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He warned that contaminated medicines could still be found for several years, because adulterated barrels of an essential ingredient may remain in warehouses. Cough syrups and the ingredient, propylene glycol, both have shelf-lives of around two years. Unscrupulous actors sometimes substitute propylene glycol with toxic alternatives, ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, because they are cheaper, several pharmaceutical manufacturing experts told Reuters. The WHO said it has also offered help to Liberia and Cameroon – which recently signalled that it too may have contaminated cough syrups for sale. The contaminated syrups in Liberia were made by India's Synercare Mumbai, according to the Nigerian regulator.

Persons: Rutendo Kuwana, Kuwana, –, syrups, Naresh Kumar Goyal, QP Pharmachem, India's Synercare, Synercare, It's, Jennifer Rigby, Krishna N.Das, Edward McAllister, Stanley Widianto, Sumit Khanna, Sophie Yu, Sara Ledwith, Michele Gershberg Organizations: World Health Organization, WHO, Reuters, Pharmaceutical, Marshall, Indonesian, –, PT Universal Pharmaceutical Industries, AFI, Pharmaceuticals, Marion Biotech, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, Thomson Locations: LIBERIA, CAMEROON, Liberia, Nigeria, Gambia, Uzbekistan, Micronesia, Indonesian, – Timor Leste, Cambodia, Senegal, Philippines, Cameroon, syrups, Marshall Islands, India's Synercare Mumbai, Nigerian, Liberian, India, Panama, Delhi, Dakar, Jakarta, Ahmedabad, Beijing

Two sources with knowledge of Sunday's meeting told Reuters that Myanmar's junta-appointed foreign minister had been invited. Myanmar's military spokesman did not respond to phone calls on Friday night. ASEAN chair Indonesia has declined to attend the proposed meeting, according to three sources. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said the Thai foreign minister had shown "arrogance" by inviting his junta counterpart who other regional neighbours have shunned. Indonesia last month cited progress in its own behind-the-scenes efforts to engage multiple parties in Myanmar's conflict in a bid to advance a peace process agreed by ASEAN leaders and Myanmar's military in April 2021.

Persons: Don Pramudwinai, Nobel, Aung, hasn't, Myanmar's, Prayuth Chan, ocha, Don's, Don, Phil Robertson, Ananda Teresia, Devjyot Ghoshal, Kay Johnson, Stanley Widianto, Martin Petty, Devjyot, Angus MacSwan Organizations: ASEAN, of Southeast Asian Nations, Thailand's Foreign, Reuters, Myanmar's, Foreign Ministry, Human Rights, Party, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Thailand BANGKOK, Suu, Jakarta, Asia, Bangkok, Shoon

JAKARTA, June 15 (Reuters) - Short video app TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, said on Thursday it would invest billions of dollars in Southeast Asia over the next few years, as it doubles down on the region amid intensifying global scrutiny over its data security. Southeast Asia, a region with a collective population of 630 million - half of them under 30 - is one of TikTok's biggest markets in terms of user numbers. "We're going to invest billions of dollars in Indonesia and Southeast Asia over the next few years," TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said at a forum it organised in Jakarta to highlight the social and economic impact of the app in the region. Chew said TikTok has 8,000 employees in Southeast Asia, and 2 million small vendors selling their wares on its platform in Indonesia, the region's biggest economy. The app has not faced major bans on government devices in Southeast Asia, but it has been under scrutiny over its content.

Persons: China's ByteDance, Shou Zi Chew, Chew, TikTok, Stanley Widanto, Miyoung Kim, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed Organizations: HK, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Southeast Asia, Sea's, Indonesia, Jakarta, Beijing, Britain, New Zealand, Vietnam

Of the nine factions in parliament, eight have opposed changing the system, which they say would be regressive and undemocratic. "The possibility of an election delay is high if the ruling is a closed system," said Bivitri Susanti of Indonesia's Jentera school of law, adding the election commission would need time to implement the necessary changes. Fajar Laksono, the court spokesperson, confirmed a decision on the voting system was expected on Thursday. The court case and talk of an election delay has added fuel to persistent speculation that allies of Jokowi want him to stay in power longer, a scenario he has officially rejected. A higher court overruled that and Supreme Court has accepted the party's appeal.

