The President Post Vol. II January 2013

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January 2013 Vol. 2 No. 1 www.thepresidentpost.com

ENERGY

BUSINESS

The central feature of the new movement is the creation of a low carbon society within an economic system which strives for sustainability far into the future, when fossil fuels are no longer available and/or affordable as the basis of the economic system. – Page A6

State-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina has predicted that petrochemical sales will increase by 500 thousand tonnes in domestic and regional markets in 2013.

– Page B1

Low Carbon Society and Green Economy Lessons from Australia

IDR 20,000

2013

Pertamina Upbeat on Sales of 500,000 Tonnes

Upcoming Events

PAGE C1

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State, Private Sector Join Forces To Provide Nation’s Power Needs www.antaranews.com

JAKARTA (TPP) – Contrary to recent media reports, Indonesia is on track in fulfilling its present and future energy needs in ways that would put foreign investors’ worries to rest.

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fast track program that was put in place two years ago – to build 93 power plants under the second 10,000megawatt (MW) power generation scheme – is nicely coming on stream.

The power plants are expected to generate up to 10,153 MW in total. Of this figure, 5,770 MW or 57 percent will go into the Java-Bali grid with the rest going to the other islands.

Of the total capacity, up to 1,204 MW (12 percent) will be generated by hydroelectric plants; 1,660 MW (16 percent) from gas combined-cycle plants; 3,977 MW (39 percent) from geothermal plants, and 3,312 MW (33 percent) from coal-fired plants.

The biggest hydroelectric plant in the project will be the 4x250MW Upper Cisokan plant in West Java. The biggest gas combine-cycle plant will be the expanded Muara Tawar plant, also in West Java, with total capacity of 1,200 MW. The 1,000-MW Indramayu power plant in West Java will be the biggest of the coal-fired plants in this second phase, while the Sarulla 1 plant in North Sumatra, with expected

total capacity of 3x110 MW, will be the biggest of the geothermal power plants.

In December the Bosowa Group inaugurated its first power plant in South Sulawesi. The coal-fueled plant is valued at $250 million and features two 125-megawatt turbines.

Located in Punagaya village in Jeneponto district, it will boost the electricity supply for South Sulawesi capital Makassar and surrounding areas. The inauguration was attended by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik, former Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Liu Jianchao.

Of the total 10,153 MW power expected to be generated from the project, state electricity company (PLN) is expected to generate a little more than half, or 5,118 MW. The remaining 5,035 MW is expected to come from plants run by independent power producers (IPPs).

The power plants cost $15.96 billion in investment.

Of the total 3,977 MW set to be generated by geothermal, IPPs are expected to contribute 3,097 MW. The second 10,000-MW project will include the construction of 3,490 kilometers of power transmission lines, requiring $383 million in investment, and is expected to be finished next year.

In October the first unit of a coal-fired power plant (PLTU) with a production capacity of 660 megawatts (MW) was officially launched in Cirebon, West Java, and is expected to boost the electricity supply in Bali and Java.

Earlier this year, PLN announced the electricity supply for Java and Bali was around

22,900 MW, while demand in the region was 35,000 MW or larger by 35 percent. The new 660 MW-plant is expected to supply 5,500 gigawatt-hour of electricity to Bali and Java per year or around 4 percent of the electricity supply in the region.

CEP, an IPP, is a joint venture between four companies, with Japan-based Marubeni Corporation owning the biggest stake of 32.5 percent, followed by Korea Midland Power Co, which owns a 27.5 percent stake in the

firm. The other shareholders include South Korean company Samtan Co Ltd and Indonesia’s publicly listed PT Indika Energy, each own 20 percent.

the officials from the energy utilization directorate at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry as well as PLN over the planned second unit.

Indika Energy vice president director Wishnu Wardhana said the firm was mulling a plan to build a second unit for the Cirebon plant with a capacity of 1,000 MW, with a planned investment of around $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion.

He said that currently the joint venture was still in talks with

Meanwhile, in December the Bosowa Group, a Makassarbased conglomerate with diversified business interests, inaugurated its first power plant in South Sulawesi. The coal-fueled plant is valued at $250 million and features two 125-megawatt turbines. Located in Punagaya village in Jeneponto district,

Vocational Education Affects Rise of Middle Class Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation, is experiencing a rapid expansion in the middle class. Indonesia recently became a leading exporter of coal and gas to China and India, and is also the largest exporter of palm oil, surpassing Malaysia in 2006. This new economic boom has allowed Indonesia to create a new, skilled, and powerful middle class that will allow Indonesia to rise to further international prominence.

As the economy continues to grow at a fast rate, there has been an upsurge of purchasing power in Indonesia. In 2006, there were just over 6.6 million individuals who were earning over $10,000. By 2011, it increased to 13.7 million. It is predicted that this trend will continue, and by 2014 will stand at 150 million. Over the period of 2012-2020, consumer expenditure per household will likely grow by 39.2% in real terms whilst per household disposable income will increase by 40.5% in real terms.

Euromonitor International forecasts Indonesia's real GDP growth rate at 6.1% year-onyear in 2012, above the expected real growth rates of some other emerging market economies such as Vietnam (5.6%), Russia

Industries with higher requirements tend to pay workers higher wages, both because there is a smaller labor supply capable of operating in those industries and because the required education and training carries significant costs.

(2.8%) and Brazil (2.7%).

Like many other Asian countries, the middle class in Indonesia is characterized not only by their purchasing power, but also their generally higher levels of skills and education. The education and training of a country's workers is a major factor in determining just how well the country's economy will do.

The middle class labor pool in Indonesia is increasingly dominated by a younger generation; statistics show that 60.8% of individuals are aged below 35 years of age. Many members of the Indonesian middle class are educated at universities in the West. As a result, multi-national consumer goods companies entering the Indonesian market can capitalize on both the rising wealth and the high skills of the middle-class labor pool.

Industries with higher requirements tend to pay workers higher wages, both because there is

a smaller labor supply capable of operating in those industries and because the required education and training carries significant costs.

To meet the industry’s demand of skilled labor, Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration has specific internship program to Japan. In 2012, the ministry targeted as many as 2,500 participants who placed in approximately 700 companies that provide 60 types of professions. The priority for vocational internship programs are in the industrial, automotive, textiles, electrical, manufacturing, machinery, and buildings.

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Muhaimin Iskandar said that the internship program to Japan is one of the concrete step of the implementation of link and match concept that ensure the education and training are align with the needs of industries, as well as reducing

unemployment in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Directorate General of Higher Education (Dikti) initiated community college which provides vocational education with D1 (diploma) and D2 level in several scope of discipline based on local advantages to meet special needs.

Minister of Education Muhammad Nuh said that community college graduates are ready to work according to the needs of the industry.

Jababeka industrial estate, under the coordination of President University Education Foundation, also established Akademi Komunitas Presiden (AKP) in the Jababeka Education Park.

Achmad Suryadi, Director of AKP, said that the establishment of AKP could be a pioneer for other similar communities. AKP is intended for students who take courses in Industrial Engineering which aims for safety, health and environment.

Vocational education as well as apprenticeship program will increase the productivity and help companies reduce cost. However, research, innovation, and technology should continue to be developed.

it will boost the electricity supply for South Sulawesi capital Makassar and surrounding areas.

“Makassar will become one of the best cities that can provide adequate supply of electricity and good infrastructure in the country,” said Erwin Aksa, president director of Bosowa Corporation, the holding company of the group.

The inauguration was attended by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik, for-

mer Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Liu Jianchao.

Erwin, who is also the president director of Bosowa Energy, said the plant will help state utility company PLN save Rp 4 trillion ($424 million) in fuel costs in the region. Bosowa plans to build a second power plant with two 125-MW turbines, costing around $300 million and to be located next to the group’s existing coal-fired plants in Jeneponto.

A Happy New Year, Jakarta!

New Year’s Eve is one of the largest global celebrations around the world because it marks the last day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, December 31.

Many people celebrate the end of the year with mixed emotions – joy and reflection – while anticipating for the New Year.

In Indonesia, hundreds of thousands of people thronged along the traffic-free (carfree night) on the main road of Jakarta, the capital city.

Commemoration of the 20122013 New Year's Eve is for the first time held in Jakarta by not allowing motor vehicles on the main streets of the city for seceral hours.

The main avenues of Sudirman-Thamrin were closed to all vehicles from 06.00 pm Western Indonesia Time to 02.00 am on 1st January 2013. For along these roads the public was free to walk around and join in the special New Year fiesta. A Carnival featuring Jakarta’s own authentic ‘Betawi’ culture performed through the streets starting from the Jakarta City Hall and ending at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout where the countdown to 2013 took place.

With so many shows staged in Jakarta, there’s definitely something for everyone to celebrate the countdown to the New Year of 2013 in this magical metropolitan capital.

Meanwhile, Jakarta’s largest recreational park by the beach, the Ancol Dreamland, also held a festive event to celebrate the end of the year, ringing in the New Year. For the New Year celebrations, the management of the park prepared a series of exhilarating shows including bursts of fireworks at three sites, a seaside mini theatre, contemporary wayang (Indonesian traditional puppets) performances, Jakarta’s Lenong Betawi, 100 street musicians’ performance, and huge musical stages were set up on Carnival Beach and Ocean Ecopark. Except for the main entrance fee to Ancol Dreamland, all shows were free of charge.

A number of malls also staged special events to welcome New

Year 2013. At Gandaria City Mall, an exciting laser show and the Rave in the City music attraction dazzled audience while browsing through special discounts presented during the late night bazaar.

At Sumarecon Mall Serpong, stunning musical fireworks claimed as the fifth largest in ASEAN were presented on the countdown along with performances of some famous DJs in the country. While at Mall Kelapa Gading 3, a unique performance of acrobats in a bubble was presented for the first time in Indonesia.

Some of the finest hotels of the city also staged special shows for the occasion.

The Aston Marina Hotel Ancol presented a special musical show featuring some of the finest singers of the country, among others are Krisdayanti, Vina Panduwinata, and Dira Sugandi, while at the Mercure Ancol, the rising popular rock band “Kotak” entertained the audience into the wee hours of the morning.

With so many shows staged in Jakarta, there’s definitely something for everyone to celebrate the countdown to the New Year of 2013 in this magical metropolitan capital.

January 2013 Vol.2 No. 1

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Opinion

Russia: The Asia-Pacific Global Power Russia will become a strategic partner for Asia-Pacific regional countries in pursuing world peace, stability, and global prosperity.

By Hendra Manurung

Russia has reinvented its national policy, which is all about economic cooperation and joint energy projects rather than territorial disputes.

Even further afield, Vietnam has shown an increasing interest in Russia, expressing its enthusiasm for being involved with Russia’s recently launched Eurasian Union in Asia Pasific economic integration.

T

he Asia-Pacific region is increasingly making headlines as China asserts its claims to various islands and maritime territories in the region. Largely in response to China’s expanding naval capabilities and vocal territorial claims, the U.S. last year announced a strategic “pivot” towards Asia, which will be a realignment of its military power to the region. According to Robert Ross, ”While some of America’s allies in the Asia-Pacific were reassured by this renewed commitment to preserving the status quo, this strategy has served to fuel Chinese insecurities and hastened China’s desire to resist and urgently develop its military capabilities (The Problem With the Pivot in Foreign Affairs, November/December 2012).

So, in East Asia, the regional order is in flux.

It is a complex and dynamic region with the U.S. facing real anxieties about its reduced global status and declining relative power. At the same time China seems intent on assuming a certain degree of control over its neighboring seas in order to secure access and supply routes to the rest of the world.

cal leadership. The Korean peninsula remains as divided as ever with total uncertainty over North Korea’s direction. Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, and even Vietnam appear to be welcoming the U.S.’ “pivot” to the region, while Cambodia and others find themselves in the warm embrace of China.

Elsewhere, Japan is coming to terms with losing its status as the dominant economic power in Asia and the Fukushima disaster has profoundly shaken confidence in the current politi-

The result is that at the same time as intensifying regionalization and globalization in the Asia-Pacific, there is also a danger that an incident in the maritime waters of this region could

become an extremely serious geopolitical threat to the region’s peace and prosperity. There is therefore an urgent need that China and the U.S. find a way to co-exist with each other, and with the other powers in this region. Here an opportunity emerges for Russia. Like the U.S., Russia shares a profound interest in preventing regional instability and its leadership should be extremely alarmed at the current arms race on its eastern periphery. However, unlike the U.S. or China, Russia is not viewed as a threat or rival in the region.

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In the case of China, Russia has established a great deal of trust over recent years, particularly in the military sphere through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Russia has also been active in the post-Soviet era in building economic and cultural relations with South Korea, particularly considering the minority population of ethnic Koreans in the Russian Far East. The Russian government has also been consistent in its commitment to progress in the six-party talks with North Korea.

S P I RI T

OF

According to the writer’s point of view in regard to relations with Japan, Russia has reinvented its national policy, which is all about economic cooperation and joint energy projects rather than territorial disputes. Even further afield, Vietnam has shown an increasing interest in Russia, expressing its enthusiasm for being involved with Russia’s recently launched Eurasian Union in Asia Pasific economic integration.

Despite the legacy of Soviet might, the degree of trust to-

wards Russia in the Asia-Pacific is symbolically revealed in the reaction to Russia’s modernization of its Pacific Fleet. Whereas China’s re-fitting of an ancient aircraft carrier caused a flurry of intensely negative coverage, there has been little fuss or outcry in this region about the procuring of two state of the art Mistral assault ships which will enter service in 2014.

So, with the U.S. bound by alliance treaties to many of the states in the region, and the Chinese government seemingly beholden to a rising tide of nationalism, it is vital that there is an inclusive multi-lateral framework so that a minor, localized incident at sea does not provoke a crisis of global proportions.

Even though this perception of Russia in the region as nonthreatening could be a great opportunity for the Russian leadership, to stabilize the region there is a vital need for a forum whereby geopolitics can be discussed in the same way in which economics and globalization are discussed at the annual APEC summits. Russia has experience in great power politics and the complex security arrangements of the Cold War and its continuing legacy. This provides Russia with the necessary prerequisites to promote and help implement innovative proposals for a multi-lateral security dialogue across the region.

Even though with its own interest in regional stability, a long experience of great power diplomacy, as well as high levels of trust amongst the Asian powers, Russia has the potential to play a significant role in mediating the tectonic geopolitical shifts in the region. Rather than the much touted bridge between Europe and Asia, Russia could find itself bridging the gap in understanding between the U.S. and China.

Despite the obvious challenges, Russia now has the capacity in the Far East to seriously develop and even host a new form of security architecture in the region. There needs to be an institutionalized forum for openly discussing military deployments, methods for reducing threat perceptions, arms control, and even demilitarized zones around some of the contested territories.

Russia will continue to seek the strengthening of principles of multilateralism in international affairs, development of an architecture of international relations that would be based on the recognition by the international community of the principles of security indivisibility in the modern world and would reflect its diversity. Russia will become a strategic partner for Asia Pasific regional countries in pursuing world peace, stability, and global prosperity.

The writer is currently is a fulltime lecturer of International Relations at the Faculty of Business & International Relations (FBI), President University, Jababeka, Cikarang.

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CEO & EDITOR IN CHIEF: Rachmat Wirasena Suryo I CONTRIBUTORS: Atmono Suryo; Jeannifer Filly Sumayku; Bambang Sulistomo; Paulus Khierawan; Muchtar Pakpahan; Hendra Manurung; Iqbal Alaik; Public Private Partnerships Indonesia; Majalah RESPECTS I REPORTER & PHOTOGRAPHER: Rians Rivco; Heros Barasakti I CIRCULATION: Seny Rosgandasari I LAYOUT & DESIGN: Mohamad Akmal I CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER: Donny Martin MARKETING MANAGER: Daniel Trioska I SALES MANAGER: Andrian Irawan

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January 2013 Vol.2 No. 1

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Focus

Indonesia and East Asia An important point to note is that it has been predicted that Asia will be moving closer to center stage. This development will in particular involve East Asian countries, including Indonesia and the other countries in Southeast Asia.

By Atmono Suryo

THE CHANGING GLOBAL ECONOMY

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new world economic setting is slowly but surely on the move, affecting both developed and developing countries alike. Accelerated by the process of globalization, advances of technology, communication and the development of market economies, this changing economic setting will be of considerable interest to East Asia and Indonesia.

The current trend already shows that the advanced countries of Europe and North America are presently facing a decline in their economies.. Their position in the world economic setting is consequently declining.

At the same time, developing countries in East Asia have been advancing fast in their economies and are moving up in the global economic setting. Accordingly, the world economic structure is beginning to undergo fundamental changes, particularly in East Asia, which includes two giant emerging countries: China and India, with the addition of South Korea and the 10 ASEAN countries.

EAST ASIA’S DEVELOPMENT

An important point to note is that it has been predicted that Asia will be moving closer to cen-

ter stage. This development will in particular involve East Asian countries, including Indonesia and the other countries in Southeast Asia.

In terms of population, Asia is home to over half the world’s population amounting to almost four billion people, ten times bigger than the European Union or the United States. East Asia, which is a part of Asia, has a population of some two billion people. This just shows the enormous size of challenges East Asia has to cope with to bring peace, security and prosperity to the region.

Notwithstanding the fact that Asia is also highly diversified, East Asia has emerged as the fastest moving region among the developing countries, estimated with GDP growth of about 9.6% in 2011, declining to about 8% in 2012 because of the worsening global economy but predicted to go up again in 2013.

In this era of globalization East Asia (with their open economies) has shown to be able to adjust to the new global trends. It has been able to integrate to the global economy and has taken due advantage of the increases of world trade. As a result thereof East Asia has shown its ability to accelerate economic growth.

Among the developing countries East Asia has become the fastest regional economic growth. The following data will

region has the resilience to come out quite well of the crisis. And in good time, except for Indonesia, which needed a longer time to recover.

Asia has also shown to have the well-known “Asian wisdom” to promote regional policy coordination and cooperation in the area of finance and to have the courage to undertake collectively strict reform measures. According to some insiders Indonesia has played a positive role in that regard although it was the hardest hit country and was on the verge of collapse.

EAST ASIA China

Region

India

South Korea

ASEAN

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

West Asia (15 economies)

2.0

2.3

3.0

3.8

3.4

3.7

East Europe (7 economies)

3.5

3.6

3.4

3.4

2.4

2.0

Africa (57 economies)

3.8

3.6

3.6

3.6

3.3

3.2

Latin America & Caribbean (47 economies)

7.8

8.1

8.3

9.8

8.3

8.4

East Asia (10 economies)

10.4

12.6

15.2

17.5

22.5

26.5

Rest of the World

64.4

61.9

58.5

53.3

50.7

45.4

Source: Wikipedia

give some view of East Asia’s largest share of Global GDP with a rate of 26.5%, followed by Latin America with 8.4% and Africa 3.2% (see table above).

