VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Myanmar's Supreme Court heard on Wednesday the latest in a series of appeals by former leader Aung San Suu Kyi against a slew of convictions, a source familiar with the case said, as she seeks to reduce her 33 years of jail time.

The 78-year-old Nobel peace laureate has been convicted of offences ranging from incitement and election fraud to corruption since the military arrested her during a February 2021 coup against her elected government.

Representatives of Suu Kyi, who was not herself present, made arguments in court on Wednesday about her conviction for a breach of the official secrets act and electoral fraud, said a source who sought anonymity as the matter is sensitive.

The court is expected to take up to two months to deliver its ruling.

A junta spokesperson could not immediately be reached for confirmation.

The 2021 coup plunged Myanmar into political and social chaos, with the junta drawing global condemnation for its heavy-handed crackdown on opponents such as Suu Kyi.

The military says defendants are given due process by an independent judiciary, countering criticism from rights groups over the jailing of members of the pro-democracy movement in secret trials and the resumption of executions after a gap of decades.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear Suu Kyi's appeals against convictions for misuse of state funds and violations of trade and telecoms laws over the next two weeks. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - The government will provide clean water for the community as an anticipatory step against drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said on Wednesday.

"We will support water supply, especially for the grassroots community in the form of clean and drinking water," he informed in Jakarta.

El Nino is a natural phenomenon of warming sea surface temperatures to above-normal levels in the central Pacific Ocean. The phenomenon can increase the potential for cloud growth in the central Pacific Ocean and reduce rainfall in the Indonesian region.

Decreased rainfall can lead to a shortage of water supply for agricultural and other business activities as well as for meeting the daily needs of residents, and it can increase the potential for forest and land fires, Effendy said.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has already mapped out areas that have the potential for drought and forest fires, he added. An intervention will be carried out in these areas to minimize the impact of El Nino.

"BNPB will be responsible for the mapping," he said.

Meanwhile, to help them overcome crop failure due to drought, the government will provide assistance to affected farmers, Effendy said. The provision of the assistance will be similar to the one provided by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) for agricultural land destroyed by flooding.

"President Jokowi has approved flood assistance for our farmers. There is also a possibility of assistance for farmers who may experience drought but I have not received direction," he said.

Earlier, the head of state had asked government ministries and agencies to anticipate the impact of El Nino, including the possibility of a long drought that would affect the national economy.

"Anticipate the potential for a long dry season due to El Nino," the President urged.

He said the water supply from more than 5 thousand reservoirs and 38 dams built by the government must be managed properly to deal with the impact of El Nino.

The President then underlined the importance of reducing the risk of forest and land fires during the dry season. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, drew attention to threats to sea security and safety related to technological developments.

The minister noted that a report on the threats was published by the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) regarding the sea on March 14, 2023.

"Apart from threats to territorial waters and jurisdictions, we must pay attention to maritime security and safety in relation to technological developments as stated in the UN Secretary General's report on the sea three months ago," he stated in a Workshop on Maritime Security at a hotel in Jakarta, Wednesday.

He pointed out that the development of maritime technology will also facilitate the occurrence of crimes. This condition must be considered for transforming national maritime security, he said.

Mahfud emphasized that one of the visions of Golden Indonesia 2045 in the national long-term development plan (RPJPN) is development in the maritime sector. The success of this target will be greatly supported by the safety factor of the sea.

"It is hoped that Indonesia will be able to take on a bigger role in responding to the developing geopolitical situation," he said.

He noted that maritime security is a strategic issue that should become the concern of the government. In addition, Mahfud said that President Jokowi has given directions to ministries/institutions (K/L) that have authority at sea to have the same understanding.

The minister noted that the government is responsible for handling security in order to maintain sovereignty and the territorial areas, so the efforts must be well-coordinated.

Since various K/L currently have limited resources, safeguarding security, ensuring safety, and conducting law enforcement at sea should be carried out in synergy and be well-coordinated, he remarked.

This has also been stipulated in Government Regulation Number 13 of 2022 concerning the Implementation of Security, Safety, and Law Enforcement in Indonesian Waters and Indonesian Jurisdictional Areas, he added.

He said that in the near future, the substance in the regulation will be strengthened in the draft revision of changes to the maritime law initiated by the House of Representatives (DPR). (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Indonesian Government and the House of Representatives (DPR) have agreed on a plan for development indicators in the Draft State Budget (RAPBN) for Fiscal Year 2024 and the Government Work Plan (RKP) for 2024.

"As stated by the deputy chairman of DPR's Budget Agency, Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal, we have two targets in the RKP," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said in a post on her official Instagram account @smindrawati, which was accessed from here on Tuesday.

The first target is to restore the growth momentum by increasing productivity through various indicators. The next is pushing an increase in the quality and competitiveness of human resources as a representation of inclusive development, she informed.

Based on those two targets, the Budget Agency has prepared an agreement on development indicators for 2024 related to accelerating economic recovery and improving the quality and competitiveness of human resources, among others.

For economic recovery, the two parties have agreed to set a target for economic growth of around 5.1 percent to 5.7 percent from the previous proposal of 5.3 percent to 5.7 percent. Then, the target for the open unemployment rate (TPT) has remained in the range of 5.0 percent to 5.7 percent, Mulyani noted.

Meanwhile, the Gini ratio target has also remained in the range of 0.374 to 0.3777 and the target for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is 27.27 percent, she added.

For an agreement to improve the quality and competitiveness of human resources, the proposed values have remained, namely a human development index (IPM) in the range of 73.99 to 74.02 and a poverty rate of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent.

Lastly, the government and the DPR have also agreed on the values of other development indicators, namely Farmers' Terms of Trade (NTP) in the range of 105 to 108 and Fishermen's Exchange Rates (NTN) in the range of 107 to 110.

The minister emphasized that the fiscal policy plan for the 2024 fiscal year has been structured to remain expansive, directed, and measurable.

"The architecture of the 2024 State Budget is designed to support those plans, an acceleration of economic transformation that is inclusive and sustainable," she said.  (Antaranews)