Persons: Fajar Laksono, Joko Widodo, Jokowi, Jokowi's, Ananda Teresia, Stanley Widianto, Kate Lamb, Martin Petty Organizations: Democratic Party of Struggle Party, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA

☆ British consortium, Swiss Glencore, Indonesia's Aneka Tambang, to invest $9 bln in Indonesia EVs - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

JAKARTA, May 31 (Reuters) - A British consortium will invest for about $9 billion in Indonesia's electric vehicle batteries sector and mining, working with companies such as Glencore and state miner Aneka Tambang, Indonesia's investment minister told reporters on Wednesday. Reporting by Stanley WidiantoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aneka, Stanley Widianto Organizations: Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, British

☆ Indonesia communications minister arrested for graft
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, May 17 (Reuters) - Indonesian authorities on Wednesday arrested a senior cabinet minister on corruption charges in a case they said caused more than half a billion dollars in state losses. Johnny G. Plate is the fifth minister in President Joko Widodo's administrations to be charged with corruption. Johnny was arrested "as a user of the budget and as a minister", said AGO official Kuntadi, without detailing the minister's specific role. Another official Ketut Sumedana said the minister allegedly violated Indonesia's corruption law, which carries a maximum life sentence. According to global graft watchdog Transparency International, Indonesia dropped four points on its corruption perception index last year to 110 out of 180 countries.

☆ Myanmar's neighbours, some ASEAN members hold secretive talks on crisis - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Devjyot Ghoshal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BANGKOK, April 26 (Reuters) - Government and think-tank representatives from Myanmar and its neighbours, including India and China, held talks in New Delhi on Tuesday as part of a secretive effort to de-escalate a bloody crisis in the army-run Southeast Asian nation, two sources said. One of the sources said participants were interested in bringing into the process Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government (NUG), an organisation affiliated with the resistance and declared "terrorists" by the junta. "The neighbouring countries' perspective needs to be taken into account," said the source, "For them, the foremost priority is the de-escalation of the violence." ASEAN has barred the junta from attending until they implement the plan, which has infuriated the generals. "This effort will not supplant ASEAN," the second source said of the ongoing talks, "This will only complement."

☆ Volkswagen to partner on Indonesia EV battery ecosystem -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JAKARTA, April 17 (Reuters) - Volkswagen will build an electric vehicle (EV) battery ecosystem in Indonesia and will partner with miner Vale, Ford and China's battery minerals producer Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, the Southeast Asian country's investment minister said. Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Sunday that Volkswagen, Europe's biggest automaker, will work with Vale, Ford, Huayou, French miner Eramet and several Indonesian firms such as Merdeka Gold Copper, the parent company of Merdeka Battery, and energy firm Kalla Group. Volkswagen, Ford, Eramet, Kalla Group, Huayou, and Merdeka Gold Copper did not immediately respond to requests for comment. PT Vale Indonesia declined to comment. Last month, Ford (F.N) inked its first investment in Indonesia by joining Vale Indonesia and Huayou in a $4.5 billion nickel processing plant in Southeast Sulawesi.

☆ Volkswagen to partner with Vale, Ford, Huayou on Indonesia EV battery ecosystem -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, April 17 (Reuters) - Volkswagen will build an electric vehicle (EV) battery ecosystem in Indonesia and will partner with miner Vale, Ford and China's battery minerals producer Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, the Southeast Asian country's investment minister said. Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said in a video statement Volkswagen, Europe's biggest automaker, will work with Vale, Ford, Huayou, French miner Eramet and several Indonesian firms such as Merdeka Gold Copper, the parent company of Merdeka Battery, and energy firm Kalla Group. Volkswagen, Ford, Eramet, Merdeka Battery, Kalla Group, Merdeka Gold Copper did not immediately respond to requests for comment. PT Vale Indonesia declined to comment. Last month, Ford (F.N) inked its first investment in Indonesia by joining Vale Indonesia and Huayou in a $4.5 billion nickel processing plant in Pomalaa in Southeast Sulawesi, where Vale operates a nickel mine.

