VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian state-owned department store Sarinah has launched an online store platform, sarinahonline.co.id, in a bid to cope with stiff competition posed by rapidly growing e-commerce businesses. Sarinah president director GNP Sugiarta Yasa said the new platform would focus on selling Indonesia’s signature products, such as handicrafts, food and beverages, as well as textile. Sugiarta Yasa recently told the press in Jakarta that Sarinah is cooperating with numerous small and medium enterprises [SMEs] produce goods which already sell in its offline stores, right now. He added, the SMEs other than its current suppliers would also soon be able to market their items on the website after its launch that is slated in February. Prior to having its own online store, Sarinah has been selling its products online via several websites. Meanwhile, retail director Lies Permana Lestari said, as of December, 20, 2017 percent of the company’s revenue came from online sales.  As for 2018, Sarinah has set a humble target of Rp1 billion online sales, because as a new player in the e-commerce business//  JP 

The Indonesian government is pushing private companies and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to issue more bonds this year, to finance infrastructure projects in a bid to reduce the use of state budget (APBN). SOE Minister Rini Soemarno predicts that more bonds will be issued this year. Aside from bonds, the government also expects continued effort to finance the projects through securities and loan syndications. She recently said in Jakarta, as for projects that are commercially available, SOEs and private companies will seek fund from loan syndication and bond issue. At the end of 2017, state-owned PT Hutama Karya secured Rp8.06 trillion loans from seven banks and PT Kereta Api Indonesia received Rp19.2 trillion loans. In view of PT Jasa Marga’s successful issue of global bond Komodo Bond, Rini said that she is now readying other SOEs to follow suit. However, she could yet specify project the value of bond issue//Tempo 

 

The number of visits by Japanese and British tourists to Bali have increased significantly in the first 10 months of the year. The number of visits by Japanese tourists rose 12.27 percent and visits by holiday makers from Britain increased 15.39 percent, head of the provincial office of the Central Bureau of Statistics I Gede Nyoman Subadri said in Denpasar on Saturday.  There were almost  225,000 Japanese spending their holidays in Bali during the January-October period in 2017. The number was 12.27 percent larger than  in the same period last year.  Japanese tourists were the third largest in number of visits to Bali after China and Australia.  I Gede Nyoman Subadri said further, the number of visits by British holiday makers to Bali rose 15.39 percent in the first 10 months of 2017 compared from the same period last year.  British tourists were the 5th largest in number of visits to Bali after China, Australia, Japan and India. Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika has invited 33 foreign consulate generals to a meeting to convince them that the high volcano is too far in the regency of Karangasem to cause any concern for visitors to tourist objects on the island.   In addition, the governor said precautionary measures have been taken in the event of big eruption////Antara