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International
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
BUSINESS
Bali News
International
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Archipelago International sets to create more jobs in Bali
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) plans to revise a few chapters of the Presidential Regulation on Sarbagita, primarily the chapters related to Benoa Bay. Many people believe this plan is a scenario to pass the reclamation in the conservation area.
Asian shares mostly up
Agence France-Presse
IBP
HONG KONG - Asian markets mostly rose on Monday, with Tokyo cheered by the yen’s fall to a five-year low against the dollar and regional traders broadly upbeat towards the end of a tumultuous year. Tokyo enjoyed its best performance in more than four decades in 2013, while Chinese stocks were the worst regional performer. Tokyo rose 0.69 percent, or 112.37 points, to close at 16,291.31 as the index surged 56.72 percent over the past 12 months, the best annual performance since 1972. Sydney added 0.61 percent, or 32.7 points, to 5,356.8 and Seoul closed 0.45 percent higher, adding 9.06 points to 2,011.34. Shanghai slipped 0.18 percent, or 3.72 points, to 2,097.53. Hong Kong ended flat, edging up 1.63 points to 23,244.87. Manila and Bangkok were closed for public holidays. The Nikkei, which is closed on Tuesday, was boosted for the final trading day of the year as the yen came under further selling pressure, boosting exporters. “This has been a boom year -it’s been a long time since we’ve seen such a robust performance,” said Hikaru Sato, a senior technical analyst at Daiwa Securities of the Tokyo stock market’s rise. “The rise beat most investors’ expectations and many seem to think it will be another boom next year.” Exporters were the main beneficiaries, as the weaker yen makes their goods cheaper overseas and swells the yen value of their repatriated earnings. Yen tumbles against dollar, euro. The dollar hit 105.41 yen in the morning session, its highest since October 2008. In the afternoon it sat at 105.38 yen compared with
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IBP/Dedy
Yearender
To pamper investors, environment of Bali destroyed AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
Staff members of the Korea Exchange applaud as they threw confetti for the media during the year’s market closing ceremony near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the Korea Exchange in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 30, 2013. Asian markets mostly rose on Monday, with Tokyo cheered by the yen’s fall to a five-year low against the dollar and regional traders broadly upbeat towards the end of a tumultuous year.
105.13 yen in New York Friday. The euro fetched 144.87 yen against 144.37 yen in New York, after touching 145.69 yen Friday, also its highest since October 2008. This year the yen has lost about a fifth of its value against the dollar and more than a quarter against the euro. Europe’s single currency bought $1.3750 Monday against $1.3743 Friday. The euro has enjoyed strong buying since Bundesbank President
Jens Weidmann, who sits on the European Central Bank’s Governing Council, told a German newspaper last week that soft inflation figures should not justify unfettered monetary easing. On Wall Street Friday the Dow edged down 0.01 percent and the S&P 500 dipped 0.03 percent, after ending at record highs again in the previous session. The tech-rich Nasdaq slipped 0.25 percent. In Shanghai shares gave up
earlier gains to end down Monday as dealers remain wary about a possible slowdown in the Chinese economy. There are also worries about growing debt in the country that some analysts fear could hammer the financial system. Traders this week will be watching the release of manufacturing data from around the world, which will provide the latest snapshot of the state of the global economy. Global markets have seen a
mixed year, with most enjoying strong buying in the first half thanks to the US Federal Reserve’s stimulus programme, which provided cheap cash for investment in mostly emerging economies. However traders began pulling out of emerging markets from May after Fed chief Ben Bernanke said the bank could begin to wind down its bond-buying operations as the US economy showed signs of strengthening.
European economic shows positive sign in 2014
Agence France-Presse
BRUSSELS - European Council president Herman Van Rompuy on Sunday forecast an economic upswing for Europe in 2014 in an interview with Belgium’s Flemish-speaking broascaster VTM. Even euro-strugglers such as Spain and
Greece are showing signs of positive growth, Van Rompuy told VTM News. While 2013 saw European Union nations overcome the crisis, 2014 will be the year of revival though this is not yet visible in continuingly poor unemployment data, he said. Creating jobs will require more time, said Van Rompuy, who is currently work-
ing on a book to be titled “Europe after the storm”. “In the eurozone, except Slovenia and Cyprus, we will go to positive economic growth,” he added, referring to the 17 nations currently sharing the euro. He brushed off fears that elections to the European Parliament in May will see a sharp rise in eurosceptic populist parties.
“Euroscepticism is something of all times,” he said, pointing to the longtime popularity of France’s former far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, who has been succeeded by his daughter Marine Le Pen. “I am convinced that an overwhelming majority of Europe’s population favours the EU, even if euro-adverse parties form a strong minority,” he said.
