VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews): Six Indonesian crew members (ABK) who sank in Japanese waters have yet to be found.

Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director for Indonesian Citizen Protection Judha Nugraha said that the search and rescue (SAR) process is still ongoing.

The six Indonesian crew members disappeared when the Taiwanese ship Sing Chang Fa number 88 capsized in waters near Senkaku Island. The ship carried 7 passengers including the Taiwanese captain.

"As of today it can be conveyed that the SAR operation is still being carried out by the Japanese coast guard and also the Taiwanese coast guard but the six Indonesian crew members on the ship have not been found," he said in a press briefing, Friday (10/3) at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jakarta .

Previously it was reported that one body had been found and based on fingerprint identification, the body found was that of the ship's captain.

According to Judha, the Indonesian Embassy in Taipei has also met with Taiwanese authorities and ship owners to ensure that the rights of the crew members are fulfilled. Judha Nugraha said the six missing Indonesian crew members were from Central Java.

"Of the 6 crew members of the Indonesian fishing vessels, we can say that the majority came from Central Java. There are in Pemalang, Pekalongan, Brebes, and also some from Indramayu," he said.

In addition, he added, the government had also contacted the family through the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) to provide up-to-date information regarding the SAR efforts being carried out. (VOI/Andy)

Jakarta (voinews): Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Teuku Faizasyah emphasized that Indonesia's position has not changed and is consistent regarding the Palestinian issue, even though Indonesia is hosting the U-20 World Cup in 2023.

“The Indonesian government's position on the Palestinian issue has never changed and is very consistent. Indonesia is one of the few countries that continues to consistently support the struggle of the Palestinian people," he said in a statement delivered at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building, Friday (10/3), in Jakarta.

Teuku Faizasyah said, on all occasions, including the visit of the Palestinian Prime Minister to Indonesia on 24 October 2022, Palestine has always conveyed its high appreciation for Indonesia's consistent support for Palestine.

"Last January, for example, the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs specifically spoke before the UN Security Council and reiterated Indonesia's support for Palestine," he said.

On the occasion of the UN Human Rights Council meeting in early March, according to Teuku Faizasyah, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi also raised the issue of Palestine again, although not many countries raised the issue. The same thing was also done by Indonesia in the 2022 G20 Chair and the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in India.

"Therefore, I want to reiterate that Indonesia's position is consistent and will remain consistent," he said.

Regarding Indonesia's hosting of the 2023 U-20 World Cup, Teuku Faizasyah said the participation of all participating teams in the U-20 World Cup along with all the rules of the game had been regulated by FIFA.

"In this regard, Indonesia's hosting of the U-20 will not shake the slightest bit of Indonesia's consistent position towards Palestine," he said.

Meanwhile, regarding the technical arrangements for holding the U-20 World Cup and the participation of the Israeli national team, according to Teuku Faizasyah, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mohamad Mahfud MD. has provided a response and has conducted discussions to prepare according to the provisions.

"The Menkopolhukam has also responded to some of the technical matters raised earlier, I quote him, 'All the pathways have been discussed and prepared, just wait for it later'," he concluded. (VOI/Andy)

Jakarta (voinews): President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) gave out some 1,043 land certificates to the people of Blora during the second day of his work visit to Central Java.

"Out of the 1,160 certificates that must be handed over, 1,043 have been completed. There is a little left over. Some more than a hundred are still not done, but the 1,043 certificates have been handed to you all, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone," the head of state noted in his speech, as accessed here on Friday.

Jokowi was pleased to hand over land certificates in Blora, as the land conflicts there, including in the villages of Ngelo, Cepu, and Karangboyo, had taken place since 1947.

"Thus, I instructed the agrarian affairs and spatial planning minister a few years back to check the situation in practice. Thoroughly check it, particularly in Ngelo, Cepu, and Karangboyo villages. What is the matter? Why is the issue not resolved yet?" he questioned.

As of that day, the issue has been resolved, he stated.

He reminded that everyone should be grateful for the certificates, although some 123 had yet to be handed over. The rest will be given in the near future.

He noted that the certificate will be valid for a period of 30 years, and it can be extended up to 20 years and another additional 30 years. In total, the certificate can be valid for 80 years.

The president also handed the Social Forestry Provision and Agrarian Reform Land Object Provision. He advised for the land to be used for productive means.

The head of state reminded that if one were to abandon the land, then the provision will be cancelled.

He requested that the plots be used to grow plants, such as corn, teak, and mahogany, so that the goals of forestry and productive plantation can go hand in hand.

On the occasion, he also conversed with two people -- Latina and Yatimin -- who had received the Social Forestry Provision.

The duo stated that they would continue to conduct corn plantation on the land. However, they expressed concerns regarding the issue of fertilizers.

Fertilizer issues

In response to concerns over fertilizers, the president noted that the war between Russia and Ukraine has led to that issue.

"The problem is, we import fertilizers a lot from Russia and Ukraine. Right now, Russia and Ukraine are in the middle of a war. The ones lacking fertilizers are not only Indonesia. Not to mention other countries without fertilizer factories, they got nothing at all," he elaborated.

Jokowi realized that currently, fertilizers were rare and expensive.

He pointed out that the domestic demand for fertilizers had reached 13 million tons. Currently, Indonesia had only managed to produce 3.5 million tons and imported 6.3 million tons of it.

Thus, there is only a total of 9.8 million tons of the total required 13 million tons.

"Some 3.2 million tons are still lacking. Hence, last month, we activate Pupuk Iskandar Muda in Aceh again. We fund for it. It has already produced 570 thousand tons. It is a lot, but (compared to) our needs, it is nothing," he remarked.

He noted that due to the law of economics, the price of fertilizers had increased because of the lack of supply as compared to the demand, though the government is taking measures to address the issue. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated that his side is committed to providing food assistance for 21.6 million people for three months during the National Religious Holidays (HBKN) of Ramadan and Eid al Fitr.

"We have discussed with the president (Joko Widodo) to disburse rice assistance to around 21.6 million people, with 10 kilograms of rice (for each beneficiary), for three months," the minister told the media after opening the 2023 Indonesia International Furniture Expo (IFEX), here, on Thursday.

He affirmed that the assistance will be provided in March, April, and May 2023. However, he did not furnish detailed information on the date of the aid distribution.

The attempt aims to maintain the stability of the price of basic commodities ahead of Ramadan month that is estimated to fall on March 23 to Apr 21 and Eid al-Fitr on April 22.

Regulations for the distribution of aid are being drafted by the Finance Ministry and the National Food Agency (Bapanas).

The coordinating minister noted that rice assistance will be disbursed by State Logistics Agency (Bulog).

In addition to rice, the government will provide assistance through the provision of chicken, meat, and eggs that will be distributed by state-run food holding company ID FOOD, he stated.

Earlier, Director General for Budgeting at the Finance Ministry Isa Rachmatarwata noted that his side was awaiting an update on the assistance beneficiary data from the Social Affairs Ministry before allocating the budget for food aid provision ahead of Ramadan.

He expected that the aid distribution can be conducted immediately in March 2023 since the rice assistance had been readied by Bulog.

His side and the Social Affairs Ministry are still discussing the distribution mechanism of the aid.

According to the Social Affairs Ministry’s data in 2022, the number of aid beneficiaries had reached 20.65 million.

Apart from waiting for an update on the beneficiary data, the Finance Ministry was also reviewing the price of rice in the market to be used as a benchmark to determine the total budget that had to be prepared for providing the assistance. (Antaranews)