which have attracted thousands of workers from other parts of Indonesia. Batam became an autonomous self-governing city in 1999 gained Free Trade Zone status in 2007 and IMTGT and BIMP-EAGA, both of which started out with great enthusiasm from both the public and private sectors, were severely affected by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, political problems, and civil unrest, and even natural problems, such as the 2004 tsunami and earthquakes in Sumatra. Two developments, however, suggest that substantial progress is possible in the longer term.