As a fast-moving region East Asia is presently considered as a regional global economic powerhouse. The macroeconomic, financial and corporate sector reforms taken during the last two decades have shown to have played an important role.

Closer coordination and cooperation have also proven to be the right policies in East Asia. In this context one can conclude that ASEAN, and in particular Indonesia, has always played a positive and stimulating role.

CLOSER EAST ASIA COOPERATION

Notwithstanding the fact that the world is still in the midst of the world financial crisis, it will be of increasing importance to

East Asia to prepare for the upcoming developments in the post-crisis era.

When Asia was severely hit by the Asian Financial crisis of 1997-98 it was then said that the crisis is bringing Asian countries to their knees, that Asia will lose many years of growth and that Asia will not be able to stand up and rise in good time.

Instead, the developments of East Asia have shown that the

In terms of GDP East Asia has a combined GDP of over $7 trillion or about 20% of world’s GDP. It has a third of the world’s population. Within East Asia China, India and Indonesia are the largest countries in terms of GDP. The economy of East Asia is rated as one of the most successful regional economies of the world. Growth in the region has been quite strong and broad based. According to the Asian Development Bank, developing Asian economies (including China and India) will grow by 6% in 2012 and 6.6% in 2013.

Among East Asian economies the ASEAN countries are rated among the best, as their economies are quite balanced. Many key factors are expanding, underpinning the growth of their economies: larger domestic expenditures (no need for very large stimulus funds), higher consumption trends and increasing investment flows.

ADB is of the view that Southeast Asia’s growth will remain resilient over the next five years.

Apparently, one of the main rea-

sons for their resilience is that their domestic economies are growing and becoming less dependent on exports and the external weak economies. Such trend is already happening in Indonesia with some good effects with the risk that it may bring about balance of trade deficits.

ASEAN

With regard to the need for an East Asian strategy, ASEAN’s position is on track. The establishment of the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) by 2015 will be the base for ASEAN’s growth and development. It will further strengthen the growth of their economies and consequently their economic resilience.

The time has now come for ASEAN to undertake preparations to design the joint strategy to bring the East Asian countries closer to effective economic cooperation, and not only in the area of trade.

Larger Intra-East Asian trade will help to further stimulate the growth of consumption to trigger and ensure the attainment of higher sustainable development growth in East Asia in its totality.

In line with AEC’s (ASEAN Economic Community) objective, East Asia should also attempt to enlarge East Asia’s production base to the optimum: to make East Asia a regional hub for global industrial and technological growth; the growth of the services industry and the growth of prosperity for the region. This will help to achieve peace in the region particularly around the South-China Sea. The writer is formr ambassador to the EU.

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January 2013 Vol.2 No. 1

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Outlook Influential People on Highlights 1. Mahfud MD Constitutional Court Chief Justice Muhammad Mahfud Md guarantees that he will respond to proposals for his nomination as a candidate for president or vice president in 2013. "Right now I am a Constitutional Court judge, I cannot talk politics," he said.

Recently his name was widely mentioned as a candidate for president or vice president in the 2014 elections. There were talks that Aburizal Bakrie, who recently declared himself as the presidential candidate of the Golkar Party, would ask him to become his running mate.

2. Jusuf Kalla Former Vice President Jusuf Kalla said he was willing to run for president in Indonesia's 2014 election if a party supports his bid.

“I haven’t received official support from any party. If the public or any party supports me, then I’ll be ready to run in the election. No presidential candidate can contest independently,” Kalla said.

Kalla, the current chair of the Indonesian Red Cross, served as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's second-in-command from 2004 and 2009.

3. Prabowo Subianto The former general has emerged as the most popular candidate for president. If elected, he says he will not roll back the democratic reforms that Indonesia embraced after his then father-in-law Suharto was ousted from over three decades of autocratic rule.

"Because I am a constitutionalist. As an officer and a soldier, I swore to serve the Republic of Indonesia. I kept my honor, I kept my oath," said Prabowo.

4. Jokowi Jakarta Governor Jokowi laid out the city’s draft budget of Rp 46.86 trillion ($4.83 billion) — an increase of 13.32 percent from last year’s budget of Rp 41.35 trillion.

Some Rp 12.52 trillion would be used for routine spending, including civil servant salaries and allowances, school operation funds (BOS), other grants, debt interest payments and others.

The bulk of the spending — a total of Rp 18.09 trillion — is allotted to fund programs by the city’s agencies and bodies.

Jokowi will use the remaining Rp 11.88 trillion to fund priority programs, which include the Jakarta Health Card for universal healthcare, the Jakarta Smart Card to provide underprivileged students with cash assistance, slum and kampung revitalization projects and programs to improve street vendor management.

Leading up to the 2014 general elections, Indonesia’s business and investment policies will be under particular focus. Continuing to improve the regulatory environment and effectively communicating new reforms are important steps which can support the investment outlook and continue to drive robust growth.”

Ndiame Diop World Bank Lead Economist

The contentious and complicated annual process of setting minimum wages has also been in the spotlight. Given their importance for workers’ welfare and, potentially, for economic growth, the way in which minimum wages is negotiated could from moving towards a more comprehensive, technical and inclusive approach to bargaining in the labor market, ensuring that all stakeholders, including informal sector workers, are represented.

The December IEQ also addresses Indonesia’s medium-term development challenges, and what may be done to improve progress. For example, how to further enhance public service delivery and access across Indonesia, addressing the different rates of progress in the delivery of infrastructure, health and educational services, as shown in the recent Village Infrastructure Census.

iOS and Android in 2013 will be in an increasingly fierce competition to win the biggest market share in the tablet realm. However, nothing can beat the quality offered by the iPad and the iPad Mini. who want to be able to work through the tablet. This is because since the beginning Windows 8-based tablets have been promoted as devices that can support the work of people – Windows 8-based tablets can be turned into a laptop or even part of a laptop.

The current Windows 8-based tablet users are still small. However, in 2013 Windows 8-based tablet users will increase a lot compared to now. In Indonesia, Microsoft along with their vendor partners actively promotes tablets running Windows 8 to the public. Obviously this will effect directly Windows 8-based tablet sales in Indonesia.

IHSG The Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) is predicted to reach 5,000 by the end of 2013. PT Indo Premier Investment Management predicts the Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) can grow to a minimum of 15.89% to 4972 in 2013, which shows the view that the stock market and capital market will still grow next year.

Ernawan Salimsyah Rahmat, D i -

Meanwhile since its launch in 2011 until now the BlackBerry PlayBook seems to have failed to attract many users. At the initial launch of the BlackBerry Playbook there were complaints about features that are not on the BlackBerry Playbook. Unfortunately, BlackBerry Playbook is not as successful as BlackBerry phones in the market.

Automotive

THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON IN 2013

The automotive industry estimates that Indonesia's automotive market will continue to grow in 2013, but only in the range of below 10 percent.

“I think the increase is not too much, probably below 10 percent,” said Executive Marketing Director of PT Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian Motors, sole agent of Mitsubishi cars in Indonesia, Rizwan Alamsjah.

According to Rizwan, Indonesia's economic growth next year is still good, but there are still some problems such as declining exports or weakening commodity markets both at home and abroad.

Other factors that directly influence the growth of the automotive market next year, said Rizwan, among others, are

Gold Prices the possibility of rising fuel prices and the policy that sets a minimum credit down payment of 30 percent, and progressive taxation.

For the fourth quarter of 2013 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg in November 2012 forecasted a level of $1,925 per ounce of gold.

The bullion bank Scotia Mocatta forecasts rising gold price in 2013 and would not be surprised to see gold price to be above $2,200 per troy ounce of gold.

The French Bank BNP Paribas estimated in November 2012 gold to reach $1,675 per ounce in 2012 and $1,865 per ounce in 2013.

In November 2012, members of the London Bullion Market Association forecast gold price of $1,843 by September 2013. The global bank HSBC predicts a very similar gold price of $1,850 per ounce of gold in 2013.

The CEO of the largest US gold mining company Newmont Mining estimates that the price of gold in 2013 may increase to $2,550.

In November 2012, Deutsche Bank updated its forecast on the gold price to $2,000 by next year, i.e. 2013.

Credit Suisse expects gold price of $1,840 in 2013, while in October 2012 private bank Coutts predicted gold prices to reach $2,000 in the coming months.

rector of Indo Premier Investment, said the prediction was a base growth forecast, but for an optimistic prediction (bullish) the market

Economy & Investment

could reach 5598.

For a pessimistic prediction, when the market is down, he predicts stock index to go down to 4099.

Technology

The economic outlook for Indonesia in 2013 remains positive despite a weak global economy, but maintaining strong investment growth is vital, says a new report by the World Bank.

Lead Economist of the World Bank Ndiame Diop said that investment would be the main driver of economic growth in Indonesia.

"The investment sector accounted for 40 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP) during the third quarter of 2012," he noted.

Diop stated that the economic recovery of Indonesia`s trade partners would also support the nation's economic growth through increased exports.

"These factors have helped Indonesia achieve fast economic growth over the past few years, as investment reached a third of the total goods and services expenditure in Indonesia and increased 10 percent year-on-year during the third quarter," he pointed out.

“A strong policy framework is key to facilitating investors’ ability to plan ahead and to maintaining the confidence in the future that motivates investment” says Diop. “Leading up to the 2014 general elections, Indonesia’s business and investment policies will be under particular focus. Continuing to improve the regulatory environment and effectively communicating new reforms are important steps which can support the investment outlook and continue to drive robust growth.”

iOS-based tablets such as the iPad and the iPad Mini will continue to rule in the realm of tablets especially in the upper middle class. iOS and Android in 2013 will be in an increasingly fierce competition to win the biggest market share in the tablet realm. However, nothing can beat the quality offered by the iPad and the iPad Mini.

In Indonesia, the iOS-based tablet users will be sold more in big cities such as Jakarta and Bandung in 2013. Most iOS-based tablet users are from the upper middle class, as the iPad is still relatively quite expensive for most people.

Oil Prices

Meanwhile, Android will dominate the tablet market in the world with the majority of users from the middle to the bottom. Android comes to dominate the tablet market because the prices of Android-based tablets are now getting lower, even under 1 million rupiah.

If iOS and Android-based tablets are more widely used as entertainment devices or media consumption, Windows 8 seems to fill the needs of those

Oil prices will remain high because of limited supply, though more gains will come. The OPEC market share of total liquid fuels production remains at approximately 40 to 45 percent over the projection period. The Brent spot oil price decreases from $111 per barrel (in 2011 dollars) in 2011 to $96 per barrel in 2015. After 2015, the Brent price increases, reaching $163 per barrel in 2040 (or about $269 per barrel in nominal dollars) as growing demand leads to the development of more costly resources.

ENGLISH EDITION

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A5

Law & Regulation

Who is Responsible for Lost or Broken Luggage?

Carriers should supervise the process of the luggage changing hands at the airport so that passengers can receive them back in a good condition.

By Paulus Khierawan

A

particular case which is often experienced by airline passengers is lost luggage or their luggage had been forced open. There needs to be a regulation on who will take the responsibility for the losses incurred by consumers. Is it the airline or the airport?

Relationship between consumers and airlines is contractual

Consumers and airlines legally develop contractual relationship. Basically, the agreement

between both parties covers as follow: Airlines decide: • Consumers to pay for ticket price, • Consumers to pay extra charge for baggage excess if they exceed cabin capacity, • Consumers to check-in at certain time and it becomes the consumers’ responsibility if they came late, • Consumers are entitled to refund upon canceled flights and entitled to compensation for delayed flights, • Consumers must comply with the safety regulations.

In reality, there are many incidents that have not been regulated in detail, for example in the case of luggage being forced opened.

Several possibilities could have happened: • At the departure terminal: luggage is examined → officers suspected forbidden items in the luggage → airport authorities opened passengers’ luggage → after going through it there was nothing illegal → officers could not return the luggage in its ini-

tial condition → the luggage is broken.

• During the process of loading the luggage into the aircraft: Examination process at the airport → nothing suspicious in the luggage → luggage was in good condition → luggage loaded to the aircraft → problem at the airline’s baggage division (intentionally or unintentionally) → passenger’s luggage is broken.

• During checking process at the arrival terminal: the process at the arrival terminal is likely the same as with the departure terminal.

When consumers find their luggage broken they can file charges. Basically, the charges can be made based on default or for an act against the law. The main difference lies in whether or not the regulation was contained in the agreement. If the regulation was contained in the agreement, it should be charged with default but if it wasn’t it should be charged with an act against the law (PMH).

The damage which was not regulated in the agreement can be charged with an act against the law (PMH) based on Article 1365 of the Civil Code which stated: “Every act against the law which inflict losses against other people, requires the person that caused the losses to compensate the losses”

The construction of imposing responsibility based on PMH

Regulations related to airlines’ responsibilities include: • The Convention on International Civil Aviation, in Annex 17 “Security - Safeguarding International Civil Aviation against Acts of Unlawful Interference” in Presidential Decree No. 5/ 2005 Stipulated: “Annex 17 also seeks to coordinate the activities of those involved in security programs. It is recognized that airline operators themselves have a primary responsibility for protecting their passengers, assets and revenues, and therefore States must ensure that the carriers develop and implement effective complementary security programs compatible with those of the airports out of which they operate."

• Law No. 1/ 2009 on Aviation Related articles include: Article 144: Carriers are responsible for the losses incurred by passengers for their lost, destroyed or broken luggage caused by airlines’ activities as long as the luggage remained under the supervision of the carriers.

• Transportation Ministerial Decree No. 77/2011 about carriers’ responsibilities Related articles include: Article 2 clauses b and c: Carriers are responsible for

losses such as: (b) lost or broken luggage in cabin, (c) lost, destroyed or broken luggage under its record.

Article 18: Carriers’ responsibility period (1) Carriers’ responsibility over the passengers started since the passengers left the airport’s waiting room to board the plane until they entered the arrival terminal in their destination airport.

the responsibility to prove lies on the businesspeople who allegedly caused the consumers to suffer losses. To free themselves from the legal responsibility, the businessmen must prove that they have done the proper things and that the losses suffered by the consumers were not their faults.

• Losses incurred It can be in the form of material and non-material.

(2) Carriers’ responsibility over passengers’ luggage is since the carriers received and recorded the luggage during check in until the passengers receive their luggage back.

• There is a causal relationship between the act and the losses The losses should stem from an act against the law.

The legal responsibility imposed in the form of compensation must meet these elements:

Finally it can be concluded that it has to be proven which party committed the act against the law and which party that made the mistake.

Although normatively Article 18 clause 2 in the transportation ministerial decree stated that carriers’ responsibility started since the carriers received the luggage and recorded it during check in until the passengers received their luggage back, in reality airlines refused to pay compensation if they managed to prove that the mistake was not on their part. That’s why carriers should supervise the process of the luggage changing hands at the airport so that passengers can receive them back in a good condition.

• There is an act against the law It’s not only restricted to written acts against the law but also unwritten ones such as public order, moral and decency.

• Error Objective and subjective error. Objective error means: Normal human beings can predict a possibility that may arise as the result of a situation and that a good person can prevent that possibility by doing or not doing something.

Subjective error is admitted by the person who committed it.

In cases of consumer protection,

So, whose responsibility is the broken luggage?

The President Post wishes you

A Happy New Year 2013

HOPE. Hoping for better Indonesia

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A6

January 2013 Vol.2 No. 1

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Energy

Low Carbon Society And Green Economy Lessons From Australia An increasing number of countries in the world are coming to the realization that business-asusual economic activities are no longer defensible and should be abandoned. The central feature of the new movement is the creation of a low carbon society within an economic system which strives for sustainability far into the future, when fossil fuels are no longer available and/or affordable as the basis of the economic system.

This is officially a top goverment body, but some observers find that in practice, there is some overlapping of tasks (and reponsibilities) between those conducted by this ‘non- structural’ body and those of the ‘regular’ Ministry of Environment.

The Council is dealing specifically with climate change issues, but overall it should be in close coordination with the Ministry of Environment. Indonesia has also various other laws and regulations, the most recent being is the Presidential Decree regulating the implementation of the national plan for reducing CO2 emissions.

By RESPECTS

B

The Climate Change Paradox

ack in the nineties, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) spear-headed the awareness among nations that the world is facing serious disaster if nations failed to reduce the carbon print produced primarily from burning of fossil fuels. Since then, an increasing number of countries have embarked on serious programs for combating the anticipated impacts of climate change. Yet – and ironically – in some developed countries particularly in the US and Canada, the debate over the reality of climate change is still going on and doesn’t show any sign of resolution.

The country is also currently preparing the establishment of a National Carbon Trading Scheme which is initiated by the DNPI [see RESPECTS Ed 03V02].

The system is aimed at accomodating and stimulating carbon trade to help reduce CO2 emissions capitalizing on REDD+ potentials and renewable energy deployment drives which the government shows intensifying recently. The problem is that as in many other issues in Indonesia, the government is lacking proper coordination among the various related bodies in dealing with the implementation of plans and in achieving the objectives.

Particularly in the US, the debate has been blurred and in many cases twisted by political forces especially during the present current presidential election campaigns. President Obama’s administration, which is considered as a proponent of clean energy development, has to face conservative forces supported by established and big bucks energy companies defending their status quo. It is a public secret that the so called ‘climate change deniers’ are getting support from these companies which spend big money to counter the climate change scientists’ efforts in spurring the state and federal governments to adopt climate change mitigation policies.

So, despite the devastating reality and increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters like hurricanes, raging drought and extreme cold weather, affecting the American Continent as recently as October this year – which many ‘sane’ scientists and experts clearly identify as climate change phenomena – conservative politicians and climate change deniers still find arguments which ignore the facts, and call the disasters no more than ‘cyclical change’ of the planet’s climate which has been happening over million of years.

Many environmentalists and climate change believers have been hoping the current presidential debate may have brought climate change into prominence but for unclear reasons, climate change issues were barely mentioned. This silence in the debate led to many Americans, as well as global environmentalists and political observers to wonder, why Obama did not use his ‘strong position’ to steer the debate into such issues so he would likely look much better than his opponent Mitt Romney, who clearly takes a negative position in these issues.

But Obama’s supporters at home and in some other countries including EU, China, and Australia generally hope that Obama will survive the onslaught of conservative powers pointing fingers at his generally ‘meager’ performance in economic terms.

Meanwhile, in many other part of the world, “green economy” concepts are winning ground against the conventional economic systems which have been dominating the world for the last 70-80 years since the great depressions in the thirties and the aftermath of the two world wars. Countries are beginning to drive down carbon prints produced by their past economic

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developments to brace for the climate change impacts.

Australia, one of world’s most carbon-intensive countries, under the labor government of Julia Gilliard, recently introduced a comprehensive national policy to address climate change and transition to a clean-energy economy.

Jennifer L. Morgan, of World Resource Institute (WRI), an organization promoting sustainability concepts, in her recent article in WRI Insight suggested that what the Australian government have embarked on to combat climate change could be inspirational to other countries.

