Indonesia Morning News For March 16

GE, Samsung granted US$900m contract for Java 1 plant
The developer of the Java 1 combined-cycle power plant, claimed to be the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia, has granted an engineering, procurement and construction contract worth US$900 million to a consortium consisting of General Electric (GE), Samsung C&T and PT Meindo Elang Indah.
— The Jakarta Post

BRI reimburses Rp 100 million to skimming victims
State-owned lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) claims it has compensated all of its customers who have been victims of skimming, while pledging to improve its security by installing state-of-the-art technology and holding routine patrols.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia makes criticising politicians a crime
Indonesians could be jailed for criticising national politicians under a new law which came into force Thursday, in what critics slammed as a major step back for the world’s third-biggest democracy.
— The Star Online

Indonesia, Australia to sign maritime plan
Combatting illegal fishing and drug and people smuggling are among key priorities of a new Australian and Indonesian maritime action plan.
— 9news.com.au

Alibaba expands foothold in in SE Asia with local data centers
Alibaba Cloud is stepping up its efforts in emerging Asia, announcing on Thursday that its first data center in Jakarta has already commenced operations.
— Asia Times

Go-Jek partners with state-lender BNI to facilitate micro-loans to MSMEs
Indonesian ride-hailing giant Go-Jek has announced a strategic collaboration between its digital payment system, Go-Pay, and state-owned bank BNI to provide the startup’s network of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) partners with access to the lenders’ micro-credit program.
— Deal Street Asia

Indonesia paves way for foreigners working in oil, gas sector
The government of Indonesia has lifted a regulation over the admission of foreign workers, simplifying procedures of licensing for foreign workers to work in the country’s oil and gas sector.
— Xinhua

Infested Chinese garlic imports kick up a stink in Indonesia
Indonesia has impounded more than 200 tonnes of garlic imported from China, warning that a microscopic worm infestation found in the shipment could put at risk plans by the Southeast Asian country to boost its own garlic crop.
— Reuters

Tax Revenue Realization Growth of Indonesia Strong So Far in 2018
Tax revenue collection is showing good growth in Indonesia so far in 2018. However, due to the ambitious target set by the central government chances of another tax shortfall remain highly probable at the end of the year.
— Indonesia Investments (media release)

Five Problematic Articles in Draft Revisions on National Criminal Code
Lawmakers are expected to pass revisions on Indonesia’s criminal code some time in April, despite calls from civil society organizations and members of the public to postpone the finalization due to problematic articles contained in the revisions, listed below.
— Jakarta Globe

Indonesia insurer Bumiputera falls out with ‘white knight’, rescue plan collapses
A rescue plan for Indonesian life insurer Bumiputera has collapsed after it failed to agree with Evergreen Invesco – itsplanned white knight – over the size of a capital injection.
— Deal Street Asia

Indonesia: Aceh must drop proposal to introduce beheading as method of execution
Reacting to the news that the Aceh provincial administration in Indonesia is considering the introduction of beheading as a punishment for murder, Amnesty International Indonesia executive director, Usman Hamid said:
— Amnesty International

Pawnshop records Rp 2.5t in net profit in 2017
State-owned pawnshop PT Pegadaian recorded Rp 2.5 trillion (US$182 million) in net profit in 2017, representing a 13.7 percent year-on-year (yoy) growth.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia revises Jan trade deficit to $760 mln
Indonesia’s trade deficit in January widened from initial projections after the statistics bureau revised the figures for the country’s exports and imports for the month, its website showed on Thursday.
— The Edge Markets

Telkom sees 14.4% growth in net profit in 2017
State-owned telecommunications company PT Telkom Indonesia saw its net profit grow 14.4 percent to Rp 22.1 trillion (US$1.61 billion) in 2017, compared to the figure in 2016, according to a press statement issued by the company on Thursday.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesian polls may delay Freeport settlement
If the difficult talks between the Indonesian government and American-owned Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold over the future of Papua’s Grasberg mine drag on beyond mid-year, they might well be postponed until after next year’s legislative and presidential elections.
— Asia Times

Construction of Surakarta grand mosque at Sriwedari Park rejected
The Surakarta administration’s plan to build a grand mosque in the Sriwedari Park complex has continued to face rejections voiced by several societal elements in the city.
— The Jakarta Post

Jokowi Asks Banking Industry to Issue Education Loan
President Joko Widodo or Jokowi asked bankers to issue a new financial product in the form of education loan or student loan.
— Tempo.co

Indonesia stocks lower at close of trade; IDX Composite Index down 0.95%
Investing.com – Indonesia stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Infrastructure, Mining and Miscellaneous Industry sectors led shares lower.
— Investing.com

Cement consumption rises in Indonesia in February
Domestic cement consumption in Indonesia rose 5.2 per cent YoY to 4.79Mt in February 2018, supported by an increase in cement demand on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, according to Indonesia Investments.
— International Cement Review

Lombok records increase in tourist visits ahead of Nyepi
The number of domestic and foreign tourists in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has significantly increased ahead of Nyepi, the Day of Silence in Bali, which falls on Saturday.
— The Jakarta Post

WOM Finance Distributes IDR54 Billion Dividends
PT Wahana Ottomitra Multiartha Tbk (WOM Finance) today held a General Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.
— Netral News

Indonesia supports Aust inclusion in ASEAN
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has indicated his support for Australia to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ahead of a special summit in Sydney.
— 9news.com.au

No Birth Certificate, No Rights for Orphans in Indonesia
The Roudlotun Nasyi’in Ash-Shiddiqiyyah Islamic boarding school in Dadapan, a village in Rembang, Central Java, looks after 134 foster children, most of them orphans.
— Jakarta Globe

Feature photo Sip Khoon Tan

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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.

Indonesia Morning News For March 16 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on March 16, 2018
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Stella-maris Ewudolu

Journalist at AEC News Today

Stella-maris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Education from Ebonyi State University, Nigeria in 2005.

Between November 2010 and February 2012 she was a staff writer at Daylight Online, Nigeria writing on health, fashion, and relationships. From 2010 – 2017 she worked as a freelance screen writer for ‘Nollywood’, Nigeria.

She joined AEC News Today in December 2016.