Indonesia Morning News For March 2

Indonesia Has Chance to Export Buses to Vietnam
Indonesia has the opportunity to export buses to Vietnam after the governments of the two countries have consulted on the enactment of Prime Minister Decree No. 116/2017/ND-CP and Circular No. 04/2018/TT-BGTVT or decisions on the requirements of manufacture, assembly and import of motorized vehicles, motorized vehicle trade, warranty and maintenance services.
— Netral News

Over 313 million SIM cards registered as deadline passes
Following the Communications and Information Ministry’s regulation on mobile phone numbers, prepaid SIM card users were required to register their numbers by Feb. 28.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia sees steep rise in Indians’ arrival
The increased air connectivity and attractive packages is driving many Indians to the exotic destination of Indonesia. Latest data shows that there were 4,85,314 Indians visiting Indonesia in the whole year of 2017, which is a significant increase of almost 30 per cent in comparison to 3,76,802 visits in 2016.
— Deccan Chronicle

Thailand’s SCG Chemicals, Polyplex announce new investments in Indonesia
SCG Performance Chemicals, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SCG Chemicals, has set up a joint venture with Indonesian companies to penetrate the market of high value-added products, according to a company filing to the Stock Exchange of Thailand.
— Deal Street Asia

Indonesia foreign visitor arrivals fall 6.17 pct in Jan
Total foreign visitor arrivals in Indonesia stood at 1.04 million in January, down 6.17 percent from the same month a year earlier, the statistics bureau said on Thursday.
— Reuters

Indonesia’s Kalbe Farma opens $35M plant near Jakarta to produce biologics
While Western drugmakers have been looking for ways to tap the Indonesia market, a local company has expanded with a new plant to make generics of biologics.
— Fierce Pharma

Indosat’s Second-tier Subsidiary Offers 437 Million Shares to Public
PT Artajasa Pembayaran Elektronis Tbk plans to conduct initial public offering (IPO). The temporary price to be offered to the public is around IDR850 to IDR1,250 per share.
— Netral News

Indonesia police break up radical Islamic cyber network provoking extremism
Indonesian police announced on Thursday the arrest of 14 members of a network called the ‘‘Muslim Cyber Army,’’ which they say has been using hacking, online misinformation campaigns, and hate speech to push the world’s fourth most populous country in a more conservative direction.
— The Boston Globe

Inflation Eases in February, Thanks to Falling Raw Food Prices
Indonesia’s annual inflation rate eased in February to its lowest point since December 2016 on the back of falling prices of some raw food products, the Central Statistics Agency reported on Thursday (01/03).
— Jakarta Globe

Low inflation is ‘ammunition’ to resist Fed rate hike: OJK
Low and stable inflation is seen as an asset for Indonesia to resist the Federal Reserve’s plan to increase its reference rate four times this year, said Financial Services Authority (OJK) financial system stability department head Rendra Idris in Jakarta on Thursday.
— The Jakarta Post

DPR asks police to investigate muslim cyber army
The Chairman of Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), Bambang Soesatyo, has asked the Commission III to encourage Police to investigate the cyber crime group, namely the Muslim Cyber Army (MCA), which spreads fake news and provocative issues.
— Antara News

JCI Climbs 8.8 Points on Trade Closing
The Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) closed up 8.8 points to 6,606 at the trade closing on Thursday (3/1/2018). Throughout the day the composite index had risen to the level of 6,630.13.
— Netral News

PMI Surveys Show Indonesia’s Manufacturing Sector Lurching Back Into Life
Indonesia’s manufacturing economy lurched back into life midway through the first quarter, with PMI surveys showing the strongest rate of growth since the summer of 2016.
— Seeking Alpha

The Trouble With Indonesia’s Controversial MD3 Law
Long-running and increasingly controversial reforms of Indonesia’s criminal code are threatening to set the tone for elections this year and next, with the country’s progressives and now the president pushing back on what analysts have suggested is an unprecedented overreach of the political elite in contemporary Indonesia.
— The Diplomat

Russia and Indonesia sign agreement on Su-35 fighter jets
Russia and Indonesia have signed an agreement on the Sukhoi-35 fighter jets, Vladimir Kozhin, the Russian President’s aide for cooperation in defense technologies said on Thursday.
— TASS

Indonesia ‘enters’ forex market to support the rupiah — c.bank official
Bank Indonesia “entered” the foreign-exchange market on Thursday, when the rupiah hit its lowest level in two years, and the central bank will be present “especially during rapid depreciation” of the currency, a senior official said.
— The Edge Markets

Pepsi cuts off Indonesian palm oil supplier over labor, sustainability concerns
PepsiCo has suspended its business with Indofood Agri Resources (IndoAgri), one of the largest palm oil companies in Indonesia, citing sustainability and labor rights concerns.
— Mongabay

Indonesia shares higher at close of trade; Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite up 0.13%
Indonesia equities were higher at the close on Thursday, as gains in the Agriculture, Trade and Infrastructure sectors propelled shares higher.
— Investing.com

Palm oil supported above $500 if crude keeps near current price -analyst Fry
Palm oil, grown widely in Malaysia and Indonesia, can be used to churn out biodiesel, so its price is often influenced by movements in crude oil markets.
— Reuters

Feature photo McKay Savage

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 2 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on March 2, 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.