VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Concerned Vietnam-based exporters are seeking to ensure they comply with a U.S. ban on imported products using raw materials from China's Xinjiang as lucrative trade in goods like garments and solar panels comes under closer scrutiny in Washington.

As U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai visits Vietnam this week, executives and other people familiar with the situation said some industries in Vietnam may be importing, sometimes unwittingly, raw material from Xinjiang - or might find it hard to prove they were not doing so.

The U.S. embassy in Hanoi had no comment on the issue and the matter was not on the official list of topics that Tai planned to discuss with the Vietnamese government, according to a media statement.

The U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which came into force last June, has already halted more than 1,500 shipments to the United States from all over the world worth about $500 million, according to data from the U.S. customs agency.

Washington accuses China of committing genocide against ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang, and herding them into camps. Beijing denies abuses in Xinjiang, but says it had established "vocational training centres" to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism.

Vietnam posted a $116 billion trade surplus with the United States last year, led by shipments of goods such as electronics, clothing and footwear.

The solar panel sector could be particularly at risk, as it greatly relies on polysilicon for solar cells, whose global production is concentrated in Xinjiang. Alongside other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam accounts for about 80% of U.S. panel supplies, and Vietnam's panel exports to the United States were worth $3.4 billion in 2020.

"This is a major concern if the silicon is sourced from the concerned region," said Kheng Joo Ung, Managing Director at the Vietnam unit of First Solar Inc (FSLR.O), a leading exporter of panels to the United States.

First Solar did not use polysilicon in its panels, but competitors in Vietnam did, he said, without identifying any companies. Some polysilicon is produced in Vietnam, Ung said.

In addition to First Solar, the top solar panel makers in Vietnam are mostly Chinese companies, according to investment consultancy Dezan Shira.

More Chinese providers of components and supportive services, such as plastic molding and die casting, planned to invest in Vietnam to supply solar panel makers there, two industry experts said, declining to be named because the information was confidential.

No evidence has been publicly released so far of use of Xinjiang's polysilicon in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese government did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

A third trade expert who attended internal meetings with U.S. customs officials in recent weeks told Reuters Vietnam had recently been repeatedly mentioned among the countries at highest risk of falling foul of U.S. trade restrictions. The expert declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

U.S. officials have cited Vietnam's positive efforts to comply with the new rules and some have said compliance may be a temporary hiccup.

Even companies determined to play by the rules face compliance risks.

For smaller actors it may not be easy to produce the documentation needed because of higher due diligence costs and sprawling supply chains, said one Vietnam-based executive, noting that the textile industry is also wary, since Xinjiang is also a big producer of cotton yarn. The executive declined to be named because he was not allowed to speak to media. (Reuters)

Indian tax officers searched the BBC's bureaus in New Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday, the British broadcaster said, weeks after the government came down hard against a BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in 2002 riots.

The documentary had focused on the Hindu nationalist politician's leadership as chief minister of the western state of Gujarat during the deadly communal riots in which at least 1,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims, though activists put the toll at more than twice that number.

"The Income Tax Authorities are currently at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are fully cooperating. We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible," the BBC said in a statement.

An Income Tax Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a "credible survey operation was ongoing" and that the department would not be able to share details. The department did not respond to a Reuters email seeking comment.

One of two sources in the BBC's New Delhi office told Reuters that tax officials were speaking with the accounts officer and no one was allowed to leave.

While the search was in progress, television news crews set up outside the office near Connaught Place in central Delhi to report developments.

The Editors Guild of India, which calls itself a non-partisan association of editorial leaders, said it was deeply concerned by the visits by the tax officers.

A Guild statement said it was "distressed by the continuing trend of government agencies being used to intimidate and harass news organisations that are critical of the ruling establishment".

It said the department also searched the offices of media outlets NewsClick, Newslaundry, Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar in 2021 after their "critical coverage" of the government.

Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Indian institutions worked independently and the tax department was "within the law in looking into tax compliance".

"India is a vibrant democracy where no one is above the law," said BJP spokesman Gopal Krishna Agarwal.

The main opposition Congress party condemned the tax department's action.

"The IT raid at BBC’s offices reeks of desperation and shows that the Modi government is scared of criticism," lawmaker and Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal wrote on Twitter.

"We condemn these intimidation tactics in the harshest terms. This undemocratic and dictatorial attitude cannot go on any longer."

The government has dismissed the BBC documentary as propaganda. The foreign ministry in January said it was meant to push a "discredited narrative", was biased, lacked objectivity and showed a "continuing colonial mindset".

The BBC has stood by its reporting for the documentary.

Last month police in Delhi detained students as they gathered to watch the documentary after their university declined to give permission for a screening of it.

