"Support from high-end customers has been one of the essential factors enabling us to become a world-class shopping center," Plaza Indonesia operations manager M. Sjohirin said last Thursday.

Established in March 1990, Plaza Indonesia targets the city's "specific, sophisticated and elegant" consumers who, from time to time, keep coming back for more.

"Our customers nowadays are very demanding and have higher expectations than they did in our earlier years, but so far we have managed to adapt," Plaza Indonesia executive marketing director Mia Egron said.

With easier access to overseas travel and competitive services from other shopping centers in the region like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong, Mia said, Plaza Indonesia must keep up with market demands to offer up-to-date and complete choices of high-end goods.

"Or else they could easily go overseas instead," she said.

For Plaza Indonesia to acquire a prominent position in the region, it would need to have a more comprehensive range of international brand outlets, providing more choices of merchandise with competitive pricing.

"But other factors also play a role for this to happen," Mia said, referring to government policies and the condition of the tourism industry in Indonesia.

Claiming to be the largest first-class shopping center in the country, Plaza Indonesia currently hosts more than 200 shops, including exclusive luxury brands, top fashion labels and up-scale restaurants.

Plaza Indonesia is one of many shopping malls in Jakarta which targets the middle to upper economy brackets. Other malls include Taman Anggrek in West Jakarta, Senayan City and Plaza Senayan in Central Jakarta, Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta and Pondok Indah in South Jakarta.

Another upscale shopping center, Grand Indonesia, located just across the road from Plaza Indonesia, is currently under construction and due for completion soon.

Mia said, however, local competitors did not pose as big a threat as regional competitors.

One of Plaza Indonesia's long-time tenants, PT Mahagaya Perdana, was satisfied with business dynamics at the plaza.

"Business here has been very good and promising for us," said Emelyn Siswanto, operations manager of Hugo Boss fashion outlet — one of Plaza Indonesia's first tenants.

Celebrating its 18th anniversary, Plaza Indonesia has launched a new section, allocated especially for its prime retail stores, including international brands like Emporio Armani and Chloe and outlets of renowned local designers like Sebastian Gunawan and Obin.

The shopping center is also doing major renovations on its appearance and facilities and is preparing to add 25,000 square meters of tenant space to its existing 40,000. The renovations are due for completion by the end of the year. (dre)

Street vendors on Jl. Sunda and Jl. Agus Salim, Central Jakarta, denied accusations they dumped garbage into sewers causing a blockage that led to the flooding of Jl. M.H. Thamrin and its surrounding area.

"We do understand that throwing garbage into the sewerage can cause a flood, that's why we pile the garbage at several spots," Pramono, who runs a Padang food stall on Jl. Sunda, said Saturday.

He said the piles were collected every day by workers from the sanitary agency.

"We pay the officers monthly for that service. We follow the rules," said Pramono.

On Wednesday, Juaini Yusuf, head of drainage affairs at Central Jakarta's water management agency, said waste thrown by vendors was one of the main causes of the flood.

"Our officers found stacks of plastic bags and boxes, typical examples of waste from vendors, clogging the sewerage," said Yusuf, as quoted by Beritajakarta.com.

He said he would take 'firm' action if the vendors continued to ignore the agency's warnings.

Flooding frequently occurs in the area whenever heavy rain strikes, inundating Jl. MH Thamrin and causing traffic jams on the busy main thoroughfare.

Other contributors to the floodings are the area's relatively low ground surface and poor drainage.

Basah Hernowo, director of forestry and water resource conservation at the National Development Planning Board, said Friday the administration could not just lay the blame on other parties.

"Instead, they should reflect on whether they have done their job in maintaining the drainage facility in the area," he said.

In 2004, the administration allowed a wholesale trading building to be built in the vicinity, occupying more than 14 hectares of land, including part of the Melati dam which serves as a water catchment area.

Tall buildings on the western side of Jl. M.H. Thamrin inhibit a nearby canal that functions to channel rain water into the Krukut river in the north.

Hernowo said he did not know if the administration ever cleaned the drainage ducts located under Jl. M.H. Thamrin or if they ever dredged the canal.

"The administration can talk with the street vendors and ask for their cooperation on the waste problem. It's not like they're impossible to talk to," he said.

The City Health Agency says its remaining hospital bills of Rp 24 billon (US$2.7 million), which was allocated for medical services provided to poor people (Gakin) in 2007, would affect its budget this year.

The head of the insurance program, Yuditha Endah Trisnaningtyas, said that after the agency paid what it owed, it would have only Rp 195 billion left to finance the insurance scheme for this year.

