Category: Internal Affairs

Cooperation between central and local governments is necessary for building information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in Papua and West Papua, according to the Ministry of Communication and Informatics.

“It is necessary so that the speed of infrastructure development runs smoothly,” Minister of Communication and Informatics, Johnny G. Plate, remarked during a working visit to Papua, according to a press statement released here on Friday.

He said the ministry is looking forward to a discussion on ICT development covering tower construction, VSAT, and power supply establishment to produce signal coverage.

He affirmed that the efforts are aimed at providing telecommunication services to the people of Papua and West Papua.

Cooperation with local governments is a necessity because ICT infrastructure development is related to Papua and West Papua’s provincial, city, district, sub-district, and village administrations’ planning, he added.

“ICT infrastructure not only will be built on air or under the sea, but also on land,” he informed.

“Therefore, the launch of fiber optics, microwave links, and ground segments for satellites and internet access cannot be built based on our imaginations. Hence, we hope that local governments can take part in the development of ICT infrastructure,” Plate said.

Infrastructure building in the signal range area will provide optimization for local governments to develop their spatial planning to be well-coordinated, he added.

In the same press statement, director general of the Telecommunications and Information Accessibility Agency (BAKTI), Anang Latif, highlighted that the agency has built 4G base transceiver station (BTS) towers at 213 locations in Papua from 2015 to 2020.

BAKTI will build another 4,380 4G BTS towers in Papua by 2022, he added.

While in West Papua, 4G BTS towers have been installed at 244 location points from 2015 to 2020, he said. The agency will add another 824 towers by 2022, he added.

Not only 4G BTS towers, but BAKTI has also provided Internet and WiFi access at public service locations such as schools, health centers, and government offices, Latif added.

BAKTI is already providing free WiFi at more than 1,200 public service points in Papua and more than 1,882 points in West Papua, he said.

Source: Antara News

Bali Deputy Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati is optimistic that Indonesian ambassadors, serving in ASEAN member nations, would promote Bali Island’s tourism since the community in the resort island is ready to welcome foreign tourists.

“In the past few days, the number of (COVID-19) active cases in Bali has started to decrease, and the recovery rate is always above the daily count of active cases. Even now, the community restriction (PPKM) in Bali has been lowered to level 3,” he noted in a written statement here on Friday.

The deputy governor, usually referred to as Cok Ace, had earlier made this statement at the Brainstorming Forum of Indonesia’s Head of Representative in Southeast Asia related to “Bali’s Readiness for Foreign Tourists and Exploring the Formation of a Travel Bubble with ASEAN Countries” held virtually on September 23.

Sukawati later noted that Bali no longer had a red zone. Five districts are designated as yellow zones, while four districts are marked as orange zones.

The Bali provincial government has prepared a grand design for accepting foreign tourists, starting from arrival to quarantine, and their travel itinerary while in Bali, until their departure to the origin country.

“We also collaborated with the TNI-Polri and the Public Order Security Agency (Satpol PP) to strictly guard Bali’s entry points,” he remarked while being accompanied by Head of the Bank Indonesia representative for Bali Province, Trisno Nugroho, and Head of the Bali Tourism Board Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana.

The Bali government has designated 62 COVID-19 referral hospitals spread throughout Bali to offer medical services.

“The number of our health workers is sufficient to serve in the worst-case scenarios. The availability of health facilities, such as oxygen supply, is adequate at every hospital,” he noted.

In terms of the tourism sector, he admitted that around 1,871 places in Bali — hotels, restaurants, tourism destinations, malls and public places — had received the Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability (CHSE) certification from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

“Currently, the Bali provincial government is also encouraging the use of the PeduliLindungi application as one of the requirements to enter public places. All these efforts are also supported by the good vaccination achievements in Bali,” Cok Ace noted.

He expressed hope that Bali tourism would soon be opened for foreign tourists. He also expects that the cooperation of ASEAN countries, with the support of the ambassadors, can be applied in the tourism sector.

Cok Ace also praised the travel bubble offered by Indonesian Ambassador to Laos, Pratito Soeharyo. However, he revealed that for various terms and conditions, he was awaiting directions from the central government.

In addition to tourism, Cok Ace offers cooperation with ASEAN countries in the agricultural sector.

“If there are companies from ASEAN countries interested to invest in processing agricultural products that we can export, then we really appreciate it,” he remarked.

Source: Antara News

Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Laksana Tri Handoko, reviewed research facilities and infrastructure readiness at the Aeronautics and Space Research Organization Head Office and its Aeronautics and Space Policy Study Center.

“This center is very important in its role to produce many materials and results of aeronautics and space policy studies at the maximum level,” Handoko remarked in a written statement received here on Friday.

The government would merge four research institutions into BRIN. The four institutions are the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), The Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN).

