Indonesia to purchase electricity from Malaysia; Singapore reiterates supports to Philippines on South China Sea issue; Myanmar passes foreign investment law; All the judges of Myanmar's Constitutional Tribunal resigned; six injured in a bomb blast in Ind
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    • Reports noted that Indonesia’s state-owned electricity provider PLN signed a deal to purchase electricity from the Malaysian state of Sarawak to power some regions in West Kalimantan for five years. The deal which was signed on September 5 2012, will cover shortages until three power plants currently under construction are completed. It is also believed that purchases will be made between 2014 and 2019. PLN is currently building three new power plants in the province, including two in Bengkayang. The company agreed to sell 600 megawatts of power to the Malaysian peninsula. 1
    In another development, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, reiterated that Singapore supports the United States and the Philippines on the South China Sea issue. Prime Minister Lee met with President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines, and United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a series of back-to-back bilateral meetings on September 8, 2012, on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting. While Singapore Prime Minister Lee, while reiterating its position said that while “we do not have a claim in the South China Sea, we do have an interest in preserving the peace and stability, as well as freedom of navigation in the area," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said. PM Lee again urged "moderation and restraint" while pushing for ASEAN to be at the heart of the discussions. 2
    According to reports, the Parliament of Myanmar, On September 7, 2012, adopted the foreign direct investment law that is crucial to the government’s ambitious plans for economic expansion in the country. The law drops several provisions in the original draft that had raised fears it could deter investors. The law was seen as one of Parliament’s most urgent tasks and was passed on the last day of its current session. One proposal dropped from the law would have required a $5 million minimum initial investment outlay. The final version also allows foreign parties to hold a 50 per cent stake in joint ventures rather than limiting them to a proposed 49 per cent. Another progressive aspect of the new law allows foreign investors to lease land for an initial period of 50 years with an option to renew, compared to 35 years under old rules. 3
    Reports noted that all the judges of Myanmar's Constitutional Tribunal have resigned en masse "of their own accord," after parliament voted to impeach them. The resignation of the nine-member bench was approved by President Thein Sein.

    Their resignation followed a vote of 408 out of 429 representatives in the lower house of parliament to impeach the judges for a ruling they made in March that parliamentary commissions were not "Union level," with power over the executive branch. Thein Sein had asked for the tribunal’s ruling as cabinet members did not want to be obliged to attend every parliamentary commission session that requested their presence, effectively placing the executive body under the legislative one, according to political insiders. Nobel laureate and democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, who became the leader of a new parliamentary rule of law commission last month, voted in favour of the judges’ impeachment, members of her National League for Democracy party confirmed. 4
    Six people were injured when a homemade bomb exploded in a house reportedly used as an orphanage in Depok, West Java, on September 7, 2012. The explosion rattled windows in Beji, North Depok and damaged a home on Jalan Nusantara. According to eyewitnesses, two men fled from the house. A banner for the Pondok Bidara orphanage foundation was hung on the front of the home. Eight people have been questioned in connection with the blast, including four people found in the home. Police are investigating whether this explosion has any connection to a recent string of terrorist attacks on police in Solo, Central Java, or a plot to set off bombs in Jakarta. 5
    According to the Indonesian General Election Commission (KPU), 46 political parties have registered to contest in the 2014 polls. The announcement was made after the commission closed the registration process on September 7, 2012. Commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay said the parties include new parties such as the Independent Peoples Union Party (SRI) and National Democratis Party (Nasdem). The commission will now examine if the 46 parties have completed the 17 administrative documents requested by the commission up until September 29, 2012. This will then be followed by a factual verification process due to be completed by January 6 next year. In 2009, the poll body cleared 34 political parties to enable them to participate in the national general election. 6
    Bilateral trade between Malaysia and China are guaranteed to exceed US$100 billion despite economic slowdown in China and uncertainty in the global environment, said minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon on September 8, 2012. "For the first six months of this year, total trade between both nations amounted to US$88 billion, nearly what we achieved last year of US$90 billion." “This upward performance is expected to continue into the second half of this year and I'm optimistic we will surpass last year's record although the Chinese are facing volatility in their market currently," he added. He said this at the media briefing on the sidelines of the Malaysia-China Entrepreneur Conference 2012 (MCEC), jointly organised by the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) and TNT Express Malaysia on September 8, 2012. 7

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