This budget is far lower than last year's when the agency had to cough up Rp 305 billion.

"We have no choice but to cover our debts with this year's allocation," she told The Jakarta Post on Thursday, referring to the impact of the 2007 claims on the 2008 budget.

She was concerned in particular that programs that make medicine available to victims of disasters and pandemics in the city would have shortfalls.

In 2005, the administration launched Gakin cards to identify residents eligible for low-cost or free health care and food.

The administration also allows residents to apply for a relief letter (SKTM) stating that they are eligible for discounted or free medical care.

Patients may use a SKTM to have fees for medical services waived in part, Gaskin-eligible patients don't have to pay any fees at all.

To obtain an SKTM, applicants must request notification letters from their neighborhood unit chief and subdistrict officials. They also need a verification letter from the community health center nearest them confirming their financial status.

The agency's head, Wibowo Sukijat, said he was still optimistic the agency would survive the year.

He said major flooding last year was the main reason the agency found itself strapped.

"The floods were beyond our capacity. It was unexpected. We allocated a lot of money to assist poor families," Bowo said.

He said the poorest people were suffering the most due to the agency's debts, because some hospitals refused to provide free-of-charge services.

"We know that the poor families suffer a lot. We have heard that many hospitals are refusing to accept the Gakin card. We hope we will receive the funds we need soon to pay the arrears," Yuditha said.

Meanwhile, a member of City Council Commission E which oversees public welfare, Selamat Nurdin, said the administration didn't need to be overly concerned about lack of funds at this point since it still had the option of asking for additional funds via the budget revision mechanism.

"We will discuss budget adjustments in July or August," Selamat said, adding that the agency could ask Governor Fauzi Bowo to see that all required funding was in place.

"We can allocate about Rp 55 billion to 100 billion. The amount of the budget goes up every year due to the people's low purchasing power and increasing health care needs," he said.

The shuttle was launched by the city administration for visitors to the Central Jakarta park which is the location of Monas national monument.

The launching of the minibuses — at the park's southwest gate — was attended by Governor Fauzi Bowo .

Head of the Culture and Museum Agency Aurora Tambunan said there were two shuttles, each three-cars-long and able to carry 36 passengers.

Topped with decorative Betawi-style roofs, the shuttle is four meters long, 1.7 wide and 2 high. The shuttle takes 10 minutes to reach the base of the monument from the southwest gate, some 800 meters away.

"We decided to offer a shuttle because visitors were complaining about the distance from the parking area to the monument," Aurora said Sunday as quoted by Beritajakarta.com.

She added that it was a sunny, hot walk.

Aurora said the minibuses would run free of charge from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

At a ceremony Governor Fauzi Bowo said he hoped people would look after the new vehicles.

"The shuttles represent Rp 800 million (around US$88,000) in public funds. So I ask visitors to take care of them," Fauzi said.

The Jakarta Association of Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) has set a target this year to draw more than 1.22 million foreign visitors to the capital.

"We hope more tourists will come to the city compared to last year," said ASITA secretary, Hasiyanna "Yanna" Ashadi, on Tuesday.

She said the number of foreign tourist arrivals would depend on conditions in Jakarta, such as floods.

The figure has been quite stable in the past few years.

Last year Jakarta had 1.22 million foreign visitors and had the same number the year before. In 2005 there were 1.17 million visitors and in 2004 there were 1.07 million, according to the Jakarta Statistics Agency (BPS Jakarta).

Yanna said her association supported the city administration's tourism campaign and its target for tourist arrivals.

"We just follow the target set by the city administration," she said.

This year the Indonesian government's Visit Indonesia 2008 campaign aims to attract 7 million foreign tourists to the country, a sharp increase from last year's 5.5 million.

To promote Jakarta's tourism destinations and draw more foreigners here, ASITA cooperates with the city administration and other organizations, such as hotels, travel agents and local and international airlines.

"We also cooperate with the Java Jazz organizers, a three-day jazz music festival, to promote the capital. We arrange packages for tourists who want to get around the city and enjoy the festival," Yanna said.

She could not say, however, how many people were interested in the packages.

Java Jazz will be held from March 7 to 9 at the Jakarta Convention Center, featuring local and international jazz musicians.

Earlier this week, BPS announced the number of foreigners visiting the capital had decreased.

In January 2008, there were 106,470 foreign tourists arrivals in the city, down from 110,799 in December 2007.

