Day: April 6, 2022

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Foreign Minister confirms 133 Indonesians departed from Ukraine

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi reported that out of the total of 165 Indonesian citizens in Ukraine, as many as 133 had left the country.

“We are grateful that as of today, all Indonesians, who were keen to be evacuated (from Ukraine), are now safe in Indonesia. Of the total 165 Indonesian citizens, 133 have left Ukraine,” the minister noted during the Working Meeting of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) at the Parliament Complex here on Wednesday.

Marsudi explained that the 133 Indonesians comprised 80 people evacuated to Indonesia aboard a plane and five people evacuated to Bucharest, though they decided to return to their countries of residence, such as Russia, Turkey, Denmark, and Qatar.

Subsequently, 34 Indonesian citizens were evacuated in a follow-up evacuation batch, 12 people evacuated independently to various countries, and two people did not report but were already in Indonesia, the minister elaborated.

“Meanwhile, 32 Indonesian citizens chose to stay in Ukraine, comprising 23 people (who opted to stay) due to personal reasons and the rest are staff of the Indonesian Embassy,” she added.

The minister admitted that it was challenging to evacuate people from Ukraine amid the war.

Marsudi cited as an example that it took 22 days to evacuate nine Indonesians from Chernihiv. Nevertheless, the evacuation went smoothly due to the cooperation with ministries and agencies and the support from Indonesians.

The working meeting with Commission I of the DPR RI was led by Deputy Chairman of Commission I of the DPR RI, Abdul Kharis Almasyhari. The working meeting planned to discuss the realization and evaluation of the 2021 FY State Budget’s implementation and protection of Indonesian citizens and Indonesian legal entities in Ukraine, among others.

The third topic of discussion was Indonesia’s diplomacy related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict while the fourth pertained to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ explanation regarding the Special Procedures Mandate Holders (SPMH) concerning several cases of alleged enforced disappearances, excessive use of force, torture, and forced displacement in Papua and West Papua provinces.

Source: Antara News

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Forest fires: Ministry monitors hotspots as dry season approaches

Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry is continuing to monitor hotspots and fire spots in regions prone to forest and land fires as well as carrying out fire mitigation in several regions.

The ministry has also continued to urge regional governments to raise their alertness and prioritize prevention efforts, the ministry’s forest and land fire control director, Basar Manullang, told ANTARA here on Wednesday.

This suggestion is especially directed at regions prone to fire.

“Improving early detection systems and hotspot monitoring is done through the www.sipongi.menlhk.go.id (website),” he informed over a messaging application.

“Fire spots monitoring is also being conducted through the use of thermal CCTV cameras in several spots prone to forest and land fires,” he added.

Forest and land fire prevention patroling is also being done.

The patrols are being conducted independently by Manggala Agni, the ministry’s forest fire brigade, as well as collaboratively by members drawn from Manggala Agni, the police, military, and civilians throughout the year.

Speaking about areas where forest and land fires have already started to occur, Manullang informed that in Riau and West Kalimantan, the ministry is monitoring 22 and 63 hotspots respectively.

This observation is based on the Terra/Aqua satellite monitoring until April 6, 2022.

Fire-fighting efforts have already been conducted in burnt areas by those from the Manggala Agni and Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) through the use of weather modification technology and water-bombing.

Moreover, Manggala Agni has already performed ground checks at the monitored hotspots.

“Weather modification operation, waterbombing, air patrol, integrated patrol, and independent patrol have already been carried out as mitigation steps,” he informed.

“To this day, Riau and West Kalimantan Governors have already implemented Forest and Land Fire Emergency Alert status,” he added.

The ministry is also ensuring that alertness against forest and land fires continues to be bolstered since the rain has currently declined and half the provinces in Sumatra have started to become dry.

Other provinces may experience the dry season from May to June this year. A decreased rain potential is expected to cause an increase in forest and land fire potential.

“As a result, related parties have to strengthen their alertness as a precaution. The people’s participation, especially at the ground level, very much determines forest and land fire prevention efforts,” Manullang remarked.

Source: Antara News

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Re-Imposes Visa-Free For ASEAN Nationals

The Indonesian government has re-imposed a visa-free visit policy, for citizens of fellow ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights said yesterday.

