VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews): Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has stated that his ministry is preparing various destinations, including tourist villages and religious tourism sites, in anticipation of the 123.8 million people expected to travel during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

"We have prepared several tour packages, such as tourist villages to religious tourism-based destinations for the 123.8 million tourists who are predicted to travel during the Eid al-Fitr holiday," the minister informed in a written statement received on Thursday.

The Eid homecoming period would become the main momentum to achieve the target of mobilizing domestic tourists, namely 1.4 billion trips, in 2023, Uno noted.

"This momentum will be able to create 2–3 times the total trips. We are targeting 25 percent, or 300–350 million trips, of the target of 1.4 billion domestic tourist mobility this year to be achieved," he said.

The target is based on the pattern of people's mobility from their place of origin to their hometowns and travel to areas around their hometowns before returning to their place of origin, Uno disclosed.

“So, at least there will be three movements per person for this homecoming. We must also create a safe and comfortable homecoming for this year," he added.

As previously reported, the minister has prepared various scenarios and also increased coordination with local governments to anticipate the potential for a surge in tourists during the Eid holiday.
"We will also carry out a simulation to prepare for crowd control, visitors' flow, and other measures," he said.

The Eid al-Fitr 1444 H holiday is the first long holiday after the COVID-19 pandemic and the revocation of the community activity restrictions (PPKM). As a result, Uno has estimated that the number of tourists will increase during the holiday.

He said that his ministry has also coordinated with tourism services in districts, cities, and provinces as well as authorities in each tourism destination to prepare for travelers. (antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): Indonesia's financing requirement for climate change handling has reached around US$281 billion, Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, said at the “Ministerial Fireside Chat Seminar on Financing Transition in ASEAN” here Thursday.

This requirement is for financing the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitment, which has been translated into programs, policies, and projects.

Moreover, the biggest portion of this financing is for the energy sector, she said.

Thus, ever since its G20 Presidency last year, Indonesia has announced the Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) platform, which has been developed with the support of Asian Development Bank (ADB) and international partners.

The minister said that the issue of climate change has become a serious consideration globally, including for countries in the ASEAN region.

Each country has a commitment to reduce CO2 emissions to handle climate change through the NDC.

The NDC is a document that contains a country's climate action and commitment communicated to the world through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Indonesia, as the largest country in ASEAN, has also committed to reducing CO2 emissions by increasing its NDC target.

The country is aiming to slash CO2 emissions by 31.89 percent through its own efforts and resources by 2060, compared to 29 percent earlier.

However, with the help of global efforts and support, Indonesia expects to cut CO2 emissions by 43.2 percent during the same period, an increase from its earlier target of 41 percent.

Indrawati underlined that Indonesia has made comprehensive efforts for handling climate change.

In addition, through the energy usage transition, the Indonesian government has also ratified regulations that stipulate the formation of a carbon market and the introduction of a carbon tax.

The government is also using fiscal regulations, such as tax holidays, tax allowances, and exemptions on value-added tax (PPN) or import duties for everything related to the renewable energy sector, and is striving to phase out coal.

The government is trying to handle the issue through all existing mechanisms, such as regulations, instruments, collaborations, as well as market and non-market mechanisms, the minister said.  (antaranews)

Taiwan expects a less severe reaction from China to an expected meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and has not seen any unusual Chinese military movements, a senior Taiwan security official said on Thursday.

Tsai arrived in New York on Wednesday on her way to Central America, and will stop off in Los Angeles next week on her way back to Taipei.

While in California she is expected to meet McCarthy. China has threatened unspecified retaliation if she meets him.

Speaking in parliament, Taiwan National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen said the government expected a less severe reaction to that meeting than when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came to Taipei and China staged war games around Taiwan after she left.

"We believe that the actions the Chinese communists might take are unlikely to go as far as being as large as when Pelosi visited last August," said Tsai, who shares a common family name with the president but is not related.

"She will be meeting in the United States, so the political complexity is not as high as the speaker coming to Taiwan."

Taiwan's defence ministry, in its daily update on China's military activities, said that from Wednesday to Thursday morning it had not spotted any Chinese aircraft entering Taiwan's air defence zone or crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which serves as an unofficial barrier.

China's air force flies almost daily into the air defence zone, or across the median line, in which Taiwan calls "grey zone" warfare designed to test and wear out its forces.

Tsai said they had been conducting dry runs for what to do to respond to a rise in tensions while the president is away, including when she is flying, and that she can be reached at any time to meet her top security officials.

Speaking to the Taiwanese community in New York on Wednesday, the president reiterated that Taiwan has shown, when faced with difficulties, it neither provokes nor gives in to pressure, the official Central News Agency reported.

"Taiwan has the ability to maintain regional peace and stability, and moreover is determined to protect the values we adhere to and the way we live," she said.

The White House urged China on Wednesday not to use Tsai's "normal" stopover in the United States as a pretext to increase aggressive activity against Taiwan. (Reuters)

Jakarta (voinews): Acting Youth and Sports Affairs Minister (Menpora) Muhadjir Effendy urged all parties to not be sad and disappointed for too long following FIFA's decision to remove Indonesia as host of the upcoming U-20 World Cup.

Effendy made the statement during a press release with Presidential Staff Head Moeldoko at the Gedung Bina Graha Building, Jakarta, Thursday.

"I, along with Mister Moeldoko, encourage anyone with empathy for this problem, including football fans like myself, not to be dragged down by sorrow and disappointment for too long," Effendy stated in Jakarta, Thursday.

He appealed to all parties to continue working on programs aimed at improving our football performance in the future instead of being stuck in expressing regret over the decision.

Furthermore, he appealed to all parties, regardless of their stances on the Israel team's participation, to prepare for a more promising and prospective future for national football.

Effendy, who is concurrently coordinating minister for human development and cultural affairs, admitted that the decision of FIFA has hurt us all. However, he believed that it was the best decision.

"We are greatly disappointed by the decision, that is for sure. I believe that FIFA was well aware of the impact of its decision. However, the decision cannot be contested, and FIFA must have chosen the best decision for us," he affirmed.

"We will soon face the SEA (Southeast Asian) Games. Since the time is near, and it will be held in Cambodia, we need to prepare all teams, including the national football team as well as possible. We need to be much better prepared to face various competitions in the SEA Games," he said. (Antaranews)