The Today's Headlines section of Indonesia Investments is a regularly updated section which contains the latest information with regard to topics that are currently causing headlines in Indonesia's media. Most of our headlines cover political, economic and social matters. As a consequence of their recent nature, these topics may not have crystallized fully yet and can, therefore, lack a profound analysis. For publications with a more in-depth understanding of subjects, we refer you to our News, Financial or Business columns.
Thomas Lembong, Head of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), said he wants Indonesia to tap the momentum of the recent "One Belt, One Road" summit in Beijing (China), organized earlier this month, by promoting three Indonesian provinces to foreign investors as a great investment destination. These three provinces are North Sumatra, North Kalimantan, and North Sulawesi.
Hariyadi Sukamdani, Chairman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), said investors continue to complain about the difficulty of obtaining all necessary investment permits in the regions of Indonesia even though, generally, there has been an improvement in the degree of bureaucracy under the Joko Widodo administration.
After the suicide bomb attack in Manchester (United Kingdom) and the firefight between Philippine military forces and local Islamic State (IS)-inspired Maute fighters in Mindanao earlier this week, Indonesia also became the center of a new radical Islamic attack when - on Wednesday evening (24/05) - two suicide bombers struck at the Kampung Melayu bus station in East Jakarta, killing three police officers and injuring about a dozen others. Including the two terrorist, it led to five casualties. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.
For the first time a product from Indonesia obtained the Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) status from the European Union (EU). The product is "Kopi Arabika Gayo", a coffee made from the high-quality arabica beans and is cultivated in the Gayo highlands of Indonesia's province of Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra. This special status means the product will benefit from the same protection and market added-value compared to EU protected products.
