VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Swiss train manufacturing company Stadler Rail sealed an investment agreement with Indonesian train manufacturing company PT INKA in the form of a joint venture to establish a train factory in Banyuwangi, East Java.

The agreement was inked by Stadler Rail Executive Chairman Peter Spuhler and President Director of PT INKA Budi Noviantoro. It was witnessed by Indonesia's State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Rini Soemarno and Indonesian Ambassador to Switzerland Muliaman D. Hadad.

The agreement was signed at the Stadler Rail headquarters in Bussnang, Switzerland, according to a written statement issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Bern and received in London on Saturday.

Minister Soemarno stated that the investment will strongly support the development of transportation facilities in Indonesia, taking into account the fact that number of train passengers in the country continues to rise annually.

Ambassador Hadad remarked that in addition to obtaining investment and technology transfer from Switzerland as well as meeting the needs of more trains in Indonesia, the products of the joint venture company also hold potential to be exported to other nations in the Asia region.

The total investment is valued to reach US$100 million to be channeled to produce 125 train carriages annually, and the production will be increased to one thousand carriages per year.

Indonesia's state railway company PT KAI will be the key buyer of train carriages produced by the joint venture company.

The train factory will be built in an area of 83 hectares in Banyuwangi City that has a seaport located as far as three kilometers from the factory, the work on which is expected to be completed in 2020.

Furthermore, in a bid to back human resource development to cater to the needs of this industrial workforce, Stadler Rail will also establish a railway vocational school in Indonesia.  (ANTARA)

Indonesia's men’s-doubles pair Fajar Alfian/Muhamad Rian Ardianto will compete at the semi final round of the 2019 China Open, following a victory over Japan's fourth best pair, Takeshi Kamura/Keigo Sonoda, on a straight set game.

The Indonesian pair, according to the official website of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) bwfbadminton.com, finished the game at 39 minutes with scores 23-21, 22-20.

However, Alfian/Ardianto still await their next opponents in the semi final, but there was a chance the pair would compete against other Indonesian top men-double players Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, who are more popular and nicknamed "The Minions".

Sukamuljo and Gideon are to compete against Malaysia's men-doubles Goh V Shem/Tan We Kiong at the quarter final. Apart from Sukamuljo and Gideon, another senior athlete from Indonesia's men’s-doubles, Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan, will also play against Japan's fifth best men-doubles pair, Hiroyuki Endo/Yuta Watanabe at the 2019 China Open quarter final.

Indonesia won trophies in the men-doubles category in the China Open badminton tournament in 1992, 1993, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2005, 2016, and 2017. (ANTARA)

The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) is teaming up with the Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (KIND) to increase South Korean investment in the development of infrastructure in Indonesia.

BKPM Deputy for Investment Planning Ikmal Lukman and KIND Executive Vice President Han Kyu Lim signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of infrastructure cooperation and urban development on the sidelines of the 'Business Forum: Invest Indonesia' in Seoul, Friday. The signing of the MoU will hopefully strengthen the longstanding cooperation and relations between the two countries, thereby facilitating the inflow of South Korean investment into Indonesia particularly in the field of infrastructure, BKPM Chief Thomas Lembong said in a written statement released Friday.

"Of course, the MoU will benefit the two sides. We can exchange information with KIND, such as a list of potential projects and investment opportunities in the field of infrastructure and urban development," he said.

Also present at the signing of the MoU were Indonesian Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea Umar Hadi and Chairman of Korea-Indonesia Economic Cooperation Committee under the Korea Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Yoon Chun-sung.

The scope of the cooperation depends on the MoU and covers the exchange of general information open to the public, and the promotion and facilitation of infrastructure/urban development projects in Indonesia, Lukman said.

"For the exchange of information, BKPM can provide not only a list of projects and investment opportunities in Indonesia but also ask investors to show recommendations from KIND and facilitate a feasibility study for the projects," he said.

KIND is exploring 48 projects in Asia, including 15 in Indonesia. They are found in Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi and Kalimantan Islands.

Among the sectors that attract KIND are transportation, environment, logistics, power plant, urban development and water management installations.

Indonesia is one of the most important markets in the world particularly for South Korean construction companies, Han Kyu Lim said. (ANTARA)