Under the new structure LAPAN would be renamed as the Aeronautics and Space Research Organization.

Handoko said his visit aimed to accelerate the work process after BRIN’s establishment, which is in accordance with Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 78 of 2021.

Handoko also inspected the Disaster Quick Response facility at the Remote Sensing Software Research Center in Pekayon village, Pasar Rebo sub-District, East Jakarta.

This facility is a place where researchers can conduct data processing and analysis when there is information related to disasters in Indonesia, he added.

At the central office, he also visited other facilities, such as the server room and the Platypus Command Center.

“With the command center, the Remote Sensing Software Research Center can monitor and serve as a dashboard for remote sensing utilization,” he said.

The dashboard can be accessed by ministries so that they can benefit from information related to remote sensing software, he added.

“BRIN, through the Remote Sensing Software Research Center, is committed to providing information on remote sensing that can be directly used by users,” he said.

Furthermore, Handoko said he also visited the Remote Sensing Data Technology Center in Pekayon village, East Jakarta.

He inspected the service room that has a demo space map and toured the data center room at the center, he added.

Source: Antara News

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) conducted operations and exercises with the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency and coast guard — known as Bakamla — in the Singapore Strait on September 20, 2021.

The crew of the US Coast Guard and Bakamla participated in ship-to-ship communications drills, multi-unit maneuvering, and maritime domain awareness while at sea, according to a written statement issued by the US Embassy in Jakarta on Wednesday.

“These maritime exercises with our Indonesian partners forge a stronger relationship, allowing our respective crews to work together and build on each other’s strengths,” said Munro’s Commanding Officer, Capt. Blake Novak.

“Strengthening our alliances and partnerships fosters our unified commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and promotes peace, security, prosperity, and the sovereign rights of all nations,” Noval stated.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s partnership with Indonesia has continued to grow stronger, he said.

In 2019, the Coast Guard Cutter Stratton conducted engagements with Bakamla as part of the Western Pacific deployment, including a port call in Batam and an exercise in the Riau Islands Province. The Stratton also participated in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training with the Indonesian Navy in 2019, according to the press statement.

Munro, a 418-foot national security cutter, left its homeport of Alameda, California in July for a months-long deployment to the Western Pacific, Novak said.

Operating under the tactical control of the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet, the cutter and crew are engaging in professional exchanges and capacity-building exercises with partner nations and patrolling and conducting operations as directed, he added.

National security cutters like Munro feature advanced command and control capabilities, aviation support facilities, stern cutter boat launch, and increased endurance for long-range patrols, enabling the crew to disrupt threats to national security further offshore, he said.

“The U.S. Coast Guard is proud to operate with the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency and coast guard to enhance capabilities, strengthen maritime governance, security and promote rules-based international order,” said Vice Adm. Michael F. McAllister, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard for the Pacific Area.

“Strengthening partnerships contributes to the region’s maritime common good in search and rescue, law enforcement, marine environmental response, and other areas of mutual interest,” McAllister added.

Source: Antara News

The Jakarta administration has allowed restaurants and cafés to operate from 06:00 p.m. until midnight (local time) at the latest under the strict imposition of health protocols. They can also accept dine-ins.

The latest regulations have been laid down in the Jakarta Governor’s Decree No. 1122 of 2021 regarding Level Three Community Activity Restrictions, which was released in Jakarta on Wednesday. It was drafted in accordance with the Instruction of the Home Affairs Ministry No. 43 of 2021.

The decree caps the number of visitors allowed at restaurants and cafés at 25 percent.

It also stipulates that one table be occupied by a maximum of two people and they be given up to 60 minutes to finish their meal.

Before entering restaurants or cafés, visitors and employees will be required to use the PeduliLindungi application for screening, according to the decree.

The regulations for other places remain the same as before.

Food stalls, street vendors, hawker stalls, and the like have been allowed to open and accept dine-ins until 9 p.m. local time, with maximum visitors capped at 50 percent and meal time limited to 60 minutes.

Visitors and employees are required to have received at least the first COVID-19 vaccine dose. The rule exempts those who are still within the grace period of three months after testing positive for COVID-19 and have laboratory results as proof, residents with contraindications to vaccination based on a medical examination and a doctor’s statement, and children below 12 years old.

Restaurants and cafés located in buildings or shops or open areas, either in separate locations or in shopping centers or malls, can remain open until 9 p.m. local time.

The number of visitors at such establishments has been capped at 50 percent of total capacity. They have also been asked to limit the meal time to up to 60 minutes, allocate one table for two people, and enforce the use of the PeduliLindungi application.

The decree was signed by Governor Anies Baswedan on Monday (September 20, 2021) and will be implemented from September 21 to October 4, 2021.

Source: Antara News