THREE-NATION BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY DIRECTORY LAUNCHED

IPOH (Malaysia), July 28 (Bernama) -- The Business Opportunity Directory
2009(BOD 2009)for entrepreneurs in the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth
Triangle (IMT-GT), launched Monday, is aimed at providing a platform for them to
expand their business.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, S. K. Devamany said the
308-page directory is available in four forms, namely in print, disc, on the
internet as well as call centres for the benefit of entrepreneurs and
businessmen.

"It opens opportunities to further expand their business at the regional and
global levels.

"At the same time, small and medium entreprises must benefit from the BOD
2009 as it is the first of its kind, published by the chambers of commerce of
the three countries since the formation of the IMT-GT 16 years ago.

"The IMT-GT is seen as an active and successful sub-regional economic
cooperation grouping in the world," he told reporters after launching the
directory here.

He said a total of 2,378 entrepreneurs from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand
are listed in the BOD 2009.

Devamany said the directory was a symbol of the success of the private in
bringing together small companies from three countries to cooperate in seeking
new business opportunities in the era of globalisation.

The BOD has been successful in identifying more than 100 projects worth RM4
billion, undertaken by the private sector in all three countries.

Among the key achievements of the IMT-GT is the construction of the 155km
highway from Pekan Baru to Dumai in Sumatera and increasing the number of
visitors from Sumatera to Malaysia under the health tourism category.

This is in addition to an increase in the number of vice-versa weekly
flights from Sumatera to Peninsular Malaysia.

The Malaysia Joint Business Council is cooperation with the producer of the
directory, Spektra Kinta Resources Sdn Bhd, is seeking to identify other
Malaysian companies to be listed in it.

The companies in the directory are listed under six sectors, that is
trade and investment, infrastructure and transport, tourism,agriculture and
environment, halal products and human resource development.
-- BERNAMA