VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

COP President Alok Sharma - 

COP26 President Alok Sharma will travel to Bali from 30 August-1 September to lead the UK delegation attending the G20. The visit is a critical opportunity to engage with G20 Climate Ministers to maintain momentum and drive action on climate, environment and biodiversity ahead of COP27. He will use the climate sessions to lobby G20 countries to move faster to limit global temperature increase to below 1.5 degrees. The COP26 President will push for climate action through emission reductions this decade, noting that accelerating energy transitions and building net zero green sectors is crucial to long-term economic security and sustainable development. Mr Sharma will continue to reiterate that current global crises relating to Vladimir Putin’s illegal, unprovoked and barbaric invasion of Ukraine and rises in the cost of living should increase G20 countries’ determination to accelerate the shift to renewables and deliver on the Glasgow Climate Pact. 

“The current energy crisis has demonstrated the vulnerability of countries relying on fossil fuels controlled by hostile actors. If Countries don’t want the risk of being held to ransom they should do all they can to achieve domestic energy security as fast as possible.” Alok Shara said.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Tuesday the COP President will also meet with Indonesian Ministers to welcome the country’s ongoing work to enhance its climate ambitions, encourage them to submit a 1.5C aligned Nationally Determined Contribution as soon as possible, and to place climate action and energy transition as a central aspect of their G20 Presidency. 

“Some Countries have already come forward with great ambition but the science clearly shows our window to act is closing rapidly. Now is the time for the G20 to step up and deliver on the commitments made in the Glasgow Climate Pact.” Sharma added. 

The Glasgow Climate Pact sets out a clear framework for progress ahead of COP27 including calling on countries to phase-down unabated coal power and phase-out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. Requesting that countries revisit and strengthen their 2030 emissions reduction targets as necessary to align with the Paris temperature goal by the end of this year. Urging developed countries to scale-up climate finance, including delivery of the collective $100bn joint mobilisation goal as soon as possible and through to 2025, and to double finance for adaptation by 2025 on 2019 levels. Underlining the central importance of adaptation, the dangers of loss and damage, and the need to scale-up action and support for both. Nationally Determined Contributions represent efforts made by each country to reduce emissions towards achieving the Paris temperature goal//VOI

The more China provokes the more calm Taiwan must be, but restraint does not mean there cannot be "strong countermeasures" if needed, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday visiting front line forces based on islands in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

China, which claims Taiwan as its territory despite the strong objections of the government in Taipei, has carried out military exercises around the island this month after a visit by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Visiting a major air and naval base on the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, Tsai praised the armed forces for their tireless efforts to protect Taiwan, and condemned Beijing for its drills and intimidation.

"I want to tell everyone that the more the enemy provokes, the more calm we must be," Tsai told naval officers.

"We will not provoke disputes, and we will exercise self-restraint, but it does not mean that we will not counter," she added.

"I have ordered the Ministry of National Defense to take necessary and strong countermeasures in a timely manner to defend the safety of the country's airspace," Tsai said, without elaborating.

No shots have been fired, and Taiwan's government has repeatedly said it has responded calmly to China's activities.

But Taiwan has been particularly upset recently by Chinese drones flying very close to islands it controls next to China's coast, which Tsai said was part of Beijing's "grey zone" warfare.

The warships and fighter jets based at Penghu have been going out armed with live ammunition since China began its exercises this month, officers told reporters on the trip.

Frigate captain Lee Kuang-ping said that they regularly had been trading radio warnings with Chinese warships.

"Sometimes near the drill zone communist Chinese fishing boats appear, and they provocatively say 'hit them, hit them!'" Lee added.

The Chinese military unit responsible for the area adjacent to Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command, released on Aug. 15 a video of the Penghu islands, apparently taken by China's air force.

Taiwan's military termed the video information warfare, accusing China of exaggeration and saying it was not true Chinese forces had come near the islands.

Penghu, a summer tourist destination for its beaches, is close to Taiwan's southwestern coast, unlike the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen and Matsu islands, which are right next to China's shores.