The head of BPS Jakarta, Djamal, said their statistics were from the immigration office which calculated the number of foreign tourists visiting the capital through Tanjung Priok port and Halim Perdanakusumah and Soekarno-Hatta airports.

Djamal said that the number of foreign tourists depended on the capital's facilities and services.

"If floods like those that hit Jakarta in early February happen again, it could affect the number of tourist arrivals. They will avoid Jakarta," he said.

According to Yanna, the declining number of tourist arrivals in the past few months was not surprising because the early year is low season for tourism.

"January and February is usually the low season, while the peak season is usually in mid-year, which is also the holiday period," she said.

The city administration and the council agreed to allocate Rp 22 billion (US$2.4 million) to repair damaged roads across the city, a councillor said Monday.

The majority of the budget would go to repairing roads in East and South Jakarta, chairman of City Council Commission D on development affairs, Sayogo Hendrosubroto, said.

Last month, City Public Works Agency head Wisnu Subagya Yusuf proposed Rp 52 billion, but the council did not agree on the figure and cut it by more than half.

"We did, however, add another Rp 7 billion to the proposed Rp 6 billion to repair roads in Eastern Jakarta," Sayogo told The Jakarta Post Monday.

He said that South Jakarta and East Jakarta were most affected by the damage. The areas host the city's business centers and main lines for the transportation of goods.

Heavy rains and poor drainage had caused water to sit in large pools that, coupled with the city's heavy traffic, have corroded streets' surfaces. For several weeks, motorists have been forced to maneuver around and over bumps and sometimes into potholes on many of the city streets.

In South Jakarta, potholes and cracks can be seen, for example, on Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. M.T. Haryono and Jl. Casablanca.

The city's inner and outer ring roads in North and East Jakarta are also severely damaged and have caused massive traffic congestion leading to Tanjung Priok port.

The Indonesian Exporters Association said delivery costs had increased by around 10 to 15 percent due to unpredictable arrival times of exported goods at the port.

The damage may have serious repercussions to the Indonesian economy, as a government report claims, with up to 60 percent of the country's exports and imports going through Tanjung Priok.

Car and motorcycle drivers have also suffered with the dangerous road surfaces. City Police recorded some 538 road accidents in January, an increase from last year's 453 accidents (the average figure).

Restless about the issue of bacteria-contaminated formula milk, mothers in the capital are urging the Health Ministry to reveal the names of contaminated brands.

Mona, 33, said she worried about her baby's health and asked the government to disclose the brands.

"Since the issue of contaminated formula milk spread last week, I've been worried about my son's health," said Mona, a resident of Cilincing, East Jakarta.

"I hope the government discloses the brand names as soon as possible so the public, especially mothers, do not panic," she added.

Mona, an employee of a seafood exporting company, said she started to give her baby boy formula milk six months ago for practical reasons, mainly because she is a working mother.

"Although I worry about the impacts of contaminated milk, I still give my son formula because I have no choice," she said, adding that she had become more careful in preparing the milk.

The issue of bacteria-contaminated formula came into the spotlight last week after the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) announced findings that 22 percent of formula milk for infants on the market was infected with the bacteria Enterobacter sakazakii.

The Drug and Food Monitoring Agency (BPOM) said Friday that it was still studying 96 samples to verify the findings and expected to have the results within two weeks.

Rini, a 36-year-old mother, said the government should also inform the public of the effects of contaminated formula on children.

"It is so confusing. As a mother of a 2-year-old girl, I urge the government to tell us the brand names and the effects of long-term consumption of the contaminated formula. Does it cause autism? Does it cause brain inflammation?" said Rini, who lives in Bekasi.

To minimize the impacts of bacteria that might be in her daughter's formula, Rini pays more attention to the cleanliness of the milk bottle.

"I always boil the bottle before using it. To prepare the milk, I use hot water with a temperature of at least 70C. Thank God my girl is healthy," Rini said.

It is not only mothers who are demanding the government reveal the brand names, but also the National Commission for the Protection of Children (Komnas-PA).

The commission's chairman, Seto Mulyadi, urged the government to publicize the brands of the bacteria-contaminated formula and withdraw them from the market.

"I know the government is examining samples of formula milk, but I hope they will take all the products off the market during the investigation. It's about our children, our future generation."

"If they do not take action within two weeks, we will file a lawsuit against them," he said.

Komnas-PA said parents whose infants are suspected of being affected by the products should lodge complaints through its hotline service, at 021-87791818 and its children's service, at 021-8416159.

Seto suggested mothers breastfeed their infants who are under 12 months of age instead of giving them formula.