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    • SingCham is the premier business chamber for Singaporean interests in Indonesia. Founded in 2006, SingCham aims to promote the business interests of individuals or companies operating in Singapore and/or Indonesia. SingCham provides networking activities, events, and useful information for its members, and acts as the liaison between the Singaporean business community and the Singapore and Indonesian governments. With a focus on fostering better networking and feedback among members, SingCham is committed to providing valuable resources and insights to help members connect, learn, and grow their businesses in Indonesia. Join SingCham today and become part of a thriving business community that benefits from exclusive resources, networking opportunities, and business insights.

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    31Jul, 2018
    PLN signs deal to expand electricity in two provinces in Papua

    State-owned electricity company PLN has signed a cooperation agreement with a number of institutions to improve the electricity system through the “Papua Terang” program in Papua and West Papua provinces.

    The institutions are the Indonesian Military and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan) as well as five higher educational institutions – the University of Indonesia, Bandung Institute of Technology, Gajah Mada University, the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology and Cenderawasih University.

    “With the cooperation agreement signed last Friday, PLN aims to provide electricity to 99 percent of villages in the two provinces in 2019,” PLN says in a statement at pln.co.id, adding that to date, PLN had electrified 30.39 percent out of the 4,535 villages in the two provinces.

    The statement says the company plans to electrify 1,200 more villages this year.

    After the signing ceremony, PLN also deployed 500 members of an expedition team under the name of “Ekspedisi Papua Terang.” The team members consisted of student volunteers, PLN, the Indonesian Military and Lapan.

    (read more: The Jakarta Post)

    29Jul, 2018
    Asian Games: North Korean athletes arrive in South for joint training

    North Korean athletes arrived in the South on Sunday (Jul 29) for joint training ahead of the Asian Games next month, the latest effort at rare cross-border sports diplomacy.

    The two Koreas agreed last month to field joint teams in three sports – canoeing, rowing and women’s basketball – at the Asian Games  in Jakarta and Palembang from Aug 18 to Sep 2.

    Dressed in matching light blue outfits, the delegation of 34 athletes and coaches landed at Incheon International Airport via Beijing.

    Their exact schedules have yet to be determined but the North Koreans are expected to begin training with their South Korean teammates next week.

    It is the first time North and South Korea have formed unified teams to compete at the Asian Games.

    The two countries – which are technically still at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice instead of a peace treaty – will also march together at the opening and closing ceremonies in Indonesia.

    The move follows an agreement between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the South’s president Moon Jae-in at their summit in April.

    Sporting cooperation helped spark the current diplomatic thaw between the two Koreas after the North sent a high-level delegation and athletes to the Winter Olympics held in the South in February.

    Diplomatic efforts have gathered pace since then, leading to a landmark summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June.

    Indonesia president Joko Widodo formally invited the Korean leaders to the Asian Games, although it is unclear if either has responded.

    The two Koreas formed their first-ever unified Olympic team – a joint women’s ice hockey squad – for February’s games in the South Korean resort of Pyeongchang.

    The idea for a joint team initially sparked a backlash in the South on the grounds that Seoul was depriving its own athletes of the chance to compete.

    Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/asian-games-north-korean-athletes-arrive-in-south-for-joint-10572768

    (Read more: Channel News Asia)

    29Jul, 2018
    10 die in Lombok earthquake, Mt. Rinjani closed to hikers

    A 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Lombok and Sumbawa islands on Sunday at 6:47 a.m. local time, killing at least 10, including a Malaysian.

    The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported that as of 10:20 a.m. local time, the islands had experienced 66 aftershocks.

    “We did not detect any potential for a tsunami but the earthquake lasted quite a while in all regencies and municipalities in West Nusa Tenggara province, spreading panic among the people,” BMKG Mataram head Agus Riyanto said Sunday.

    Agus said the earthquake was also felt in neighboring Bali.

    The earthquake was a result of the Flores back arc thrust, he went on.

    The agency said in a press statement that as of 10:45 a.m. local time, 10 people had died, while 40 were injured. Dozens of buildings have been damaged.

    In East Lombok, the agency recorded eight fatalities, 10 severely injured and 10 having sustained minor injuries. The eight included Isma Wida, 30, a Malaysian.

    North Lombok recorded two deaths and 13 injured.

    The BMKG received a report that the quake had caused a landslide on Mount Rinjani, resulting in the closure of Rinjani’s hiking path.

     

    (Read More: The Jakarta Post)

    27Jul, 2018
    Grab defends position in Uber deal to Singapore’s anti-monopoly watchdog

    Grab said on Friday (Jul 27) it disagreed with the Singapore anti-monopoly watchdog’s assessment that its takeover of Uber’s operations had harmed competition and called the commission’s suggested measure of removing exclusivity arrangements with drivers “one-sided”.

    Earlier this year, Uber sold its Southeast Asian business to bigger regional rival Grab in exchange for a stake in the Singapore-based firm. But the deal has prompted regulatory scrutiny.

    In early July, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) provisionally found that the merger had substantially reduced competition and suggested various remedies, such as the sale of their car-leasing businesses and removing exclusivity obligations on drivers who use Grab’s ride-hailing platform.

    The CCCS is set to make a decision after Grab submitted its representation this week, and also taking into account public feedback. It has proposed fines on the firms.

    (Read More: Channel News Asia)

     

    27Jul, 2018
    Online ‘ojek’ drivers to protest during Asian Games opening

    Drivers of app-based ride-hailing services are threatening to stage a protest during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games.

    Two-Wheel Action Movement (Garda) leader Igun Wicaksono said the ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers demanded an increase in the fare from Rp 1,200 (83 US cents) per kilometer to Rp 3,000, like when online ojek started to operate in the country in 2015.

