Latest news with #BPS
Asia Times
38 minutes ago
- Business
- Asia Times
Red flags rising over China's trade surplus with Indonesia
Indonesia's widening trade deficit with China has evolved into more than an economic concern—it now poses the risk of becoming a destabilizing fissure within the country's social fabric and, by extension, ASEAN's regional stability. According to Indonesia's Central Statistics Agency (BPS), between January and April 2025, Chinese imports to Indonesia surged to US$25.8 billion, while Indonesian exports to China stagnated at $18.9 billion. The resulting $6.9 billion deficit, the highest recorded in recent history for such a short period, raises already rising concerns about asymmetry in the bilateral trade relationship. Although Indonesian authorities have attempted to downplay its significance by dismissing suggestions that this is due to the redirection of Chinese exports blocked by US and EU tariffs, the underlying realities paint a different picture. The sectors most affected by Chinese imports —namely, mechanical and electrical machinery, steel, automotive parts, and ceramics —are precisely those where China has long faced overcapacity. With Western markets erecting expanding barriers on Chinese goods in response to perceived unfair trade practices, Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, has become a convenient outlet for China's surplus industrial products. In effect, Chinese goods that cannot be sold in the US and EU are being channeled into the Indonesian market, either directly or via re-routing strategies through third countries. This dynamic mirrors the 2018–2020 period of the US-China trade war, when Southeast Asia similarly absorbed a disproportionate amount of redirected Chinese exports. Indonesia's manufacturing base has already begun to show signs of strain from the flood of cut-rate Chinese wares. The once-thriving textile sector, exemplified by the now-defunct Sritex conglomerate in Solo, has been unable to keep up with the price competition from cheap Chinese imports. Small and medium-sized manufacturers in ceramics and steel are also increasingly being squeezed by Made in China goods. Though the Indonesian government has responded by levying anti-dumping duties on select products, such as nylon film from China, Thailand and Taiwan, these actions have largely been reactive and insufficient to counteract the scale and pace of Chinese trade redirection. The longer this continues, the more it will undermine local industry, employment and economic self-sufficiency. The economic repercussions are only one layer of the problem. What makes this fissure particularly dangerous is its potential to metastasize into social tension. Indonesia's multi-ethnic composition includes a sizable Chinese-Indonesian minority that has historically been subject to scapegoating during economic downturns. The riots of May 1998, which led to the collapse of the Suharto regime, serve as a chilling reminder of how quickly economic grievances can morph into ethnic-based violence against ethnic Chinese. In the current climate of economic pressure and increasing unemployment—especially among urban manufacturing workers—there is a real risk that the narrative of Chinese imports 'destroying local industry' could morph into resentment directed at Chinese-Indonesian entrepreneurs, many of whom operate in retail, logistics and trade. In an age where social media can amplify divisive messaging in real-time, the potential for misinformation and targeted ethnic vilification should not be underestimated. At the regional level, Indonesia's predicament reflects a broader structural challenge in ASEAN. Countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have also experienced spikes in Chinese imports, particularly in sectors like automobiles and electronics. The nature of these imports—often heavily subsidized and arriving in large quantities at prices below prevailing market rates—suggests deliberate Chinese dumping. Yet ASEAN's current mechanisms are ill-equipped to deal with these surges in a coordinated manner. Each country acts on its own, imposing unilateral anti-dumping tariffs or seeking redress through domestic trade tribunals, thereby diminishing the strength of a collective ASEAN-wide economic position. What is needed is not isolationism but a recalibration of engagement. Indonesia and ASEAN must articulate clearer expectations in their trade relationships with China. Fairness, reciprocity and respect for domestic industries must be at the heart of any economic partnership. The notion that Southeast Asia should serve as China's release valve for overproduction is not only