Over the past two days more than 900 migrants (believed to be Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladesh) have been rescued from overcrowded wooden boats near the coastal area of Indonesia’s Aceh province at the northern tip of Sumatra. After being spotted by local fishermen, these boats were towed to Acehnese shore. Meanwhile, in Malaysia more than 1,000 migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh were found in shallow waters near Langkawi after being abandoned by human traffickers.

Read more ›

Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said that Indonesia's preparations for the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in late 2015 are currently for 78 percent completed. The AEC aims to enhance regional economic integration among the ASEAN member states. It will transform the ASEAN region into one with free movement of goods, services, investment, and skilled labour, as well as a freer flow of capital. Most important is to develop Indonesia's infrastructure in order to foster connectivity, thus reducing logistics costs.

Read more ›

Indonesia Investments added a preliminary company profile of Timah (TINS), an Indonesian manufacturer and exporter of tin. The company, a state-controlled enterprise (SOE), has an integrated tin mining business ranging from exploration, mining, processing to marketing. The company is one of the largest integrated tin mining companies in the world and accounts for eight percent of total global tin production. Recently, the company has been eager to expand to Myanmar in order to increase production volumes.

Read more ›

State-controlled cement producer Semen Indonesia is eager to expand its business outside of Indonesia. After acquiring a - USD $157 million worth - 70 percent stake in Vietnam's Thang Long Cement last year, it is now eyeing to take over a cement factory in Myanmar. Semen Indonesia has set aside USD $200 million for the acquisition, which it plans to conduct next year. Which Myanmar-based cement company will become target of the acquisition is still under evaluation.

Read more ›

Although the International Monetary Fund (IMF) retains its positive outlook regarding Asia's economic growth for the foreseeable future, the institution warns that the enormous influx of foreign capital in recent years can result in a new bubble due to excessive growth in lending and property prices. Despite these concerns, the IMF expects Asia to grow 5.75 percent in 2013 and calls Asia the leader of global economic recovery, followed by the US and, lastly, Europe.

Read more ›

Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), Indonesia's largest telecommunication and network provider, is seeking to tap the lucrative mobile phone market in Myanmar, where the mobile penetration rate currently stands at five percent only. The company joined a tender through which it aims to obtain a mobile operator license from the Myanmar government. However, Myanmar prefers companies that already have a large international customer-base.

Read more ›