Indonesia Advisory

1. Bakmi Udin, Jl. Besuki, deket SD Besuki, Menteng
2. Bakso / Mie Bakso Jl. Tanjung
3. Mie Ayam Gang Kelinci: katanya sih yang enak di Gang Kelinci Ps. Baru
4. Bakmi Ps. Cikini
5. Bakso Komplek IKJ, deket Bioskop 21:tongkrongannya anak-anak IKJ
6. Bakso / Siomay LIA Pramuka
7. Bakso Matraman, di Jl. Matraman Raya, sebelahnya SD Marsudirini: Es Durennya
8. Mie deket gereja, depan PARKIT, Sabang
9. Bakmi Tropik, Ambassador Mall, Jl. Casablanca
10. Baso Lapangan Tembak, Senayan
11. Mie Ayam Buncit, di Jl. Warung Buncit
12. Mie Engkoh, depan Komp. Pertanian Ps. Minggu
13. Bakso Titoti, dari Pancoran kira2 400m dari Goro sebelah kiri jalan
14. Bakmi Boy, Ps. Mayestik, Jl. Cikajang
15. Bakso Bola Tenis, dekat Lapangan Blok S (malam)
16. Bakso/Siomay Blok S, depannya RS Kebayoran
17. Bakmi Pangsit depan RSB Asih, Melawai (BARU)
18. Bakmi Permata, Permata Hijau, dekat Tops Supermarket
19. Cwie Mie Malang (HCM) di Arteri Simatupang
20. Baso Tirta Marta Pondok Indah, depannya Sekolah Tirta Marta
21. Mie Yamin Tri-M Pondok Indah, pdi pertokoan dekat Ora et Labora PI
22. Bakmi Villa, belakang Villa Cinere Mas, Jl.Karang Tengah, Cinere
23. mie ceker bandung JL. Sambas

Middle-aged Vietnamese women have replaced their Chinese counterparts
in offering sex to elderly men and retirees along Chinatown.

In recent times, the women from China have become a rare sight after
various raids and tough action against them. However, Vietnamese women
who look to be in their mid-to-late-40s have filled the gap.

These women, believed to be on social visit passes, scour the area
around Chinatown MRT station, stopping now and then to talk to elderly
men and retirees sitting around the area, reported The New Paper.

A hawker, who declined to be named, said, "These women are not so
young, so they openly target the retirees because maybe they are the
ones who are willing to pay."

Shin Min Daily News quoted a man saying, "She (a Vietnamese woman)
started chatting with me, then pulled me to a corner and asked me if I
was interested (in sex).

"She was bold and even quoted me her price," he added.

The women, however, dress discreetly in blouses and jeans instead of
revealing outfits to avoid unnecessary attention.

Another hawker, Tan, said, "They are here at all hours of the day,
chatting up the older men who hang around here and, if they are
willing, offer sexual services.

"Before, we had China girls here… now it looks like these Vietnamese
women are taking over.

"I think it's not good for the image of the place."

Another man, who runs a food stall at People's Park Centre, told TNP,
"I've noticed quite a few Vietnamese women hanging around during the
day time and even in the evening these last few months.

"They will sit around and chat up the men who congregate here."

According to one man, the going rates for these prostitutes average
S$100 per hour.

Another man said that the prostitutes are actually from the back lanes
of Geylang, where it is now over-populated by women from China,
Indonesia and Vietnam, all vying for the same customers. Thus, they
have to resort to operating in the open of Chinatown for money.

"They know it's dangerous and the risk of being arrested is high
because they're operating in the open, but in the end, it's all about
the money," he said.

Many prostitutes have moved away from Geylang in recent years, to
neighbourhoods such as Joo Chiat, Haig Road and Tanjong Katong.

In 2009, a total of 7,614 foreign women were arrested for suspected
vice-related activities, up from 5,047 the previous year

Source: Yahoo.com

San Diego-based Sempra Energy will buy 3.7 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) worth $1.1 billion annually from Tangguh project in Papua, Bisnis Indonesia reported.

Sempra will import LNG for supply to the US and Mexican market, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said in Mexico over the weekend.

