Day: July 18, 2022

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Support Indonesia’s bid for full FATF membership: BNPT

The National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) has said it supports Indonesia’s bid to become a full member of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF).

“BNPT and all members of the Money Laundering Countermeasure and Eradication Committee (TPPU Committee) will cooperate and synergize in handling cases of terrorism financing crimes,” head of BNPT, Boy Rafli Amar, remarked at the FATF’s MER (Mutual Evaluation Review) and on-site visit to Indonesia at the Mandiri Club Building, here on Monday.

In a written statement, Amar explained that the FATF is an international organization that seeks to prevent money laundering and terror financing.

Synergy between BNPT and TPPU committee in handling terror financing crimes is expected to contribute to Indonesia’s goal to become a full member of the FATF, he said.

Indonesia got a good assessment from FATF in the mutual evaluation review, he informed.

BNPT previously held a meeting to consolidate answers with the relevant ministries or agencies, regarding the IO (immediate outcome) on the 10 targeted financial sanctions and IO 9 on the issue of foreign terrorist fighters (FTF) as well as social media.

IO 10 of FATF refers to “targeted financial sanctions and terrorist financing preventive measures,” while IO 9 is related to “investigation and prosecution of terrorist financing,” Amar elaborated.

In IO 9, there are special issues related to the handling of FTF and social media, which the BNPT is responsible for.

Regarding FTF, he pointed out, BNPT and the National Coordinating Committee for the Prevention and Eradication of Money Laundering Crimes and Terrorism Financing Crimes have conducted discussions on issues ranging from identification, prevention, to eradication carried out by the Indonesian government on handling foreign terrorist fighters.

In responding to issues surrounding social media, BNPT has collaborated with members of the TPPU Committee, especially the Center for Reporting Financial Analysis and Transactions (PPATK), to conduct further analysis of social media accounts indicated to be carrying out terror financing.

 

Source: Antara News

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Police shut road access to Cileungsi after accident kills 11

Police officers temporarily closed road access to Cileungsi after a fuel tanker truck struck dozens of vehicles on the Transyogi Alternative Road in Cibubur, Jatirangga, Bekasi City, West Java, on Monday afternoon, killing 11 persons.

“It was temporarily closed to prevent more severe (traffic) congestion around the accident scene,” Head of the Traffic Accident Unit of Bekasi Police Adjunct Commissioner Farida explained in Bekasi.

The accident caused severe congestion on the road section, which even extended to the exit of the Jatikarya Toll Gate toward Cibubur.

In addition to handling traffic, she said her unit was also informing the families of the victims.

“We are still handling the incident scene while informing the victim’s families,” Farida stated.

The bodies of victims who died in the accident were taken to Kramat Jati Police Hospital, while those who sustained injuries were taken to Permata Hospital at Cibubur, Bekasi City.

“(The injured victims have been taken) to Permata Hospital at Cibubur considering the location is not far from the accident scene,” she added.

A joint team of officers from the Jakarta Police and Regional Police of Bekasi City also reconstructed the accident.

It was reported that the accident allegedly started when a fuel tanker truck owned by state gas and oil firm PT Pertamina developed a brake issue.

“Because the brake was broken, the driver (of the truck) finally took the initiative to turn the steering wheel to the left,” a non-commissioned officer in charge of village supervision (Babinsa), second sergeant Triyatno, said.

The tanker truck ended up hitting and running over dozens of vehicles nearby, killing several motorists, Triyatno explained.

As of Monday afternoon, the accident had caused a long traffic jam. “The problem is now being handled by Jatisampurna Police,” he added.

 

Source: Antara News

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SOEs’ Foundation donates 75,000 vaccine doses for disabled people

State-Owned Enterprises’ (SOEs’) Foundation for Indonesia, or Yayasan BUMN untuk Indonesia, has donated 75 thousand doses of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, which will be used as a booster vaccination for people with disabilities.

The vaccine grant would be disbursed by the Health Ministry to six provinces—Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, and Bali, special staff to the President, Angkie Yudistia, informed while attending the vaccine handing over event here on Monday.

“It is the moment that the people with disabilities have been waiting for since they will finally be able to get booster vaccinations,” she said, according to a press release.

People with disabilities in the six provinces received the first and second COVID-19 doses in the period from August to October 2021, she noted.

People with disabilities are part of the group that is prone to be exposed to the virus, hence the government has continued to meet the demand for vaccines among them, she stated.

“We want people with disabilities to have good immunity, especially in the midst of the current high COVID-19 transmission,” the special staff remarked.

She then lauded the foundation and the ministry for working hard to ensure the availability of the vaccines for the group.

