• Indonesia's Palm Oil Moratorium Includes Existing Concessions

    Several days ago we reported that Indonesia plans to issue a five-year moratorium on new palm oil plantation concessions in August 2016 through a presidential regulation. This moratorium aims to safeguard a healthy and sustainable environment and may also aim at reducing global criticism on Indonesia's weak governance after the devastating forest fires on Kalimantan and Sumatra as well as the spread of toxic haze to other parts of Southeast Asia between June and October 2015. A government official now says the moratorium also covers existing concessions.

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  • Indonesia's June Car Sales Rise 11.4% to 91,471 Vehicles

    Car sales in Indonesia grew 11.4 percent (y/y) to 91,471 units in June 2016. Henry Tanoto, Vice President Director of Toyota Astra Motor (TAM), said the increase in car sales is supported by people's eagerness to purchase a car ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday (4 - 8 July 2016). A portion of the population buys a (new) car before going on "mudik" (a term that refers to the traditional journey made by city dwellers back to their places of origin to spend a couple of days with their families during the Idul Fitri holiday, the holiday that marks the end of the Islamic fasting month).

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  • Radical Islam in Indonesia: Most Wanted Terrorist Killed by Police?

    Indonesian Police killed two Islamic militants during a shootout in a the jungle on Indonesia's Sulawesi island on Monday evening (18/07). Reportedly - but not confirmed yet by authorities - one of these militants is Indonesia's most wanted Islamic militant Abu "Santoso" Wardah, an Islamic State supporter and leader of the East Indonesia Mujahidin terrorist cells. This group's "headquarters" are believed to be located in the jungle surrounding Poso (Central Sulawesi).

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  • Poverty in Indonesia: 10.86% of Indonesians is Poor (March 2016)

    According to the latest data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) there were 28.01 million Indonesians living below the poverty line in March 2016, or 10.86 percent of the total Indonesian population. This is an improvement from September 2015 when Indonesia's poverty figure stood at 11.13 percent, or 28.51 million in absolute terms. Indonesia's central statistics agency releases the nation's poverty figures twice per year, covering the months March and September.

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