Bangkok--2 Mar--Syllable
The Indonesia-Thai Chamber of Commerce (INTCC), under the patronage of the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok, is all set to strengthen the 65 years of diplomatic relations of the two แountries in its new move to boost trade and investment in 2015 under “Assist-Access-Act” strategy as the ASEAN Economic Community comes to take effect.
The INTCC recently held a press conference to introduce its new Board of Directors, and announce its plan for 2015 at Centara Grand at CentralWorld. The event was presided over by His Excellency Mr Lutfi Rauf, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of Thailand; who was joined on the panel by Mr Prachuab Chaiyasarn, INTCC Honorary Chief Advisor; and Ms Ellie Sarasvati Santoso, INTCC Chairperson.
Ambassador Lutfi Rauf said: “The Kingdom of Thailand and the Republic of Indonesia have enjoyed a cordial diplomatic relation since 1950. The bilateral relations achieved have contributed to the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, in 1967 and as both countries being pioneers to the esprit-de-corps. Today, ASEAN is an integral part of the global development strategy, and to witness ASEAN Economic Community, or AEC, later this year, will be the test for the region’s effort.”
“The statistics indicated that the bilateral trade and investments between Thailand and Indonesia have enjoyed a very positive increase over the years. The investment volume of Indonesian capital in Thailand was up from 1.5 billion baht in 2013 to 2.17 billion baht in 2014, whereas the Thai capital in Indonesia increased from 3.5 billion baht in 2013 to 10.4 billion baht in 2014. And this year, Indonesia is currently prioritising foreign investment in four business categories, which are the infrastructure, maritime business, manufacturing industry, and tourism,” added the Indonesian Ambassador.
“I am especially pleased to learn that the INTCC focuses on critical importance of mutual benefits for both countries, among others, in trade, investment, tourism, and culture. The work of INTCC will hopefully bring about tangible and concrete results of mutual interest for both Thailand and Indonesia. Collaboration between business communities of Thailand and Indonesia is a testament of greater cooperation of not only Government-to-Government or G-to-G but also Business-to-Business or B-to-B and People-to-People or P-to-P, which are essential for the AEC integration.
Mr Prachuab Chaiyasarn disclosed: “This year, the Indonesia-Thai Chamber of Commerce is pushing effort to operate under its “Assist-Access-Act” mission-motto to ease the barriers between Thai and Indonesian business communities by offering the latest information on investment, and regulations. Its mission is also to function as a medium between government and private sectors. Now, the INTCC is ready to present all upcoming events to our partners and members as vehicles under the theme of “2015 Go Invest Indonesia” – the year of investment in Indonesia”.
The INTCC Chair, Ms Ellie Sarasvati Santoso, meanwhile revealed: “The upcoming events of INTCC for the year 2015 include the Business Seminar with the INTCC in March; INTCC Business Matching Exploration, a visit to high-ranking government offices and high-profile conglomerates, in April; an Indonesian-Thai Friendship Golf Tournament in May or June; a Business Exhibition in the 3rd quarter or 4th quarter; and the AEC New Gen Camp in the last quarter of this year.”
The Indonesia-Thai Chamber of Commerce was established in 2013. It has been following the objectives of weaving a business network between Indonesia and Thailand, and continually offering opportunities of business matching. The chamber is now under the leadership of its new board of directors comprising among others Ms Ellie Sarasvati Santoso, Chairperson; Mr Ferry Tjahjono, Deputy Chairperson and Dr Sukit Uarmahacharoen, Secretary General.
“Indonesia is the most potential and biggest market of ASEAN with population of 250 million or almost half of the whole ASEAN, with 10-15% of the consumers being of high purchasing power. It is strategically a country developing with considerable rate of economic expansion. Prominent Thai exports to Indonesia are rice, sugar, Thai fruits, as well as several other products in every category. The excellent service industry of Thailand believed to see bright future in Indonesia is the tourism business. We would like to invite Thai businesses to invest in Indonesia in 2015”, said Dr Sukit.
With the INTCC portraying a gateway to ample investment opportunities in Indonesia in the “2015 Go Invest Indonesia” year, the INTCC will act as a medium for cross-border investors from Thailand to facilitate the transactions in Indonesia. The main focus will be on diverse ventures such as power plant, agro-industry, healthcare, logistics, infrastructure businesses. Under trade and service category, the INTCC focuses on processed food, technology transfer, and franchise expansion businesses; including sport and biz camp, as well as cultural and heritage tourism.
Those interested in applying for membership or looking for trade and investment information, may contact Mr Arif Suyoko; Economic Attache - Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia at Mobile: +66 (0) 8 6076 4860 or Email:
[email protected], Dr Sukit Uarmahacharoen; Secretary General, Indonesia Thai Chamber of Commerce at Mobile: +66(0)9 1992 4491 or Email:
[email protected] and Mr Eky Kurniawan; Board of Director, Indonesia Thai Chamber of Commerce at Mobile: +66 (0) 904045856 or Email:
[email protected].