Riots disrupt investment climate in Indonesia

Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi) chairman Erwin Aksa has expressed concern over a series of clashes in several regions of the country the past few weeks.

“Our investment climate may be in danger if the riots continue and the government cannot handle them,” Erwin said Thursday on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of Jakvest 2010 in Balai Kartini, Jakarta, as quoted by kompas.com.

Erwin urged the government to increase security in Jakarta and fight against thuggery.

Erwin noted that law enforcement was very weak in the handling of two recent clashes, one on  Jl. Ampera, South Jakarta, and the other in Tarakan, East Kalimantan.

On Wednesday, a riot erupted between two rival groups near the South Jakarta District Court, claiming three lives and injuring eight.

Meanwhile, the Tarakan incident, which started Sunday night, had claimed five lives and injured six as of Wednesday afternoon.