The first shipment will be made in the second half of 2009 to Costa Azul in California, Yusgiantoro said after accompanying President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a meeting with Sempra management in Mexico.

Last week, state oil and gas regulator BP Migas deputy chief Djoko Harsono said the Tangguh LNG project will be delayed until the second quarter of next year.

"It will come on stream in the second quarter of next year," Harsono told reporters on the sidelines of a gas conference, without giving a reason for the delay.

In Mexico, President Yudhoyono also met with a consortium of local companies proposing to take part in the construction of LNG receiving terminals in Banten and Gresik in Java.
A consortium of state companies - Pertamina, Perusahaan Gas Negara and PLN plan to build the LNG terminals to facilitate gas distribution in Java.

The finance ministry's head of fiscal policy, Anggito Abimanyu, said Monday the government may entirely stop subsidizing fuel prices next year by adjusting subsidized prices to market prices, but up to a certain limit, The Jakarta Post reported.

"In the future, we expect (subsidized fuels) to follow (the market prices) automatically up to certain ceilings," Abimanyu, told reporters, adding the government would start subsidizing fuels if the prices surpassed these limits.

Abimanyu said if the government could cut the subsidy for premium gasoline and diesel, then it could shift its focus to subsidizing kerosene, which was more important for supporting the living costs of low-income people.

He said the government could not cut the price of subsidized diesel as the current price was far below the market price.

The government early this month announced it would cut the price of subsidized premium gasoline by Rp500 per liter to Rp5,500 starting December 1 as this now reflected the market price.

It is likely the government may further cut fuel prices next year to include kerosene and diesel fuel as well.
The House of Representatives has suggested the government cap the subsidies for fuel at a certain amount, while leaving them fluctuating based on the market prices. Such an approach, the House said, would relieve the burden of the cost of the subsidies upon the government.

State power company, PT PLN, will push ahead with its plan to issue bonds in the local market later this year, despite the current financial market turmoil, president director Fahmi Mochtar said Tuesday, Dow Jones reported.

PLN, however, will halve the planned bond size to Rp1.5 trillion ($125 million), with Rp500 billion in shariah bonds (sukuk), Mochtar said.

The company originally planned to issue rupiah-denominated bonds worth Rp3 trillion and dollar-denominated bonds worth $1 billion (about Rp13 trillion) this year.

PLN has named PT Trimegah Securities, PT Indopremier Sekuritas and PT Danareksa Sekuritas as co-lead underwriters.

It will use the proceeds to help finance construction of several power plants in cooperation with various investors.

Analysts said PLN will likely target local institutional investors, such as state-owned pension funds, to sell the bond.

"I think there will still be buyers for the bond as PLN has a good track record in honoring its obligations to bond holders," a bond analyst with a local securities company said. But investors may ask for high yields, the analyst said.

PLN is seeking loans to finance its ongoing massive effort to complete a 10,000-MW power plant program to meet the increasing demand for electricity in the country.

About 6800 MW of this capacity is to be located in Java and Bali, provided by 10 new power plants, while the rest is located outside the Java-Bali system and will be generated by about 20 smaller power plants.

To complete the program, PLN needs $4.4 billion and Rp17.33 trillion to build power stations and $934 million and Rp13.15 trillion for transmission systems.

As of October, the company had secured $1.5 billion and Rp13 trillion from both local and foreign banks.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has called on national banks to provide financial support for the program.

"The electricity supply in the country only covers about 64% of the population. This means that there is still 36% of the population who do not yet enjoy electricity supply," Kadin chairman for energy and mineral resources affairs, Dito Ganinduto, said on Tuesday.

"Kadin is also proposing to the government to optimize the use of gas and coal, whose reserves are still large, as fuel for power generators," he said.
Investment in the energy and mineral resources sector in 2007 stood at Rp14.754 trillion, consisting of Rp10.08 trillion for oil and gas, Rp3.32 trillion for electricity and Rp1.35 trillion for coal and geothermal. Total 2008 investment is estimated at $21.7 billion.

The Royal Bank, the oldest financial institution in the Netherlands, said it intends to enter the Indonesian market after observing high banking market growth in the retail and commercial sectors, Antara reported on Thursday.

