[Kabar-indonesia] ST: Yudhoyono arrives tomorrow for working visit

[Joyo at aol.com]

also: SBY woos M'sian investors to put money in biofuel

The Straits Times (Singapore)
Saturday, August 5, 2006

Yudhoyono arrives tomorrow for working visit

INDONESIAN President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrives
tomorrow for a working visit, during which he will
hold talks with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Dr Yudhoyono, accompanied by his wife Ani and a
ministerial delegation, will travel here from Kuala
Lumpur, where he attended a meeting of the
Organisation of the Islamic Conference that was called
to address the Middle East crisis.

While here tomorrow, he will hold talks with Minister
Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and be hosted to dinner by PM Lee.

Earlier in the day, he will attend a lunch with
Singapore businessmen.

A statement from Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry
yesterday said his delegation would include Economic
Coordinating Minister Boediono, Foreign Affairs
Minister Hassan Wirajuda, and Coordinating Minister
for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo A.S.

Also with him will be Energy and Mineral Resources
Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro; Industry Minister Fahmi
Idris; Trade Minister Mari Pangestu; Manpower and
Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno; State Minister
for Youth and Sports Affairs Adhyaksa Dault; State
Minister for State-Owned Enterprises Sugiharto and
Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi.

Dr Yudhoyono, who last met PM Lee in June, when both
were in Batam to witness the signing of an agreement 
for cooperation in special economic zones, leaves for 
home on Monday.

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The Jakarta Post 
Saturday, August 5, 2006

SBY woos M'sian investors to put money in biofuel

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Kuala Lumpur

As part of the government's efforts to ensure the establishment of a number 
of biofuel plants before 2009, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held meetings 
on Friday with executives of several of Malaysia's top energy companies to 
encourage them to invest in Indonesia.

Top executives from Genting Plantation and Bio-diesel; Sime Darby Berhad; 
Khazanah Finance, Telecommunications and Infrastructure; and Petronas took turns 
meeting with Susilo prior to a roundtable discussion organized by the Kuala 
Lumpur Business Club (KLBC), an influential Malaysian business lobby group.

Speaking after one meeting, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo 
Yusgiantoro said that among the incentives that would be offered were that 
state-owned oil firm Pertamina and state electricity utility PLN would be designated 
to act as stand-by buyers of the biofuel.

Purnomo also said that a committee would soon draw up regulations to ease the 
way for foreign companies to invest in the bio-energy sector.

"We hope that all the necessary regulations will be ready by 2008 and that we 
can start production in 2009," Purnomo told reporters.

Industry Minister Fahmi Idris said separately that among the new regulations 
to be introduced would be ones concerning corporate income tax and land, areas 
that to date had served to discourage investment in the biofuel sector.

"We will designate the biofuel sector as a strategic and labor-intensive 
industry that merits special treatment," Fahmi told reporters.

The government wants biofuel to supply 10 percent of the country's energy 
needs by 2009, thus reducing the budgetary burden arising from the current 
fuel-subsidy scheme.

Indonesia's annual consumption of oil-based fuels currently stands at 40 
million kiloliters.

Purnomo said that one company that had agreed to set up a bio-diesel plant in 
Indonesia was Genting Berhad, also known as a leading player in the Malaysian 
hospitality and leisure industry.

"Genting has agreed to invest in a project covering 1 million hectares. We 
don't yet know exactly where it will be apart from the fact that it will 
definitely be outside Java," Purnomo said.

The chairman of Genting's bio-diesel division, Lim Kok Thay, said that his 
firm would soon establish bio-diesel plants in Indonesia.

"We are hoping that we can cross the bridge. I told the President that I 
would jump on the next plane to invest there," Lim said.

He said that Genting was no stranger to the bio-diesel business. "We have 
been investing in the field while keeping a low profile. We are, in fact, 
Malaysia's leading bio-diesel firm," he said.

Lim nevertheless sounded a note of caution. "The President invited us to get 
involved in what is termed the "green energy" industry, but we have to be 
careful in terms of what bio-diesel actually means," he said.

Speaking during a roundtable discussion with the KLBC, Susilo said that 
encouraging biofuel use was part of the government's strategy for strengthening 
energy security in Indonesia. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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