JAPANESE INVESTMENT IN JAMBI NOT DISRUPTED

Jambi, March 18 (ANTARA) - The devastating quake and subsequent tsunami which raged Japan on March 11 did not have any adverse affects on Japanese investment in Jambi, a government official said.

Head of Jambi province`s regional capital investment coordinating agency (BKPMD) Dr Syaid Syekh said on Wednesday that the adverse effects on the country`s investtment here were not felt.

"Up till now there had been no adverse effects, but who knows what would happen in the next few days," Syaid said, adding that actually Japan`s investment in Jambi was not very high.

Japanese investment in Jambi was only in the rubber sector by PT Aneka Bumi Pratama with its Crumb Rubber Plant in Kubu Kandang village, Batanghari regency, which started operating in 2004 with an investment of Rp312,089,970,000.

"It is still normally operating now,"he said. Investment in Jambi is being dominated by a Malaysian company operating in the plantation sector such as oil palm and rubber, followed by China and Singapore. An another investor which has only recently entered Jambi was an Indian company operating in the mining sector and dredging the Batanghari river by PT Synco Global.

Even in its planning stagesm Sayid Syekh said Japanese still have no plans to operate in Jambi, but in case other investors will also join investment in Jambi, he will inform the central government.

Actually, he said, Japanese investors were better than those of other countries.

He also hoped the other investors would follow suit in the waste disposal.

(T.KR-YJ/H-NG/B/R013/B/R013)