VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Retno L.P. Marsudi and Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Seri Diraja Zambry Abdul Kadir held a bilateral meeting in Jakarta (29/12). Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in an online press conference said that Malaysia is an important and strategic partner for Indonesia.

According to her, Malaysia is not only a close neighbor, but also an allied nation. Foreign Minister Retno also said that the trade relations between the two countries have great potential to be improved.

"We agree that the room for increasing trade and investment relations between the two countries is still wide open. Therefore, we agree to increase trade and investment cooperation efforts, among others by strengthening sea and air connectivity through the Dumai-Malacca economic corridor and Kualanamu Airport. I also proposed the importance of increasing interaction between our private sector by revitalizing the Indonesia-Malaysia Business Council. The second thing I conveyed was regarding the protection of Indonesian migrant workers," said Foreign Minister Retno.

Besides that, in a meeting with the Malaysian Foreign Minister, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi also conveyed the importance of protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers which is one of the priority issues for Indonesia's foreign policy.

Foreign Minister Retno also said it was important to uphold the law against any bad treatment or criminal acts committed against Indonesian workers to show a sense of humanity, a sense of justice. The importance of fulfilling the rights of Indonesian workers, including their financial rights. The importance of fulfilling the right to education and health services, including for the children of migrant workers.

Meanwhile, on the other hand the Malaysian Foreign Minister, Dato' Seri Diraja Zambry Abdul Kadir who also attended the Press Conference conveyed the importance of cooperation for ASEAN countries to help Myanmar resolve its domestic problems.

"The resolution of the United Nations Growth Safety Assembly in December 2022 is important in efforts to support and ASEAN's main role in finding a safe resolution to the situation in Myanmar. Malaysia and Indonesia fully support the five-point agreement reached during ASEAN leadership regarding Myanmar. ASEAN will also continue to work with the people of Myanmar in dealing with the situation in that country,” said Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Seri Diraja.

In addition, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Dato' Seri Diraja also congratulated Indonesia on advancing gloriously for the management of ASEAN in 2023. Malaysia is confident that under Indonesia's leadership, ASEAN will continue to make progress in fostering a community that is more secure, integrated and sustainable for the benefit of the ASEAN people. (VOI)

Several Indonesian regions can potentially experience heavy rains accompanied by lightning and strong winds on Friday, according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency's (BMKG's) early weather warning.

Quoted from BMKG's website on Friday, heavy rains along with lightning could potentially occur in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Bengkulu, Jambi, Riau, South Sumatra, and Lampung.

Similar conditions may also occur in Banten, West Java, Jakarta, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara.

Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, North Maluku, and Maluku also have the potential to experience heavy rain.

Meanwhile, regions that may experience strong winds comprise West Kalimantan, West Sulawesi, and Papua.

Head of BMKG Dwikorita Karnawati urged people to be wary of extreme weather that can potentially cause hydrometeorological disasters as the end of the year draws near.

She highlighted that heavy rains, among others, can cause significant increase in river water discharge that can trigger floods.

Heavy rains can also cause landslide, rock fall, or soil erosion in highlands, hill slopes, and mountainous areas, she cautioned.

To this end, she urged regional governments and residents living along the river basin and hilly areas to raise their awareness and readiness in confronting potential natural disasters during the long period of heavy rains.

"I implore the public to be careful while doing activities outside the house. If there is no urgent need, it is best to stay at home to wait for the weather to return to normal," she remarked.

BMKG's meteorology deputy, Guswanto, explained that the extreme weather potential at the end of the year can be attributed to the atmospheric change phenomena around Indonesia. (antaranews)

The Jakarta Health Office tightened whole-genome sequencing (WGS) surveillance to suppress the spread of the Omicron Sub-variant BF.7 in the capital city after the reported five cases were declared recovered.

"The effort (to curb BF.7 transmission) is by tightening the whole-genome sequencing surveillance in positive cases," Jakarta's Head of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Immunization, Ngabila Salama, remarked here on Friday.

The Health Ministry explained that whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is a method to identify the genetic characteristics of the virus.

This method requires extensive resources, both in terms of technology and human resources, and takes four to seven days depending on the protocol used.

WGS examinations in Jakarta are conducted at the Health Ministry, Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Indonesia (UI).

"With WGS surveillance, we can predict the likelihood of (dominant strains) for estimation of peak and decline of cases," Salama remarked.

Nonetheless, Salama said the Jakarta Health Office continues to conduct testing, tracking, and treatment (3T) to accelerate the handling and control of the COVID-19 new sub-variant. The public is advised to not panic but to keep implementing health protocols and complete the COVID-19 vaccination.

"Whatever the variant is, there is no need to panic, everything will be under control by maintaining high booster vaccination coverage to maintain the high immunity of the communities," Salama explained.

On Thursday (December 29), some 15 cases of Omicron BF.7 were reported in Indonesia, of which five were found in Jakarta.

The Jakarta Health Office has conducted close-contact tracing of the five BF.7 cases.

All the five cases had mild symptoms, such as fever, cough, runny nose, and sore throat, and some experienced anosmia or loss of sense of smell, while some complained of stomach ache, nausea, and vomiting. (antaranews)

The economy in the Asian region, including Indonesia, will remain strong in 2023 amidst the prospect of a global recession, president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Julia Penny, has said.

Developed countries such as Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and Taiwan have experienced a decline in manufacturing production.

Meanwhile, the economies of developing countries such as China, Indonesia, and Thailand have fared better compared to those of other developing countries.

"The decline in manufacturing production in developed countries was partly due to delays in opening regional borders, which contributed to an increase in domestic demand, which is currently leading to an increase in demand above the average," she said in an official statement released on Thursday.

However, this decline is unlikely to last long given that regional restrictions are starting to be relaxed and regional borders are starting to reopen.

In general, the decline in manufacturing production in developed countries will eventually hamper the growth of manufacturing production in Asia.

Meanwhile, Indonesia is expected to record a decline in its gross domestic product (GDP) of 3.6 percent in 2023.

"Even though Indonesia's economic growth in the third quarter of 2022 was 5.72 percent compared to the same period the previous year, with the global situation and the threat of a recession, Indonesia is predicted to experience a decline in national economic performance," she said.

However, Indonesia's economic situation is predicted to improve slowly with a projected increase in demand among the Indonesian people for domestic manufacturing production.

This increase in domestic demand is expected to contribute 6 percent to Indonesia's GDP growth in 2023.

"This can suppress the threat of an impending recession," she said. (antaranews)