West Australian businessmen interested in oil exploration in East Java

West Australian businessmen have expressed interest in exploring oil on Kambing Island in East Java, the Jawa Pos daily reported on Wednesday.

Mudhofi, a secretary to the Lubuk Hati Foundation, a non-governmental organization specializing in studying East Java's potentiality, said that the businessmen interested in the oil exploration were from Clough, the largest multinational mining company in Australia.

Clough is the parent company of PT Petrosea, which is currently exploring oil and gas reserves in Pagerungan near Sumenep on the Madura Island.

Mudhofi made the remarks on Tuesday after visiting Perth on the invitation of the foreign affairs and trade office of the West Australian state to attend a book discussion on East Java in the perspective.

He explained that Clough's representatives would meet East Java Governor Imam Utomo to talk about their investment plan. "They were happy when we told them that investment licensing is no longer handled by the central government, but is entrusted directly to the regional government of East Java," he said.

"The realization of the investment plant on Kambing Island, however, still waits for improvement in the political situation in Indonesia," Mudhofi was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying.

Mudhofi, who is also a executive of the East Java chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadinda), said that most Australian businessmen were disappointed by Kadinda's services as they could not get brochures and books on the potentiality of East Java either in the Indonesian consulate or embassy.

"Books and other information available there are already out of date. Even the number of Maspion, a big manufacturing company in East Java, is wrong," he said. (*)