The documentary covers events from February 2002, when a suspected Muslim mob set fire to a train carrying Hindu pilgrims in Gujarat, setting off one of independent India’s worst outbreaks of communal violence.

Modi ruled Gujarat for more than a decade before becoming prime minister in 2014.

His career has been dogged by accusations that he did not do enough to stop the rioting in 2002. Modi has always denied any wrongdoing and in 2013 a panel appointed by the Supreme Court said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him. (Reuters)

Jakarta (voinews): Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno has said the F1 Powerboat (F1H2O) Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) World Championship could spur Lake Toba in North Sumatra as a leading world-class tourism destination.

"We are sure that this event will promote Lake Toba as a prominent destination that is on par with other world-class destinations and become an alternative (world-class destination in Indonesia) besides Bali. It will become a must-visit destination in Indonesia,” he said here on Monday.

Uno remarked that Lake Toba is chosen as the venue for the race owing to its scenic beauty and diverse culture in addition to the fact that it has been designated as one of the five Super Priority Tourism Destinations (DPSPs) in Indonesia.

Despite being selected as a DPSP, Lake Toba has not had any international event agenda, unlike the Mandalika area in West Nusa Tenggara, which has hosted the MotoGP, or Borobudur Temple in Central Java, which has hosted the ASEAN Tourism Forum, he pointed out.

"We see that this kind of (international) event is super effective in promoting the tourism destinations," the minister remarked in a virtual talk show on preparations for the F1H2O event titled "Fast Race on Lake Toba."

Hence, his side continues to improve interconnectivity between Lake Toba and several ports and the Silangit International Airport in North Tapanuli District, North Sumatra, as well as to expedite construction of the Kualanamu-Pematangsiantar-Toba highway.

Uno said the Mulia Raja Napitupulu Port and the Sisingamangaraja field, Toba District, were the main locations for implementation of the F1H2O, scheduled on February 25-26, 2023.

The development of supporting infrastructure, such as the dry paddock and wet paddock for participating powerboats, has reached the final stage, he noted.

He also remarked that spectator seats had also been installed. The event is targeted to draw 25 thousand spectators.

He said that his ministry has coordinated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports as the head of the implementing committee of the racing event to ready facilities, infrastructure, and human resources for the F1H2O. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): The Indonesian Health Ministry has dispensed early cancer detection tools on a gradual basis in order to increase and equalize the capability of hospitals in provinces and districts and cities to handle cancers.

“Early detection can be conducted at the nearest health facility, such as the community health center (puskesmas), clinic, hospitals, and Advanced Referral Health Facilities (FKRTL) at the district or city level," the ministry's director of prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, Eva Susanti, said in Jakarta, Monday (February 13). 

Susanti remarked that early detection tools for cancer screening aimed at providing better health services for cancer patients. The distribution was also conducted by utilizing capabilities of the existing hospital network in Indonesia.

In order to improve health services for cancer patients, the ministry also provides scholarships for cancer specialists and provides training for general practitioners, nurses, and midwives at the FKRTL level.

Along with the training center, this year, the Health Ministry is also conducting training and education for cancer experts in Indonesia, Susanti remarked.

Susanti noted that through cross-sectoral involvement in disseminating cancer-related information in order to minimize the risk of matters worsening in society,  the ministry is conducting training for around 1,500 cadres, who will later be integrated into community health services.

"These cadres will reach out to the community because we want to introduce cancer detection to those in the age group of 15 to 59 years. In 2023, we want to achieve 70 percent of our target," she affirmed.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Health appointed the Jakarta Dharmais Cancer Hospital as the administrator for the hospital network in Indonesia. The hospital has also collaborated with foreign universities to develop cancer services across Indonesia.

Susanti explained that starting in 2023, the Ministry of Health will improve early detection of cervical cancer not only through the IVA test but also HPV testing that relies on PCR test kits owned by each district and city.

"At this early stage, we are conducting eight thousand tests in Jakarta Province. Why Jakarta? Because it is easier for us to implement it with well-equipped health personnel. In future, we will conduct it in all provinces as well," she remarked.

In addition, the Ministry of Health is keen that the coverage of examinations through the IVA test for cervical cancer runs better since so far, only some 12 percent of the total target are willing to undergo early detection examinations.

Despite the government's myriad efforts through both the education side and the provision of the most advanced technology, Susanti believes that all efforts would prove futile if the community failed to actively undergo regular health checkups.

"(This is) especially (important) for Indonesian women, (as) they must have the awareness to undergo health checks, especially for early detection of this cancer because health is something that only they themselves can take care of. This means that they must have the initiative to undergo the examination," she emphasized. (Antaranews)