“I also express my gratitude to the SOEs’ Foundation for Indonesia and the Health Ministry for entrusting me to conduct the cross-sectoral coordination (on the vaccination effort),” she added.

Deputy Minister of SOEs, Pahala Nugraha Mansury, said that the current increasing trend of COVID-19 transmission has become a major concern for the government. Hence, the SOEs’ Foundation has committed to making the government’s vaccination program a success.

In addition to providing COVID-19 vaccines, he said that his ministry will provide training to people with disabilities so that they can acquire the required skills for gaining employment.

“I noted that 8.5 percent of the Indonesian population are disabled people. Furthermore, we also have a micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) program for people with disabilities, thus they can develop their own business, hence they can become independent,” he remarked.

The Indonesian government has begun to expedite COVID-19 vaccinations for persons with disabilities living in regions with a high risk of transmission.

Earlier, Indonesia had received a grant of 450 thousand doses of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from the United Arab Emirates. The vaccines were administered to people with disabilities in Java and Bali regions in August 2021.

 

Source: Antara News

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Central Java ramps up booster vaccinations via schools

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has said that the provincial government is working to push up the COVID-19 booster dose coverage by organizing vaccination programs at schools in the province.

“Based on my conversations with the students, many of their parents have not (been vaccinated), many of their grandparents have not (been vaccinated),” Pranowo noted after monitoring the implementation of third-dose vaccinations at Purwokerto 2 Public Vocational School, here on Monday.

For this reason, the government will use schools as centers for third-dose vaccinations so that students can get the vaccine and the vaccination achievement can be accelerated, he explained.

The governor then asked all teachers to support the implementation of third-dose vaccinations.

“We can ask (the students): Have your parents (gotten the vaccine)? Have your grandparents? Have your neighbors? This means, in general, we will be able to know the condition,” he said.

That way, it would be possible to invite the community to get the vaccine so that booster vaccinations can be accelerated, he pointed out.

He said he expects the community to remain alert and participate in booster vaccinations without having to be asked first.

According to him, the booster vaccine has become a requirement for the community to conduct several activities, for example, visiting malls and traveling.

Meanwhile, head of the Health Office of Central Java province, Yunita Dyah Suminar, informed that the booster dose coverage in Central Java has only reached 24.67 percent of the province’s total population so far.

According to her, the low coverage is because many people think that two vaccine doses are enough to keep them safe from COVID-19. In this case, the community’s enthusiasm to get the booster dose has been different from when they were getting the first and second doses, she explained.

Of the 35 districts and cities in Central Java, only Tegal and Pemalang districts have not reached 70-percent second dose coverage, she noted.

 

Source: Antara News

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Telkom to develop Internet gateway to boost eastern Indonesia economy

PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Internasional (Telin), a subsidiary of state-run telecommunications company PT Telkom Indonesia, will develop its second international Internet gateway in Manado city, North Sulawesi, to stoke economic growth in eastern Indonesian regions.

Currently, most of the digital traffic in Indonesia is concentrated in the western region through the international gateway in Batam city, Riau Islands province, director for wholesale and international services at PT Telkom Indonesia, Bogi Witjaksono, said here on Monday.

From Batam city, the traffic heads to Singapore, and then to the international network, he informed.

Hence, the only way for people in the eastern regions to enjoy faster, or at least the same, digital connectivity at almost the same price as their western counterparts is to establish a new digital gateway so that the traffic is not concentrated at one gateway, he explained.

“We hope that if a gateway is available in the eastern part of Indonesia, the (traffic of the) digital industry players will also head to the gateway, hence it can improve the digital economy sector there,” he said.

Meanwhile, CEO of PT Telin, Budi Satria Dharma Purba, informed that 16 out of a total of 17 telecommunication submarine cables from Indonesia lead to Singapore and Malaysia as most of the Indonesian Internet traffic goes to Singapore.

Therefore, PT Telin has initiated the development of the Indonesia Global Gateway South East Asia-United States (IGG SEA-US) submarine Internet cable route connecting Singapore, Indonesia (in Manado City), Hawaii, and the United States as an alternative route to the regular route that passes Hong Kong and Shanghai.

“The IGG SEA-US route has been operated since 2017. Since then, everyone (digital industry actors) has been utilizing this route for backups in case something happens on the regular route,” Purba said.

The IGG SEA-US route is also an alternative for reducing the dependency on the Singapore-centric Internet route, he added.

“Currently, 97 percent of Indonesian Internet traffic goes to Singapore. Only 3 percent of it goes to the US through the IGG SEA-US route,” he noted.

Apart from security reasons and reducing dependency on other countries, the second international digital gateway in Manado city is expected to support a more uniform Internet speed in the eastern region of Indonesia, he added.

 

Source: Antara News

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