Indonesia PT Garuda Shaken Up Following Harley Davidson Scandal (5 – 13 Dec) Indonesia’s flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia came under public scrutiny following revelations of a smuggling case on one of its new Airbus jets. Parts for a Harley Davidson motorcycle and two high-end Brompton folding...
Indonesia Toyota, Softbank Among Big Investors as Jokowi Eyes 6% Annual Growth (19-29 Jul) Indonesia’s economic growth rate could reach an average of 6% per annum if President Joko Widodo “Jokowi” can attract more investment, according to a proposal from the Planning Ministry. The projected rate...
Myanmar Chinese President Xi envisions deeper ties, assures Myanmar of Beijing’s support (10 Apr 2019) Xi expressed during a meeting with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Beijing, that China would like to enhance strategic communication and deepen cooperation with Myanmar no matter how the international situation...
Indonesia Fake News Still a Concern in Lead-Up to Election (27 Feb, 12 Mar) Indonesia’s National Police is closely monitoring online activity in the lead-up to the April election, with the aim of preventing provocative fake news from triggering violence in public. Much of the fake news...
Indonesia The Second Presidential Debate – Lively Arguments, Loose Facts (17 Feb) Incumbent President Joko Widodo (“Jokowi”) and challenger Prabowo Subianto locked horns over energy, food, infrastructure, natural resources and the environment on Sunday, 17 February, during the second presidential debate. While Jokowi sought to burnish his...
Indonesia Jokowi Lashes Out at Prabowo over “Russian Propaganda”, Then Clarifies Statement (2 Feb) Incumbent President Joko Widodo “Jokowi” accused the campaign team of Prabowo Subianto of disseminating propaganda via a foreign consultant, calling the efforts “Russian propaganda”. Prabowo’s team denied the accusation. When subsequently asked to...
Indonesia Jokowi Moves to Release Abu Bakar Bashir, then Backpedals (18 Jan, 23 Jan) President Joko Widodo (“Jokowi”) caused a stir on 18 January when he announced plans to release radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir. Bashir was sentenced to jail for 15 years under anti-terrorism laws back...
Indonesia Jakarta’s First Light Rail Transit System to Begin Operations in April 2019 (10 Jan) PT Light Rail Transit (LRT) Jakarta Project Director Iwan Takwin said that construction on phase one of Jakarta’s LRT system is 97 percent complete, and that commercial operations are expected to commence...
Indonesia Indonesia Closes the US$3.85 billion Freeport-McMoRan Mine Deal (21 Dec 2018) Indonesia’s state-owned mine company PT Inalum took control of the local unit of Freeport-McMoRan Inc on 21 December, Friday, giving it control of the massive Grasberg copper mine. The deal hands Inalum a 51.23% stake...
By Simon Tay and Andrea Lee For The Straits Times It seems so long ago that people talked about Myanmar in terms of the triumph of democracy and a “frontier economy” of golden promise. Current headlines about the country instead focus overwhelmingly on a single issue, and...