“With this new policy, foreigners from nine other ASEAN countries are able to enter with visa-free visits,” said Director of Immigration Traffic, Amran Aris.

People from these Southeast Asian countries are only required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and a negative polymerase chain reaction test (PCR), taken 48 hours prior to arrival, and use the PeduliLindungi test and track app on their mobile phone. They are no longer required to undergo a PCR test upon arrival as long as they pass a temperature check.

International airports in Yogyakarta, Makassar, Medan and Pekanbaru have reopened.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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BRIN to conduct weather modification to prevent forest fires in Riau

The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) will carry out weather modification operations to cause artificial rain in Riau to prevent forest and land burning.

“The plan begins on April 11, 2022; we are still waiting for TNI’s (National Defense Force’s) airplane to be ready,” BRIN’s Weather Modification Technology Management Laboratory coordinator Budi Harsoyo told ANTARA here on Wednesday.

The weather modification operation in Riau will be undertaken as a precaution against forest and land fire disasters by wetting peatlands so that they do not burn easily.

The operation will aim to maintain the peatland groundwater level within the upper limit threshold of drought.

The weather modification activity will be conducted for 15 days, with budget support from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

“The budget from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry is supported by PT RAPP (Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper),” Harsoyo informed.

Meanwhile, BRIN has prepared 20 tons of NaCI powder for the 15-day operation in Riau.

The weather modification operation will be conducted through a collaboration between BRIN, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), and Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

The activity will also involve the Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM), TNI Air Force, and PT RAPP.

In a statement issued on March 17, BMKG’s data and information coordinator for Riau Marzuki said that people should be wary of forest and land fires at the start of the second period of the dry season.

The period is estimated to last from May to September, with the peak of the dry season occurring from June to July.

However, various parties should prepare themselves from May until September. During that period, Riau will experience a dry season.

Source: Antara News

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Culture Ministry collecting data on cultural heritage assets

The Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry is recording information on cultural heritage assets in Indonesia and developing a digital platform to support the management of cultural heritage data.

“Currently, we are developing a digitalization asset management platform,” the ministry’s culture protection director Irini Dewi Wanti said during a discussion on ‘Mind, Heart, and Work for Cultural Advancement’ here on Wednesday.

The digital platform will contain the name, description, value, and location of cultural heritages, she informed.

“Currently, it is hard to detect cultural heritage objects. However, the presence of the platform will make it easy to detect their existence,” she said.

She also underlined the importance of active participation from the people, government institutions, and the private sector in gathering cultural heritage data.

“If the people own a cultural heritage object, do not hesitate to report it to the local culture office,” Wanti said.

“Later, the regional government will conduct an evaluation to determine whether the object is a cultural heritage or not,” she added.

If an object is a cultural heritage, then the regional government can submit it to the ministry for an inspection to determine whether it can be included in the national cultural heritage category, she added.

The effort to preserve cultural inheritance and cultural advancement necessitates synergy from stakeholders, she said.

This can be achieved by carrying out four strategic efforts involving protection, development, utilization, and guidance, as mandated by Law No. 5 of 2017 on Cultural Advancement, she added.

Data collection on cultural heritage objects within the nation must be done because Indonesia has an extraordinary cultural richness, she remarked.

“If the data is not recorded, how can we know that we have all of that richness,” she said.

Based on the law, there is a protection that must be extended to cultural heritage objects. However, before the protection effort can be carried out, data collection must be done first, she added.

Source: Antara News

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Indonesians urged to keep wearing masks during Ramadan

Government spokesperson for COVID-19 Handling Wiku Adisasmito reminded Indonesians to continue to wear masks while conducting their activities during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan as part of the efforts to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

“Wearing masks should be an indispensable habit during shopping, visiting relatives, or attending worship activities at mosques,” Adisasmito noted during a press conference for the development of COVID-19 handling in Indonesia accessed here on Tuesday.

Adisasmito lauded the community for continually complying with the health protocols, so that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country can be decreased.

The spokesperson also urged all relevant parties to continuously supervise the implementation of health protocols in their surrounding areas.