☆ Rebels in Indonesia's Papua say they killed 9 army soldiers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, April 16 (Reuters) - Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Papua region killed nine army personnel after Jakarta did not respond to a request for negotiations, a rebel spokesperson said on Sunday. A military spokesperson in Papua, Herman Taryaman, confirmed the Saturday attack but could not confirm the number of soldiers killed as communications were cut due to bad weather. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) abducted a New Zealand pilot in February. Herman denied the allegation of a March attack on civilians, saying the security forces were protecting civilians who were chased away by the rebels. A low-level battle for independence from Indonesia continued for decades in the remote and resource-rich Papua region, with the conflict between armed rebels and security forces intensifying significantly in recent years, analysts say.

☆ ASEAN "strongly condemns" deadly air strike in Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, April 13 (Reuters) - The chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Thursday the bloc "strongly condemns" a military air strike this week on a village in Myanmar, which is reported to have killed up to 100 people including civilians. Tuesday's attack in the Sagaing area was the deadliest in a recent string of military air attacks, with children reported to be among the dead, and has drawn global condemnation. "All forms of violence must end immediately, particularly the use of force against civilians," chair Indonesia said in a statement. "This would be the only way to create a conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue to find a sustainable peaceful solution in Myanmar," it said. A junta spokesperson said Tuesday's attack targeted a ceremony held by the NUG for their armed People's Defence Force, adding the attack aimed to restore peace and stability in the region.

[1/2] A worker carries election materials as he prepares ballot boxes before their distribution to polling stations in a warehouse in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 15, 2019. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File PhotoSummary District court had no power to delay ballot - high courtIndonesia must turn focus back to election - ministerLower court ruling plunged Indonesia into uncertaintyJAKARTA, April 11 (Reuters) - An Indonesian court on Tuesday overturned a lower court's controversial order to delay the 2024 national elections by two years, arguing it had overstepped its jurisdiction and had no authority to make the decision. The district court has said it accepted the case because other courts would not take it on. "The court ruling has affirmed that general court has no authority or absolute competence to settle this case," he told Reuters. Jokowi's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the court ruling.

☆ Explosion at Indonesia Pertamina's refinery arm unit injures 9 - statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, April 2 (Reuters) - An explosion at a refinery owned by a Pertamina PT unit in western Indonesia injured nine people, the state energy firm said on Sunday, adding to two dozen deaths from two other fires over the past month. A fire on March 3 at Pertamina's Plumpang fuel terminal in Jakarta, one of the country's oldest and largest, killed more than 20 people. KPI apologised for Saturday's incident, a spokesperson said, adding that a "recovery process" was underway after the fire had been extinguished. Several units were affected and stopped by the explosion and fire, but the rest were operating as usual, the spokesperson said. Reporting by Bernadette Christina; Writing by Stanley Widianto; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Trump's Indonesia partner launches tourism complex on Java
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, March 31 (Reuters) - Indonesian property firm PT MNC Land (KPIG.JK) launched on Friday a 1,040 hectare (2,570 acre) tourism complex on Java island, where former U.S. President Donald Trump's company will operate a hotel and a golf course. It was not clear whether the Trump Organization would also benefit from tax breaks, which include a tax holiday for corporate tax for 10 to 20 years based on the investment value. MNC Land said it fully owned the project in Lido, which includes a movie studio called Movieland, while the Trump Organization will operate an 83-hectare golf course opening this year and a five-star hotel. Indonesian tycoon and chairman of MNC Group, Hary Tanoesoedibjo, has said Movieland will become a creative hub and Indonesia's version of Hollywood. The Trump Organization is also partnering with MNC on another project in Bali.