She said that the US could learn a lot from Australia’s recent energy and climate choices in moving towards a low carbon future.

The Australian Case

World experts and observers find that Australia is facing a high level of climate risk, with significant vulnerability to sea level rise as well as to extreme weather events like drought, heat waves, and wildfires. At the same time, the country is heavily dependent on carbon-intensive resources. Australia, being one of the world largest coal producers, has the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions of any country in the developed world, and it is the 15th largest emitter overall.

Recognizing the major environmental and economic risks of continuing with businessas-usual, as well as the opportunities involved in shifting to clean energy, Australia decided to transform its economy toward a greener and more sustainable path. The policy change was not easily produced and it involved

a long, and at times heated and nasty, political debate, but finally the country’s main political constituents and leaders decided that they could no longer afford not to act, and therefore the government painstakingly issued pro-clean energy policies and climate change mitigation measures.

One of the programs based on such policies and strategy is the Clean Energy Future Package which became effective in July 2012. This program includes a national emissions reduction target of 5 percent below 2000 levels by 2020. This is a meager target, compared to other developed countries in Europe, which champion clean energy development. Even a developing country like Indonesia has set a much more ambitious target of 26-41% emission reduction by the same year, but Australia will jump lower by aiming at 80% lower emissions below 2000 levels by 2050.

The Australian Carbon Scheme

that, a flexible phase will begin where the market will set the price. According to the government regulating body, around 500 businesses – large emitters spanning sectors that cover 68 percent of Australia’s emissions – will be required to pay for their pollution under the carbon pricing mechanism. A list of these compliers is published to make the public aware and help monitor the large industries’ actions in this respect.

Australia has also created institutions to ensure that the system works effectively. A Climate Change Authority will monitor and advise on the level of pollution caps, operation of the carbon price and other initiatives, and progress toward meeting targets. A Clean Energy Regulator will administer the carbon price mechanism, the Renewable Energy Target, a Carbon Farming Initiative, and the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Program.

The centerpiece of such policy is putting a price for carbon to drive industries to take measures on lowering carbon footprints from their overall activities by reducing their energy demand through energy efficiency and using renewable energy to meet their electricity needs. Under this policy, Australia is targeting to have 20% of electricity coming from renewable energy sources by 2020. This compares to Indonesia’s target of around 25% by the same year, according to the latest draft document proposed by the National Energy Council (DEN).

A Productivity Commission will monitor and report on what kinds of climate change policies other countries are implementing, as well as focus on the effects of the program on jobs and competitiveness. In addition, a Clean Energy Finance Corporation is being created to invest in renewables and energy efficiency. Australia hopes that these elements, among others, will help the country meet its emissions and pollution-reduction targets.

The policies are well thought through and contain virtually all the components which are relevant to theoretically ensure effective policy implementation.

The Australian government put a carbon price starting at AUD 23/ton until 2015. After

Further, Australia also pays close attention to the issue of fairness across the economy,

such as ensuring that poorer households were protected from potentially higher energy costs.

Germany, for example, despite its generally successful policies in getting popular support for putting priority on renewable energy deployment, is beginning to face some challenges in keeping the tax payers’ burdens acceptable because of the higher energy cost as a result of the “Energiwende” (see RESPECTS Edition 03 Vol.02). Australia also put in a program to shield energy-intensive industries from the carbon price to prevent them from weakening their competitive advantage in the global market.

Comparing with the USA

Morgan found in her article that there are many similarities between Australia and the US in the context of climate and energy policy. For example, the countries share similar emissions profiles: both are extremely fossil-fuel dependent and face divisive stakeholders in climate change issues, as discussed above.

Morgan further saw at least four key areas that America can learn from the Australian experience: • A mix of policy instruments are needed across the economy. A carbon price is very important, but it’s not enough to actually create the needed transformation. Policies and incentives around renewable energy and energy efficiency are also needed, and creating a specific finance corporation to invest in clean technologies can be an effective part of an overall package.

• “Fairness” is a vital component of any policy deal. Like Australia, the United States has a wide divergence of economic circumstances, both in

households and on the industry side. The Australian plan shows that with political leadership and time, effective solutions can be found.

• We must not lose sight of science when creating policies.

Australia recognized its own vulnerability to climate change and shared that risk analysis with its citizens through proper communications. It also created an independent commission to monitor these risks and make recommendations.

The US also faces significant climate risks, therefore it’s very instructive for the US to understand how Australia assessed its own risk and built institutions to forge a strong link between science and policymaking.

• Persistence is essential. The Australian government had been trying to implement a comprehensive climate package for many years, and despite intense opposition – it finally succeeded. The US should not give up to learn from past debates, and to keep working on developing an effective approach that can meet the joint goals of economic growth and reduced emissions.

The Indonesian Case

Basically the Indonesian Government has shown serious concern about climate change and keeping the wellbeing of the environment under control. The country has had for more than 20 years a ministry dealing with environment issues, and since 2008 the government established the National Climate Change Council (DNPI) chaired by the President with two senior coordinating ministers positioned as vice chairs. On a day-to-day basis the Council is chaired by the Minister of Environment.

Indonesia is also lacking a strong government body or institution which can function as a ‘champion’ for these good causes, as, for example, in India, Japan, Thailand or even Malaysia. While for renewable energy and energy conservation Indonesia has the Directorate General for New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (DGNREEC) under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, its position is not strong enough to make real impacts on the green energy drives and in dealing hand in hand with the climate change management bodies to make concerted efforts toward creating low carbon society in support of Green Economy.

The country is also lacking a system which maps out the potential risks of climate change for the economy and recommend the measures to mitigate such risks. It’s time for the government and other stakeholders like the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and business associations to look into these matters seriously before we’ll see climate casualities in the economic system.

Catching up with Green Economy Ideals

As Morgan said in her report, in the end, every country has to find its own way to address climate change risks and position itself in the clean-energy economy. Some countries are steps behind the other which have already braced the challenges of integrating climate change policies in their energy policies and strategy. According to Morgan, the USA has a long way to go to shape its carbon policies and build a low carbon society along the way. So does Indonesia, which should improve its governing style and practices in order to achieve the ideals of green economy.

Some people like Luluk Sumiarso and some Senior Fellows of the International Institute for Clean Energy and Climate Change (IICECC) are beginning to advocate a concept beyond the green economy, by incorporating the concept of equitability into the sustainable development system. RESPECTS

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January 2013 Vol.2 No. 1

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International

ASEAN, India Drive Development of Peaceful, Developed, and Prosperous Region www.presidensby.info/Abror

ASEAN and India truly would like this meeting to be the culminating point of all the events that has taken place to commemorate the ASEAN-India partnership for the entire year of 2012.

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inister of Trade Gita Wirjawan on Thursday (20/12), a c c o mp a ny i n g President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, attended the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit 2012 which took place on 20-21 December 2012 in New Delhi, India. This summit is expected to create the ASEAN-India Vision Statement 2020, which will map the direction of the future of ASEAN and India relationship.

At the Plenary Session with the Heads of State/Government, President SBY reaffirmed that the target value of trade, $100 billion in 2015, is a target that ASEAN and India can very possibly reach. The President together with the Heads of State/ Government also gave appreciation for the finalization of the discussions of the services and investment chapters of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA), which is expected to be a factor that spurs economic development in the region.

Moreover, a few important things according to the Presi-

dent needs to be pushed by ASEAN and India, which are cooperation to decrease trade barriers, to give incentive to the business world, and to increase sectorial cooperation (technology, Information and Communication Technology, infrastructure, maritime, food security and energy), and also to push the formation of people to people connectivity.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Trade also explained that broadening relations with ASEAN has become India’s priority in its policy inscribed it the ‘Look East Policy’. This can be seen from the development of the relationship that is stable between ASEAN and India since that policy was brought up in 1991.

“The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit should not only be made into a routine event, but more than that, it should be used to develop understanding to achieve a peaceful, developed and prosperous ASEAN-India.

ASEAN and India truly would like this meeting to be the culminating point of all the events that has taken place to commemo-

rate the ASEAN-India partnership for the entire year of 2012.

That’s why this summit was not only filled with activities that is government to government (G to G) oriented but also business to

Foreign Ministry, AMINEF Sign MoU to Renew Commitment The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and AMINEF (American-Indonesian Exchange Foundation) has renewed their cooperation in education through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Thursday (13/12) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jakarta. This Memorandum of Understanding is a renewal of a preliminary agreement which had been signed by both parties two years ago (17/12/2009).

The MoU was signed by the Head of Education and Training Center (Pusdiklat), Ambassador Hazairin Pohan, and AMINEF’s Executive Director Michael McCoy. The signing ceremony was also attended by Inspector General of the Foreign Ministry Soegeng Rahardjo and the American Vice-Ambassador to the

Republic of Indonesia in Jakarta Kristen Bauer.

"Over the past 3 years, AMINEF and the Foreign Ministry have achieved a lot of things," said Soegeng.

During that period, AMINEF has assisted 26 young Indonesian diplomats in attending prestigious schools in the United States.

"Every year, since 2010, the number continues to rise," said Soegeng.

According to the U.S. vice-ambassador, the American Government will continue to support Indonesia in obtaining education in the U.S. through various scholarships.

"This commitment has also been affirmed by Hillary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary, during

her last visit to Indonesia in September."

Through USAID, the U.S. has spent $83 million over the last five years to support education for Indonesian bright students. $20 million has been allocated for Master’s scholarships in the United States.

In addition to the scholarship programs offered by the U.S., Soegeng also stressed the importance of people to people contact, involving reciprocal relationship between both countries.

"We also want to see the U.S. students who come and study in Indonesia," he added.

This partnership will surely enhance the relationship between the U.S. and Indonesia, in the form of not only G to G contacts, but also intercommunity supports.

Indonesia, Tanzania Strengthen Partnership in Agriculture Indonesia and Tanzania are reviewing the outcomes of cooperation agreements in agriculture sector made in the past two years. Both countries continue to propose new cooperation emphasizing on capacity building, joint research, and the expansion of market access to agricultural products. This intention was announced in the Indonesia-Tanzania Agriculture Joint Cooperation Committee (JACC) II in Dar Es Salaam.

JACC’s first meeting had been held in Bogor, in 2010.

JACC was established as an important instrument in the development of Indonesia-Tanzania relationship in agriculture sector. This forum also serves as a pillar of both countries’ bilateral relationship.

The Indonesian delegation was led by Heri Suliyanto, the Head of Education Center, Standards, and Professional Agricultural Certification of the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture.

For Tanzania and Indonesia alike, the enhancement of bilateral cooperation will prove very beneficial. This was stated by Sophia Kaduma, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Se-

curity, and Cooperatives, at the meeting.

She highlighted that agriculture is the backbone of Tanzania's economy which accounts for 23.7% of the country's GDP, generates 33.9% of export revenues, and supports 95% of national food needs. Although agriculture has great potentials, it has not been effectively used.

Kaduma expressed her gratitude and appreciation to the Government of Indonesia, which had helped the Tanzanian Government and farmers through various training programs.

Agriculture Farmer's Rural Training Center (FARTC) which has been founded in Morogoro, Tanzania, also provides many benefits for Tanzanian farmers, especially in the forms of increasing agricultural production and support for agricultural mechanization.

In another section, Lasro Simbolon, the Director of Africa of Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who also attended the JACC meeting, was meeting his Tanzanian partners: Ambassador Silimba Kombohaji (the Director of the Zanzibar Department of Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) and Affan O.

Maalim (the Secretary General of Zanzibar’s Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources).

Lasro confirmed Indonesia's commitment to strengthening cooperation with Tanzania, including Zanzibar, in various sectors such as economy, trade, capacity building, and socio-cultural cooperation.

"As declared in the meeting, Zanzibar highly appreciates the cooperation with Indonesia in capacity building and is looking forward to fostering bilateral relationships in the future," said Lasro.

Future cooperation programs are expected to match the characters and priorities of Zanzibar region, including research and market access related to clove agriculture and trade.

Moreover, Zanzibar is eager for training programs which are specifically designed for people working in agricultural sectors, like the short program which had been provided by Indonesia.

"Besides those, the Zanzibar’s representatives also expressed the wishes of their people to obtain scholarships in order to enhance their region’s human resource capacity, especially the officials working in the government agencies," said Lasro.

business (B to B) and people to people (P to P).

“With a meeting at the level of the business world and the general public, hopefully, this event can be meaningful to the development of trade relations for both,” added the Minister of Trade.

ASEAN-India Commemora-

tive Summit 2012 is a follow-up to the 10th ASEAN-India Summit which had taken place at the Peace Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia recently. In this summit, the leaders of the ASEAN member nations and India strived to identify the next steps to increase ASEAN-India relations to a more developed and mutually profitable direction.

This meeting was also held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialog Partnership and the 10th anniversary of the ASEAN-India Summit Level Partnership.

The aforementioned summit carried the theme ‘ASEANIndia Partnership for Peace and Shared Prosperity’.

ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit 2012 is a follow-up to the 10th ASEAN-India Summit which had taken place at the Peace Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia recently.

In this summit, the leaders of the ASEAN member nations and India strived to identify the next steps to increase ASEAN-India relations to a more developed and mutually profitable direction.

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January 2013 Vol.2 No. 1

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Education Indonesia Ranked Third at the Young Scientist Olympiad in Iran Indonesia took third place by grabbing two gold medals at the International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) that took place in Tehran, Iran from 1 to 10 December 2012.

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hina Taipei with six medals and Russia with five gold medals took first and second places. Meanwhile, below Indonesia Thailand grabbed two medals and Brazil and Hungary each grabbed one medal.

In addition to gold medals, Indonesian students also grabbed six bronze medals by Dennis Deviandoni (State Junior High School 1 Banyuwangi), Steven

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Sebastian (PL Dominico Savio Junior High School Semarang), Timothy Antoni (Christian Junior High School (SMPK) 5 Penabur Jakarta), Viriyadhika Putra (Kemurnian 2 Junior High School Jakarta), Roihan Mohamad Iqbal (State Junior High School 2 Purworejo) and Tohari Catur Pamungkas (Junior High School Sragen BBS).

The Indonesian contingent also took a bronze medal for the Best Team Experiment category with a team consisting of Rahmat Waluyo, Dennis Deviandoni and Timothy Antoni, and for the Best Theoretical category by Kevin Limanta.

The International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) is an annual competition in science, which covers the subject of Physics, Biology and Chemistry for 15 years old students in Junior High School.

IJSO was an Indonesian initiative and it was held for the first time in 2004. IJSO has gained significant international recognitions in the field of science education for young generation.

At the IJSO this year in Tehran, Indonesia was represented by a team consisted of 23 people, wherein 12 of them were Junior High School students (they were divided into four groups) and the remainder 11 were team leaders and officials (lecturers from University of Indonesia from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences) and team officials.

The Olympic was opened by the President of IJSO Prof. Dr. Masno Ginting, M.Sc and 169 contestants from 29 countries and two observer countries.

The Olympic took place at the National Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NI-

GEB) Tehran. The contest consisted of a series of competitions, namely (1) Multiple Choice Competition (Individual), (2) Theoretical Competition (Individual), and (3) Experimental Competition (Team: 3 contestants), wherein the 3 subjects (Biology, Physics and Chemistry) were competed in an integrated manner.

At the IJSO this year in Tehran, Indonesia was represented by a team consisted of 23 people, wherein 12 of them were Junior High School students (they were divided into four groups) and the remainder 11 were team leaders and officials (lecturers from University of Indonesia from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences) and team officials.

Turkish Diplomat Cites Prospects of President University The Third Secretary of Turkish Embassy to Indonesia, Ersin Aydogan, visited President University, Indonesia on December 13th, to discuss the possibility to collaborate in certain areas of tertiary education. Ersin visited the University on behalf of the Turkish Ambassador to Indonesia who met Dr. Chandra Setiawan, MM., PhD, the University’s rector, on several occasions.

During his short visit, Ersin offered an opportunity for continuing education under Turkey Government’s grants and would prioritize bright students and lecturers of President University over other local universities. Some other topics being discussed with the faculty members of the University include Dual Degree program, Student Exchange Program, Lecturer Exchange Program, Cultural Ex-

change Program, and scopes of interest that would promote the bilateral relationship between the two countries, starting from education level.

Some faculty members who accompanied Ersin were T. Manivasugen, MBA, the Vice Rector III of President University; Prof. A.A. Banyu Perwita, Head of International Relations Study Program; Jhanghiz Syahrivar,

SE., MM, Head of Public Relations Division; and John Mewburn, Head of International Collaborations Office.

Ersin promised that the Ambassador of Turkey to Indonesia along with his staff would visit President University soon to deliver a speech and to socialize the scholarship programs and the prospects of studying in Turkey.

Two Indonesian Students Earn Master’s and Doctoral Programs in Tunisia Two Indonesian students, Tamyiez Mukharram and Syahrul Ben Ramadhan, have graduated from doctoral and master’s programs of University of Ez-zitouna, Tunis, respectively.

Tamyiez Mukharram, who is also a lecturer of Islamic law in Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) Yogyakarta, was conferred a doctoral degree in Sharia af-

ter defending his dissertation, “Tajdid Ushul aI-Fiqh Baina alMu’arhin wa al-Mu’ayyidiin Hadhiran” (Ushul Fiqh Update, between the Pro and Contra in the Present). Tamyiez graduated with a musyarraf (cum laude) predicate.

Meanwhile, Syahrul Ramadhan, from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, earned his Master’s degree with a jiddan (very good) predicate after defending his thesis entitled “Manhaj Istin-

bath al-Ahkam ‘Inda Jam’iyah Nahdha al-‘Ulama al-Andunisyin, Dirasah fi al-Fatawa alMu’asharah'”(The Method of Formulating Islamic Laws by the NU clerics in Indonesia, the Studies of Contemporary Fatwas).

At the moment, there are 40 Indonesian students pursuing their degree in Islamic studies at the University of Ez-zitouna, Tunisia. Half of them are now doing their Master’s and Doctoral degree.

The President Post

BUSINESS

SECTION B January 2013 Vol. 2 No. 1 www.thepresidentpost.com

PT Rekadaya to Build Power Plant in Timika

BUSINESS BRIEFS Agis Acquires Gold Mine in West Sumatra Agis subsidiary PT Agis Resources has signed a Conditional Sale and Purchase Agreement to acquire the majority stake at a company holding a gold concession in West Sumatra.

Agis corporate secretary Mohammad Noor Syahriel said under the agreement signed on Dec 14 , Agis Resources will own more than 60% of the gold mine. “The concession covers more than 2,500 hectares,” Mohammad Noor said in a statement here on Monday.

With acquisition, Agis Resources will control two gold mines in West Sumatra, he said.“ Agis Resources is expected to start operations in the mining sector and will contribute income to Agis,” he said.

Agis Resources is a joint venture between Agis and Fujian Xinjifu Enterprise Group Co. Ltd from China. Agis Resources also plans to expand operation into steel smelting plant business.

