PRESS DIGEST-Indonesian Newspapers - April 22
Following are some leading stories in the main Indonesian newspapers on April 22.
Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Telephone: Editorial: +62-21-384-6364. Fax: +62-21-344-8404 or Help Desk: +803-061-2124 (toll free).
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JAKARTA POST
- MEGAWATI'S PARTY THREATENS POLL BOYCOTT
Former president Megawati Sukarnoputri's PDI-P party and ex-general Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra party have threatened to boycott the July presidential elections in protest against perceived voter roll fraud and slow vote tabulation, said a senior PDI-P official.
- HUMAN RIGHTS BODY TO INVESTIGATE ELECTION
Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights, Komnas, has formed a team to examine alleged fraud in voter lists after the recent parliamentary elections, said Ridha Saleh, the commission's deputy chairman,
- KPK TO CHECK PROCUREMENT OF VOTE COUNTING GEAR
Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) will investigate the General Election Commission's procurement of computer equipment used in vote counting, citing concerns over the slow and unreliable process, said KPK chairman Antasari Azhar.
- VOTE RECOUNT ORDERED FOR 300 POLLING STATIONS
A regional election watchdog committee has ordered a recount of votes in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, after 12,501 votes were counted in an area that only had 12,202 registered voters, a member of the watchdog committee said.
- NATIONAL AUDIT UNCOVERS $2.7 BLN HOLE IN ENERGY AND EDUCATION SECTORS
Indonesia's Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) has found irregularities amounting to 30 trillion rupiah ($2.78 billion) in the state budget on oil, gas, mining and education, including price mark-ups, fake transactions and a failure to maximise some business contracts, BPK chairman Anwar Nasution said.
- DRAFT BILL TO END RAILWAY MONOPOLY
Indonesia's transportation ministry has drafted a bill aimed at clarifying regulation in railway development and help end the monopoly enjoyed by PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI).
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JAKARTA GLOBE
- BUDDHA BAR REMOVES SIGNS ON GOVERNMENT REQUEST
The owners of the international franchise of Buddha Bar in Jakarta, which has been accused by religious groups of misusing the name of Buddha, have removed signs after a request by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, said Herry Marheroso, the bar's operator.
- REVISE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LAW: EMPLOYERS GROUP
The Indonesian Employers Association, Apindo, called on the government to rewrite the 2003 manpower law because clauses on strikes and severence pay were causing a huge burden on employers during the financial crisis, an Apindo official said.
- CEMENT 'CARTEL' UNDER SCRUTINY
Indonesia's anti-monopoly agency, KPPU, will investigate complaints of price-fixing in the local cement industry, a KPPU official said.
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INVESTOR DAILY
- DANAMON RIGHTS ISSUE RECEIVES STRONG DEMAND
Indonesia's fifth-largest lender, PT Bank Danamon Tbk (BDMN.JK), has received strong demand for its 3.97 trillion rupiah ($367.2 million) rights issue, which would help the bank strengthen its capital, president director Sebastian Paredes said.
- INDONESIA'S BTN CUTS LENDING RATE BY 50 BPS
Indonesian lender PT Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) cut its lending rate by 50 basis points this month, bringing the rate down to 14 percent, in response to interest rate cuts by the central bank, chief director Iqbal Latanro said.
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BISNIS INDONESIA
- PULP PRODUCTION DROPS BY 36 PCT IN Q1
Indonesia's pulp production fell by around 36 percent to 2,253 million tonnes in the first quarter of this year from 3,504 million tonnes last year due to falling demand in the global market, head of Indonesian Pulp Producer Association H M Mansyur said.
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