☆ More than 180 Rohingya Muslims arrive by boat in Indonesia's Aceh
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, March 27 (Reuters) - More than 180 Rohingya Muslims landed in Indonesia's Aceh province on Monday, officials said, the latest among hundreds who have fled by boat from desperate conditions in Myanmar and in camps in Bangladesh. A spokesperson for the local police, Kamil, confirmed by phone that 184 Rohingya had arrived in East Aceh district and were "all in healthy condition". Since November last year, Indonesia has registered 918 Rohingya who reached Aceh, its westernmost region, according to the foreign ministry, having made the journey south in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Nearly 1 million Rohingya live in crowded conditions in Bangladesh, among them those who fled a deadly crackdown in 2017 by Myanmar's military, which denies committing crimes against humanity. Reporting by Ananda Teresia and Stanley Widianto; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US to announce more sanctions against Myanmar junta -State Dept official
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Stanley Widianto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, March 22 (Reuters) - The United States will announce further sanctions against entities inside Myanmar in the coming days, a senior State Department official said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters in Jakarta, U.S. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet said the sanctions will make it more difficult for Myanmar's junta to generate revenue to buy weapons. To date, the United States has imposed sanctions on 80 individuals and more than 30 entities inside Myanmar, Chollet said. He said that to see a solution to the Myanmar conflict, Russia must stop supplying military equipment to the junta. ASEAN currently bars junta leaders from high-level meetings, but has demurred on imposing sanctions and ruled out ousting Myanmar from the 10-member regional bloc.

☆ Indonesia's parliament passes controversial jobs decree into law
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, March 21 (Reuters) - Indonesia's parliament on Tuesday voted to pass President Joko Widodo's emergency decree to cement rules on investment and jobs in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, replacing a similar 2020 law that had been ruled partially unconstitutional. Tuesday's passage of the decree meant most of the changes brought about by the law would stay, with some small changes on labour rules. Experts have also questioned the use of the decree, officially known as a government regulation in lieu of law, especially after parliament delayed its vote by more than a month. Under Indonesia's constitution, a president is only supposed to use such a decree to address an emergency and parliament is supposed to vote on it in the first sitting after its issuance. The Labour Party, which currently has no seat in parliament but plans to contest the 2024 elections, intends to hold a rally to protest the passage of the decree later on Tuesday.

☆ Singapore to work with Indonesia, ASEAN, UN to push Myanmar peace plan - PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong meets with Indonesia's President Joko Widodo at the Istana in Singapore March 16, 2023. REUTERS/Edgar Su/PoolSINGAPORE, March 16 (Reuters) - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday the city-state would work with Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries, as well as partners like the United Nations, to push Myanmar's military rulers to implement a stalled peace plan. "Singapore will continue working with Indonesia and ASEAN members, plus ASEAN's partners like the U.N., to push for the full implementation of the five-point consensus," he said, referring to the peace plan that Myanmar's top general agreed to with ASEAN. In addition, Singapore and Indonesia would work together on developing renewable energy, their leaders announced. Reporting by Xinghui Kok in Singapore and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta; Editing by Ed Davies and Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Indonesia parliament won't allow power vacuum over election ruling - deputy speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, March 14 (Reuters) - Indonesia's parliament will ensure there is no vacuum of power in the country despite a controversial court ruling to delay the 2024 presidential and general elections, its deputy speaker said on Tuesday. Deputy house speaker Lodewijk F. Paulus on Tuesday told parliament the constitution makes clear that elections must be held every five years. The election commission appealed the ruling last week and has said it would proceed with poll preparations as normal, despite the court ordering those be stopped for more than two years. Jokowi, as the president is known, backs the appeal against the ruling and has said he is against the idea of extending his tenure. Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman; Writing by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Indonesia's Bali wants to tighten visa requirements for Russian tourists
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Tourists enjoy the sunset at Canggu beach amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Bali, Indonesia, December 2, 2021. REUTERS/Johannes P. ChristoJAKARTA, March 13 (Reuters) - Authorities in Indonesia's popular holiday island of Bali have asked the central immigration agency to cancel a visa-on-arrival policy for Russian and Ukrainian nationals after tourists were found working illegally. Russian nationals are among the biggest groups of foreign arrivals in Indonesia, according to official tourism data. At least four Russian citizens were deported this month for visa violations and immigration authorities have repeatedly warned foreigners in Bali against working on tourist visas. About 8,800 Ukrainian visitors arrived between September 2022 and January 2023.