PT Rekadaya has been awarded by state electricity company PLN the contract to build a small steam powered electric plant in Timika, Papua.

Manager of PT PLN branch in Timika Semuel Farwas told ANTARA news agency the ground-breaking ceremony took place on Dec. 28 in the project site in the village of Ayuka. “We hope construction of the project could start immediately so that the power plant could be operational early 2014,” Samuel said here on Monday.

A 16-hectare plot of land for the project has been made available granted by the Mimika district administration early this year, he said.

Implementation of the project has been delayed since 2007. The power plant is expected to save the Mimika district from shortage in power supply in the next 10 years.

The power plant will contribute to industrial development in Mimika and neighboring areas, Samuel said.

Pertamina to Buy New Tankers State-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina will increase the number of its tankers by procuring new ones until 2015 to increase cost effi-

ciency in oil shipment and to give more added-value to the company.

“With more ships, cost will be made more efficient to make Pertamina oil price more competitive,” the company`s commercial and development vice president Subagjo Hari Moeljanto said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

Pertamina would procure seven 3,500 DWT tankers, two 4,000 DWT LBO small tankers, seven 17,500 DWT GP tankers, three 30,000 DWT MT tankers, two 85,000 DWT Aframax tankers, one 84,000 DWT VLGC tankers and one 260,000 DWT VLCC tankers.

Subagjo said with the increasing number of tankers Pertamina would be able to reduce total operational cost at Rp9 trillion by Rp800 billion.

“Total transportation cost is Pertamina`s bet for global competition in the oil and gas downstream sector. We are also committed to boosting the growth of ship building industries,” he added.

He said Pertamina has added an Aframax tanker with a capacity of 85,000 DWT named Gamkonora to its fleet. “The Gamkonora tanker has been built by China Newtimes Shipbuilding since 2010. The ship is expected to strengthen the domestic crude transportation fleet and Pertamina has invested $52.8 million for it,” he said.

Pertamina now owns 53 ships out of 187 ships it has operated so far.

National shipbuilding industries are expected to contribute much to oil and gas industry in the country, he said.

Pertamina Upbeat on Sales of 500,000 Tonnes State-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina has predicted that petrochemical sales will increase by 500 thousand tonnes in domestic and regional markets in 2013.

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ertamina’s Marketing and Commercial Director, Hanung Budaya, said the additional petrochemical product sales of 500 thousand tonnes will be carried out by a firm, which will be formed in collaboration with Pertamina`s business partners. “The joint venture will increase the sale of the products, once it is established in July 2013,” said Hanung.

“So, we are collaborating with our partners to establish a joint venture,” he said.

Therefore, the selected partner should have petrochemical products that are competitive and of good quality. It should also have the relevant technical support, he said. “Pertamina’s petrochemical plants’ products are still limited. So, we are hoping that through this collaboration, we will be able to expand our product range,” he added.

Hanung believes that before Pertamina’s petrochemical plants are operational in 2017, the company will be able to supply petrochemical products, particularly to the domestic market.

Last week, Pertamina signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three multinational petrochemical companies: SK Global Chemical, PTT Global Chemical and Mitsubishi Corpo-

ration. The MoU is aimed at developing a petrochemical plant, with a capacity of one million tonnes per annum, and an estimated investment of Rp48 trillion (around $5 billion).

lected partner will work together to promote the petrochemical products in the domestic and regional markets. Partamina hopes to own at least a 51% stake in the joint venture.

In April 2013, Pertamina will appoint one of the three partners as a partner in the development of a petrochemical plant, which will begin its operations in 2017.

The chemical plant will produce 250 thousand tonnes of ethylene every year, 400 thousand tonnes of polyethylene, 350 thousand tonnes of polypropylene and 200 thousand tonnes of PVC. Before the plant is operational in 2017, Pertamina and its se-

At present, the domestic petrochemical market is dominated by imported products, with an estimated value of about $5 billion per annum.

Currently, Pertamina has a market share of 10%. Once the plant becomes operational in 2017, Pertamina hopes to have a market share of 30% (worth around $9 billion). In the next stage, Pertamina plans to control 80% of the market by 2025.

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Semen Baturaja Management Slams House Members The management of stateowned cement company PT Semen Baturaja is said to be disappointed with the House of Representatives (DPR) for not supporting its plans to conduct an initial public offering (IPO), according to a minister.

“Even though the management of PT Semen Baturaja was disappointed, I was not. But I can sympathize with the company`s management,” State-owned Enterprise Minister Dahlan Iskan said here on Friday.

At a working meeting with the management of Baturaja on Thursday, the DPR`s Commission XI on financial affairs did not approve the state-owned cement company`s plan to issue an IPO during the first quarter of 2013. “The management of Semen Baturaja was determined to go the IPO way because it had been planning to privatise the company since early last year,” Dahlan explained.

He said the company would conduct the IPO in order to obtain funds for its expansion. “The management wanted the IPO to be conducted soon because the IPO funds would be used to expand the company. We believe that by going the IPO way, the company would make progress,” Dahlan noted.

It was reported earlier that the hearing with the

House Commission XI lasted for seven hours on Thursday night, but no decision was reached with regard to the privatization plan of the state firm.

Commission XI Deputy Chairman Zulkieflimansyah said after closing the meeting that there were five factions which were in favour of the privatization plan. “The five factions wanted that the road map to its privatization be developed by the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises, but three other factions rejected the privatization plan,” he explained.

However, PT Semen Baturaja will continue to work on its expansion plans.

The company will also develop a new cement factory with an annual capacity of 1.5 billion tons. Dahlan Iskan stated that the company would go ahead with its plan to develop the factory despite the rejection of its IPO proposal.

“However, I do not know whether the rejection of the IPO plan would delay the completion of the project,” he said. “In essence, the IPO is not intended to pay debts but to expand its business.”

Last year, the company has set itself the target of producing 1,253 million tons of cement, with sales of 1,109 million tons. Last year, the company had sold 1,250 million tons at Rp588 billion.

Bakrieland to Sell Toll Road Operation Publicly traded property company PT Bakrieland Development said it will soon sell a toll road in a bid to improve its financial performance in 2013.

“Our operations focus on the property business.

Non-core business would be stopped,” PT Bakrieland Development President Ambono Janurianto said here on Wednesday.

Indonesia`s policy on the minimum wage hike will harm small and medium sized cigarette firms since most of them are labour-intensive in nature

Cigarette Firms Harmed by Minimum Wage Rise: Gappri Indonesia`s policy on the minimum wage hike will harm small and medium sized cigarette firms since most of them are labour-intensive in nature, said an official from the Indonesian Cigarette Manufacturers Association (Gappri).

“There will be a significant impact of minimum wage hike on small and medium sized cigarette firms, especially those that are labour-intensive in nature,”

said Hasan Aoni Aziz, a spokesperson for Gappri, on Wednesday.

Aziz denied that an increase in the minimum wage will result in massive layoffs by cigarette firms. “But there is a possibility of layoffs, especially for companies that are facing financial problems,” he said.

According to him, another difficulty that cigarette firms will face in 2013 is the cost of operat-

ing production machines, since the electricity base tariff (TDL) will increase next year. “If the policies on the minimum wage hike and the electricity base tariff are in place in 2013, it will definitely be a burden for the industry,” he stated.

can only be submitted individually or by respective companies.

“It cannot be done collectively because each company must meet its requirements. It is against the law to submit the suspension collectively,” he said on Saturday (November 1).

Earlier, the Chairman of the Indonesian Workers Assembly (MPBI), Said Iqbal, stated that suspension of the wage increase

In addition, the MPBI rejected a statement by the Minister of Industry, MS Hidayat, who claimed that the ideal wage in-

crease for labour-intensive industries is 15%. The MPBI has set some requirements for companies that are seeking suspension of the minimum wage increase. Each firm has to show that it has been in losses for two years in a row, an audit by a public accountant has to be submitted and the labour union has to approve it, before the firm can seek suspension of the minimum wage increase.

Ambono said Rp158 billion will be needed in a year for the maintenance of Kanci-Pejagan toll road alone , which is not proportional to its income. “The company decided to sell the asset,” he said.

He said before the end of 2012, a deal is expected to be made on the plan to sell Bakrie Tol Road, a business unit of Bakrieland , operating in toll road business. He is optimistic the debts of the company could be reduced

by Rp2 trillion if it succeeded in divesting all of its assets having low yield.

He said the company has prepared five strategic plans to improve its performance.

The plans include focusing operation on the property sector and projects with high profit margins such as housing and apartment business,

improving cost ratio, reducing debt ratio and divestment of low yield assets, he said.

He said in the first nine months of the year, Bakrieland posted an income of Rp1.3 trillion with city property contributing the largest at Rp655.3 billion or 49.7%.

City property units include apartments - The Wave, The Grove Condo - in super block area of Rasuna Epicentrum Kuningan in South Jakarta.

Other major contributor to its income include landed residential houses accounting for 24.4%, including Bogor Nirwana Residence, Sentul Nirwana Residence, and Batam Nirwana Residence.

At the end of June 2012, the company launched a new project - a four-star condotel (condominium and hotel building) in the Rasuna Epicentrum to be completed in the first quarter of 2014.

Residential projects have already been launched, including big cluster The Fusion over a 30hectare plot of land, first phase of Sentul Nirwana in three clusters over a 600 hectares plot of land. Sentul Nirwana is currently building a tourist object, Jungle Land, over 40 hectares of land to be completed in March, 2013.

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Business

Seaweed Farming to Create Jobs for Over 650,000 People www.analisadaily.com

Indonesia`s maritime affairs and fisheries ministry is keen on developing seaweed cultivation because seaweed farming activities can create jobs for 650,000 people by 2014.

the central government has promised to provide the seaweed laboratory.

Renrusun said that the laboratory would be used to improve the seaweed standardization in the district.

“We have so far been selling our dried seaweed in the form of powder to the buyers,” Renrusun said, explaining that the processing of dried seaweed into powder was at the instruction of Deputy Trade Minister Alex Retraubun.

“We have been selling the dried seaweed at a price of Rp 8,000 per kg but the powder form secures Rp 150,000 per kg,” Renrusun noted.

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ntensive farming of seaweed is expected to create jobs for 650,188 people by 2014. The government hopes that the added value of seaweed will reach Rp550 billion, with a production value of Rp1,06,94 billion, said the maritime affairs and fisheries minister, Sharif Cicip Sutardjo.

The ministry is keen on producing 1.2 million tonnes of seaweed on 19,703 hectares of farmlands. In addition, the ministry is keen on generating 118,000 tonnes of raw materials.

Seaweed suitable for implementation of blue economy concept

“Seaweed has many benefits; it provides jobs for people living in coastal regions, and it is present in many cuisines. Seaweed is also used in medicines, cosmetics and liquid fertilisers. Therefore, seaweed is a commodity that can develop the blue economy concept in Indonesia,” said the Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Seaweed Businessmen (ARLI), Safari Azis, on Wednesday.

The association is working closely with the Bali Seaweed Farmers Group to increase sea-

Seaweed is in very high demand in the international markets, especially as a raw material for the production of food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Seaweed is also good fertilizer and is currently under consideration as a potential source of bioethanol. weed cultivation in Kutuh village, Badung, Bali.

In addition, people are working hard to improve the quality of seaweed and to increase business opportunities, he said.

Most of Bali’s revenue comes from the tourism sector, but many of the residents in Bali, who live in coastal regions, get their income from seaweed cultivation.

Azis is keen on developing a fishery ecotourism that promotes seaweed farming. He believes that seaweed farms can become tourist spots.

He has urged the ministry of tourism and creative economy to integrate seaweed farming activities.

Sharif Cicip Sutardjo Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister

Southeast Maluku has potential for seaweed cultivation

Supported by natural conditions, many areas in Southeast Maluku district, in particular and Maluku province, in general

have great potential for seaweed cultivation.

Maluku Trade and Industry Office Chief for Foreign Trade affairs, Elvis Pattiselanno, said in the provincial capital of Ambon recently that the central government has promised to provide the seaweed processing factory in Tual, Southeast Maluku, with a laboratory.

“The central government, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry has given the green signal to provide a seaweed laboratory by 2013,” Pattiselano said.

Meanwhile, Southeast Maluku Eronel Farmers and Fishermen Cooperative Chairman, U Renrusun also confirmed that

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) on its website, www.ilo.org/jakarta, seaweed is a major commodity in Maluku because it has a ready market and can be sold outside the province due to its good demand in both, national and international, markets.

“It can be cultivated round the year barring few months during the east monsoon when productivity is relatively low. It can also contribute significantly to the reduction of poverty levels among the lower-middle classes of the coastal community,” according to the ILO. Seaweed is in very high demand in the international markets, especially as a raw material for the production of food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Seaweed is also good fertilizer and is currently under consideration as a potential source of bioethanol.

Pertamina Hulu Energi Takes Over Three Anadarko Oil Blocks PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE) has acquired the participating interests of Anadarko Offshore Holding Company LLC in three oil and gas blocks in East Kalimantan.

PHE President Director, Salis Aprilian, said here on Monday the three blocks acquired are the Bukat, Ambalat and Nunukan in the East Kalimantan offshore.

The PHE signed the agreement to buy 100% shares of Anadarko Ambalat Ltd., Anadarko Bukat Ltd., and Anadarko Indonesia Nunukan Company on Monday.

After the acquisition PHE would control 33.75% of the participating interest in the Ambalat Block, 33.75% in Bukat and 35% in Nunuka, formerly the sister companies of Anadarko Offshore.

The composition of the participating interest in Nunukan after the acquisition is 35% for PHE as the operator, 40% PT Medco E&P Nunuka, 12.5% BPRL Ventures Ind BV and 12.5%

for Videocon Ind Nunuka Inc. In Bukat, ENI as the operator has 66.25% participating interest while PHE 33.75%. In Ambalat, ENI has 66.25% and acts as the operator while PHE has 33.75%.

Salis said of the three blocks Bukat has been under process of preparation for development.

“Two structures in Bukat that have been proven are Tulip and Aster,” he said.

He said Bukat`s production target would be set based on the plan of development and the development of the production facilities.

Pertamina spokesman Ali Mundakir said the acquisition was strategic as the blocks are close to the company`s operations areas in Bunyu and Tarakan. “The move would also give an opportunity to Pertamina to improve its deep water operations technology and the government contribution to the development of border regions,” he said.

He said the transactions would be effective after the terms and conditions in the agreement were met.

PT INKA Makes Bullet-proof Carriages State-owned train maker PT Industri Kereta Api (INKA) said it has produced trains with carriages made of bullet proof steel.

PT INKA has already produced six units of bulletproof carriages, Bambang Soenjaswono, the administration and finance director of the train maker said.

The bullet-proof train is produced on order from the communication ministry to be used for important guests, Bambang said here on Wednesday.

The glass windows, how-

ever, are not bullet-proof, he said, adding in the future INKA plans to use bullet-proof glass for the windows, he said.

Headded that said PT INKA could produce any type of trains already in operation in the country, but the production capacity is still below requirement.

PT INKA, which started operation in 1981, is the only integrated train producer in ASEAN. With employees numbering 859 people , PT INKA could produce 240 units of carriages of electric passenger train, 237 units of diesel train carriages and 78 units of locomotives a year.

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January 2013 Vol. 2 No. 1

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Investment 2012, exceeding its target of Rp180 billion. In 2013, the company hopes to perform better and launch initial public offering (IPO), he said.

He said the company is set to maintain its domination in postal service business and maintain the annual growth of 15-20% in business.

INVESTMENT BRIEFS PT Pos Indonesia to Invest in Hotels State-owned postal service company PT Pos Indonesia said it will build two star-rated hotels utilizing its lands in the West Java city of Bandung.

The lands are located at Jalan Cihampelas and Jalan Cicendo in Bandung, Pos Indonesia`s president I Ketut Mardjana said on the sidelines of a tour by the association of Pos Indonesia Motorists (IMPI) here on Monday.

The locations are strategic as it is not far from the Husein Sastranegara airport.

The hotels are expected to contribute significantly to the income of Pos Indonesia, Mardjana said.

He said PT Pos Indonesia recorded Rp 220 billion in net profit in

Semen Gresik Acquires Vietnamese Cement Company PT Semen Gresik Tbk. (SMGR) has acquired 70% of shares of a cement company in Vietnam worth $157 million.

“The $157 million is the value of the transaction in the takeover of 70% of shares of Thang Long Cement Joint Stock Company (TLCC) from Ha Noi General Export-Import Joint Stock Company (Geleximco),” SMGR president director Dwo Soetjipto said in a press statement received here on Wednesday last year.

He said the corporate action followed the signing of a conditional sale and purchase agreement (CSPA) here on November 14, 2012 stating that Geleximco and SMGR have met all the conditions put in the

Pertamina to Set $6.7b In Capex for 2013 www.tempo.co

The capital expenditure (capex) for 2013 increased by about 10% if compared with this year’s capex which stood at $5.8 billion.

S

tate-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina is allocating Rp64 trillion (about $6.7 billion) for its capital expenditure in 2013, its Finance Director Andri T Hidayat said.

Hidayat said the capital expenditure (capex) for 2013 increased by about 10% if compared with this year’s capex which stood at $5.8 billion. “Capital expenditure next year will likely focus on such activities as drilling operations and product maintenance,” he said.

“Other investment spending would likely be used to finance the firm’s acquisition of potential oil and gas fields at home and overses,” he added.

According to Hidayat, the amount of budget allocation for acquisition in 2013 is not different from that in 2012 which reaches Rp12 trillion (about $1.25 billion).

Meanwhile, Upstream Director of PT Pertamina, M. Husen said the firm will continue to increase production through optimization of production. “This week (in December), we are going to announce all projects that we’re working on,” he stated adding that the firm targets its production on five percent increase from the production level in 2012.

According to Husen, national oil production in 2012 is estimated at 200,000 barrels per day, slightly lower than the target of 205,000 barrels per day.

“This year (2012), our oil production only increased by 1% compared to last year’s,” he noted. Besides, he added, gas production in 2012 is estimated at 1.6 billion cubic feet per day, or 102% of the target.

Husen also admitted that Pertamina’s production largely

405a to maximize oil production in the block.

PT Pertamina President Director Karen Agustiawan said the acquisition of the subsidiary of the US multinational oil and gas company would increase Pertamina`s crude oil production up to 35,000 barrels a day in 2013. came from its subsidiaries, PT Pertamina EP and PT Pertamina Hulu Energi.

Previously, Pertamina had planned to set a level of $6 billion-$7 billion capital expenditure per year from 2012 to 2014, with some of the budget coming from loan facilities. Earlier this year (2012), Pertamina planned to post a total net profit of Rp 23.5 trillion ($2.6 billion), a 32% jump from the 2011 target.

Pertamina acquires ConocoPhillips oil block worth Rp16.8 trillion PT Pertamina has signed an agreement to acquire ConocoPhillips Algeria Ltd. controlling Block 405a in Algeria with an estimated price of Rp16.8 trillion ($1.75 billion).

