Riau offers islands to foreign investors

The Jakarta Post 30 Aug 09;

Riau Islands Governor Ismeth Abdullah said on Sunday that his administration is inviting foreign investors to manage islands in the province.

“We will conduct the process transparently and according to the law. We want to avoid foreigners from managing the islands secretly,” Ismeth argued.

He said some islands in the province were already managed by foreigners.

“Nikoi island, for example, which is managed by foreign investors, attracts many tourists to its beautiful coral reefs.”

He said the involvement of foreign investors in the management of the islands had raised revenue for the island.

Ismeth explained that it takes a month for a foreign investor to get a permit, available from the province’s Investment Coordinating Agency, to manage an island. “The simple permit system is aimed at avoiding the practice of selling the islands.

Data from the agency shows that just 394 of the province’s nearly 1,800 islands are inhabited. Many islands border Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand.

“All the 1,795 islands in the province have been named to smooth the process and stop selling,” head of the province’s administrative affairs, Reni Yusnely, said.