Keuntungan ekonomi Selat Malaka:Malaysia punya Port Klang, Thailand punya Lem Chabang. Indonesia punya apa? Apa kabar Batu Ampar dan Bojonegara? http://www.tcf.or.jp/data/20000127-28_Siow-Yue_Chia.pdf http://www.eastwestcenter.org/stored/pdfs/api073.pdf
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Thursday/Nation/20051020010833/Article/ http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/10/20/business/12376099&sec=business http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Thursday/Nation/20051020011926/Article/ http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/10/20/business/12369267&sec=business http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=106096 Asia-Pacific turns to natural gas to trim oil dependency *YONGJU, SOUTH KOREA, OCT 19: *Asia-Pacific energy ministers agreed on Wednesday to hold regular dialogues to help boost natural gas trading as part of efforts to reduce the region's reliance on oil. Pacific rim countries are likely to raise their oil dependency to 66% by 2030 from 39% in 2002, said a joint-statement issued after the energy ministers' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. "The ministers came up with the plan to establish the APEC Gas Forum because there's a dire need to cut the region's heavy dependency on oil and the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is relatively well supplied within the region," said South Korea's energy minister Lee Hee-Beom, who chaired the 7th APEC energy ministers' meeting. "While APEC members are heavily dependent upon oil as more than 70% of the members are basically consumer countries, they are somewhat equally divided between producer and consumer countries in terms of gas," Lee told reporters, adding that working-level talks had started and the forum will be set up soon. Major LNG producers in the group include Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Australia, while big buyers are traditionally Japan and South Korea. The United States and China rank among emerging buyers. The region would need a combined investment of $5.3-$6.7 trillion in infrastructure over the next 30 years to increase supply and improve demand-side efficiency to meet growing energy needs, the statement said. APEC member countries, which account for 60% of global energy consumption, should see its energy demand growing by more than 2% every year in the next few years, it said. *Reuters* http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=161401 October 19, 2005 20:17 PM [image: E-mail this news to a friend] <http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/send_friend.php?id=161401&title=M%27sia%20Better%20Placed%20To%20Benefit%20From%20High%20Oil%20Prices>[image: Printable version of this news] <http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/printable.php?id=161401> *M'sia Better Placed To Benefit From High Oil Prices* ** SINGAPORE, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- International investment bankers Morgan Stanley says Malaysia looks "better placed than ever" to benefit from high oil prices but cautions fuel subsidies could undermine the positive effect. It nevertheless lauded Malaysia's improving energy efficiency marked by diversification in domestic energy use away from oil, besides steady investment in exploration which has sustained oil production for export. In a report issued here today on Southeast Asia's energy issues, the investment bankers said that "from all angles, Malaysia looks better placed than ever to benefit from high oil prices." However, "in our view, fuel subsidies in Malaysia offset the positive effects of the oil trade surplus, as oil wealth is frittered away without much economic achievement." Without subsidies, the impact of high oil prices would be severe but with subsidies, the outcome may be worse. "Subsidies cushion the impact of an oil price surge now by diffusing the blow over a period. "The imposition of subsidies turns negative when the future payback becomes more painful, as subsidies augment demand, increasing subsidy payouts unnecessarily; subsidies are not reaching the targeted segments; subsidies cause fuel shortages; and the opportunity cost of subsidies is much higher than the benefit of the subsidies." Fuel subsidies were more far-reaching than was generally thought, it said. "Electricity is subsidised nationwide as natural gas is provided at 25 per cent of the commercial price to the power sector. Fishermen and selected segments of the transport sector also receive subsidies," it said. While fuel subsidies need to be gradually removed, Morgan Stanley acknowledged that they reflect a broader issue -- the heart of the problem is the practice of rent-seeking, it said. -- BERNAMA http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=aJhlcIDfGYag&refer=asia Malaysia Gives Perks to Carmakers to Lure Investment (Update2) Oct. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Malaysia will provide cheap loans and research and development grants to carmakers in the country, aiming to help state-owned carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd. and encourage foreign rivals to use Malaysia as a manufacturing hub. The plan is ``crucial to maintain the competitiveness of participants in the automotive sector, in order for them to be viable in the long term,'' the Prime Minister's Department said in a statement today. ``Priority will be given to manufacturers and assemblers which plan to use Malaysia as a launch pad to tap the regional and international markets.'' The new policy, announced after a five-month delay, is aimed at preparing local carmakers for increased competition as tariffs on imports are progressively reduced. The government also wants to lure foreign carmakers such as General Motors Corp. to make cars in Malaysia, where automotive industry investment last year fell 67 percent to 1.1 billion ringgit ($291 million). Thailand is currently the biggest production site in Southeast Asia for carmakers such as Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors, which are taking advantage of tax breaks and cheaper labor costs to make vehicles for export. Winners, Losers Malaysian carmakers will get incentives that include training and research and development grants. Those may not compensate as the government gets rid of tax exemptions that applied to cars made in Malaysia. ``That's bad news for Proton, as it won't have a pricing advantage,'' Vincent Khoo, head of research at Hwang-DBS Vickers Research said. The plan ``appears to be leveling the playing field, with the winners being the non-national carmakers'' such as DRB-Hicom Bhd., he said. Competition from Toyota, Honda, Kia Motors Corp. and other overseas carmakers have already eroded Proton's market share to 44 percent in 2004, from 66 percent in 1999. DRB-Hicom Bhd. assembles and sells cars for Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. It also sells cars for Suzuki Motor Corp., Marinara & Marinara Ltd. On Jan. 1, Malaysia slashed import duties on vehicles made in countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to 20 percent from as high as 190 percent, to comply with a regional free-trade agreement. To make up for the loss in revenue, the government raised excise duties on both imported and locally made passenger cars to a range of 90 percent to 250 percent, from 60 percent to 100 percent previously. It mitigated the impact on Proton and other companies designated as ``national carmakers'' to claim a tax rebate on those duties. Adjustment Fund Malaysia will also set up an Industrial Adjustment Fund for manufacturers, giving preference to automotive manufacturers to help ``face the challenges brought about by increased competition and liberalization,'' the statement said. The fund will give out interest-free loans and matching grants to help manufacturers upgrade their machinery, fund component development costs and enhance their technology, the statement said. Malaysia will also provide incentives to components and parts makers which are in cooperative projects with partners from countries with which Malaysia has free trade agreements, the department said. Import Permits Under the new auto policy, Malaysia will also freeze car import permits on new brands, and in the longer term phase out the so-called approved permits of imported cars, the department said. The decision came after revelations that politicians and retired bureaucrats received permits, sparking a public outcry over the method by which they were handed out. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, an adviser to Proton, earlier this year said lax enforcement of permits had hurt sales at Malaysia's national carmaker. Some importers under- declared the value of their cars to evade taxes, allowing artificially cheap imports to compete with Proton, he said in July. Malaysia started slashing import duties on vehicles made in countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, last year, to comply with the Asean Free Trade Area agreement. To make up for the loss in revenue from lower import taxes, the government raised excise duties on all imported and locally made cars. To contact the reporter on this story: Stephanie Phang in Kuala Lumpur at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Last Updated: October 19, 2005 07:57 EDT [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/GEEolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Ingin bergabung ke milis ekonomi-nasional? Kirim email ke [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ekonomi-nasional/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