The company’s president director, Karen Agustiawan, in a press statement received here on Tuesday said the acquisition of the subsidiary of the US multinational oil and gas company would increase Pertamina`s crude oil production up to 35,000 barrels a day in 2013.

The signing of the acquisition agreement was done here on Tuesday evening (last year). “The agreement is effective upon the implementation of the right to pre-emption of ConocoPhillips`s partner in Block 405a and an agreement from the Algerian government,” she said.

She hoped the deal could be settled in the first semester of 2013.

Block 405a, which is controlled by ConocoPhillips Algeris Ltd., consists of three main oil fields namely Menzel Lejma North, Ourhoud and EMK fields.

In the Menzel Lejma North field ConocoPhillips Algeria Ltd. has 65% of participating right and also acts as its operator.

The participating interest of ConocoPhillips Algeria Ltd. in Ourhoud meanwhile is 3.7% and in EMK 16.9% and the company has no operator rights in the two fields.

In 2012, Block 405a’s production reaches more than 35,000 barrels a day and so the portion for ConocoPhillips Algeria Ltd. reached around 23,000 barrels.

“This mega acquisition will increase Pertamina`s production significantly immediately by 23,000 barrels while the crude to be produced has a high quality,” Karen said. She added that Pertamina`s production from Block 405a could increase by around 35,000 barrels a day when the EMK field starts production.

Pertamina’s additional reserve from the block is estimated to be more than 100 million barrels of oil. “This is a milestone development of Pertamina`s expansion in the downstream business,” she said.

Karen said she hoped she could cooperate closely with Sonatrach, the Algerian stateowned oil and gas company, and partner companies in Block

IPA: Lack of Legal Certainty Hinders Oil/Gas Investment The government will have difficulties attracting investment in the upstream oil and gas sector next year due to a lack of legal certainty about domestic oil and gas management, an executive said.

“Indonesia should attract new investors rather than maintaining old investors to increase national oil and gas production,” President of the Indonesian Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IPA) Elisabeth Proust said on Thursday.

To raise oil and gas output, the country needs huge investment in the next few years, she said. “Given the existing rules on oil and gas management, we predict it will be difficult to attract new investment,” she said.

Indonesia should attract new investors rather than maintaining old investors to increase national oil and gas production.”

Elisabeth Proust President IPA She noted that rules on contract sanctity, cost recovery, and income tax in the upstream oil and gas sector are among those hindering investment.

The revision of the oil and gas law of 2001, lengthy bureaucracy and licencing procedure and

domestic gas pricing also pose an obstacle to investment in the oil and gas sector, she added.

“Hopefully, the government will respect the contracts it has agreed upon and signed with investors. This way, in case of a change in rules and policies, the contracts will remain valid. So far, there has been misunderstanding that cost recovery reduces state revenues. In fact, the revenue carried in the state budget is net revenue and no cost recovery is deducted from it,” she said.

“Cost recovery is useful to increase oil and gas production. If restricted, it will lead to a decline in oil and gas investment which will eventually have an impact on national oil and gas production,” she said.

ConocoPhillips which is headquartered in Houston, Texas, USA, operates in 30 states with assets reaching $115 billion until September 30, 2012.

Its net assets are estimated at $850 million by October 2012 while its average production is at 157 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the past nine months this year and its proven reserves reached 8.4 billion of oil equivalent by December 31, 2011.

CSPA and have achieved an agreement for the take over of TLCC. He said after the takeover TLCC would be SMGR`s subsidiary and its financial report would be consolidated into the SMGR. “In the next few weeks SMGR would put its representatives in the board of management and directors at TLCC. A lot still has to be done but the management is optimistic the takeover could accelerate the growth of business of SMGR to make the company more competitive to eventually give a bigger value to shareholders in the long-term,” he said.

He said TLCC is one of the noted cement producers in Vietnam with a total production capacity at 2.3 million tons a year located in Quang Ninh with its plant located in the Ho Chi Minh suburb with a reserve of limestone deposit at around 76 million tons.

“The vicinity of the location of TLCC plant in Quang Ninh with Cai-Lan seaport and the plant to a river transportation lane in Mekong Delta and inter-regional road network and the international port makes distribution to be effective and efficient,” he said.

He said TLCC also has the potential to develop two new plants in the provinces of Quang Ninh and Binh Phuoc which are supported by limestone deposit of more than 200 million tons.

He said this would open chances to meet Vietnam`s domestic market demand which has kept increasing and also to meet shortage of supply in Indonesia.

Investments in 2012 To Reach Rp310t Experts have predicted that investments in Indonesia will reach Rp310 trillion by the end of this year, surpassing the target of Rp283.5 trillion.

“Even though there are uncertainties in the global economy due to a number of crises in several European countries, investments in Indonesia will continue to grow,” said Chatib Basri, head of the National Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), during a seminar on Economic Outlook 2031: Perspective of the Global Economic Uncertainty, on Wednesday last year.

He said despite these uncertainties, Indonesia can attract more investments compared to other countries

such as China, Vietnam and India.

Chatib said Europe’s fiscal cliff will result in a fiscal contraction.

“When fiscal contraction occurs, European countries, through the European Central Bank (ECB), will certainly inject funds into money markets,” he said.

Meanwhile, the US, in order to boost its growth, will carry out quantitative easing (or face economic stagnation), he said.

The ECB and the Fed will inject funds into money markets, but the funds will not be invested in Europe and the US. Instead, the funds will be injected into emerging markets, including Indonesia.

“Indonesia is a viable option because India is facing a problem of rising inflation. Vietnam has requested for assistance

from the IMF and China is facing an economic slowdown,” he said.

Chatib said Indonesia should take this opportunity to increase the country`s investments. “The investment system in the country should be enhanced. Investors should not face difficulties while accessing information on investment opportunities,” he said.

He said one of the biggest obstacles with regard to investments in the country is bureaucracy. He said BKPM has implemented an online tracking system to monitor the process of an investment application and its realisation.

“We should not be unprepared when there is a possibility that investments in the country increase,” he said.

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Property

Greater Jakarta Property Outlook 2013 Demand for CBD office space, both for lease and for sale, is expected to continue to grow in 2013, in line with the positive projection in the country’s economic performance and expected improvement in Foreign Direct Investment.

T

he Indonesian economy maintained its positive momentum during 2012, and is expected to have achieved GDP growth of 6.3% (from 6.5% in 2011). Annual national inflation for 2012 is expected to reach 4.5%, higher than the 3.8% recorded in 2011.

On the currency side, the Rupiah depreciated by 0.5% over the quarter to Rp.9,590 per $1.00, due to the strengthening of the US Dollar. The stock market also continued its positive performance throughout year 2012 as evidenced by the closing of the composite index at 4,291, an increase of 12.3% from that recorded at the end of December last year.

CBD OFFICE

Three major transactions were recorded during the fourth quarter of 2012: 10,000sqm office space lease in the The City Center at Jl. K.H Mas Mansyur by oil and gas company, 8,000sqm in the proposed Ciputra World Tower I at Jl. Prof. DR. Satrio by a bank and 6,000sqm in the newly completed 88 Kasablanka at Jl. Kasablanka.

Over the whole year, leasing inquiries and transaction activities within the Jakarta CBD office market still showed very positive performance and this is expected to continue into the year ahead.

With the addition of 88 Kasablanka Tower A, the total cumulative strata-title office supply

in CBD reached 808,900sqm as at the end of December (16.8% of total CBD office stock).

As at the end of December, the average asking price within the CBD area stood at Rp 31.0 million per sqm, an increase of 37.3% over the previous year.

The strata-title market is expected to face tougher competition, as more new projects are launched to the market. Despite this, sales prices are still projected to see further increase, but at a slower rate than seen during 2011 and 2012.

Demand for CBD office space, both for lease and for sale, is expected to continue to grow in 2013, in line with the positive projection in the country’s economic performance and expected improvement in Foreign Direct Investment. Occupancy levels will likely rise in the first 6 months of 2013, as more than 50% of new supply will enter the market toward the second semester of 2013.

Further gross rental increment is expected to occur in the beginning of 2013, as the result of service charge increment and rental increment of leases to prospective new occupiers and lease renewal proposals to existing tenants. The average rental is projected to grow at about 10% to 15% during 2013.

RETAIL

With the completion of 6 new retail centers (Ancol Beach City,

Jembatan Multiguna Senen Jaya, Grand Paragon, Kota Kasablanka, Lippo Mall Kemang, and Cikini Gold Center), and the closure of one retail center (Plaza Tendean) in 2012, the cumulative supply of retail space in Jakarta grew by 7.4% during the year. Combined with higher growth in cumulative demand (of 8.0% in 2012), this has resulted in an increase in the overall occupancy rate by 0.4% by the end of December 2012.

Leasing within the Jakarta retail market was very active during 2012, with annual net takeup of 229,300sqm, the highest since 2005. Most of this take-up was contributed by the occupation of anchor and other larger tenants, such as super/hypermarkets, department stores, home appliance stores, electronics, fitness centres, children entertainments and cinemas, in the newly completed centers. In the more established centers, the occupancy rate remained relatively stable.

grow at the same pace as 2012 at 7.4% by the end of 2013.

Leasing transactions will remain to be dominated by anchor and other larger tenants in the newly completed centers. Improving consumer buying power continues to attract foreign retailers to open new outlets, such as department stores, fashion, F&B, etc in Jakarta.

Through to the end of 2013, a further 283,100sqm of retail space is expected to enter the market. All of these future supplies are retail centers for lease.

Should these proposed new centers meet their completion schedules, total supply within Jakarta will reach 4,106,700sqm by the end of 2013.

As the performance of strata-title retail centers has not improved, there will be no strata-title retail centers completed in 2013. The new retail supply in 2013 will be dominated by one-stop retail centers of 92.4% (261,600sqm) and supporting/ specialized retail facilities of 7.6% (21,500sqm). With projected additional supply of 283,100sqm, cumulative supply is forecast to

The overall performance of Jakarta rental apartment market during 4Q 2012 was relatively stable and had moved in line with the previous quarter. A different movement was observed in each sub-sector and the overall occupancy declined slightly, mainly caused by the seasonal decline in expatriate tenants.

Following the trend in the previous year, local tenants had once again dominated the Condominium-For-Lease tenancy, and this has been consistent for the past five quarters.

There had been a slight rental increase in Q4 2012. The average rental for this sector was recorded at $20.04 PSM, which is a 2.5% QoQ and 6.3% YoY increase. Compared to the other

The completion of four large one-stop retail centers is expected to add to the cumulative demand growth by 7.8%, with projected net take-up of 244,300sqm in 2013. The overall occupancy rate is expected to increase to 81.7% by year end 2013, following the completion of fitting out and opening of pre-committed tenants in those newly completed centers.

With strong competition in the retail market expected to continue, rentals and service charges are likely to remain relatively unchanged.

RENTAL APARTMENT

sub-sectors, the CondominiumFor-Lease sub-sector had the most increase of $16.65 PSM, which is a 10.8% increase compared to in the previous year.

Purpose-Built-Rental Apartments remained stable at $17.60 PSM. Serviced Apartments subsector was also stable at $24.75 PSM. Both Purpose-Built Rental Apartment and Serviced-Apartments are scheduled to receive a rental increase during early 2013.

2013 occupancy are expected to remain stable and occupation rate of Serviced Apartments is also to increase during New Year’s Eve event.

The additional supply from the Condominium-For-Lease projects that is scheduled to become available during 2013 is approximately 32,200 units, including the units from Ciputra World and the H Residence. This may result in a much tougher competition to the other sub-sectors.

CONDOMINIUM

The inauguration of the new Jakarta governor in October has brought some changes in term of Jakarta’s urban planning policy. The issue of redeveloping slump area to a multi-level housing complex is expected to affect Jakarta’s condominium market performance, particularly the lower-middle class projects.

However, during the 4th quarter of 2012 there was no significant influence of the issue yet, and sales activities remained stable for both the existing and proposed projects.

Closing the year of 2012, the middle segment condominium still dominated sales activities, and contributed about 62% of the total sales. Additional 10,843 units of new proposed condominiums were launched to

the market during October-December.

The sales activities of condominium in Greater Jakarta are expected to rise throughout 2013, as demand from both investors and end-users are still high. A total of 57,318 units are predicted to be launched next year, and will result in tougher market competition. Nowadays, some projects are sold out on their launching day, as many developers offer a scheme of prelaunched bookings which will trigger customers to buy lots of condominium units. A more creative sales strategy (such as an auction of condominium unit during the launching day) will also be offered, enabling buyers to choose the best value-formoney product.

The inauguration of the new Jakarta governor in October has brought some changes in term of Jakarta’s urban planning policy. The issue of redeveloping slump area to a multi-level housing complex is expected to affect Jakarta’s condominium market performance, particularly the lower-middle class projects.

INDUSTRIAL ESTATE

Net demand of some 109ha of prepared industrial land plots in the last quarter of the year rounded off another good year for the Greater Jakarta industrial market, despite the annual demand of only 594ha (-38%YoY). The 2012 Annual net demand is still higher than the 500ha annual demands seen in 1996/1997, prior to the 1998 monetary crisis.

These 4Q land sales, however, represented a net demand decrease of about 26% QoQ and on a year-on-year basis the quarterly demand was almost 60% lower than the 268ha sold in the same quarter last year.

Despite lower demand, the lack of new supply caused the cumulative sales rate to reach a record of 82.2%, increased from 81% in the previous quarter.

As most demand in the reviewing quarter came from the

supporting industry rather than the main industry, average demand size decreased from over 10ha in the previous quarter to only about 4ha in the review quarter. Major demand and inquiries in this quarter were still dominated by foreign industrialists especially those from automotive, steel, F&B, and logistic sectors.

With significant amount of ‘pent-up’ demand, the overall industrial market in 2013 is expected to remain positive, with demand generator still being driven by foreign industrialists.

Whilst relatively large new supply is expected to enter the market next year, land prices are still expected to grow further in 2013 albeit at a slower rate.

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January 2013 Vol. 2 No. 1

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Technology Archos 97 Titanium HD:

Android Tablet with Retina Display One key feature of the Archos the iPad lacks?

A microSD card for storage expansion.

The super HD resolution (2048 x 1536) of the ARCHOS 97 Titanium HD delivers sharper text and images so you will see every detail of your pictures and videos. Thanks to IPS technology the ARCHOS 97 Titanium HD has extra wide viewing angles to make sure that you can share your tablet experience in every situation with sharp, truly vivid colors. www.hackmyandroid.com

W

hen it comes to the tablet market, everyone is obviously hoping to take on Apple, the undisputed mobile heavyweight champion.

So far no one has been able to come close to matching the sheer popularity of Cupertino’s iPad, although several manufacturers are edging closer to achieving similar specs, including Archos.

Earlier today, the French electronics maker unveiled its awkwardly named Archos97 Titanium HD. Archos still isn’t a major player in the tablet game, but it’s working hard to carve out a tiny niche. After having released few devices like the 13.3-inch Arnova Family Pad and 7-inch Game Pad, and it’s back again with another slate that hopes to stand out.

Aside from a kooky moniker, the company’s forthcoming slab features a 9.7-inch 2,048 x 1,536 IPS display, a 1.6GHz dual-core A9 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, microSD support (up to 64GB), a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

However, that’s pretty much where the similarities to the Apple iPad end.

The super HD resolution (2048

x 1536) of the ARCHOS 97 Titanium HD delivers sharper text and images so you will see every detail of your pictures and videos. Thanks to IPS technology the ARCHOS 97 Titanium HD has extra wide viewing angles to make sure that you can share your tablet experience in every situation with sharp, truly vivid colors. With its sleek aluminium casing, ARCHOS 97 Titanium HD is stylish, thin and light. At just 9 mm (0.35’’) thick and weighing only 640 g (22.5oz) it’s the perfect tablet for your Android™ experience.

Having both front and back cameras make the ARCHOS 97 Titanium HD great for not only video calling but also for capturing those can’t-be-missed moments with your tablet. The ARCHOS 97 Titanium HD includes 8 GB* of internal flash memory, expandable both via the microSD slot (supporting microSD cards up to 64 GB).

The ARCHOS 97 Titanium HD runs Android 4.1 ‘Jelly Bean’ for tablets so includes all the improvements that come with Android ‘Jelly Bean’ including even smoother interface animations, voice assistant and Google Now that shows you the right information at the right time.

With full access to the Google Play™ store the ARCHOS 97 Titanium HD includes DRM sup-

port for downloading books and movies. Whether it is from the over 600 000 apps and games, the thousands of movies or millions of books, Google Play has the content for you.

The ARCHOS 97 Titanium HD also includes access to all the Google designed Android apps; whether it’s to keep in contact via Gmail™, Google Talk™ and Google+™ (with multi-user video calling), planning a trip with Google Maps™, reading web pages in a magazine format with Google Currents™ or accessing your content on the cloud with Google Drive™ and it’s 5GB of free storage.

To get you started with your apps, the ARCHOS 97 Titanium HD comes installed with OfficeSuite Viewer - for reading office documents, a demo of World of Goo – the critically acclaimed puzzle game as well as News Republic and Brief Me to manage your world news and customized feeds.

With Android’s multi-tasking, You can switch between your open apps at the flick of a finger or close them with a simple swipe.

One key feature of the Archos the iPad lacks? A microSD card for storage expansion. Hopefully, Archos will price this tablet right rather than trying to undercut the iPad only slightly.

Google Lists Top 10 Android Apps of 2012

Evernote

Zappos

Pinterest

Ancestry

Fancy

Mint.com Personal Finance

Google named the best apps to land on the Google Play Store in 2012. The apps range to ones that probably everyone has installed on their Android device to ones that will be relatively unknown to the mainstream crowd, so you could potentially use Google’s list to discover your new favorite app.

It’s important to note that the list is not based on number of downloads, direct user votes or

reviews, but more on the apps’ potential of offering a “great user experience on both tablets and phones” and their combination of “utility, beauty and accessibility”. In Google’s view, of course.

It isn’t very surprising to see Evernote and Pinterest show up on the list, and Zappos is a clear choice considering it seems to be pre-installed on nearly every Android device that comes through our doors. It’s good to see apps

Grimm’s Snow White

SeriesGuide Show Manager

like Pocket, Fancy, and Pixlr Express get some much-deserved attention, and it seems that Google has delivered a list that’s quite diverse.

Pinterest for one has topped five million downloads in its first four months of Google Play existence, and, with a cool 4.7 star average in over 200,000 reviews, it’s definitely on a lot of people’s own best lists (mostly of the fair sex, but still).

Expedia

Pocket

Pixlr Express

Meanwhile, Evernote can brag with even more impressive stats, having reached the 10 million download mark some time ago and enjoying the same awesome 4.7 star average in almost 500,000 Google Play reviews.

TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) has grown to be quite fluent and useful android app. Pocket is another awesome app, being proba-

TED

bly the number one offline reader you can find in Google Play.

