U.S. Ambassador defends American investment in Indonesia

American ambassador in Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard criticized on Thursday the Indonesian government for not doing enough to attract foreign investors into the country, citing foreign investment was crucial to recover Indonesia from the economic crisis and bring back the country's economic growth, Riau Post reported.

Gelbard said while the Indonesian government had not provided all necessary things to attract foreign investment, including consistent law, the Indonesian people kept troubling the American investment in Irian Jaya, North Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara and Riau.

He said demonstrations in Riau were actually not related to the investment of PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia in the province but the demonstrators vandalized Caltex's facilities.

"What is strange is that the police did nothing to prevent and stop it," he said during a meeting with the Surabaya-based Jawa Pos newspaper group. (*)