economically detrimental but geopolitically short-sighted. It risks turning ASEAN from a central strategic partner into a passive buffer zone—absorbing external shocks without the tools to respond effectively. Equally important is ASEAN's need to revive its own internal trade capacities. The ASEAN Economic Community was envisioned to deepen intra-regional trade and investment, yet the share of intra-ASEAN trade has remained stagnant at around 22–24% over the past decade. This is far below the intra-regional trade levels of the EU, which stands at around 60%. Reducing non-tariff barriers, streamlining customs procedures and improving regional logistics are all urgent if ASEAN is to build internal economic resilience. Greater economic interdependence within ASEAN would not only mitigate vulnerability to external dumping but also foster shared growth that benefits smaller economies equally. For Indonesia, the road ahead demands bold policy interventions. The country must begin by strengthening its industrial strategy—reinvesting in productivity, technological upgrading and workforce development—so that its manufacturing sectors are not merely shielded but revitalized. Trade defense instruments must be improved, not only in terms of speed and scope but also in coordination with ASEAN partners. The government should also launch public education campaigns that preempt the ethnicization of economic issues. The messaging must be clear: this is not a conflict between ethnic groups but a structural issue in global trade dynamics that requires unity, not division. China, for its part, must recognize that sustaining goodwill in Southeast Asia cannot rely solely on infrastructure investment or diplomatic fanfare. It must pay heed to the social consequences of its trade behaviors. Dumping excess production into Indonesia and other ASEAN markets may offer short-term economic relief for Chinese exporters, but it risks breeding long-term resentment, social instability and strategic blowback in a region vital to China's Belt and Road Initiative ambitions. The growing trade imbalance between Indonesia and China is not yet a fracture—but it is undeniably a fissure, one that reveals the fragile interconnections between economic policy, social harmony and geopolitical alignment. Whether this fissure is widened or closed depends on the wisdom and coordination of both Indonesia's domestic leadership and ASEAN's collective diplomacy. To ignore it would be to misread not only the fragility of Indonesia's pluralistic society but also the limits of ASEAN's absorptive capacity. By addressing this issue with fairness, clarity and resolve, Indonesia can lead the region in forging a more balanced relationship with China—one that respects economic sovereignty, sustains regional stability and ultimately preserves the dignity of Southeast Asia's diverse peoples. Phar Kim Beng, PhD, is professor of ASEAN Studies, International Islamic University Malaysia and senior visiting fellow at the University of Cambridge. Luthfy Hamzah is senior research fellow of ASEAN Studies at Strategic Pan Indo Pacific Arena.
CTV News
19 hours ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Que. thief steals truck in Barrie, Ont., then arrested on 401 thanks to GPS tracking: Police
Police confirm they arrested the Quebec suspect involved in an alleged pickup truck theft in Barrie, Ont. back in April. According to the Barrie Police Service (BPS), a male suspect broke into a parked Toyota Tundra pickup truck that was parked in Barrie near Bryne Drive. Police say the incident happened between 10 p.m. on April 29 and 7 a.m. on April 30. The suspect allegedly manipulated the truck's on-board diagnostics (OBD) port once he was in the truck, allowing him to steal it and drive away. Once the owner noticed his truck was missing, police say he accessed its GPS system and provided the information to investigators. Through that information, police say the BPS and OPP were able to stop and arrest the suspect while he was travelling east on Highway 401 in Quinte West. Further combined investigation by the BPS and the South Simcoe Police Service (SSPS) Street Crime Auto Theft Unit claims the 34-year-old Quebec man is linked to three other stolen vehicle investigations. The accused was charged with nine criminal offences related to four vehicle thefts and is being held in custody, pending bail. A Barrie police media officer confirmed to CTV News that the truck was returned to its owner. According to the BPS, this and other ongoing auto theft investigations were made possible by a recent grant that they and the SSPS received from the Ontario government to combat auto theft.