Snow White is definitely the most exotic name on the list, especially it’s the only paid app in the bunch, but almost equally as puzzling are Ancestry and SeriesGuide Show Manager’s presences in the top.

How about your personal top ten lists? Would any of the above apps make the cut? Who would you put instead?

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January 2013 Vol. 2 No. 1

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Pictorial Events Napi Craft 2012 The President Post/Rians Rivco

Initiated by Evi Amir Syamsudin (wife of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights) and Dharma Wanita Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, NAPI CRAFT was launched in 2012, held on Monday-Friday (17-21/12) in the East Building, Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta.

NAPI CRAFT 2012 showed that inmates are also human beings and have the right to live better in the community.

NAPI CRAFT 2012 was opened by Evi Amir Syamsudin and Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection Linda Gumelar on Monday (17/12).

There was also performance by Ariel Noah, a former inmate.

The President Post/Heros Barasakti

Jababeka Year End Golf Tournament Jababeka Golf and Country Club (JGCC) held a golf championship entitled Year End Golf tournament on Friday (21/12) at Jababeka Golf Cikarang.

This regular event was attended by 100 golfers consisting of members and non members of

BMW Indonesia Launched X6 Series The President Post/Rians Rivco

JGCC. The championship is divided into several categories including, Best Over All Gross, Nett Best Over All, Nearest to the pin, Nearest to the line, and Longest Drive. The Prize is provided

by JGCC with total value of 200 million rupiah.

PT BMW Indonesia introduced the latest model of New BMW X6, a coupe-style model of a fusion between the athletic and elegant, and the supremacy of the BMW X6. Globally X6 is a popular car since its launch three years ago. It has sold approximately 150,000 worldwide.

“It exceeded our expectations. The market demand for Sport Activity Coupe continues to rise, it confirms that this unique model is becoming more popular in the community” said Ramesh Diyanatahan, President Director of BMW Group Indonesia.

The car is priced Rp 1,768.000.000 off the road with 19-inch alloy wheels and fog lamps designed with a matt finish. The X6 is also the first car in its class to use adaptive LED headlamps that produce a bright white light, creating an optimal view and luxury-class, as well as the back, with a new design to make LED technology tail firmly BMW X6 more memorable and stylish.

The BMW X6 xDrive35i can generate power of 206hp and 400Nm of torque with a six-speed transmission with the shift on the steering wheel.

There is also Dynamic Performance Control which is an important element in the intelligent all-wheel drive xDrive that creates power distribution and is controlled electronically for precise engine performance stability, traction, and dynamics.

The Launch of President Herbamaeds Clinic

Maersk Line and MCC Indonesia Got “Best Partner of the Year” Award

The President Post/Heros Barasakti

President University Education Foundation held a talk show entitled “Ways of dealing with children with special needs through Naturopathic approach” on Saturday (15/12) in Jababeka Education Park, Cikarang.

Present as guest speakers were Finandita Utari, Educational Psychologist for children with special needs, Prof. Dr. Sidik, Chairman of Indonesian Experts Herbalmedic Doctors Association, and Dr. Lukas, Herbalist of President Herbamaeds Clinic.

The event then continued with the opening

of President Herbamaeds Clinic (PHC) which is located at Jababeka Education Park, Cikarang and was inaugurated by Jababeka’s Director, Setiasa Kusuma.

PHC is the first herbal clinic in Jababeka. PHC provides an alternative medical treatment with herbs. In addition, PHC also provides an alternative medical treatment to some circumstances such as autism in children, hypertension, coronary heart disease post-stroke, some emotional disorders, digestive disorders, all types of cancer and others.

A.P. Moller-Maersk Indonesia companies, Maersk Line and MCC have been elected as “Best Partner of The Year” in a tribute to the activities undertaken by the partner company Pantos Logistics.

Pantos Logistics is one of global logistics companies and has more than 15 years working with Maersk Line Indonesia. As an appreciation to corporate partners, Pantos Logistics entered the awards program/ awarding to companies that contribute to Pantos Logistics in their business, primarily as a logistics company for electronic goods of LG. The award is an annual activity of Pantos Indonesia. One category is “Best Partner of The Year.” The criteria are: on time delivery, fast response, good service and high quality.

Maersk Line and MCC Indonesia are managed to meet all the criteria for the best shipping companies. “The reason why we choose Maersk Line and MCC as our Best Partner of The Year is because of their excellence service. It’s very important to deliver cargo on time and have excellent communication “said Woo Jung Wan, President Director of PT Pantos Logistics Indonesia.

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January 2013 Vol. 2 No. 1

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Pictorial Events The 7th Slovakia–Indonesia Business Forum The President Post/Rians Rivco

The 7th Indonesia-Slovakia business forum meeting was held in Jakarta, Monday (10/12).

The two countries agreed to work together through a number of projects in the fields of energy, mining, cement, infrastructure, information technology including power plant projects with a total investment value of $1.4 billion.

“All of this cooperation is not related to a loan and also does not burden the state budget, but purely by private investors” said senior minister Hatta Rajasa told reporters.

Also present at the business forum was Slovak Economy Minister Tomas Malatinsky and a delegation of 20 businessmen from the country.

Inauguration of Slovak Investment and Trade Development Office in Jakarta To realize the seriousness on developing investment and trading In Indonesia, Slovakia Investment and Trade Agency or SARIO opened a branch office in Jakarta.

The event began with a ribbon cutting by the Minister of Economy of Slovakia Tomas Malatinsky and ended with a speech by Slovak Ambassador to Indonesia Stefan Rozkopal.

The President Post/Rians Rivco

The President Post/Rians Rivco

Indosat Supports Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs Taking place in the Grand Hall Atrium Thamrin City, the application of Usaha Wanita Mobile Web App for women entrepreneurs was launched on December 6th.

Business Women Service is a continuation of Indosat’s commitment to bring special services, specifically for the ladies telecommunications segment.

Indosat, which is part of the Qtel Group, is the first operator in the world to offer the new Nokia Life+ Usaha Wanita (Business Women) service, exclusively available for Indosat users.

The service was launched at a special ceremony attended by Braman Setio, Deputy Minister of Production, Small Medium Enterprise; Cherie Blair; Qtel

LUX Sparkling White Women The President Post/Rians Rivco

Group Chairman H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Thani; Indosat President Director and Chief Executive Officer Alexander Rusli; and Jawahar Kanjilal, Vice President and Global Head of Nokia Life.

Built for Indonesian women entrepreneurs, Usaha Wanita is provided through the Nokia Life+ web app and provides information on topics such as business management, banking and credit access, customer management and marketing for small businesses.

The service is aimed at women who run a small- or mediumsized business, women who are just starting their own microenterprise and young women who aspire to have their own business.

As part of the launch of LUX White Collection, LUX has accumulated one million sparkling moments to inspire Indonesian women. In line with this it also presents LUX Crystal White Giant Bottle, a symbol of one million inspirations of Indonesian Women’s sparkling moments.

At the event, Lux invited five inspiring sparkling white women, among others, Andra Alodita, Lala Karmela, Stella Rissa, Fitria Yusuf dan Alanda Kariza.

Lux also launched new range of body soap to the market called “New Lux White Collection”: White Glamour and White Radiance.

White Glamour contains Triple Ingredient System consisting of mulberry extract, honey and crystal with Lily of the valley, rose, jasmine, fruits, musk and vanilla to make your skin fair and smooth.

White Radiance with Triple Ingredient System consists of mulberry extracts, honey and pearl powder with Rose, freesia, citrus and amber for fair and glowing skin.

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January 2013 Vol. 2 No. 1

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Pictorial Events Sting Rocked Jakarta The President Post/Muljadi Suganda

British rock legend Sting rocked Jakarta Saturday (December 15) night to a full house of around 5,000 fans. He started the concert with a hit song If I Ever Lose My Faith in You. Sting, whose full name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Summer, spoiled fans with other hit songs like Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, English Man in New York, Fields of Gold, and End of the Game in the concert titled Back to Bass Tour. Third Eye Management is promoter of the concert.

Fans had to pay Rp 850,000 to Rp 2.5 million or about $88 to $260 for the concert held at Mata Elang International Stadium (MEIS), Karnaval Beach, Ancol, Jakarta. VIP fans had to pay Rp 5 million or about $520.

“I once came here, when most of you were kids,” Sting greeted his fans.

This is his second concert in Jakarta after the first in the Plenary Hall of Jakarta Hilton Convention Center entitled Ten Summoner’s Tales back in February 1994 when he was 42 years old.

The Inauguration of Akademi Komunitas Presiden

Launch of “MasterCard Destination Bali” Guide Book The President Post/Rians Rivco

The President Post/Heros Barasakti

President University Education Foundation inaugurated Akademi Komunitas Presiden (AKP) in Jababeka Education Park, Cikarang on Wednesday (19/12). The event was attended

by Achmad Suryadi, Director of AKP, Prof. Achmad Jazidie from Dikti, Dr. Chandra Setiawan, Rector of President University, Prof. Ermaya Suradinata, chairman of President University Ed-

ucation Foundation, and SD Darmono, President Director of Jababeka.

Achmad Suryadi, in his speech, said that the establishment of AKP could be a pioneer for other similar communities.

AKP is a community that is intended for students who take courses in Industrial Engineering which aims for safety, health and environment.

Mastercard Indonesia launched the guidebook “MasterCard Destination Bali” on Tuesday (18/12) at Pacific Place Jakarta.

“Destination Bali MasterCard handbook demonstrates our commitment to provide the best choice for MasterCard cardholders,” said Irni Palar, country manager of MasterCard Indonesia.

This program is especially dedicated to all MasterCard cardholders.

They believe the manual will be accepted by local and foreign tourists and provide guidance to them in Bali.

Senayan Fair 2012 The President Post/Heros Barasakti

IABC Year End Members Gathering The President Post/Reza Ganesha

On Wednesday (12/12), IABC held its year-end members gathering. In the event IABC introduced its new chairman Kris Sulisto.

Fully supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and the Ministry of Trade, Senayan Fair 2012 was a week-long fiesta that featured the glitter and glamor of this cosmopolitan capital, showcasing the people’s creative spirit and current trends in Jakarta’s lifestyle.

Hailed as the biggest Year End Fair, the event was divided in two sections, the Outdoor Venue and the Indoor Venue. The Outdoor Venue was at the Senayan East Parking Field from 25th December 2012 to 1st January 2013, while the Indoor Exhibition took place at the Jakarta Convention Center from 27th to 31st December 2012.

In the long run, the event is expected to promote Jakarta as one of the most important regional centers in lifestyle trendsetting. The event combined a Trade Fair featuring numerous creative industry sectors with various attractive programs such as musical performances by some of Jakarta’s top performers, fashion shows, sale and discount fiestas, unique communities’ performances, Lifestyle Talk shows, and obviously The Turn of the Year celebrations that was highlighted with a huge Fireworks display.

As a flagship event to promote Jakarta’s Lifestyle, consumer products and services in global emerging markets, Senayan Fair 2012 presented top quality products spanning from electronics, gadgets, gifts & premiums, to personal products & electrical appliances, watches & clocks, middle to high end fashion products and accessories, automotives, properties, hobbies, culinary products, health products, music and entertainments, and a lot more.

The President Post

LIVING

A

number of significant events will take place in 2013 around the world. One of the ones the world will be watching a continuation of the Obama administration.

Current relations schedule Croatia’s joining the European Union in July. China will be landing an unmanned probe on the moon. NASA will send probes to Venus and Mars. There will also be several elections in Africa and Asia. Among natural events, the sun will reach a part of its eleven-year cycle in which it releases large radiation bursts in July of 2013, which will cause significant auroras, disrupt wireless communication (including radio, television, wireless internet, and mobile phones), and possibly cause minor disruptions to power grids.

www

.justja

red.c

om

Then what are the important events that will happen in our country? Check out the list below:

SECTION C January 2013 Vol 2. No. 1 www.thepresidentpost.com

APEC 2013

Indonesia is prepared to chair the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in 2013 and set a target of promoting regional cooperation as one of the foundations of the world`s economic growth.

Indonesia hosted the APEC Summit in 1993 that produced the Bogor Goals` documents, which have become the guidelines for the development of economic cooperation among APEC member nations.

International Music Concerts

Just like 2012, tremendous international music concerts will be held in 2013. Several names already are being on the list, among others, Adam Lambert, Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival, Music Bank World Tour, Weezer, Taylor Swift, and many more.

Miss World 2013

Miss World 2013 will be the 63rd edition of the Miss World pageant to be held on September 14, 2013 in Sentul, Indonesia. Prior to the final event, the contestants will participate in various events on the island of Bali.

Indonesia was chosen to host both the 2013 and 2015 editions of the Miss World pageant as part of an agreement signed between Miss World, Limited and Indonesian broadcaster RCTI and various local Indonesian governments. Besides Bali and Jakarta, visits to the Raja Ampat Islands and Riau Islands are being considered for the event in order to promote Indonesian tourism.

The 6th Jababeka International Cultural Festival

The annual event of Jababeka, JICF will be held again to celebrate the richness of culture at Jababeka Industrial Estate. As the largest industrial area in Southeast Asia, Jababeka accommodates expatriates from various countries as well as foreign students that studying at the President University.

INAPA 2013

INAPA is the ASEAN’s largest trade fair for automotive parts, accessories, equipment and services. It is a sourcing platform to attract quality buyers from the whole automobile industry chain from car manufacturers, distributors and repair workshops to car care service centers.

Resounding success of INAPA 2012 held along with IIBT

Taylor Swift

see page A2 for more

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January 2013

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Living www.2space.net

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tant concerns. The special zone for commercial vehicles has veeb optimized for exhibitors to meet companies related to their businesses.

2013 Upcoming Events 2012, Heavy Equipment 2012, Tyre & Rubber Indonesia 2012 and INABIKE 2012, attracted 821 exhibiting companies from 21 countries, 10 international pavilion, 22.800 trade visitors from 41 countries and occupied total area 33.000 sqm (gross).

INAPA 2013 taking place from 26 - 29 March 2013 at the Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo), Jakarta – Indonesia will put up bigger and better as the Indonesia’s unparalleled one-stop for the automotive platform that can show the complete convergence of technology and products through value chain.

INAPA 2013 will continue as the leading ASEAN premier platform for sourcing and procurement experts and professionals who want to create feasible business cases and expand their operation in Region. It is the only available platform for pronouncing your brand’s presence in the Indonesia’s Booming Automotive Market.

Building and Infrastructure Indonesia

The 17th International Series of Building, Construction and Infrastructure Development Exhibitions is coming to the Jakara International Expo. This event is held every two years and is widely supported by various public and government agencies in the country.

On display will be building materials, construction equip-

As the most influential trade show in Indonesia, IIBT 2013 & HEI 2013 will continue to be the most important platform for buyers and decision makers in the bus, truck, heavy equipment and commercial vehicle business and to launch new products. IIBT 2013 will cooperate with associations to create and expand their operations in Indonesia.

Adam Lambert. Tremendous international music concerts will be held in 2013. Several names already are being on the list, among others, Adam Lambert, Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival, Music Bank World Tour, Weezer, Taylor Swift, and many more. ment, specialist vehicles and other products including air-conditioning, lighting, flooring etc.

Indonesia Trade Expo

Indonesia Trade Expo will be started on 27 – 30 March, 2013.

This big event will be held by Berkania as the International Trade Exhibition Specialist. This big event will be held by following the previous shows. It will showcase all Indonesian export products ranging from industrial, mining, agricultural to craft sectors.

In the past Indonesia Trade Expo had successfully attracted thousands of buyers from more than 100 countries and had the total amount of trade transac-

Indonesia Maritime Expo

Miss World 2012 Yu Wenxia from China. Miss World 2013 will be the 63rd edition of the Miss World pageant to be held on September 14, 2013 in Sentul, Indonesia. Prior to the final event, the contestants will participate in various events on the island of Bali. Besides Bali and Jakarta, visits to the Raja Ampat Islands and Riau Islands are being considered for the event in order to promote Indonesian tourism.

tions were $225.9 million for merchandise and 238.5 million for the skilled labor. Mostly those buyers are enthusiast to come back and visit the next Indonesia Trade Expo that will be held in October 2012.

Indonesia Trade Expo will add some sectors and products because it will be held by professional and experienced International Trade Exhibition Specialist, which is Berkania.

Indonesia Trade Expo always demonstrates a high commitment of the trading partners all

around the world. Besides, it also creates and improves a solid prove that Indonesia is one of the most reliable and potential suppliers for the qualified and also competitive consumer products.

IIBT 2013 & HEI 2013

The 4th Indonesia International Bus, Truck & Commercial Vehicle Exhibition (IIBT 2013) and Heavy Equipment Indonesia (HEI 2013) takes place on 26-29 March 2013 at the Jakarta Inter-

national Expo (JIExpo) Kemayoran – bigger and better. It is an exclusive sourcing show for a host of local and international suppliers to feature their latest products, technology and machinery to buyers from industries of construction, mining, coal, agriculture, forestry, petroleum, energy, warehousing, logistic, cargo, freight forwarder, travel, transportation operators and rental vehicle. This exciting and unique event brings together more than 50,000 industry related professionals to address the impor-

Indonesia Maritime Expo is known to be the largest and the most important show where professionals from the marine industries can exhibit a wide range of marine and shipping equipments. The show offers the ultimate platform where new and advanced technology equipments are exhibited which are of advanced technology and come from leading exhibiting companies. The exhibitors find this show to be the ultimate platform where new and advanced technology products are exhibited and in return attendees provide them with positive feedbacks.

Indonesia Maritime Expo is known to be the largest and the most important show held in the entire region of Indonesia. The show will be taking place at Jakarta Convention Centre located in the city of Jakarta and will

be running for a period of three days.

Retail Indonesia

Retail Indonesia is an important platform where retailers get to come across better ideas and equipments to continue the respective marketing processes in a productive way. The exhibitors from various industrial sectors have come forward to offer a wide range of packaging, storage and printing technologies & materials that will surely benefit the retailing sectors to a great extend.

Retail Indonesia is known to be the fastest growing and economic show in the entire region of Indonesia. Consultants are also present who offer the perfect solutions to the attendees, availing them with better techniques and solutions. This business trade show will be running for three days at a stretch and will be taking place at Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center, Bali.

Mining Indonesia 2013

Mining Indonesia is recognized as an event that offers a networking opportunity and industry platform for suppliers to promote mining technology to the Indonesia market.

Today, with substantial funds and authorities devolved to the regions, Indonesia is one of the most decentralized countries in the world.

New mining laws are attracting investment back to the mining sector as certainty returns and companies look to Indonesia for growth.

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January 2013

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Living

JANUARY Texas Chainsaw 3D —

Directed by John Luessenhop.

Starring Alexandra Daddario, Tania Raymonde and Scott Eastwood. Leatherface is back! A group of friends accompanies a young woman down to Texas to collect her inheritance, but they soon find themselves running for their lives with a chainsawwielding killer on their tails.