Taiwan's armed forces are well-equipped but dwarfed by China's. Tsai has been overseeing a modernisation programme and has made increasing defence spending a priority. (Reuters)

Thailand aims to generate 400 billion baht ($11 billion) in tourism revenue in the second half of the year, the government said on Tuesday, as the tropical holiday destination welcomes back more visitors after pandemic-induced border controls.

The Southeast Asian nation has seen a rebound in tourism numbers in the first eight months of 2022, registering more than 4 million tourists, government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said. It is aiming for 10 million tourists this year.

The foreign arrivals so far, mainly from Malaysia, India and Singapore, have generated revenues of 176 billion baht ($4.93 billion), according to the government.

The return of international tourists have resulted in the registration of 549 new tourism-related businesses in the first seven months of the year, up 169% year-on-year, Rachada said citing commerce ministry data.

The Thai government has recently announced that it will extend one of its most popular tourist visas from 15 days to 30 days starting in October, to further boost the sector.

The return of international tourists have resulted in the registration of 549 new tourism-related businesses in the first seven months of the year, up 169% year-on-year, Rachada said citing commerce ministry data.

The Thai government has recently announced that it will extend one of its most popular tourist visas from 15 days to 30 days starting in October, to further boost the sector. (Reuters)

 Germany and France have issued a joint warning against a ban on tourist visas for Russians, saying such a step, advocated by other European Union member states, would be counter-productive.

The split on tourist visas will be at the heart of a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Prague on Tuesday and Wednesday, as they discuss what further steps they can take to sanction Russia for its six-month old invasion of Ukraine.

"We caution against far-reaching restrictions on our visa policy, in order to prevent feeding the Russian narrative and trigger unintended rallying-around the flag effects and/or estranging future generations," France and Germany said in the joint memo seen by Reuters.

The Kremlin said the calls for a visa ban on Russian tourists were the latest example of the West's anti-Russian agenda.

"Step by step, unfortunately, both Brussels and individual European capitals are demonstrating an absolute lack of reason," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.

"These are very serious decisions that could be directed against our citizens, and of course such decisions cannot go unanswered," he added.

"But in responding, we will do it in such a way that it best meets our interests and protects the interests of our citizens".

The EU's two leading countries Germany and France argue for close scrutiny of Russian visa applications for security risks, but believe visas should still be issued.

"We must not give up on supporting pro-democratic elements with Russian society," they said. "Our visa policies should reflect that and continue to allow for people to people contacts in the EU with Russian nationals not linked to the Russian government.

"We should not underestimate the transformative power of experiencing life in democratic systems at first-hand, especially for future generations," they added.

CLEAR MESSAGE

Others, in particular eastern and Nordic member states, have argued strongly for a ban.

"It is very provocative to me that you see Russian men on European beaches in Southern Europe and at the same time Ukrainian men between 18 and 60 years cannot even leave their country but have to fight for their freedom," Denmark's Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said last week.

"We think it is right that we together in Europe can limit and cut off tourists from Russia and it would send a clear message to (President) Putin."

An EU diplomat said the foreign ministers might agree in principle to suspend a visa facilitation agreement with Russia, which would mean Russians face a longer procedure and pay 80 euros instead of 35 for EU visas, but that divisions over tourism visa bans were too deep for any agreement on that.

Russians mostly enter the EU via the land borders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said last week, adding that these countries may act on their own if the EU does not agree on a union-wide ban. 

Meanwhile, defence ministers meeting in Prague are likely to agree in principle on the less controversial step of organising joint military training missions for Ukrainian troops.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he hoped the ministers would give him a green light to start working on an EU military training mission for Ukraine.

"A number of EU countries are already hosting training facilitation for Ukrainians but I think it would be good to ... ensure that the EU collectively is doing that in an organised way that can last for some time," Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said in Prague.

The Netherlands also backed the idea, saying it was working on de-mining training along with Germany. (Reuters)