    Igun explained that the rally, dubbed Aksi 188 Ojek Online (online ojek action 188) in reference to the date of the Games’ opening, had been scheduled for Aug. 18 because one of the ride-hailing app companies was a main sponsor of the Asian Games.

    “The app company is a sponsor for the Asian Games by extorting the drivers’ blood and tears,” he said, as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.

    Igun said 20 percent was deducted from every transaction made by the drivers for various expenses, including income tax. However, the drivers were never shown any proof of the tax payment.

    Igun said that was why the drivers alleged that the company was sponsored the Asian Games using the deducted funds.

    (Source: The Jakarta Post)

    27Jul, 2018
    Government calls on export heavyweights to help bolster rupiah

    The government has asked major exporters to park their export revenue in Indonesia and convert it into rupiah to help bolster the currency’s exchange rate.

    President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo made the call during his meeting with 40 top Indonesian exporters on Thursday at Bogor Palace in West Java. Also present at the meeting were Indonesia’s richest man, Robert Budi Hartono, Adaro Energy president director Garibaldi “Boy” Thohir and GarudaFood Group chairman Sudhamek Agoeng Waspodo Soenjoto.

    Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the meeting was held to gather input from the businessmen on managing the prolonged global uncertainty. The government also asked how to channel export revenue to Indonesia.

    “We conveyed to them what we, the government, could do to [persuade] the businessmen to bring their export revenue [back] to Indonesia,” she said after the meeting.

    Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani said only 85 percent of export revenue returned to Indonesia, while the remaining 15 percent was parked overseas.

    (Read more: The Jakarta Post)

    27Jul, 2018
    Facebook had the worst day in stock market history

    Shares plunged 19% on Thursday after executives warned that revenue growth would slow as the company focuses on user privacy.

    The sell-off vaporized about $119 billion in market value — the biggest single-day loss for any public company in history, according to Thomson Reuters.

    For founder Mark Zuckerberg, the loss came to almost $16 billion, according to Forbes, which tracks billionaire wealth in real time. That dropped him from fourth to sixth on the list of richest people in the world.

    Facebook (FB) Chief Financial Officer David Wehner said on a conference call with investors that Facebook is “putting privacy first” after the Cambridge Analytica scandal triggered a wave of horrible press, customer angst and regulatory scrutiny around the world.

    (Read More: CNN International)

    26Jul, 2018
    ‘Firework device’ explodes outside US Embassy in China, slightly wounding suspect

    A suspected “firework device” exploded outside the US Embassy in Beijing on Thursday (Jul 26) wounding a 26-year-old male suspect and no one else, police said.

    The embassy, in a separate statement, described the device as a bomb. It said police had responded but did not offer further details. Police also said that the suspect was the only one wounded, suffering an injury to his hand.

    (Read more: Channel News Asia)

    26Jul, 2018
    Indonesia’s fashion startups into Singapore market

    The Indonesian Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) in cooperation with the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore has opened a temporary pop-up store for Indonesian fashion startups to showcase their products in Singapore.

    At least 14 selected local brands, ranging from ready-to-wear clothing, watches and socks, will be taking part in the event running at Paragon Mall in the city-state from Aug. 1 to 30.

    Bekraf marketing division deputy head Joshua Puji Mulia Simanjuntak said Singapore was a prospective hub to reach the global market, especially the ASEAN market.

    “Singapore is an important market for Indonesian creative industries, particularly fashion,” Joshua told reporters on Wednesday. 

    “Singapore has also always been on our [list of] top-10 destinations for creative industry exports,”  he added.

    Meanwhile, Bekraf deputy head Ricky Joseph Pesik said Indonesia’s fashion industry had big potential to penetrate the global market thanks to its stellar growth.

    In 2016, the country’s exports from creative economy reached US$20 billion, in which the fashion industry contributed 54.54 percent of the exports.

    (Source: The Jakarta Post)

    25Jul, 2018
    The founder of Traveloka became a trillionaire at the age of 30 years

    He is currently only 30 years old, but has entered the list of 150 richest people in Indonesia Globe Asia magazine version. He is the founder of Traveloka, Ferry Unardi.

    Globe Asia said the wealth of Ferry is currently in the range of USD 145 million and is in position 146. About Rp 2 trillion if converted.

    The idea of ​​establishing Traveloka itself came from Ferry’s personal experience. Several years ago, to find a plane ticket can be quite difficult. Ferry who is working overseas wants to go back to Padang.

    “To get an airline ticket that fits the budget, I have to open several sites to compare prices,” he recalled. From that experience, he believes many people have similar difficulties in finding airline tickets.

    Finally, along with two other colleagues, Ferry decided to return to Indonesia and build Traveloka, the airline’s online flight search platform that compares the airline range in one place. Thus, consumers do not have to bother to open some airline sites to get cheap airline tickets.

    In 2012, Traveloka was born from personal savings of working overseas. In order to increase business growth, a few months later Traveloka successfully took East Venture. Over the course of a year, Traveloka received A Series funding from Global Founder Capital that once invested in Facebook and LinkedIn.

    Thanks to the funding, Traveloka has enough resources to build the best products. “This is evidenced at the beginning of Traveloka stand already has thousands of airline ticket searches that reach 200 cities,” said Ferry who was born this Padang.

    By 2015, Traveloka app has been downloaded up to 6 million times. In 2016, they expanded business in six countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

    This makes Traveloka the first internet company from Indonesia to expand its business in Southeast Asia.

    Traveloka has established cooperation with hundreds of thousands of hotels in various parts of the world.