VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

At least 20 people died when a tsunami wave hit the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra on late Saturday, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said here on Sunday.
"The tsunami has claimed lives and caused damages. A preliminary data as of Sunday at 4.30 a.m. showed that 20 people died, 165 were injured, two people were missing, and dozens of buildings were damaged," a spokesman of the agency, Sutopo Purwonugroho, said in a statement.
The number of casualties might increase as the agency has yet to reach other regions affected by the tsunami.
The 20 victims were found in the districts of Pandeglang, Serang, and South Lampung.
In Pandeglang district of Banten, 14 people had been killed and 150 others were injured, 43 houses and nine hotels were severely damaged.
In Serang district, Banten, three people were killed, four were injured and two others were missing.
The worst hit areas are Tanjung Lesung beach, Sumur beach, Teluk Lada beach, Panimabng beach, and Carita beach, all are popular beaches among domestic tourists.
In South Lampung district, three people were killed and 11 others were injured by the tidal waves.
"We have distributed logistical aid. The main road that connects Serang and Pandeglang was cut by the tsunami," Sutopo said, adding that BNPB has called on the public to stay calm.
The tsunami was allegedly sparked by volcanic activities of Mount Anak Krakatau, and there was no tectonic earthquake detected in the Sunda Strait.
The Geological Agency of the Ministry has recorded a volcanic activity at 09.03 p.m., before the tsunami struck the region. (antara)

The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto stressed that the Indonesian government had never compromised in tackling the armed criminal group in Papua that had killed citizens.Wiranto noted at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday that this was related to the case of the deaths of 31 workers in the Nduga area of Papua on Dec 2. According to Wiranto, the government’s view was to not be equal to the groups that opposed the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and viewed them as having committed a mistake and had got lost. He remarked that Indonesia, as a democratic country, will accept them again if they had realized and admitted to have been lost. Wiranto said the Indonesian government had an opportunity to apply a military approach in combating the armed group in Papua. He remarked that the international law allowed the use of weapons if there are groups that oppose the government by using weapons. He viewed that the armed groups that killed innocent people could not be resisted only through a persuasive step by using words. He noted that human rights activists must be fair to view and assess the problems in Papua lest the incident of the armed group involving the killing of construction workers in Papua was not said to be a violation of human rights. Since he viewed that after the incident in Nduga there were no human rights activists who condemned the incident, he called on the nation to jointly defend the country from the armed groups trying to undermine national peace. (ANTARA)

Senior officials of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) have agreed to carry forward Chile’s priorities for APEC in 2019, according to a press release issued by the APEC Secretariat received in Jakarta, Monday.

Chile will host APEC themed "Connecting People, Building the Future" in 2019 to offer inspiration for APEC 2019. Chile is one of the most open countries in the world and has free trade agreements that connect and link it with over two-thirds of the world`s population and with more than four-fifths of the global gross domestic product.

"We are committed to a new vision for APEC, one where we achieve full integration and where sectors that have lagged behind can benefit from integration, such as small- and medium-sized businesses and women," President of Chile Sebastian Pinera stated at the launch of APEC 2019.

In his remarks to APEC Senior Officials, President Pinera described Chile`s vision to defend and promote an open economy and free trade within APEC and around the entire world and its opposition to any type of protectionism and all forms of unfair competition.

He said the region`s main risk is obsolescence due to the speed of change.

"During these times of revolution, technological change, and information and knowledge societies, we must have the ability to join in APEC`s great project to create a large free trade zone among the 21 economies that make up this forum," President Pinera remarked.

"An efficient and modern international trade organization is needed, one with clear and transparent rules; one that will prevent us from veering off on the detours that tend to happen in the areas of integration and free trade," he added.

Moreover, President Pinera announced Chile`s priorities for APEC 2019, specifically being that APEC will prioritize taking control of the technological revolution; moving towards integration 4.0 by having in place uniform procedures and regulations to ease trade; aiming for inclusive growth where everyone benefits from integration and progress, in particular, women as well as small and medium enterprises; and taking charge to tackle one of the greatest problems facing humanity today, such as climate change and global warming.

In response to consultations with APEC member economies and civil society, Chile is paying attention to diversity while simultaneously focusing on shared principles and values.

"Hosting APEC provides us an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to multilateralism, an open economy, free trade, the free movement of investment, and the free movement of resources, and to turn them into basic tools for achieving our goal of comprehensive, inclusive, and sustainable development," President Pinera added. (ANTARA)

The youth international organization of Junior Chamber of International (JCI) is being officially led by a son of Indonesia, Alexander Tio, as president of the organization, since December 12. In JCI`s history, this is the first time that an Indonesian has led a global youth organization having over 170 thousand members worldwide, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago received in Jakarta on Monday. Indonesia’s youth leadership is a new page in history for JCI, which was led by successive youth representatives from the Asia-Pacific region since in the earlier period, JCI was led by young Filipinos. Every year, the JCI is led by a young man selected through a congressional mechanism attended by representatives of youth from over 120 countries in the world. Indonesian Consul General in Chicago Rosmalawati Chalid attended the handover of an assignment from JCI President Brian Lim from the Philippines to Tio, a young entrepreneur from Medan, currently residing in Jakarta. Rosmalawati expressed pride over Indonesia’s leadership at the JCI global youth organization. The handover program was followed by raising the Red and White flag at the JCI headquarters in Chesterfield-St. Louis along with the playing of the national anthem Indonesia Raya. The Indonesian flag will fly for a year in accordance with the term of Tio`s leadership. JCI is a global youth organization that originates from the United States and aims to empower youth through leadership and community service programs. Indonesian youth leadership at JCI in 2019 is a good development in the context of the 70th anniversary of Indonesia-United States diplomatic relations. JCI has various branches in several cities in Indonesia. Since the start of the establishment of the JCI Indonesia branch, the organization had links with the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI). As president of JCI, Tio will conduct work visits to over 40 countries across the world and introduce Indonesia and its young people to foreign countries. The alumni of the JCI youth organization include former presidents of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson, G.R. Ford, John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, as well as former Japanese prime ministers Taro Aso and Junichiro Koizumi. (ANTARA)