Jakarta – Minister of Finance Boediono expressed optimism on Thursday that the economy will grow by 4 percent this year, despite a downturn in the global economy.

Jakarta – Indonesia's increasing economic stability is not translating into higher growth, the World Bank said on Thursday.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Indonesian State Minister for State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi plans a spinoff of two renegade state enterprises, PT Semen Padang and PT Semen Tonasa, from the

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – One of the world's great mysteries, right up there with how Jiang Zemin's hair stayed black for all those years, is that amazing strength of the Indonesian rupi

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has officially announced that its privatization exercise for several state-owned enterprises (SOEs) will be delayed until the end of t

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Textile and engineering giant Texmaco announced last week that it had defaulted on a US$25 million letter of credit facility from Bank BNI 46.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesia's state-run television station, TVRI, yesterday officially became a state-owned company, a status that will give it more commercial freedom and help i

Jakarta – Some 57 small islands in Indonesia are ready to receive investors willing to develop businesses there, the fishing ministry's Director General for Coastal Areas and Small Isla

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Cash-strapped state-owned television station Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI) has 7,158 employees and 395 relay stations in 26 provinces.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – The role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to oversee the country's economic reform program is still crucial to help maintain investor confidence in the e

Shawn Donnan and Taufan Hidayat – When Singapore's ST Telemedia paid $630m last November for a 42 per cent stake in Indosat, Indonesia's number two telecommunications carrier, it was wi

Sonia Kolesnikov, Singapore – The Indonesian economy has so far proven robust, weathering the Bali storm of last October.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Eddie Widiono Suwondo, president of state power utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), is struggling to bring the virtually bankrupt monopoly back into the blac

Washington (Agencies) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday approved a fresh loan worth US$469 million to Indonesia, bringing its total lending to about US$3.5 billion under

The Indonesian Government has signed a new Letter of Intent (LoI) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), together with a memorandum on eonomic and financial policies (MEFP) to IMF

Jakarta – International credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service has maintained its positive outlook for Indonesia, on the back of the country's political stability and continued

Tony Sitathan, Singapore – After last October's bombing in Bali, Indonesia's foreign investment was hit hard, sliding to a record low.

Highly debatable are both the rationale used by the team of more than 30 economists to support their recommendation for abruptly ending Indonesia's reform program with the International

Robert Go – When Singapore Technologies Telemedia (STT) paid 5.62 trillion rupiah (S$1.2 billion) for Indonesia's second-biggest telephone company last December, the story should have e

Adianto P.

Mark Dodd, Dili – In the laboratory of Cafi Cooperative Timor (CCT), senior adviser Alistair Laird, a "cupping" expert, is applying a final quality-control test to assess the fragrance,

The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) released investment figures for the month of January late last week revealing a steep fall in foreign direct investment (FDI) approvals but an u

More troubles surfaced last week in the government and Bank Indonesia's (BI) efforts to cover the costs of the disastrous bank bailout of the late 1990s just as many of those responsibl

Jakarta – Indonesia's economy probably expanded in the fourth quarter as Muslim holy days and other festivals spurred spending on food and gifts, analysts say.

Paul Toohey – Critically needed containers of medical, health and school supplies have been stockpiled on Dili's wharf because of heavy smuggling and what East Timorese-based aid worker

Bill Guerin – Jakarta has officially announced that regional governments can now borrow from foreign sources if certain conditions are met.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – The country's export performance turned out last year to be better than many had expected, thanks to stronger exports of agriculture and low-end manufacturing

Indonesia's exports rose 1.2 per cent to $US57 billion ($97.3 billion) in 2002 from a year earlier, helped by higher oil and commodity prices as well as a boost in overseas orders for m

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – A retired stockbroker who once assisted Indah Kiat Paper and Pulp – considered the darling of the paper and pulp industry at one time before being swallowed up

Robert Go, Nusa Dua – International donors have pledged US$2.7 billion in fresh aid to cash-strapped Indonesia this year, despite ongoing concerns about its inability to implement cruci

Joanne Collins, Bali – Indonesia would not need to "beg" for money from the international community if it tackled the corruption costing the cash-strapped country some $28.4 billion a y

Joanne Collins, Bali – Indonesia's government said on Tuesday it wanted an end to IMF funding this year, seeking to break a financial lifeline in place since the Asian financial crisis

Bali – Indonesia's moves to reduce earlier announced rises in fuel prices were very understandable and would not compromise its goals of keeping its budget deficit under control, an IMF

Joanne Collins, Jakarta – Happy with Indonesia's fight against terror and its efforts for peace in Aceh, international donors look set this week to pledge the $2.8 billion in aid that t

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Millions of Indonesians face poverty as investors continue to desert the country largely because of rampant corruption and collapsing infrastructure, a new repo

Bill Guerin – The Indonesian government raised fuel prices, electricity rates, and telephone charges at the start of the year in an effort to slash expensive subsidies and help ailing s

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – "I do not know how I am going to survive with three children, an ailing mother and an unemployed husband, with the current increases in basic electricity and te

Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign direct investment pledges slumped 35 per cent last year compared with 2001, a bad sign for economic growth and a reminder of the nation's reputation as a t

The recent furore over Singapore Technologies Telemedia's purchase of a major stake in Indonesia's Indosat is just a case of domestic political bickering, a former Indonesian minister s

Bill Guerin – Indonesia's largest supermarket chain PT Hero Supermarket plans to open three hypermarkets on the outskirts of Jakarta this year to stem a steady drop in the chain's marke

Jakarta – Indonesia's year-on-year inflation was 10.03 percent in December against 10.48 percent in November, the statistics bureau said on Thursday.

Bill Guerin – In the past three years Japanese electronics giant Sony has shut down 16 plants across the globe and laid off thousands of its workers.

Mark Egan, Washington – The International Monetary Fund on Thursday approved a $365 million loan payment to Indonesia under the nation's $4.8 billion loan and urged the nation to undert

Robert Go, Jakarta – Rising wages, coupled with a hyperactive labour force, are turning off foreign investors, some of whom are packing up and abandoning the country.

Jane Perlez, Denpasar – His fingers clasp a long brush and with the finest of strokes, Nyoman Kantor paints the figures of a Balinese myth onto eggshell.

Robert Go, Jakarta – After the private bank that Ms Sri Astuti worked for folded in 1998, she sought a clerical job at other offices.

Japanese technology company Sony Corporation will close its audio equipment manufacturing plant in Indonesia due to labour and tax problems.

Haidir Anwar Tandjung and Apriadi Gunawan, Medan/Pekanbaru – Tembilahan, a small coastal town in the Riau regency of Indragiri Hilir, has drawn a lot of attention from small-scale busin

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – A new initiative to boost prospects for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in eastern Indonesia has been launched by the International Finance Corporation (IFC),

Jakarta – The number of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia in 2002 is estimated at only 20 percent of its target figure of 4.3 million to 5.4 million, the country's top tourism offic