Bali Post
PRESIDENT Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) plans to revise a few chapters of the Presidential Regulation on Sarbagita, primarily the chapters related to Benoa Bay. Many people believe this plan is a scenario to pass the reclamation in the conservation area. Seeing the fact on the rejection against the Benoa Bay reclamation conducted by various components of Balinese people all this time, we should raise a question, is it actually for the sake of economic development, investment and tourism in Bali? Is it not only the request of investors that was so determined to fight for the business interests all this time? An environmentalist, I Nengah Manumuditha, said that Benoa Bay region was a tributary. According to Hindu belief primarily in Bali, the tributary was one of the sacred places as mentioned in the bhisama of the Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia (PHDI) stipulated in 1994. Other than tributary, the Benoa Bay also accommodated the water during the high tides. According to the former Head of the Badung Fishery Agency, for four hours a day, the water would get in between Tanjung Benoa and Serangan Island to Benoa Bay. It could be imagined, if the Benoa Bay was narrowed with the reclamation, it would result in water overflow causing coastal erosion in the surrounding areas or other areas. He also reminded of the previous reclamation, namely on Serangan Island. It had been reclaimed since
1996 by taking materials to backfill from the sea around the island. The reclamation to the island with the area of 481 hectares had cut the distance between Tanjung Benoa and Serangan from 1.5 km to 500 meters. The shorter distance had caused a remarkable abrasion against the left and right side wall of Tanjung Benoa during tidal currents. What revealed by Manumuditha indeed had occurred in the coastal area of Gianyar and east area of Serangan. Stretch of black sand along 18 km on the beach of Gianyar had only left in memory. Residents of Lebih Beach were the witness of the ferocity happened to the south coast waves that destroyed the buildings of seafood stalls of residents. Approximately 20 seafood stalls had got bad luck. Aside from the building of seafood stalls on Lebih
Beach, thousands of hectares of rice fields were also leaving its certificate. Group Head of the Fishermen on Lebih Beach, Made Diana, said that reclamation on Serangan Island had a considerable impact on social life of the coastal residents on Lebih Beach. A legislator of Gianyar House, I Ketut Karda, added that reclamation would only save an area, but would aggravate the damage to land in the coastal area in other region. Similar opinion was also revealed by Chairman of Commission B of the Karangasem House, Nyoman Oka Antara. In Karangasem, almost all the beaches along 87 km had undergone the abrasion. Abrasion continued raging and caused the fishermen temple to stand at the shore. Residents of Ujung Mantri village were also forced to relocate their Dalem Temple a few years ago. Meanwhile, the cemetery at Jasri village had already been crushed. Even, the Dalem Temple had been relocated far into the inland a few years ago. A researcher of the Center for the Environmental Studies (PPLH) of the Udayana University, Prof. Dr. I Wayan Suarna, said the bay area without exception for Benoa Bay played an important role in prevent-
ing abrasion. The bay played a role to reduce the pressure of sea water movement so the power or force to cause abrasion in other places could be reduced. Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the LPM Bali, Dr. I Wayan Wana Pariartha, also considered that social aspect of Balinese people would be disturbed as a result of the reclamation plan. “The reclamation will have an impact on social transformation,” he said while adding that migration would also increase dramatically. An environmental economist from the Udayana University, Prof. Dr. Wayan Gede Supartha, said the economic activity would only get focused at the area if the reclamation would be positively carried out by the investor. Meanwhile, the reclamation plan was culturally judged to be contrary to the Balinese customs and culture considering PT Tirta Wahana Bali International would build an integrated tourism resort on the island that would be created. “What to be built does not belong to Balinese culture. It poses a reflection of external culture clearly having an impact on the existence of Balinese culture,” added the artist as well as humanist AA Gede Raka. (BP team)
DENPASAR - As a major employer and trainer throughout Indonesia, Archipelago International is gearing up to create almost 2000 new job vacancies in 2014 for Bali alone, as well as offering up thousands of hours of training amongst their growing team of employees. Dating up to November 2013, Archipelago International has proudly employed 1,558 persons across 18 hotels & villas throughout the Island of the Gods. In just the past year (January – November 2013), the thriving hotel group hired 550 persons on the island and carried out 115,811.49 hours of training amongst their staff, working out at approximately 4 hours of training per person per month. Proving that the group is continually satisfying their staff and attracting a wealth of hopeful employees, the employment database currently holds 3,800 applicants. Looking forward, Archipelago International is now gearing up to create even more jobs in Bali to help support Indonesia’s economy and its citizens. For the upcoming year, the hotel group will create 1,890 more job vacancies in Bali (including replacements & staff needed for an expected 13 new hotels), making the total number of employed persons an impressive 3,448 by the end of 2014 in Bali. What’s more, the group will dedicate 248,256 hours of training to the team, increasing the average amount of hours per person per month from 4 to 6. Employees working within Archipelago International’s Balibased hotels & villas not only receive extensive training but are also treated with the utmost respect within the workplace. All employees - even those with the most basic rank and file - are paid at least the minimum salary if not more, as well as receiving a percentage of service charges. This means that on average, each employee receives 3 times as much pay as a store clerk or factory worker, on top of a number of other benefits Archipelago provides. Other benefits include English language and knowledge building, clean and smart uniforms, good quality meals as well as health insurance.