Gangster Squad — Directed

by Ruben Fleisher. Starring Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Josh Brolin. In what’s being called the modern-day film noir, a member of the LAPD must gather an elite team to take down the biggest gangster in ’40s-era Los Angeles.

Zero Dark Thirty — Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Starring Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton. After having a limited release in December 2013, Zero Dark Thirty, which tells the story of the Navy SEAL Team credited for taking down Osama Bin Laden, will have a wide release come January 11, 2013.

The Last Stand — Directed by Jee-woon Kim. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eduardo Noriega and Forest Whitaker. The head of a prominent drug cartel busts out of jail and is speeding towards the Mexican border, but he has to go through sheriff Schwarzenegger and his crew first!

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters — Directed by Tommy Wirko-

la. Starring Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton and Peter Stormare.

This is not the Hansel & Gretel fairy tale you remember from childhood. In this rated-R version, these storybook siblings are professional witch hunters, but their latest job will catch them off guard.

FEBRUARY Warm Bodies — Directed by

Jonathan Levine. Starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer.

Zombies need love, too! In this post-zombie apocalypse, one member of the “walking dead” falls in love with a human, reviving his humanity.

Beautiful Creatures — Direct-

ed by Richard LaGravanese.

Starring Alice Englert, Alden Ehrenreich, Emma Thompson, Viola Davis, Jeremy Irons and Emmy Rossum. Based on the Young Adult novel of the same name, a young man falls in love with a mysterious girl who turns out to be a “Caster” (fancy word for witch) with a dark event looming in her near future.

A Good Day to Die Hard — Directed by John Moore. Starring Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. In the fifth installment of the ‘Die Hard’ series, John McClane meets his son in Russia, only to discover that he’s actually a CIA operative working to foil a nuclear weapons heist.

Snitch — Directed by Ric Ro-

man Waugh. Starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Susan Sarandon. In order to help out his son, who’s been set up for a drug deal, a father goes undercover for the DEA to bring the responsible parties to justice.

MARCH Jack the Giant Slayer — Di-

rected by Bryan Singer. Starring Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor and Stanley Tucci. In this 2013 retelling of the classic fairy tale,

Jack inadvertently opens up a gateway to the mystical realm of giants, who want nothing more than to take back Earth as their own.

21 and Over — Directed by Jon

Lucas and Scott Moore. Starring Skyler Astin, Miles Teller and Justin Chon. The night before he’s supposed to take his med school exam, a student celebrates his 21st birthday ‘The Hangover’-style with his two best buddies.

Oz: The Great and Powerful — Directed by Sam Raimi. Starring James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz. Stage magician Oscar Diggs is whisked away to the Land of Oz where he encounters three witches, all of whom initially believe him to be the prophesied savior of Oz. Carrie — Directed by Kimberly Peirce. Starring Chloe Moretz and Julianne Moore. Stephen King’s classic horror story gets new life in this remake, which features Moretz as the angry telekinetic teen and Moore as her insanely religious mother.

The Croods — Directed by Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders. Starring Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds and Nicolas Cage. A prehistoric family of cavemen have never wandered too far away from their home, until the curious daughter leads them all on a riveting adventure through the world.

2013 UPCOMING MOVIES Movie-going in 2013 will once again be filled with prequels, sequels, reboots, remakes and films based on established properties. It’s going to be a big year with such highly anticipated titles like Iron Man 3, World War Z, Gangster Squad, Carrie, Evil Dead, Star Trek Into Darkness and The Great Gatsby all making their theatrical debuts.

By all means, feast upon this list and get ready for what’s sure to be another amazing year of films.

Enjoy!

G.I. Joe: Retaliation — Directed

by Jon M. Chu. Starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Channing Tatum and Ray Park. Initially set for release this year before being pushed back to 2013. Not only does the team have to face their arch enemy Cobra, but now they have to contend with forces within the government that threaten all their lives.

by George Lucas. Starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen. The second chapter in the prequel trilogy to the original ‘Star Wars’ movies gets a 3D release.

JUNE Man of Steel — Directed by

Zak Snyder. Starring Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner and Amy Adams. ‘The Immortals’ star takes over the superhero franchise as the new “Man of Steel.” In this Superman origin story, Earth’s mightiest hero must decide whether to accept his role as savior or to use his abilities for selfish purposes.

World War Z — Directed by Marc Forster. Starring Brad Pitt.

In the wake of a zombie apocalypse, a UN employee races all over the world to try and stop the outbreak.

Monsters University — Directed by Dan Scanlon. Starring Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi. Before the hilarious events of the first ‘Monsters Inc.’ movie, we find Mike and Sully experiencing college life at the University of Fear.

JULY The Lone Ranger — Direct-

ed by Gore Verbinski. Starring Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp. Tonto recounts the events of how man of the law John Reid became the heroic, masked Lone Ranger.

Despicable Me 2 — Starring

Steve Carell, Al Pacino and Kristen Wiig. Focusing more on the minions this time around, the 2013 sequel to ‘Despicable Me’ brings back all your favorite characters, plus a few new ones.

Evil Dead — Directed by Fede Alvarez. Starring Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez and Jessica Lucas. A group of friends are vacationing in a cabin in the woods when they discover a “Book of the Dead” and accidentally release a horde of demons.

Pacific Rim — Directed by

Guillermo del Toro. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba and Rinko Kikuchi. When a horde of gargantuan monsters known as Kaiju rise from the ocean and attack the planet, humanity’s only defense is a team of pilots who command equally gargantuan robots.

Scary Movie 5 — Directed by Malcolm D. Lee. Starring Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen and Terry Crews. After all of Lohan’s failed attempts to get out of her contract, the fifth installment of the spoof-horror franchise debuts in 2013.

Shane Black. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce and Ben King-

The Hangover: Part III — Directed by Todd Phillips. Starring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Justin Bartha. There’s no bachelor party or wedding this time around.

Instead, the wolf pack heads on a road trip!

Wadlow. Starring Aaron TaylorJohnson, Chloë Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

The Red Mist is plotting their revenge on the costume-wearing high school team, while the superheroes team up with a group of eager-to-fight citizens.

ed by Steven Spielberg. Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. This Spielberg classic will have a 3D release in 2013. During a preview of a new theme park featuring real-life dinosaurs, everything falls into chaos when the creatures break from their cages and terrorize the park.

MAY Iron Man 3 — Directed by

eryone is looking for the next ‘Twilight,’ and we think it’s been found in this new Young Adultadapted story about a girl who is thrown into the world of demons and angels.

Kick-Ass 2 — Directed by Jeff

APRIL Jurassic Park 3D — Direct-

Oblivion — Directed by Joseph Kosinski. Starring Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Andrea Riseborough. Earth as we know it is a distant memory and Jack Harper is one of the last remaining humans stationed on the planet now overrun by a terrifying threat.

“The Rock” Johnson, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. The official plot for the 2013 installment of the popular ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise is currently being kept underwraps but we do know it takes the gang to London. Check back soon for more details on this release!

The Wolverine — Directed by

James Mangold. Starring Hugh Jackman and Will Yun Lee. Way after the events of ‘X-Men: The Last Stand,’ Wolverine travels to Japan to study with a samurai warrior.

sley. Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) is back! After the events of ‘The Avengers’ movie, our favorite “millionaire, playboy philanthropist” is looking to piece his life back together when the magicringed Mandarin attacks.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Joel Edgerton. Based on the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel of the same name, Nick Carraway is drawn into his next-door neighbor’s lavish inner circle.

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Benedict Cumberbatch. The Enterprise team returns home to find their planet left in devastation. Now they must travel to a war-zone world to find the man responsible.

The Great Gatsby — Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Starring

Star Trek Into Darkness — Directed by J.J. Abrams. Starring

Fast and Furious 6 — Directed

by Justin Lin. Starring Dwayne

AUGUST Elysium — Directed by Neill

Blomkamp. Starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. In the year 2159, a man sets out on a mission that could possible bring equality to the rivaling classes.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones — Directed by. Starring Lena Headey, Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower. Ev-

SEPTEMBER Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones — Directed

OCTOBER Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – Directed by George Lucas. Starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen. The third chapter in the prequel trilogy to the original ‘Star Wars’ movies gets a 3D release.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For — Directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. Starring Clive Owen, Jessica Alba and Mickey Rourke. The semi-prequel to the first ‘Sin City’ movie follows Dwight as he seeks revenge against a woman who broke his heart years ago, and Nancy as she tries to deal with the death of Hartigan.

Oldboy — Directed by Starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Samuel L. Jackson. In this remake of the original ‘Oldboy,’ an average man was kept in a room for 15 years and now has only five days to figure out why.

The World’s End — Directed

by Edgar Wright. Starring Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman and Nick Frost. Twenty years after attempting an epic pub crawl, a group of friends reunite in 2013 to try it again. Only this time, they wind up becoming humanity’s last hope for survival.

Paranormal Activity 5 — Directed by TBD. Starring TBD. The ‘Paranormal Activity’ demon is back in the next installment of the popular horror movie franchise.

NOVEMBER Ender’s Game — Directed by Gavin Hood. Starring Asa Butterfield, Abigail Breslin and Harrison Ford. A gifted child is sent into space to train for a future alien invasion in this movie adapted from the novel by Orson Scott Card.

Thor: The Dark World — Directed by Alan Taylor. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Christopher Eccleston.

The Dark Elves attack the realm of Asgard, prompting the God of Thunder to seek out his brother Loki in order to access the Dark World and bring the villains to justice.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire — Directed by Francis Lawrence. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Sam Claflin. The next chapter in ‘The Hunger Games’ series finds Katniss and Peter thrown back into the arena for a Hunger Games all-star edition, where they’re pitted against former victors.

DECEMBER The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — Directed by Peter Jackson. Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch and Lee Pace. Bilbo, Gandalf and the Dwarfs continue their journey to retrieve the gold the dragon Smaug stole.

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January 2013

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Living

Live as Long as an Olympian www,bhbikes-us.com

Olympic athletes are not like the rest of us.

Most of them live longer, for one thing, as two revealing new studies found. But not all former Olympians enjoy that bonus. Certain sports, the studies suggest, may be better than others when it comes to extending lifespan, a finding that has broad implications for those of us who have no expectations of ever being an Olympian.

T

he more comprehensive of the two studies, both of which appear in the Christmas issue of the British medical journal BMJ, examined the lives — and deaths — of 15,174 male and female Olympic medalists who had competed at Summer or Winter Games since 1896 (the date of the first modern Olympics), employing an extensive database created by Olympic historians and statisticians.

The researchers also gathered comparable birth and death statistics for an age-matched group of non-Olympians from the same nations as the athletes and compared the two groups’ lifespans, looking in particular at how many athletes were alive 30 years after their medal winning performance compared with the numbers of surviving non-Olympians of the same age.

In general, the researchers found, Olympic medalists lived an average of 2.8 years longer than their age-matched peers.

More specifically, 8 percent more of the medalists than the nonOlympians were still living 30

suits at increasing lifespans.

“You don’t have to take the effort to do intense rowing,” Mr. Engelaer said.

“Playing golf is just as good for your survival.”

Of course, there are caveats.

Neither study assessed whether the Olympians remained physically active over the years, an important consideration. In some studies of former collegiate athletes, those who became sedentary and took to their couches after graduation lived no longer than people who had never participated in college sports.

The new studies also looked at Olympians who competed, by and large, before the era of steroids and other performanceenhancing drugs, Dr. Studdert said. These substances may prove to have impacts, probably deleterious, on lifespan.

years after they had won their medals.

But there were differences by sport. Medalists in endurance sports like marathon running and cycling and in “mixed” sports that involve technique as well as exertion, like cricket, golf and croquet (yes, all once Olympic sports), shared similarly extended lifespans. About 13 percent more of them were alive 30 years after their Olympic success than their non-Olympian counterparts.

However, medalists in power sports, like weight-lifting and the hammer throw, were not as longlived. Only about 5 percent more of them were alive 30 years after their wins than were non-Olympians of the same age.

These findings echo those of the other study from BMJ. It, too, looked at Olympians and lifespans, but was specifically interested in the longevity differentials between athletes in the more strenuous sports versus those in the less taxing disciplines. Was marathon running, in other words, better than golf or cricket at increasing lifespan, the researchers wondered?

In general, the researchers found, Olympic medalists lived an average of 2.8 years longer than their age-matched peers. More specifically, 8 percent more of the medalists than the non-Olympians were still living 30 years after they had won their medals.

Using information about a smaller and more diverse group of former Olympians — 9,889 men and women, including participants as well as medalists — scientists from Leiden University in the Netherlands found that “athletes from disciplines with moderate cardiovascular intensity or high cardiovascular intensity were similar,” in terms of their lifespans, to “athletes from

China Looks to Lead The Internet of Things

Law’s company – and a raft of new government-funded projects in mainland China – is looking to change that. Law’s $5,000 mirror began as product his firm designed for a high-tech residential building in Dubai. “The Internet of Things began to become more real for us as a project,” Law said. “We started to take these things out of our building designs to make them independent products, and try to impregnate them with as much technology as we can.”

If there’s a race to lead the Internet of Things (IoT), China aims to set the pace. Since Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao identified IoT as an “emerging strategic industry” in an interview on state media, Beijing has focused on developing technology by which devices can communicate via infrared sensor, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and other Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology.

Beijing plans to invest 5 billion yuan ($800 million) in the IoT industry by 2015. The Ministry of Information and Technology estimates China’s IoT market will hit 500 billion yuan ($80.3 billion) by 2015, then double to 1 trillion yuan ($166 billion) by 2020. The government has established state-owned enterprise zones such as the Chengdu Internet of Things Technology Institute in Sichuan province, which is developing a health care system in which rural villagers can step into a telephone booth-sized “health capsule” to get a diagnosis and prescription from a doctor in a distant hospital.

“With the capsules and clinics, people do low-cost checkups and choose an online doctor for further diagnosis, then print prescription and purchase medicine from the capsule,” boasts the program’s web site.

The larger goal of China’s focus in IoT, analysts say, is to win a fight Beijing has long been losing – setting international standards for new technology. After leading losing fights to use Chinese standards in 3G technology and wireless mobile standards, China is trying to get out front early on IoT. “In technology China has come from a position of follower, adopting foreign standards on which it has to pay royalties,” said Mark Natkin, director of Marbridge, a technology consulting firm in Beijing.

“China is very interested in turning that model around, and create the standards by which other countries are paying it royalties,” he said. “It’s a new area, and as such, a place where China can be at the starting line or ahead of the starting line.”

Law sees three other factors at play in China’s IoT thrust. “China is in a position to invest more than other economies in the world at this period of time,” Law

said. “And China still has an internalized, walled Internet because it’s trying to monitor, control and censor – so it’s in its own interest to develop these kind of products.

“But I think the third thing is China has matured to a point where it is no longer a low cost center of labor...in cutting edge businesses, it wants to really develop its own brand and its own next generation of technology, to walk into the fight with your own swords by investing in the next Google, the next Apple,” Law said.

“From a state perspective, there is everything to gain in nurturing their own brands...the country wants to define the market rather than play catch-up,” Law added.

Law’s company has sold 500 of the Cybertecture Mirrors and is now developing a chair that recognizes the user and records individual health data. “I really feel that the next paradigm for product design will be changed by the Internet and the new range of materials we now have,” he said. “We shouldn’t be building things in the same way as the past.” CNN

www.nominateforindexaward.dk

When architect James Law looks in the mirror each morning his reflection is not all that greets him – he can also see the weather report, e-mail messages and his heart rate.

“The biggest game changer of the past 25 years has been the Internet,” said Law, whose Cybertecture Mirror is an offshoot of his Hong Kong architectural firm’s focus on integrating technology in design.

“In buildings, the Internet has become ubiquitous but it hasn’t caught up in the products that inhabit buildings – chairs, doors, tables and mirrors.”

Cybertecture Mirrors

disciplines with low cardiovascular intensity.”

Former Olympic cyclists, rowers, runners, cricketers and golfers all enjoyed similar lifespans.

But athletes from contact sports or sports that involved frequent crashes and collisions, like rugby and bobsledding, had shorter relative lifespans than the other Olympians.

The implications of the findings of the two studies for everyday, recreational athletes are

at once cautionary and encouraging, said David M. Studdert, a professor at the University of Melbourne who co-authored the larger study. On the one hand, his team’s results suggest that “the cardiovascular and health benefits of endurance and mixed sports are greater” than the health benefits of power sports, at least in terms of longevity.

But hammer throwers and other power athletes generally did live longer than non-Olympians, he points out.

Even more heartening is the second study’s conclusion. “People tend to think the more the better when it comes to sports,” says Frouke Engelaer, a doctoral candidate at the University of Leiden and a study co-author.

“However, we have found that within a group of people who are fit already, this does not apply.”

High-intensity competitive activity was in fact no better than much less strenuous pur-

And obviously, most Olympians have resources denied to the rest of us, including access to world-class physicians and, potentially, loads of money through endorsements and other deals. Interestingly, though, Dr. Studdert and his colleagues found no difference in longevity between gold medalists and those who had won silver or bronze, although presumably the monetary gains between the groups would differ.

So fundamentally the message remains clear. “We can’t all be medalists,” Dr. Studdert said, “but many of us can manage regular exercise, and that will probably help us live just about as long as those sporting superstars.”

Golf, by the way, returns to the Olympics in 2016. NYT

www.thepresidentpost.com

January 2013

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Health

W

hen stereotypes are negative — when seniors are convinced becoming old means becoming useless, helpless or devalued — they are less likely to seek preventive medical care and die earlier, and more likely to suffer memory loss and poor physical functioning, a growing body of research shows.

When stereotypes are positive — when older adults view age as a time of wisdom, self-realization and satisfaction — results point in the other direction, toward a higher level of functioning. The latest report, in The Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that seniors with this positive bias are 44 percent more likely to fully recover from a bout of disability.

For people who care about and interact with older people, the message is clear: your attitude counts because it can activate or potentially modify these deeply held age stereotypes.

The researcher who has done more than anyone else to advance our understanding of this is Becca Levy, an associate professor of epidemiology and psychology at Yale University.

In the mid-1990s, she began a series of experiments with older people in laboratory settings. The idea was to expose them subliminally to negative or positive stereotypes by flashing words associated with aging on a computer screen too fast for them to process consciously. Then these seniors were asked to perform a task.

Those exposed to negative words such as “decrepit” had poorer handwriting, slower walking speeds, higher levels of cardiovascular stress and a greater willingness to reject hypothetical medical interventions that could prolong their lives. Those primed with positive words such as “wisdom” did much better.

The experiments involved external stimuli, however, and Dr. Levy was interested in peoples’ subjective experience of older age. For that, she turned to a database of adults age 50 and older in Oxford, Ohio, who were followed for a period of 23 years, from 1975 to 1998.

Many had filled out questionnaires at the start of the study designed to elicit stereotypes about aging. This involved soliciting a “yes” or “no” answer to a series of statements like “things keep getting worse as I get older,” or “as you get older, you get less useful.”

