VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews): The Home Affairs Ministry sought to ensure a conducive and resilient economic, social, and cultural situation ahead of the 2024 General Elections by holding a national coordination meeting here on Tuesday.

"This coordination meeting on economic, social, and cultural resilience emphasizes on strengthening our social harmony to carry out a safe and peaceful 2024 election stage," Director General for Politics and General Administration at the ministry Bahtiar remarked.

His party had invited all related ministries and institutions, governors, district heads, mayors, as well as other stakeholders to attend the meeting

"We (also) invite the Social Affairs Ministry, Bappenas (National Development Planning Agency), BNN (National Narcotics Agency), Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, police, prosecutors, and so on," he said.

This is the first time that the ministry organized a national coordination meeting to discuss sociocultural resilience, he noted.

Meanwhile, other issues, such as those related to politics, economy, and security resilience, have been discussed quite often, he said.

According to Bahtiar, the sociocultural aspect highly influences the development of national politics and economy, thus it is important to discuss the aspect, especially ahead of the general elections, which are scheduled to be implemented on February 14, 2024.

"Hence, the social aspect must be discussed from upstream as well as downstream (perspective).The handling of social issues should be more measurable and focused,” he added.

The meeting was inaugurated by Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian. He appealed to all regional governments to always help maintain harmony and diversity among the community to prevent conflict, which can harm national unity.

Southeast Sulawesi Governor Ali Mazi thanked the Home Affairs Ministry for selecting Kendari City as the host of the national coordination meeting, saying the event could stoke the region’s economy.

"Moreover, we (as a host have to) welcome guests from (various institutions and local governments) throughout Indonesia. Let's receive these guests with a smile and provide the best hospitality to support (our) economic growth," he remarked.

The governor said that the ministry chose Kendari city as the location for the event because the region always creates a safe, conducive, and harmonious situation.

"Let's maintain harmonious relations among us," he remarked. (Antaranews)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for strengthening the country's war deterrence in a "more practical and offensive" manner to counter what it called moves of aggression by the U.S. and South Korea, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

Kim made the comment at an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission held on Monday to discuss ongoing efforts to boost the country's war deterrent to "cope with the escalating moves of the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet traitors to unleash a war of aggression," KCNA said.

North Korea has been reacting angrily to a recent series of the allies' joint military exercises, which KCNA said were intended to prepare for "an all-out war" and forced Pyongyang to explore "powerful practical action", including military options.

Kim ordered further reinforcing the country's war deterrence with "increasing speed" and in a "more practical and offensive" manner, KCNA said.

The meeting "discussed practical matters and measures for machinery to prepare various military action proposals that no means and ways of counteraction are available to the enemy," it added.

South Korea and the U.S. forces have conducted annual springtime exercises since March, including air and sea drills involving a U.S. aircraft carrier and B-1B and B-52 bombers, and their first large-scale amphibious landing drills in five years.

North Korea has also carried out various military activities in recent weeks, unveiling new, smaller nuclear warheads, testing what it called a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone and firing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking anywhere in the United States.

Seoul's unification minister Kwon Young-se, in charge of handling cross-border affairs, expressed strong regret on Tuesday over Pyongyang not responding on inter-Korean hotlines since last week, calling it "irresponsible."

The two Koreas operate border hotlines to prevent unexpected incidents, but the North has often refused to receive messages or daily check-in calls from the South when relations are strained.

"We express strong regret over North Korea's unilateral and irresponsible attitude, and strongly warn that it will eventually isolate itself and put itself in more difficult circumstances," Kwon told a news conference.

Kwon also denounced the North for using South Korean assets left at a joint factory park, which the North unilaterally shut in 2016, without approval, pledging to explore measures to hold it accountable.

Senior defence officials from South Korea and the U.S. were set to hold their annual Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Washington on Monday and Tuesday, Seoul's defence ministry said.

Topics of discussion included joint responses to the North's nuclear and missile threats and ways of improving the American nuclear umbrella's execution.

Japan will then join trilateral defence talks on Friday. The three countries last week expressed concern over North Korea using "malicious" cyber activities to bankroll its weapons programmes.

Tokyo's chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters on Monday that Pyongyang could stage further provocations, including nuclear tests. (Reuters)

Pakistan on Tuesday condemned India's decision to hold Group of 20 meetings in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir next month, calling the move "irresponsible".

Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by the two nuclear-armed neighbours who have fought two of their three wars over control of the region.

India currently holds the rotating year-long presidency of the G20 and is set to host a leaders' summit in New Delhi in early September.

On Friday, India released a full calendar of events leading up to the summit, which included G20 and Youth 20 meetings in Kashmir's summer capital of Srinagar and in Leh, in the neighbouring region of Ladakh, in April and May.

Pakistan's foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the choice of venues in disputed territory.

"India's irresponsible move is the latest in a series of self serving measures to perpetuate its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir," it said.

It went on to accuse India of acting in "disregard of the UN Security Council resolutions and in violation of the principles of the UN Charter and international law."

"Pakistan vehemently condemns these moves," it said.

India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request seeking comment on the statement from Pakistan.

New Delhi has long accused Pakistan of stoking a decades-long separatist insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority region in India.

Islamabad denies that accusation, saying it only provides diplomatic and moral support for Kashmiris seeking self-determination.

Pakistan also accuses India of human rights violations in the parts of Kashmir under its control, a charge New Delhi rejects. (Reuters)

French President Emmanuel Macron has caused a stir by saying Europe has no interest in accelerating the conflict in Taiwan and should become a "third pole" independent of both Washington and Beijing.

Political actors on both sides of the Atlantic criticised the president's position as being too accommodating of China, just as it carries out military drills around Taiwan.

In an interview with French newspaper Les Echos and Politico during his three-day visit to China last week, Macron said "the worst thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and adapt to the American rhythm or a Chinese overreaction."

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan's government strongly objects to China's claims.

German MP for the Bundestag's foreign committee Norbert Roettgen said in a tweet that Macron had "managed to turn his China trip into a PR coup for Xi and a foreign policy disaster for Europe." He added that the French president was "increasingly isolating himself in Europe."

In a video posted on Twitter, U.S. senator Marco Rubio drew parallels with the conflict in Ukraine - on which Macron hopes to enlist the help of China.

If Europe doesn't "pick sides between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, then maybe we shouldn't be picking sides either [on Ukraine]," the Republican senator said.

Pascal Confavreux, spokesperson for the French embassy in the United States, said that Macron's comments had been overinterpreted.

"The US is our ally with whom we share our values," he said on Twitter.

The Elysee did not respond to requests for comment. (Reuters)