Indonesia Morning News For September 12

Stop bickering: 60 years of Malaysia-Indonesia ties
If anything, the two nations should have already established solid footing in the sixth decade of their relationship instead of being easily provoked by small matters.
— The Jakarta Post

Will Indonesia’s infrastructure be ready for Asian Games?
Indonesian President Joko Widodo is pinning his 2019 re-election hopes on the success of the Asian Games preceding it here. But with less than a year until the opening ceremony, related infrastructure work risks embarrassing delays.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Humanitarian aid from Indonesia yet to reach Rakhine: FM
The delivery of humanitarian assistance from Indonesia to Myanmar is still constrained due to the ongoing process of agreement on modalities of aid distribution between Myanmar authorities, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the donor countries.
— Antara

Indonesia retail sales fall 3 pct y/y in July – c.bank survey
Indonesia’s retail sales in July declined 3.3 percent from a year earlier, the first contraction in nearly six years, a central bank survey showed on Monday.
— Reuters

Lower credit rates a pipe dream for consumers this year
It will take more than six months before banks trim down lending rates, a move aimed at reviving the appetite for investment in the country, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) has predicted.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia c.bank says current rate undervalues rupiah, expects more weakening
Mirza Adityaswara, deputy governor of Indonesia’s central bank, said the rupiah’s current trading rate against the U.S. dollar, even after rallying for three days to strengthen by 1.3 percent, still undervalues the currency.
— Nasdaq

Per 31 October No More Cash Payments at Indonesia’s Toll Roads
This policy is part of authorities’ ambition to create a cashless society and is expected to speed up the payment process at the toll roads, hence easing severe traffic congestion.
— Indonesia Investments

Indonesia expands use of eco-friendly energy
The government of Indonesia has set a plan to use more clean energy by using waste as source of electricity, a move aiming at preserving environment.
— Xinhua

StanChart to meet Britain’s financial watchdog over Indonesia probe
Standard Chartered will meet Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority this week over allegations of corruption at an Indonesian power plant company majority-owned by its private equity arm, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.
— Reuters

Exclusive: Indonesia’s logistics major JNE Express chooses debt capital over PE to fuel growth
Indonesia’s express and logistics courier major JNE Express is betting big on debt capital and self financing to fuel its growth plans, targeting revenues to the tune of Rp 5.7 trillion, or $427.5 million, by the end of 2017
— Deal Street Asia

Garuda Indonesia maintenance unit seeks $300m in share sales
GMF AeroAsia will use IPO, strategic investors to expand, revamp Asia-Pacific ops
— Nikkei Asian Review

C2live helps Indonesia’s content creators become micro-entrepreneurs
JAKARTA-based content marketing agency Content Collision (C2) announced that it has begun executing public blogging competitions via its signature creators’ network C2live , a platform made by C2 to help build and serve the independent content creator ecosystem in Southeast Asia.
— Digital News Asia

New Indonesia toll road seeks funding
The new road link will reduce travel time on the route from Padang to Bukittinggi and through to Pekanbaru from 8-10 hours at present to 3-4 hours in the future.
— World Highways

US, Indonesia Launch Naval Exercise
CARAT Indonesia, which will last for around a week, is an example of the growing military ties between both countries that are continuing despite some challenges under U.S. President Donald Trump.
— The Diplomat

No firm gas deal with Singapore, for now
After public uproar met an earlier idea of “importing” gas from Singapore to fuel future power plants in Riau Islands, an agreement between state-owned electricity firm PLN and two Singaporean energy companies has come to light.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia, Singapore hold joint SAR exercise
Search and Rescue (SAR) offices of Pontianak and Singapore held a joint exercise during the 35th Indopura SAR Exercise to improve their ability in SAR Mission Coordination.
— Antara

Wrist-Slap for Indonesian Police Killing in Papua
Indonesian National Police ethics panel inquiry into the circumstances behind police opening fire on protesters in West Papua’s remote Deiyai region ruled that four officers were guilty of “improper conduct” by deliberately firing on the crowd with live ammunition, but should not face criminal prosecution.
— Human Rights Watch

Indonesia Urges OIC, International Community, to Address Myanmar Conflict
Indonesia has reaffirmed its commitment to address the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State and emphasized the importance of synergizing with Indonesian civil society and the international community during a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC, in Astana, Kazakhstan.
— Jakarta Globe

Kazakhstan shares experiences with Indonesia on shifting capital city
The government of Kazakhstan shared its experiences on relocating the capital and offered assistance to Indonesia during a bilateral meeting between Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
— Antara

Indonesian officials response to Apia protest ‘arrogant’
Indonesian officials have been criticised for the manner of their condemnation of a West Papua protest during the Pacific Forum summit in Apia.
— Radio New Zealand

Indonesian domestic helpers’ Hong Kong success stories – how they save and take courses to open businesses back home
The plight of abused migrant workers makes for grim headlines, but for some Indonesians, the years spent working away from home and family can pay off when they return and start their own businesses
— South China Morning Post

Where Are Indonesia-Turkey Military Ties?
As the year progresses and we see other such engagements, it will be worth looking at how various areas of cooperation do (and do not) progress over time.
— The Diplomat

The Conversation: ‘How can Indonesia win against plastic pollution?’
Four of Indonesia’s rivers rank among the 20 most polluted in the world in terms of mismanaged plastic waste measured in metric tons. This makes Indonesia the second-largest contributor to marine plastic pollution after China.
— Coconuts

Feature photo ILO in Asia and the Pacific
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Indonesia morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Indonesia news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities and is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.