When Dr. Levy looked at 660 participants, she found that those with positive age stereo-

Older People Become What They Think, Study Shows All of us have beliefs — many of them subconscious, dating back to childhood — about what it means to get older. Psychologists call these “age stereotypes.” And, it turns out, they can have an important effect on seniors’ health. types lived 7.5 years longer than those with negative stereotypes.

The research was published in The Journal of Personal and Social Psychology in 2002.

What might account for this finding? In her paper, Dr. Levy speculated that people with positive age stereotypes have a stronger will to live, and that this might affect their ability to adapt to the rigors of older age.

Also, people with negative age stereotypes may have a heightened cardiovascular response to stress, with attendant ill health effects.

Dr. Marie Bernard, a geriatrician who serves as deputy director of the National Institute on Aging, said she found the report “quite intriguing” and that it confirmed her clinical observations in more than 30 years of medical practice.

But she cautioned that it is a small study that needs to be replicated.

“What we really need to understand is the mechanism,” she said. “Is it something that is malleable and, if so, could we help people live longer, healthier lives?”

In other research using this data set, Dr. Levy established that people with positive age stereotypes were more likely to eat a balanced diet, exercise, limit their alcohol consumption, stop smoking and get regular physical exams, and that they had a higher level of physical functioning over time. Results were controlled for other factors like illness, gender, race and socioeconomic status.

In these papers, Dr. Levy hypothesized that positive age stereotypes are associated with a greater sense of control and that this enhanced seniors’ sense of self efficacy — their ability to remain captains of their own ship, as it were.

Researchers don’t have an answer to that yet. But many believe that part of the answer has to lie in tackling ageism – which is pervasive in our youth-oriented culture — early on, from earliest childhood.

“Even young kids have negative associations; they tell you that older adults are sick, slow, forgetful, no good,” said Dana Kotter-Gruehn, a visiting assistant professor in the department of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University.

Also generations need to be brought together so that “people can experience what it means to be an older person” and stereotypes can be dispelled, Dr. Kotter-Gruehn said. This has been shown to help change people’s stereotypes about race and homosexuality, she noted.

Her new findings about the impact of age stereotypes on older adults’ recovery from disability is an extension of this body of work. In this case, Dr. Levy and her co-authors followed 598 adults age 70 and older in New Haven, Conn., from 1998 to 2008. Disability was defined as needing help with basic activities of daily living like bathing, dressing and walking, and its onset was typically precipitated by an illness or injury.

Again, seniors with positive age stereotypes were much more likely to have good results and recover fully.

Closer to home, all of us who interact with older people can “think about how to reinforce the more positive aspects of aging,” Dr. Levy said.

“If all of us became a little more aware of the implications of our communications” — the tone of voice we use with seniors, the attitude we adopt, the use of loaded phrases or expressions, the extent to which we give older adults our full, undivided attention — “that would help quite a lot.” NYT

Aspirin Use Tied to Rare Eye Disorder Regularly taking aspirin may slightly raise the likelihood of developing a degenerative eye condition, a new study found.

Though the increase in the risk of developing the disease, a rare form of macular degeneration, was slight, it may be a potential concern because about one in five adults nationwide take low doses of aspirin regularly, mostly to ward off heart disease. Some doctors have recently started recommending aspirin for the prevention of some types of cancer as well.

The new study, which was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, found that routinely using aspirin doubled the odds of developing neovascular macular degeneration, the most severe form of the disease. Nonetheless, the condition is rare enough that the increase translated into a negligible risk, rising from about 1 in 200 among older Americans in general to roughly 1 in 100 among older aspirin users.

A major cause of blindness in people over the age of 50, macular degeneration is a disease of the retina that slowly blurs central vision, making it difficult to read or see fine detail. Neovascular macular degeneration accounts for about 10 percent of cases but causes most of the vision loss associated with the disease.

The authors of the new report were quick to point out that for most middle-aged and older adults, any potential concerns about visual decline would not be enough to outweigh the heart-healthy benefits of a daily aspirin. Instead, it should be something to keep in mind should any problems with eyesight start to arise, said Dr. Barbara Klein, the lead author of the study and a professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

“If you’re an aspirin user and your doctor put you on it for cardioprotective reasons, this is not a reason to stop it,” she said. “It’s better to have blurry vision but still be here to complain about it than it is to die of a heart attack.”

ple who were taking aspirin at least twice a week for more than three months were characterized as regular users.

Dr. Klein and her colleagues used data from the long-running Beaver Dam Eye Study, which has followed thousands of Wisconsinites since 1988.

Participants in the study, who were all between the ages of 43 and 86, had checkups every five years in which they underwent eye exams and were asked to bring in any medications they were using. They were also checked for things that can influence the progression of eye disease, like high blood pressure, heavy alcohol use and diabetes. Peo-

The new findings dovetail with those of a similar study published about a year ago.

But in both cases the research was observational, so it could be that other, unknown factors account for the association between routine aspirin use and macular degeneration, said Dr. Robert Cykiert, an ophthalmologist at the New York University Langone Medical Center.

“I would say this brings up a question,” he said. “But it by no means should serve as a warning to patients to stop taking aspirin.” LATimes

The study found that how long ago a person had started using aspirin routinely was strongly tied to the risk of macular degeneration. People who reported regularly taking aspirin 10 years before the eye exam had an increased risk of the disease, though it was not clear what the mechanism behind it might be.

“It may be like smoking and cancer, where some people who have stopped years and years ago then get cancer,” Dr. Klein said. “It may seem out of the blue, but there’s something about latent exposure that carries forward.”

www.areavoices.com

People with positive age stereotypes were more likely to eat a balanced diet, exercise, limit their alcohol consumption, stop smoking and get regular physical exams, and that they had a higher level of physical functioning over time.

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January 2013

www.thepresidentpost.com

Tourism Government Goes All-out In Promoting Tourism Nine events have been prepared to promote Indonesian tourism in 2013, both at home and abroad, according to deputy minister for Tourism and Creative Economy Sapta Nirwandar.

“W

e have prepared nine mega events to promote Indonesian tourism next year,” Nirwandar said here on Saturday.

He noted that of those events, three will be conducted abroad, and one of these events will focus on Indonesia being a “country partner” during the world’s largest tourism exchange in Berlin, Germany from March 6-10, 2013.

“Two other events to be conducted abroad are the Cruise Shipping Miami in the United States in March 2013 and the International Meeting Exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, in May, 2013,” he noted.

V in West Sumatra in June; Sabang International Regatta II in Sabang, Aceh, in September 2013; and Festival Timoresia II in Ambon, Maluku in October 2013.

Deputy Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy Sapta Nirwandar While the six tourism events at home will include Musi Triboatton II in Palembang, South Sumatra, in November 2013; Semarang Marathon in Central Java in June 2013; Pilgrim Tourism in Surabaya, East Java, in June 2013; Tour de Singkarak

Nirwandar said funding for these nine events will be provided by Marketing Directorate General of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. The cost is expected to be some Rp 607,700 billion for tourism promotion programs, improvement of Indonesia’s image, and market and information development on Indonesia. The state budget has allocated Rp2,052 trillion for the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy in 2013.

6.5 Million Foreign Tourists Visit Indonesia The number of foreign visitors to Indonesia reached 6.5 million in the first 10 months of the year, an official said.

The number was 5% higher year-on-year, Tourism and Creative Economic Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said here on Monday.

The number recorded up to October this year would add to optimism that the target of 8 million visitors this year would be met, Mari said. The record also showed that the marketing strategy adopted in the past three months has been effective, she said.

She said tourism marketing has been focused on year-end festival program in six countries - Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, China, Japan and South Korea . The result has been record-

Foreign Tourists Promote Luwak Coffee Organic luwak coffee produced by businessmen in Agam District, West Sumatra province, has attracted consumers in the global market.

“By promoting the organic luwak coffee to foreign tourists who come to see raflessia flower here, this coffee has indirectly been promoted to the global market, including Asia, Europe, US and Australia,” organic luwak coffee businessman Umul Khairi said here on Sunday.

He said that the organic coffee

named “Rafflesia Luwak Coffee” is produced by wild civets which are believed to be able to produce more enzyme than grounded civets. “Moreover, we use wild civets to maintain the ecosystem as well as the civet population in the wildlife,” he said.

“To keep the originality of the coffee, I only buy coffee beans from farmers whom I really know,” he noted. “We processed arabica coffee since this kind of coffee is suitable for West Sumatra climate,” he said.

Khairil stated he only processed 40 kilograms of organic coffee beans per month.

Meanwhile, the production of coffee powder only reach about 10-15 kilograms per month.

“Since the processing is quite difficult, the price of luwak coffee reached Rp200,000 per kilogram.” Kjairil said.

He added that the organic luwak coffee is mostly ordered by domestic and foreign tourists who had visited the raflessia flower park.

By promoting the organic luwak coffee to foreign tourists who come to see raflessia flower here, this coffee has indirectly been promoted to the global market, including Asia, Europe, US and Australia.”

Tourism and Creative Economic Minister Mari Elka Pangestu ed with an increase in the number of visitors from those countries except from South Korea, she said.

The number of visitors from Singapore, Japan, China rose significantly by 10.2%, 15.48% and 45.98% respectively. Increase has also been recorded in the number of visitors from the United Arab Emirates, up 82.68%, Bahrain 59.09%, Saudi Arabia 50.98%, and Russia 44.41%.

US Envoy: RI-US Direct Flights Crucial US Ambassador to Indonesia Scot Marciel has stated that direct flight services between Indonesia and the United States will boost bilateral tourism flows between the two countries.

“As the third and fourth largest countries (by population) in the world, we must have direct flights,” he said at his official residence here on Tuesday night.

Marciel noted that a number of airline companies in the US and Indonesia had discussed the necessity of direct flight services between the two countries but “nothing has materialized yet”.

“However, we hope there will be direct flights soon at least within the next year or two,” he said.

nesia were crucial for the development of the country’s tourism industry.

“We hope the regional airline companies will start aiming for new destinations in order to bring tourists from the target countries to Indonesia,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (Asita) chairman, Asnawi Bahar, said direct flight services between the United States and Indo-

Indonesia currently does not have any direct flights to the United States. Travellers must transit through another country before reaching their destinations.

Earlier, Deputy Minister of Transportation Bambang Susantono, during the Aviation Safety Conference in Bali in May, said the Indonesian government wanted to obtain the license needed for direct flights to the United States in 2013.

“By the time the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit begins, Indonesia is expected to already have a license for direct flights to the United States,” he noted.

Private Sector Urged to Boost Tourism in Berau Greater participation by the private sector, rather than only government initiatives, is expected to increase development of the tourism sector in Berau, East Kalimantan, according to a tourism official.

“The private sector plays an important role in boosting tourism in developing countries, including Indonesia, and particularly in Berau,” Berau Tourism and Culture Service Head Rohaini said here on Saturday.

“Berau has a lack of transportation, particularly land transportation which needs

to be supported by the private sector,” she said.

Rohaini urged the public to look towards neighbouring countries, whose tourism efforts are mostly supported by the private sector. “The role of the private sector has significantly contributed to improve the economy in Singapore, Malaysia and other neighbouring countries, including in the tourism sector in Indonesia,” she added.

Before the Derawan Festival in 2013, Rohaini said that the service is working to increase access to transportation, human resources and supporting infrastructures, such as hotels and

homestay. “We have built homestay in Tanjung Batu, so we only need to fix it, since I think the local residents are ready to become part of the tourism community,” she added.

To increase preparation, the service has conducted training for local people to welcome foreign tourists, according to Rohaini. “We will also call on the businessmen from travel agents and private investors to provide donations to meet the needs of transportation during Derawan Festival 2013, although there have been no significant contributions from the private sectors,” she added.

www.thepresidentpost.com

January 2013

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Travel

Watansoppeng: A City of Bats The bats are one of the main tourist attractions. They have been around for more than a hundred years and they are considered as the city’s “keepers”. The locals believe that if the bats go away for a long time, then it is a sign that danger looms or that disaster will hit the city.

PHOTOS: Vannico and Alaik

By Iqbal Alaik

A

fter driving about 150 km to the north from the city of Makassar, we arrived in Wat a nsoppeng, the capital of Soppeng district, South Sulawesi.

The Grand Darussalam Mosque with its majestic green dome stood tall at the heart of Watansoppeng. The hills and bushy trees that grow around it added to its beauty.

Strong scent and noises struck me as soon as I got out of the car.

The smell and noises came out from hundreds of bats that were hanging on trees. Almost every tree branch in this town is full with bats that were hanging upside down. Yes, Watansoppeng is home to tens of thousands of bats or locally known as kalong. That’s why the city is also known as Kota Kalong or the city of bats.

The bats are one of the main tourist attractions. They have been around for more than a hundred years and they are considered as the city’s “keepers”.

The locals believe that if the bats go away for a long time, then it is a sign that danger looms or that disaster will hit the city.

In 1990 fire gutted Watansoppeng’s central market. The locals believed that the fire occurred because the trees that had been the homes of the bats were cut down. That’s why until now the people of Watansoppeng never disturb the nocturnal beasts.

As if to return the favor, the bats never eat fruits from the residents’ trees.

The smell of the animal’s waste is often very disturbing but the waste that fell on people who came from outside the town is indication that they will be married to a local. Interested?

In the afternoon, the bats hang upside down on the branches and cover their bodies with

their dark wings. The wings are supposedly their front legs that grew into wings. The bats use their hind legs to hold on to the branches. The bats which are part of the Mega Ciropthera family hang upside down to make it easier for them to fly.

Not far from there a building with classic architecture stood majestically in front of me over at the hills. Villa Juliana or Mess Tinggia, as the locals call it. Yes, it is a historical building as it was built in 1905. The building which has the Dutch-style architecture was built based on the instruction of Queen Wilhelmina shortly after the birth of her daughter, Juliana. It was the official residence of the Dutch governors. The building has now become a cultural heritage.

Watansoppeng is situated 200 meters above the sea. Its weather is cool. Because of its hilly contour and beautiful scenery, the Dutch government called it “Bandoeng van Celebes”.

The evening is approaching and soon enough I will be able to witness a spectacular show.

I rushed to climb the grand mosque’s tower to find the best spot. I could almost see the entire Watansoppeng city from this tower. The tower is 45 meters high. From a distance I could see the bats starting to move at the branches. The noises were getting louder and then one by one, the nocturnal beasts took off and spread their wings. And within minutes, the sky of the Watansoppeng city, which was decorated with the red sunset silhouette, was filled with tens of thousands of bats that were going out to find food. It was a spectacular view.

The bats emitted ultrasonic sounds to navigate them in the dark. The sounds were echoed back by the things around them to raise their awareness of their surroundings which will enable them to prevent any collision. The bats’ noises seemed like competing with the calls for prayers for

Muslims in the city. As if following an instruction, the bats left the city simultaneously to find food and they would return to their branches at dawn. That was the spectacular show that tourists came and waited for. It was a beautiful natural phenomenon. For me, Watansoppeng is the “Gotham of Celebes”.

Watansoppeng is situated 200 meters above the sea. Its weather is cool.

Because of its hilly contour and beautiful scenery, the Dutch government called it “Bandoeng van Celebes”.

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January 2013

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Golf www.things2doinjakarta.com

Padang Golf Modern Padang Golf Modern is designed by five-time British Open Champion Peter Thomson

P

adang Golf Modern is an 18-hole international standard golf course designed by five-time British Open Champion Peter Thomson. Each hole has been designed with great detail and has a unique character such as lakes and long fairways. The uniqueness was designed to provide a fun atmosphere to play golf and comfort.

Padang Golf Modern offers members with facilities beyond imagination. Tennis can

be played indoors as well as outdoors and a player has a choice of three different surfaces. If squash or badminton is your game, you’ll find it there too, as well as an Olympic-size pool and a Leisure & Health Centre, offering fitness, aerobics, massage, and yoga and Jazz dance classes.

A spa, complete with sauna, cold and hot plunge pools, Jacuzzi and steam rooms, is the ideal place to really unwind after a long day of exercise.

Food lovers are spoiled for choice of local, Chinese or western delicacies in the five restaurants housed in the Country Club’s restaurant area.

A fully-equipped sports club is managed by professional staff members for the convenience of members and guests. The Sport Club is a paradise for sports lovers as it makes available a spacious aerobics studio, Sauna, Steam, Jacuzzi and Massage for relaxation and exclusive locker rooms that are comfortable, spacious and elegant.

Garmin Approach S3: A Touchscreen GPS in Your Wrist Garmin announced its new Approach S3 touchscreen GPS golf watch that’s sleek enough to wear every day, while coming in very handy on your next golf trip. The stylish, rugged and waterproof, high-resolution glovefriendly touchscreen watch from Garmin comes preloaded with 27,000 worldwide golf courses, with more being added, all without having to pay subscriptions or any fees.

al” caddie with them no matter where they go.

The lightweight watch also includes a round timer to keep track of your time on the course, as well as comes in different color options so you can easily match it to your golf shirt.

With eight hours of playing time on one charge, the new Approach S3 watch can last up to four weeks as a dayto-day timepiece.

There is also free update throughout the year that adds new courses and makes enhancements to the current lineup. The GPS watch also comes with cool programs like Green View with manual pin positioning, distances to doglegs and layup points, customizable yardage points and digital scorecards so that golfers will have a “virtu-

Garmin Approach S3 introduces digital scorecard selections intended for single players. The options for scoring include the Stableford and Stroke play as well as you can also save, review or print your scorecards direct from your personal computer. In addition, you can see how far you’ve went when

you hit big because of the feature called measure shot.

The Garmin Approach S3 functions similar to everyday watches plus it includes odometer so that you can check the

distance travelled every day, or each round you have played. It has built-in round timer so that you can save and remember how long you have played in 18.

The course management of

Miss Indonesia Wants to Promote Indonesian Golf www.kapanlagi.com

the Garmin Approach S3 is the key especially if a golfer is a novice. The layup distances show the distances needed by a golfer along with the yardages towards the doglegs as well as other hazards found on the golf course. This unit can give you accurate calculations of the yardages found in the golf course.

The S3 displays yardages to the front, back and centre views of the green, which also includes distances with manual pin positioning so you know exactly where you need to aim.

The fabulous Approach S3 Golf Watch even allows you to print digital scorecards for Stroke play and also includes a ‘Measure shot’ feature which will tell you exactly how far you have hit your ball.

The winners of Miss Indonesia 2012, Ines Putri Tjiptadi Chandra, played on the women’s golf tournament “Ladies Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open” that took place in October.

This sport is already her favorite since she was a teenager. Ines also has won an amateur championship women’s golf tournament in Singapore in 2010. According to Ines, golf requires a lot of things, especially accuracy and endurance.

The “Enjoy Jakarta” Ladies Indonesia Open Tournament was a turning point in her performance in the last five months.

As Miss Indonesia, she has one mission, which is to see golf in Indonesia advance and grow.