ranges from Rp9,100 to Rp9,400 per US dollar, which is still realistic for use as basis for drawing up the 2011 State Budget.

He said the development of international commodity prices in 2011 will affect the domestic prices which are different from those of 2010 in which the inclination of international commodity prices to increase could still be offset by exchange rate inclinations.

"In this context, with the prospects of the exchange rate to decline in 2011, the impact of international commodity price hikes against domestic prices would be stronger," he said.

In the meantime, with regard to the 3-month SBI interest rate, Darmin said the assumption of the average 3-month SBI interest rate in 2011 may reach 6.5 to 7 percent, which is not too much different from the government`s estimates of 6.3 to 6.7 percent.

He said the increase, the average interest rate of SBI, had been made by already considering the improving economic prospects in 2011 followed by inclinations of the increase in pressure of the inflation.

"The prediction was also made as the developed countries may raise the interest rate of their monetary policy," he said. (*)

Source : http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1275428600/bi-predicts-2011-exchange-rates-to-decline

Garuda restores flights to Europe

2010-05-31T09:52:00.000+07:00

London (ANTARA News) - A special dinner and performances by Ruth Sahanaya, Glenn Fredly, and pianist Sri Hanuraga, marked the restoration of national airline company Garuda Indonesia`s flights to the Netherlands.

New uniforms of stewardesses and stewards had also been designed by members of a a special team made up of Diyanti, Josephine (Obin) Komara, Irma, Diyanti and Ted Sulisto to be worn on the Garuda flights.

Minister Counsellor of the Indonesian embassy in The Hague Firdaus Dahlan told ANTARA`s London correspondent Sunday that the Indonesian embassy along with several Indonesian and Dutch media had a meeting at the Garuda Indonesia office at WTC building at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam for making preparations.

Senior General Manager for Asia, Europe and the Middle East Iswandi Said stated that the preparations were made starting several months ago including the opening of a Garuda Indonesia office at Schiphol last January manned by 14 employees including five station managers, three ticketing and reservation personnel, and four staff members.

Sixty percent of the seating capacity of the Amsterdam-Jakarta flight in June had been booked, and for July 89 percent of the seats had been booked.

Both flights from both points (Netherlands and Indonesia) will conduct a technical stop over in Dubai for an hour for refueling and the boarding of passengers from Dubai under Garuda`s 5th freedom flying rights for taking passengers in Dubai.

Last January Garuda had been received the "Four-Star Airline" citation from Sky Trax, a world independent institution making a judgment of flight service standards, placing Garuda at the same footing with other leading airline companies like Thai Airways, Korean Airlines, and Japan Airlines. (*)

Source : http://antaranews.com/en/news/1275250886/garuda-restores-flights-to-europe