☆ Two Indonesian match officials jailed over deadly soccer stampede
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SURABAYA, Indonesia, March 9 (Reuters) - An Indonesian court handed prison sentences to two soccer match officials on Thursday after finding them guilty of negligence over one of the world's deadliest stadium stampedes. The judges also found security officer Suko Sutrisno guilty of negligence and jailed him for one year. An investigation by Indonesia's human rights commission found the main cause of the stampede was police firing into the crowd 45 rounds of tear gas, which soccer's world governing body FIFA has banned as a crowd control measure. Both match officials' representatives said they would study the ruling before attempting next legal steps. Three police officers are also charged with the same offences and their cases will be decided at a later date.

☆ Fire at Indonesia's Pertamina fuel storage station kills 17
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Yuddy Cahya Budiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a fuel storage station operated by Indonesia's state energy company Pertamina, in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 3, 2023. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanCompanies Pertamina (Persero) PT FollowJAKARTA, March 3 (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed when a fire broke out on Friday at a fuel storage station operated by Indonesia's state energy company Pertamina (PERTM.UL) in the capital Jakarta, an official at the city's main firefighting unit said. A Pertamina spokesperson said late on Friday that the fire had been extinguished at about 10.30 p.m.Fire was still seen around residents' houses after that, a firefighting station official said on the unit's Instagram account. Near the storage station, residents crowded the area while firefighters carried orange body bags from the fire. The fuel station has a capacity of over 300,000 kilo-litres, according to the country's energy ministry.

☆ Indonesia delays 'risky' rematch of game hit by deadly stampede
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, March 2 (Reuters) - The rematch of an Indonesian soccer game that ended in one of the sport's worst stadium stampedes has been postponed due to the risk of further crowd trouble, police said on Thursday. They could not play in Surabaya because of ongoing stadium upgrades for the Under-20 World Cup in May. Indonesian soccer has long been blighted by problems, including match-fixing scandals and crowd trouble between rival supporters, which has resulted in some matches being played behind closed doors. At another game in Central Java last month, police used tear gas to stop fans from forcibly entering a stadium during a closed-doors derby match. Investigators concluded the main cause of the crush that killed 135 people last year was excessive and indiscriminate use of tear gas, which world governing body FIFA bans as a crowd control measure.

☆ Indonesia vows restraint as troops surround separatists holding NZ pilot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB)/Handout via REUTERSJAKARTA, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Security forces in Indonesia's restive Papua region have surrounded separatists holding captive a New Zealand pilot, but will exercise restraint while negotiations for his release continue, a top security official said on Tuesday. The rebels say they will not release Mehrtens, 37, unless Indonesia's government recognises the region's independence and withdraws its troops. Chief security minister, Mahfud MD said security forces had found the location of the group holding the pilot but would refrain from actions that might endanger his life. He did not elaborate on the location or what steps Indonesia might take to free the pilot. Security forces have previously said a "law enforcement operation" had been planned, but only as a last resort if negotiations failed.

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met with Chinese counterpart Qin Gang in Jakarta, ahead of a round of negotiations on the code starting in March. Qin added that China and ASEAN will jointly safeguard peace and stability in the strategic trade corridor, through which about $3.4 trillion of goods pass each year. China would work with ASEAN countries to accelerate consultations on the code, he said. Beijing claims much of the South China Sea and has built islands from which it is capable of deploying advanced weaponry. China and ASEAN countries agreed in 2002 to work towards creating a code of conduct and it was 15 years before moves were underway to create a framework for negotiations.

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