The role of volunteers, officers of the Indonesian Military (TNI), and the National Police (Polri), as well as the ambassadors for behavior change, who are assets in supervising the implementation of health protocols, should be maximized, according to Adisasmito.

He appealed to village governments to continue to report the level of compliance of health protocols in their respective areas.

In addition, Adisasmito pressed for again reactivating micro-level public activity restrictions (PPKM) posts in villages ahead of the Eid homecoming exodus period.

All parties are expected to collaborate for supporting the revival of economic activities and facilitating normalcy to be restored in people’s activities.

“For the past two years, we have been fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and currently, we can revive and start to conduct our activities again like before. Of course, this needs to be preserved with the spirit of mutual cooperation and full responsibility,” he remarked.

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of April 5, 2022, Indonesia has recorded a total of 6,023,924 COVID-19 cases, 5,783,299 recoveries, and 155,421 deaths.

Source: Antara News

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Jokowi presses for meticulous preparations for Eid al-Fitr homecoming

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) called for carefully handling preparations for the 2022 Eid al-Fitr homecoming after the government allowed people to travel to their places of origin, with COVID-19 vaccination as one of the requirements.

“All our people want to go home for Eid al-Fitr. We must made additional preparations,” Jokowi noted during the plenary cabinet session at the State Palace in Jakarta that was broadcast on Wednesday.

To this end, the president urged the ranks of the National Police (Polri), Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), Transportation Ministry, and the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment to coordinate in preparing for the 2022 Eid al-Fitr homecoming right from the route, the potential congestion, as well as anticipating the amassing of vehicles at certain locations.

“The Polri, assisted by the TNI and the minister of transportation, as well as coordinated by the coordinating minister must be fully prepared to minimize congestion on the road. It must be calculated correctly,” Jokowi stated.

On March 23, 2022, Jokowi had issued a statement allowing the public to travel to their regions of origin to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with a COVID-19 vaccine booster as a requisite.

On a separate occasion, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin remarked that the prerequisites for COVID-19 vaccination for homecoming trips were deemed necessary as a form of the government’s precautionary measures.

“The government remains cautious. We are still allowed to perform Ramadan prayer and go home for Eid al-Fitr. However, we must also complete the booster vaccination dose,” he emphasized.

Sadikin also explained that people, who had recently received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination, must attach the results of the negative PCR test that is valid for 3×24 hours prior to traveling home.

Those who received the second dose only need to attach the results of their negative antigen test valid for a day or negative PCR test valid for 3×24 hours.

“Those who have received a complete booster vaccine do not need any tests for homecoming,” he added.

Source: Antara News

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Booster vaccination rate in Yogyakarta inches closer to 70 percent

The rate of booster vaccination in Yogyakarta has increased, nearing 70 percent, as more people were interested to receive the additional dose.

“About two to three weeks ago, the rate of booster dose vaccination was only around 50 percent, but now, it has reached almost 70 percent,” Head of the Yogyakarta COVID-19 Task Force Heroe Poerwadi stated in Yogyakarta, on Wednesday.

According to data from the Yogyakarta Health Office, as of Tuesday, April 5, some 192,344 people, or about 65 percent of the vaccination target, had received the booster dose.

Poerwadi remarked that the increase in booster vaccination rate occurred partly due to mass vaccination programs being expedited in villages and sub-districts.

“We expand (our) reach of the booster vaccine not only in health facilities (in terms of) regular services but also in regional areas,” he stated.

“We provide a quota of up to 600 doses for vaccination in the regional scope. The available quotas were immediately exhausted, and sometimes, (it could not meet the needs or interest). Public interest is very high,” he added.

Poerwadi noted that the government’s policy, necessitating COVID-19 vaccination as a domestic travel requirement, was one of the triggers for the jump in COVID-19 vaccination rate.

The Yogyakarta city government had expedited the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination in the last month, in the hope that more people would partake in booster vaccinations during Ramadan, he remarked.

“If many residents have received booster doses, it is expected that residents can conduct worship activities (during Ramadan) even (better),” he remarked.

The city government was currently still focusing on meeting the target of booster vaccinations for residents of Yogyakarta.

Source: Antara News

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