The Star
4 days ago
- General
- The Star
Jakarta battles open defecation with communal toilets
JAKARTA: Thousands of Jakartan households are still practicing open defecation across the city due to overcrowding and poor housing conditions. The city administration is pushing to build more communal toilets to address the issue, but experts argue it will not be enough to solve the problem. A 53-year-old resident of Penjaringan in North Jakarta, who asked to use the pseudonym Apriyandi, was one of them. He lives in a low-income housing area under the toll road in Pejagalan subdistrict in Penjaringan which stretches along the polluted banks of Angke River and lacks basic hygiene and sanitation facilities. Apriyandi himself lives in a 30-square-metre home, which provides insufficient space to build a private toilet for his family of four. 'That's why we have to defecate outside [our home] near the river. We often do it quietly,' he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday (May 28). Apriyandi's neighborhood has some shared toilet facilities, but they are not enough to cover thousands of people living in the neighborhood. While acknowledging the health impact of dumping his waste improperly, he said that defecating in open spaces was just more practical and cheaper, since people need to pay to use the public toilet. 'It's not just me, many others do the same. The river is just closer than the toilet and I don't have to pay and queue,' said Apriyandi, who works as a day labourer. The local neighborhood unit (RT) head Karsin admitted that many people living under the toll road have a habit of defecating in the field, road and other open spaces, largely due to inadequate housing, causing their waste to pollute the nearby environment. 'We often see their feces floating in the waterways or, worse, in our home's water channels,' Karsin said, adding that a piece of feces floated into his house during a flood. He conveyed his hope that authorities would build more proper public toilets in the neighborhood to prevent open defecation. A 2024 data from the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) revealed that 0.19 per cent of total households in the city, or 5,300 households, were still practicing open defecation. Only five provinces in the country were declared free from open defecation: East Java, Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), South Sulawesi and Central Java. Under Governor Pramono Anung, the city administration has pledged to revitalise all the city's low-income housing areas by 2027, with 55 kampungs undergoing infrastructure upgrades this year. The governor also announced a plan to build more communal toilets in dense neighbourhoods to solve the sanitation problem in the city. While authorities view the provision of public toilets as a way to solve the sanitation issue in the city, they can also push for residents to build private toilets in their homes that are connected to a shared septic tank, according to environmental health expert Corie Indria Prasasti from Surabaya-based Airlangga University. Building more public toilets, she added, could only be an option in a situation of tight economic and space constraints if the facility meets the health and safety requirements. 'The most important thing is to reduce contact between human feces with animals,' Corie said. 'Human feces contains infectious pathogens, the contact may lead to disease transmission.' However, building more communal toilets may not be a panacea for the open defecation problem, said urban sociologist Rakhmat Hidayat from Jakarta State University, as the issue stems from the lack of access to decent housing for thousands, if not millions, of people. '[Communal toilets] are one of the quick and temporary solutions,' Rakhmat said, while asserting the importance of affordable housing and the public right to proper sanitation. Heavily relying on shared toilets would only perpetuate the idea that 'poor families have to line up and share with others' to fulfill their basic rights, he went on to say. Aside from building communal toilets, Pramono's administration also plans to build two rusunawa (low-cost rental apartment) complexes and renovate another that comprising 1,153 apartment units by next year. The rusunawas will be designated for low-income families. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- Boston Globe
Following fatal school bus crash, Boston launches independent investigation into transportation safety
Advertisement The investigation will review safety policies and performance under the contracts with Transdev, a French transit company that has provided The driver who was behind the wheel of the bus that killed Joseph, Related : Since the crash, Transdev conducted an audit of its drivers' credentials, and 'out of an abundance of caution,' pulled an additional seven drivers off the road until it was determined their credentials were current, the statement said. Advertisement The statement also revealed that Charles, the driver who was behind the wheel of the bus that killed Lens, had been pulled off the road by Transdev for two days for retraining less than two weeks prior to the deadly Hyde Park crash. Charles was involved in four 'minor incidents' with other vehicles — hitting a parked car, a rear tire, a bumper, and a side mirror — over the past year, including two in April, according to the statement. The new revelations in the school bus investigation come after the Globe reported the bus driver Related : Following the crash that killed Lens Joseph, Charles attempted to 'take off' from the scene, but was blocked by another vehicle, according to recordings of Boston police radio calls reviewed by the Globe. Attorney Wu, in the statement announcing the investigation, mourned the death of Lens, who arrived in the US with family members in 2023 from Haiti. According to Wu, Tidwell's investigation will 'closely scrutinize the Transdev contract's safety policies and performance,' and be separate from the one already underway by police and the district attorney's office. Tidwell will also deliver recommendations so the tragedy is never repeated, Wu said. 