Bitung Special Economic Zone to Become New Gateway

Manado, N Sulawesi - The Tanjung Merah Special Economic Zone in Bitung, North Sulawesi, will soon become Indonesia's new hub for business activity in the Pacific, Governor Sinyo Harry Sarundajang said on Wednesday. "We hope the special economic zone in Bitung will become a new gateway because of its strategic position in the Pacific region," Sarudajang said. The North Sulawesi governor said this during a coordination meeting to discuss the special economic zone development plan in the framework of the Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesian Economic Growth (MP3EI) and the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) cooperation. Sarundajang said that since the Dutch colonial era there was no new gateway in Indonesia and therefore the opportunity to make Bitung a special economic zone should not be ignored. "The plan to turn Tanjung Merah in Bitung into a special economic zone must be stepped up," the governor said, adding that Special Economic Zone National Board would offer Tanjung Merah area to investors to develop it in 2013. According to him, Tanjung Merah is getting more attractive among investors because its development plan is included in MP3EI. Sarudajang expressed optimism that North Sulawesi would become Indonesia's economic gateway as soon as Tanjung Merah was developed into a business hub. He noted that North Sulawesi has a major role in supporting the BIMP-EAGA regional cooperation and that the Tanjung Merah would soon be developed to boost business activity. (*)