VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The mere mention of Thailand's ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra prompted Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to walk out of a news conference this week, irked by talk of the exiled political heavyweight's long-touted return.

As a general in a royalist military that ousted the governments of both Thaksin in 2006 and his sister Yingluck in 2014, Prayuth's enmity with the billionaire Shinawatra family goes back more than a decade.

In an election due by May, Prayuth, 68, could face off against Thaksin's youngest daughter, Paetongtarn, who has garnered twice as much support, topping recent opinion polls on who should be Thailand's next premier.

"Don't talk about that person. I don't like it," Prayuth said on Wednesday cutting off a reporter's question about Thaksin, before walking away from the podium and out of the venue.

Former telecoms tycoon and Premier League football club owner Thaksin has been at the heart of 17 years of on-off tumult in Thailand, despite living in self-exile mostly in Dubai since 2008, to avoid a jail term that he maintains was engineered by rivals in the military and conservative establishment.

Thaksin, 73, has been promoting his daughter's candidacy and on Tuesday accused Prayuth of dragging his heels on dissolving parliament, while reiterating he would return to Thailand soon.

Paetongtarn, 36, last week declared her readiness to be prime minister with the Pheu Thai Party, which won most seats in the 2019 election but not enough to form a government.

The Shinawatras and their allies have won unprecedented majorities in five elections since 2001, campaigning on Thaksin's name and populist policies that earned a loyal following among working-class Thais.

Prayuth, who has joined a new party, is expected to seek the premiership again after eight years in charge as both a junta chief and head of a 17-party coalition. (Reuters)

Opium cultivation in military-ruled Myanmar jumped 33% last year, reversing a six-year downward trend in the strife-torn country, a United Nations report said on Thursday.

The growth was "directly connected" to the political and economic turmoil in Myanmar since the military took power in a coup nearly two years ago, an official at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.

"Economic, security and governance disruptions that followed the military takeover of February 2021 have converged, and farmers in remote, often conflict-prone areas... have had little option but to move back to opium," said Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC's regional representative.

A junta spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

Myanmar's economy has declined since the coup, with the kyat currency plummeting against the dollar and food and fuel prices spiralling upwards.

"Without alternatives and economic stability it is likely that opium cultivation and production will continue to expand," warned UNODC Myanmar country manager Benedikt Hofmann.

The cultivated area in 2022 expanded by a third to 40,100 hectares (99,000 acres), while the average estimated yield rose 41% to nearly 20 kg (44 lb) per hectare, the highest value since the UNODC started keeping records in 2002, the report said.

The eastern Shan State, which borders China, Thailand and Laos, saw the biggest increase in cultivation, at 39%.

The 2021 report primarily used satellite data to determine cultivated area.

The value of opium produced annually in Myanmar can reach up to $2 billion, with much of the drug smuggled out to neighbouring countries and on to the global market, the report added. (Reuters)

Indonesia’s diverse and wonderful culture could serve as a beautiful model to teach peace to the world, according to the president of NPO World Kids Museum (WKM) based in Tokyo, Japan, Sakura Ijuin.

“In 2022, I visited the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta, Gusti Bendara Pangeran Haryo (GBPH) Prabukusuma taught me that his father, King HamengkuBuwono IX, cherished peace in Indonesia and that the name Yogyakarta means a ‘peaceful city'," she said.

She was convinced that Indonesia's diverse and wonderful culture would be one of the beautiful models to teach peace to the world, she said in a statement received here on Tuesday.

She noted that for over a decade, her museum has provided opportunities for developing friendships and supporting world peace through international cultural and artistic exchanges between Japanese and Indonesian children.

“In 2020, we held a World Kids Carnival that connected children from 15 countries around the world with the hope of building peace through mutually beneficial friendship even in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis through art and culture,” she said.

In 2016, the World Kids Museum held s cross-cultural event called “WE ARE ALL ONE” in Bali.

She then expanded the circle to the Philippines, providing an opportunity for children from Japan and Bali to visit the Philippines together to learn about each other's countries and develop friendships.

The museum’s activities are supported by people in various positions around the world who are aiming for peace, she said.

“In 2013, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we officially provided children with art and cultural exchange opportunities as part of the 40th anniversary of ASEAN friendship and cooperation,” Ijuin said.

She revealed that she is currently the ambassador of Jember Fashion Carnaval (JFC) Indonesia and seeking to provide opportunities for children to grow through art.

She is also a part of a JFC research project on ancient Indonesian artifacts.

Ijuin said the JFC shares the same passion as her and that is one of the reasons why she has such a strong working relationship with it.

“We appreciate the support and encouragement from the Indonesian people so that our programs can be sustainable. I will also continue to provide opportunities for children to grow and enrich their hearts because we are all one on earth as a family," she added. (Antaranews)

Head of the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) Jeddah Muhammad Rivai Abbas believes the visit of Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan to Saudi Arabia to increase trade value has further bolstered bilateral communication.

"So far, both sides have been reluctant to communicate. There is reluctance on the part of each party to communicate intensely at a high level," Abbas noted in his statement here on Wednesday.

"Therefore, this visit is an ice breaker for the trade relations between the two countries," he added.

During the visit, Abbas witnessed firsthand that Minister Hasan was well received by Minister of Trade of Saudi Arabia Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi.

According to Abbas, the meeting between Minister Hasan and Al-Qasabi was akin to a meeting between two friends.

"Their meeting was very intimate, extraordinary. It was like a meeting between two friends,” he remarked.

In future, Abbas expressed optimism that sound relations between the two would realize the trade agreement signed by Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. "Hopefully," he said.

The trade mission, led directly by Minister Hasan, was considered a success. Apart from being successful in recording large-value cooperation, the meeting also marked a new chapter in better trade relations between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

Minister Hasan and a delegation from the Trade Ministry earlier visited Saudi Arabia until Monday (Jan 23) to conduct a large-scale trade mission.

During the visit, various strategic sectors were discussed by both parties, including plans for cooperation with the Saudi Food and Drugs Authority (SFDA).

Abbas believes that if the cooperation plan is realized, then it will benefit Indonesian farmers and breeders to sell their products to Saudi Arabia. (Antaranews)