'We are heartbroken,' Wu said in the statement. 'No family should ever suffer the loss of a child, and the public deserves a full understanding of how this could have happened and what changes are needed.' Advertisement Skipper, in the same statement, said her team at BPS fully supports the independent investigation of safety policies and performance under the Transdev contract. 'The safety of all of our students is paramount and we will ensure that any findings and recommendations from this investigation are acted on and implemented to strengthen the safety of our transportation system and the services provided by our vendor Transdev,' Skipper said. 'We are holding Lens Joseph and his family in our prayers and are doing everything we can to support them during this unthinkable time,' Skipper said. Related : The independent investigation will begin as BPS continues to strengthen safety protocols, the statement said. BPS has increased the frequency of regular meetings with There are approximately 400 'incidents' per year involving a BPS school bus, generally one or two per day across the fleet, the statement said. Most of those crashes involve minimal damage. Transdev notified Charles to renew his school bus certificate, but he did not, officials have said. The certificate is one of the credentials a school bus driver needs in order to operate a bus in Massachusetts. Drivers also need a commercial driver's license, along with a passenger endorsement for their license, and a school bus certificate. They also must pass a criminal background check and complete up to 60 hours of pre-service training from a certified instructor. After the company learned that Charles was driving with an expired school bus certificate, Transdev conducted an 'immediate audit' of all drivers to ensure appropriate and valid credentials, the statement said. Advertisement The company is also bringing in additional safety staff to accelerate regular refresher training of all drivers on pickup, drop-off, and crash protocols, the statement said. 'As part of regular safety meetings, BPS Transportation will now require additional reports from Transdev on licensure, training renewals, and post-crash driver protocols,' the statement said. Officials said Charles struck one car in Mattapan, spoke to that driver, but left the scene without reporting the crash to a safety officer at the Freeport bus yard. Last week, officials said Charles appeared to have made 'unclear statements' to witnesses that suggested he needed to finish his bus route. Officials said Charles underwent drug and alcohol testing, and no sign was found immediately after the Hyde Park crash. Lens's death 'could have been, and should have been, completely avoided,' attorneys for his family have told the Globe. 'We are dedicated to pursuing justice for the families involved,' said attorneys Matthew Fogelman and Alan Klevan. 'We are also dedicated to making changes to any policies and procedures to ensure that something as senseless as this never happens again.' Since moving to the US, Lens and his family lived in Hyde Park, according to his family. He dreamed of becoming a police officer, they said. His A mourner wears a pin honoring 5-year-old Lens Joseph during his funeral at Mount of Olives Evangelical Baptist Church in the Hyde Park on Saturday. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff In the United States, Transdev operates public transportation services in 46 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, with about 32,000 employees (about a third of its global workforce), according to the company. The company has been contracted by BPS for 12 years to maintain the district's fleet of about 740 buses, manage three bus yards, and hire and manage school bus drivers, according to the district. The company employs about 1,000 staffers in Boston, including about 750 bus drivers, BPS has reported. Advertisement On Thursday, Transdev released its first public statement since the Hyde Park crash. The company declined comment on the ongoing investigation, and said it was cooperating with authorities. 'This was a truly tragic accident and Transdev is fully cooperating with BPS and the relevant authorities in their investigations. Our number one priority is to continue providing safe and reliable bus services for the children attending Boston Public Schools,' the company said. 'In relation to any investigation of the driver, we are not at liberty to comment on an active police investigation. Transdev mourns the death of Lens Arthur Joseph and expresses its heartfelt condolences to his family during this difficult time,' according to the statement. Follow him on Bluesky at He can also be reached on Signal at john_hilliard.70 or email him at
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- Boston Globe
