VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Taiwan's defence ministry has contingency plans for any moves by China during Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's overseas visit, Deputy Defence Minister Po Horng-huei said on Wednesday ahead of Tsai going to the United States and Central America next week.

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, carried out large-scale war games around the island last August after a visit to Taipei by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Tsai is visiting diplomatic allies Guatemala and Belize on a trip starting next week, but she will be stopping off in New York and Los Angeles.

While in California she is expected to meet current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the most sensitive leg of the trip, though Taiwan's presidential office on Tuesday declined to confirm that would take place.

Asked by reporters on the sidelines of a parliament session whether China was likely to stage more drills when Tsai is abroad, Po said the armed forces were prepared.

"When it comes to what the Chinese communists have done in the past, the defence ministry can have a grasp on it, and will consider the worse scenario," he said.

"During the president's overseas visit, the defence ministry has contingency plans for all moves" by China, Po added, declining to give details.

The United States has said there is no reason for China to react to Tsai's trip, saying such transits are routine and have happened many times before.

China, which has condemned Tsai's planned U.S. stop over, has continued its military activities around Taiwan since August, though on a much reduced scale.

Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims, saying on Taiwan's people can decide their future. (reuters)

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Wednesday that four new military bases under a defense agreement with the U.S. would be located in various parts of the Philippines, including in a province facing the South China Sea.

Last month, Marcos granted the U.S. access to four sites, on top of five existing locations under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which comes amid China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea and towards Taiwan. 

"There are four extra sites scattered around the Philippines - there are some in the north, there are some around Palawan, there are some further south," Marcos told reporters at the sidelines of the Philippine army's founding anniversary.

The EDCA allows U.S. access to Philippine bases for joint training, pre-positioning of equipment and building of facilities such as runways, fuel storage and military housing, but it is not a permanent presence. 

The Philippines and the U.S. would announce the locations of the bases soon, Marcos said, adding the sites would boost the country's ability to defend the "eastern side" of its largest island, Luzon. Luzon is the closest main Philippine island to self-ruled Taiwan that China claims as its own.

China's foreign ministry on Wednesday reiterated its stance that the U.S. side was increasing tensions by strengthening its military deployments in the region, adding countries should be "vigilant" and avoid being used by the U.S..

"We generally believe that defence cooperation between countries should be conducive to regional peace and stability, and should not be aimed at third parties or harm the interests of third parties," spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a regular news briefing.

A former Philippine military chief has publicly said the U.S. had asked for access to bases in Isabela, Zambales and Cagayan, all on the island of Luzon, facing north towards Taiwan, and on Palawan in the southwest, near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. 

Some leaders of local governments at the potential EDCA sites have opposed Marcos' decision, worried they would be dragged into a conflict if one arose between the U.S. and China over Taiwan.

But Marcos said his government has discussed with them the importance of the expanded U.S. access and "why it will actually be good for their provinces".

Washington has committed $80 million worth of infrastructure investments at the five existing sites - the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu and Lumbia Air Base in Mindanao.

Speaking before Philippine troops, Marcos told them to be vigilant as the external threat to security was becoming more "complex" and "unpredictable".

"Be vigilant against elements that will undermine our hard earned peace, our hard earned stability, continue to improve relations with your counterparts overseas," Marcos said.

Without giving specifics, Marcos said he was aware of an "emerging threat" to his country's territory, which he said would require "adjustments in our strategy".

"The external security environment is becoming more complex. It is becoming more unpredictable," Marcos said. (Reuters)

Jakarta (voinews): The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is targeting 45 thousand tourism workers to be certified with national- and ASEAN-level tourism competency certifications in 2023.

"The target in 2022 was 18 thousand tourism workers to be certified, and in 2023, the target rose to 45 thousand participants," Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno noted in a written statement received on Tuesday.

The ministry is cooperating with Surya Abadi Konsultan Professional Certification Institute (LSP), industries, associations, and the government for the certification so as to support the acceleration of recovery and improvement in the productivity of the tourism and creative economy sectors.

