VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews): President Joko Widodo's request to people to avoid returning on Monday and Tuesday was well-received as was apparent from a reduction in the number of return flow travelers, Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo stated.

After this request was announced, the number of homecomers who return had reduced by at least 13 percent from the initial figure until now, he noted through a statement, Wednesday.

With this, the concern that the number of vehicles will increase during the return flow can be avoided, as homecomers would not return to Jakarta and its surrounding region at the same time.

This is because if all 203 thousand people return at the same time, then this will create traffic congestion despite the use of one way or other engineering, he explained.

Thus, through the government's strategy and efforts related to the 2023 Eid al-Fitr return flow, the people can avoid potential traffic congestion.

He also made assurance that the National Police (Polri) personnel had made regulatory efforts related to rest areas that can be full from time to time, thereby leading to congestion.

"What is clear is that officers had already regulated which rest areas are still allowed to be opened," he stated.

"However, there will also be a policy to close rest areas that are deemed to be crowded to direct travelers to other rest areas," he remarked.

Officers on the field will provide instruction and information, so that the people are not confused while making a decision to rest, Prabowo stated.

Prabowo went directly to the field in order to hear the people's opinions regarding their experience during homecoming and when they return during the 2023 Eid al-Fitr. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated that the 2023 ASEAN Summit that will be held in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on May 9-11, had eight meeting agendas.

"There will be several meetings because we have prepared two formats for the 42nd ASEAN Summit this year, namely the plenary format and retreat format," she noted at Waringin Peak, Labuan Bajo, NTT, Tuesday.

According to Marsudi, seven of the eight meetings would be chaired by Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), including the meeting of ASEAN leaders with the parliament, youth, businesses, and the high-level task force.

"The high-level task force will prepare the vision of ASEAN 2045," she remarked.

Meanwhile, also scheduled were two other meetings -- the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation (IMT-GT) and the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Cooperation -- which this year will be led by the Malaysian prime minister.

"The chair of the BIMP-EAGA meeting was chosen based on a rotational basis, and this year, it is Malaysia's turn," the minister stated.

She stated that the series of the 2023 ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo will begin on May 8, 2023, with the Senior Official Meeting agenda and followed by a ministerial-level meeting on May 9, 2023.

"The peak of the summit will take place on May 10-11," she remarked.

Marsudi also accompanies President Jokowi in the final inspection of Labuan Bajo as the host of the 2023 ASEAN Summit at the Waringin Peak, Labuan Bajo, on Tuesday.

"We are counting the days, there are only two weeks left. All the preparations are on the right track. We just need some additional preparation until D-Day," she noted.

One of the locations selected for the 2023 ASEAN Summit is Waringin Peak that is scheduled to be the venue for the Spouse Program for pairs of heads of state.

"We had just checked the venue with President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo. They gave several directions regarding the preparation for the Spouse Program," Marsudi remarked. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi assisted President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in conducting final checks on the preparations in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, as host of the 42nd ASEAN Summit on May 9-11.

“Today, I am assisting the president in carrying out final checks on the preparations of the series of meetings of the 42nd ASEAN Summit,” Marsudi stated at Puncak Waringin, Labuan Bajo, here on Tuesday.

President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana arrived in Labuan Bajo on Saturday night (April 22, 2023). The president landed at Komodo Airport, Labuan Bajo, at 6:44 p.m. WITA (Central Indonesia Time).

The president checked several venues that will be used for the ASEAN Summit.

According to Marsudi, the series of events for the summit will already start from May 8 to May 11, 2023. Several meetings will take place during that period.

To this end, the president checked all locations for the events, including Komodo Airport.

“We are counting days. There are only two weeks left. All preparations are on the right track, and what is left are additions until D-Day,” the minister explained.

One of the locations for the series of events of the 42nd ASEAN Summit is Puncak Waringin that is set to be the venue of the Spouse Program for spouses of heads of state.

“It was checked by the President and First Lady, with several directions (conveyed) regarding the preparations of the Spouse Program,” she remarked.

Several activities to be conducted in the Spouse Program are the first ladies’ luncheon; observing the making of tenun (woven fabrics); micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) exhibition; and music performance of Sasando, which is a traditional string instrument native to Rote Island, East Nusa Tenggara. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): Indonesia is keen to ensure that the ASEAN will remain relevant and essential for the Southeast Asian community at the 42nd ASEAN Summit, according to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

The upcoming ASEAN Summit, organized under Indonesia's ASEAN Chairmanship, will take place in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara, on May 9-11, 2023.

"We are keen to ensure ASEAN will remain essential, relevant, and can hold onto its unity to maintain its centrality in preserving peace and stability in the region to make Southeast Asia to continue to becoming the center of global economic growth," she stated here on Tuesday.

All relevant documents for the summit are under negotiations at senior official meetings (SOM) before being carried to the foreign minister-level meetings, she remarked, adding that negotiations would be continued until shortly before the summit day.

"We will see whether (the negotiations) will finish at the SOM level or not, and if not, the negotiation will continue at the foreign minister level before we deliver it to the ASEAN leaders for its adoption," the foreign minister explained.

Meanwhile, Marsudi expounded that some meetings during the ASEAN Summit will be the meeting between ASEAN leaders and the parliament, the youth, the business community, and the high-level task force.

There were also two other meetings, namely the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation (IMT-GT) and the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Cooperation.

Meanwhile, seven of the eight meetings during the summit will be chaired by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), while the BIMP-EAGA meeting will be led by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, she remarked.  (Antaranews)