Company involved in deadly school bus crash has history of personal injury claims in Boston
Among the allegations: A Transdev driver, on his first day on the job, crashed the school bus he was driving into the back of a motorist's car while looking at a clipboard in 2019. After a Transdev driver exited a BPS bus, the unattended bus rolled uncontrolled across a parking lot in 2015, striking a BPS assistant principal, shattering his pelvis. Another Transdev driver crashed a BPS bus into another vehicle during a police stop in 2022. Most recently, Advertisement The latest crash has raised questions about the training and oversight of Boston's school bus drivers, who are employees of Transdev, an $11 billion French company with US headquarters in Illinois. At a recent community meeting Advertisement Marie Kelley, a resident of the Hyde Park neighborhood where Lens was killed, said she frequently saw BPS buses speeding and driving unsafely through the area before that crash. 'They don't obey the laws that much,' Kelley said in an interview. 'Matter of fact, just the other day, I saw one taking a corner, didn't have a blinker on, and didn't even hesitate to stop ... they got to slow down.' Two city councilors — Erin Murphy and Ed Flynn — have demanded a hearing to review the hiring, training, and compliance certification of BPS bus drivers. 'Every day, thousands of families entrust BPS with their children's safety,' Murphy said in a statement. 'We must ensure that trust is not misplaced.' Related : The proposed hearing was referred to the council's Education Committee, led by Councilor Henry Santana, who did not immediately respond to a question about when the hearing would be scheduled. The driver in the Hyde Park crash, Jean Charles, resigned May 14 ahead of a scheduled termination hearing. Boston police and the Suffolk district attorney's office are investigating the crash, but have not provided any updates since the tragedy occurred. Officials in the mayor's office, BPS, and United Steelworkers Local 8751, which represents drivers who operate BPS buses, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Transdev, in its first public statement since the crash, declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation into the Hyde Park crash. Advertisement 'This was a truly tragic accident and Transdev is fully cooperating with BPS and the relevant authorities in their investigations. Our number one priority is to continue providing safe and reliable bus services for the children attending Boston Public Schools,' Transdev said Thursday in the statement. 'In relation to any investigation of the driver, we are not at liberty to comment on an active police investigation. Transdev mourns the death of Lens Arthur Joseph and expresses its heartfelt condolences to his family during this difficult time." Across the country, Transdev has been involved in four fatal crashes in the past two years, and 69 others with injuries, Transdev BPS contracts with Transdev to maintain the district's fleet of about 740 buses, manage three bus yards, and hire and manage school bus drivers, according to the district. The company employs about 1,000 staffers in Boston, including about 750 bus drivers, BPS has reported. The case filings in Suffolk Superior Court provide insight to some of those crashes that resulted in injury. Of the 15 cases — the earliest filed in 2015, the latest in March — at least 10 ended in settlements, records show. Advertisement Among the cases that ended with settlements was a lawsuit filed by John Switlekowski, who was the assistant principal at the McCormack Middle School in Dorchester when, in March 2015, an The driver had stepped off the bus to use the bathroom and was not on board at the time of the crash. Related : According to court records, Switlekowski sued Transdev, the city, and the bus driver. The case was settled the following year. Switlekowski did not respond to a request for comment. Three other personal injury cases, including Caldwell's, are pending against Transdev in Suffolk Superior Court. In Caldwell's case, filed in August, she is suing Transdev, the city, and the school bus driver, Thony Pierre-Louis. Her lawyer, Kelsey Rose, told the Globe Wednesday that Caldwell had to have one toe amputated and underwent surgery. The driver said he wasn't responsible, Rose said. 'The driver denied that he ran over her foot despite the physical evidence showing that he did,' Rose said. 'The EMTs reported blood and an 'obvious deformity' of the right foot when they removed her shoe.' In court papers, the defendants denied Caldwell's allegations. Gareth Notis, an attorney representing Transdev, the city, and Pierre-Louis, said he could not comment on current litigation. The sides disagree about the facts in the case, he said. 'The facts are in great dispute about what happened and who is at fault,' Notis said in a brief phone interview. Advertisement Last week, on Boston 311, a BPS school bus was reported On April 30, just two days after the fatal crash, 'I was just at the red light at Freeport in Dorchester Avenue when a yellow school bus took a left-hand turn onto Freeport Street from the right hand lane at accelerated speed,' the poster said. 'And we wonder why five year-[olds] are killed by school buses.' Christopher Huffaker, Marcela Rodrigues, and Jeremiah Manion of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Follow him on Bluesky at He can also be reached on Signal at john_hilliard.70 or email him at