Under the cooperation, there are several programs that include competency improvement, competency strengthening, as well as facilitating tourism and creative economy human resources to acquire new competencies.

"This is expected to be able to create work opportunities and business opportunities for tourism and creative economy human resources," Uno stated.

Competency certification for tourism human resources is carried out at six priority tourist destinations.

The six are Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, Borobudur-Yogyakarta-Prambanan in Yogyakarta and Central Java, and Bromo Tengger Semeru in East Java.

He expressed hope that the certification would continue to be conducted so as to increase the number of tourism competency certification participants in 2023.

A certification consultant from Surya Abadi Konsultan Agus Sutarna stated that with the competency certification, tourism and creative economy human resources would have better service standards.

Meanwhile, the Director of Competency Standardization at the ministry, Titik Lestari, stated that the cooperation is part of the Certification of Tourism Human Resources Program in developing competent tourism human resources and supporting them to get recognition.

Moreover, it is aimed at ensuring the availability of skilled human resources in the tourism sector with competency certificates from the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP). (antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) highlighted the crucial role of forests and endeavors to protect them while commemorating International Day of Forests.

"Today is the International Day of Forests. A time to look back at the essential role of forests to our life," the FAO representative in Indonesia and Timor Leste Rajendra Aryal noted through a press statement obtained here on Wednesday.

In commemorating the International Day of Forests, themed "Healthy Forest for Healthy People," Aryal drew attention to the myriad benefits that people stand to gain from forests.

He said forests provide a wide range of physical and mental benefits to people. Forests also protect the quality and quantity of water resources.

"They act as natural filters by absorbing and purifying water," he remarked.

Spending time in forests can reduce stress and anxiety levels. They are also ideal locations to engage in physical exercise. The natural environment can make exercise more enjoyable and sustainable, he stated.

Forests are home to a vast array of plant and animal species, including several that have medicinal properties.

Rural communities have long used these plants for their health benefits. Numerous modern medicines have been derived from forest species.

"It is estimated that around 820 million people live in tropical forests and savannahs in developing countries, including Indonesia," he noted.

"A high proportion of these people depend on forest goods and services for the provision of food, wood fuel, building materials, medicines, employment, and cash income," he pointed out.

In addition, millions of forest owners in developed countries benefit from a huge number of often small patches of forests they manage.

When smallholder farmers practicing agroforestry are included, then the total number of people considered as being forest dependent reaches around 2.5 billion.

"The role of forests in the health of these populations is significant. Forests provide food, livelihood, and income earning opportunities that contribute to food security and nutrition," he stated.

Furthermore, Aryal noted that Indonesia has one of the largest tropical forest areas in the world, spanning some 95 million hectares, or 236 million acres.

This forest area is spread across the country's numerous islands and covers half of the country overall.

Indonesia’s forests are home to several plant and animal species, including the critically endangered Sumatran tiger, orangutan, and Javan rhinoceros.

However, Indonesia's forests have been facing significant threats in recent decades, the representative pointed out.

The threats arise from deforestation, illegal logging, and forest fires, driven by agricultural expansion, logging, and mining activities.

He cited data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) of Indonesia that showed the country's forest area had declined by around 6.02 million hectares (ha) between 2000 and 2020.

The rate of deforestation has been decreasing significantly in recent years, and from 2021 to 2022, the net deforestation was 113,000 ha, which was the lowest for over three decades.

He remarked that the Indonesian government has taken several measures to address deforestation and protect its forests.

The steps taken comprise a permanent moratorium on new licenses for primary forest and peatlands conversion and a national program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (known as REDD+).

However, he pointed out that despite these efforts, deforestation and forest degradation continue to be significant environmental challenges all across the globe.

“Forests have given us so much. We need to give back to our forests. The COVID-19 pandemic has given us an important reminder that humans, animals, and the environment are closely interconnected," he stated.

"Hence, by working together with the government, the FAO will work to face the challenges to contribute to make Indonesian forests sustainable. Healthy forests are essential for people’s health. It is indispensable," the FAO representative emphasized.  (antaranews)