Head of global banking and markets for Southeast Asia and Pakistan, Muhammad Aurangzeb, said the Royal Bank would have many opportunities in the Indonesian market. "We hope to offer a superior joint product to our clients," he said.

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) meanwhile this week launched a re-branding of ABN AMRO branches following its takeover of the Dutch bank.

The launching of the RBS brand in Indonesia is part of an integration process for ABN-AMRO's wholesale, retail and commercial businesses as part of a consortium acquisition led by RBS of the Dutch bank at the end of 2007.
"RBS will also inherit an advanced wealth management and consumer finance network run by ABN-AMRO. With the integration RBS will have Indonesia's widest branch offices, with 20 branch offices in 10 different cities," RBS Asia retail and commercial market CEO Jim Brown said.

Publicly listed agribusiness company PT Sampoerna Agro said it is set to expand cultivation of its oil palm plantations to 15,000 hectares this year, Antara reported on Friday.

Sampoerna Agro finance director, Sie Eddy Kurniawan, said by September this year cultivation covered only 9,000 hectares of its 112,499 hectares of lands in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The company reported sales valued at Rp1.85 trillion in the first nine months of this year or up 117.1% with net profit up 399% to Rp399.53 billion, according to Bisnis Indonesia.

Earlier, Sampoerna Agro reported to the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) that it has bought back its stocks from the public, Tempo Interactive reported.

In a written report to the IDX, Sampoerna said it bought back 66.98 million of its shares from November 10 to 14 at a cost of Rp70.17 billion.

The company announced in October that it would prepare Rp475 billion for the buy-back, leaving a surplus of Rp404.83 billion.

It also operates four palm oil processing plants in Sumatra and one in Kalimantan.
In September, the company reported 117.1% rise in sales to Rp1.85 trillion so far for 2008 with net profit soaring 400% to Rp80.06 billion.

Coffee bean exports from Indonesia's main growing area of Sumatra nearly doubled in the first 10 months of 2008 supported by bumper harvests, but overseas sales are likely to slow until the end of the year as the main harvest has ended, Reuters reported.

Sumatran coffee bean exports for the January-October period surged to 259,770.67 tons, up 90.23% from 136,556.06 tons a year ago, trade data showed on Monday.

Exports in October rose to 21,798.78 tons from 18,669.01 tons in the same period last year.

The main robusta harvest in Sumatra normally starts from March and peaks in August. Robusta accounts for 85% of Indonesia's coffee bean output, while aromatic, higher-value arabica makes up the rest.

"October exports fell about 52% from 45,760.28 tons in September due to the Idul Fitri holidays," Suherman Harsono, chairman of the Lampung chapter of the Indonesia Coffee Exporters' Association, said.
Lampung, South Sumatra and Bengkulu provinces are Indonesia's main coffee-growing areas and account for three-quarters of the country's coffee bean output. The beans are sold via Panjang port in Lampung.

Schoolchildren may have to start their days earlier next year, with the city administration considering rearranging school and office hours to reduce traffic congestion, reported The Jakarta Post.

A new regulation could see schoolchildren commence classes at 6:30 AM. Most schools in Jakarta now start classes at 7:00 AM.

Under the scheme, private offices’ working hours would be determined by zones. Offices located in North and Central Jakarta would start at 7:30 AM, those in West and East Jakarta at 8 AM, and those in South Jakarta at 9 AM.

Working hours for civil servants would remain unchanged at 7:30 AM.

Deputy Governor Prijanto said Friday the proposed regulation is aimed at reducing traffic snarls, cutting fuel consumption and travel times and at the same time “improving quality of life”.

“I will propose the regulation to the governor. If he agrees, the regulation for schoolchildren will take effect on January 1, 2009. As for the offices, we will ask for their cooperation,” he said.

Edie Toet Hendratno, chairman of the Jakarta Transportation Council, said he supported the policy, provided the city administration took precautions to ensure its enforcement.

“The administration should publicize the policy to schoolchildren and office workers at least a month beforehand,” he said.

To reduce congestion, Hendratno said, the administration must monitor schools in elite areas where students often drive their own cars to school.

“The administration should also improve transportation for schoolchildren and get school buses up and running again,” he said.