VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) received delegates of the US-ASEAN Business Council to discuss enhancement of cooperation in health, digital transformation, and energy transition.

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, who accompanied the president at the meeting, stated that the delegates comprising those from 35 US companies were received at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday.

"At the meeting, the president conveyed Indonesia's commitment to creating a better investment climate," Marsudi stated.

President Jokowi also shed greater light on the country's business potential in the development of the trade, manufacturing, and downstream industry, among others, the minister said.

Meanwhile, the US-ASEAN Business Council in return conveyed its commitment to enhancing cooperation with Indonesia in the energy sector, digital transformation, health, and tourism.

The council has also supported Indonesia's Presidency of the G20 and ASEAN.

In terms of energy transition, Marsudi said, the president emphasized on cooperation in energy transition that could ensure the country's energy resilience.

"The president has stressed that in the transition of energy, the most important issue is how to strengthen technology and investment. (This is) because when we have energy transition, at the same time, we also have to ensure strong energy resilience," she remarked.

Speaking in connection with cooperation on digital economy development, Jokowi noted that it should be conducted in the best interests of the people.

Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, who also attended the meeting, said the council was keen to invest in Indonesia, including in the mining, oil, and gas sectors.

"The president has offered (US investors) to invest in Indonesia. Now, we already have the Omnibus Law that simplifies the licensing process," Lahadalia said. (Antaranews)

The Communication and Informatics Ministry has invited the public to participate in the discussion on the Criminal Code Bill (RKUHP), saying people’s aspirations are valuable for drafting laws and improving the sociopolitical dynamics in Indonesia.

"Thus, the RKUHP can become a monumental work as the result of the ideas from all parties in our nation, as the foundation of the society towards an equitable and prosperous Indonesia," Communications and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate remarked during the inauguration of the “RKUHP Public Dialogue” here on Tuesday.

His ministry was chosen to hold the dialogue forum to enable stakeholders to share their opinions on the issue.

"Through the inauguration (of the forum), it will become the beginning of collaboration and synergy for all parties -- not only the government and parliament, but also non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, as well as academics," he said.

Various relevant inputs for the RKUHP will be included in the problem inventory list, the minister informed. Meanwhile, other inputs that are not relevant will still be noted as material for other regulations, both primary and derivative legislations.

He said he expected the discussion on the RKUHP to be put to good use so that the inputs can help improve the prepared bill.

The dialogue forum is also a part of the dissemination of the bill to the public. The forum can be considered successful if there is active and rational participation from the community, he added.

The implementation of the dialogue forum is part of President Joko Widodo's directives regarding the preparation of the RKUHP and the discussion of the remaining 14 debated issues of the bill.

The Communication and Information Ministry has collaborated with the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs; Law and Human Rights Ministry; Religious Affairs Ministry; Cabinet Secretariat; National Police; Attorney General's Office; and Presidential Staff Office in organizing the forum. (Antaranews)

 Thai authorities ramped up security in the capital on Tuesday ahead of protests calling on the prime minister to resign, as a court considers whether to take up a petition to rule on when his constitutionally stipulated eight-year term is up.

The main opposition party, and nearly two-thirds of Thais questioned in an opinion poll, believe Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who took power in a 2014 coup, should step down by Aug. 24 because his time as junta chief counts towards his term. 

Prayuth, 68, was army chief when he mounted a coup in 2014 to overthrow an elected government. He became a civilian prime minister in 2019 after an election held under a military-drafted constitution.

Police cordoned off areas around the prime minister's offices, known as Government House, in central Bangkok, setting up barricades, including shipping containers, and diverting traffic.

Prayuth arrived for a weekly cabinet and is expected to address media later in the day.

Thailand has seen intermittent political turmoil for nearly two decades, including two coups and violent protests, broadly because of opposition to the military's involvement in politics and demands by increasingly politically aware sections of society for greater representation.

But protests have petered out over the past couple of years with the imposition of COVID-19 bans on gatherings.

The main opposition Pheu Thai Party has petitioned the Constitutional Court to rule on how long Prayuth can stay in office. The court could decide to hear or dismiss the case on Wednesday.

If the case is accepted, it is unclear if Prayuth would stay on as leader or be suspended from duty while a caretaker government takes over. It is not clear when the court would rule on the term limit.

The opposition says Prayuth's tenure as prime minister began in August 2014, a few months after the coup, and should therefore end this month.

But some supporters argue his premiership started in 2017, when a new constitution came into force, or after the 2019 election - meaning he should be allowed to stay on until 2025 or 2027, provided he retains the necessary backing in parliament.

A general election is due by May next year. (Reuters)

 India's Supreme Court will hold a hearing on a petition challenging the release last week of 11 Hindu men convicted of the gang rape of a pregnant Muslim woman during Hindu-Muslim riots in 2002 in the western state of Gujarat.

Dozens of women in Mumbai protested on Tuesday against their release and carried placards demanding justice for the victim, who said last week she had not been told the men would be freed and that it had shaken her faith in justice.

Her three-year-old daughter was among those killed during one of India's worst religious riots. More than 1,000 people died during the violence, most of them Muslims.

The petition has been brought by a group of women including Subhashini Ali, a politician and member of the Communist Party of India; Revati Laul, an independent journalist; and Mahua Moitra, a member of parliament from the opposition Trinamool Congress Party, attorney Kapil Sibal said.

Sibal told Reuters the court had agreed to hear their Public Interest Litigation petition demanding the men serve their full life sentences. No date has yet been set for the hearing.

Critics contend that freeing the convicts contradicts the government's stated policy of supporting women in a country with numerous, well-documented instances of violence against them.

Authorities in the Panchmahals district of Gujarat released the men last Monday after considering the time they had served after their conviction in 2008 and their behaviour while jailed.

A senior Gujarat state official overseeing the release said the convicts had completed 14 years in jail and were allowed free after the Supreme Court directed authorities to consider their plea for leniency under a 1992 remission policy.

The months-long riots were triggered after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire. Hindus accused Muslims of setting the fire in which 59 pilgrims died, but Muslims said the train attack was part of a conspiracy to target their community. Several Muslims were convicted for the attack on the train.

Current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was Gujarat's chief minister at the time of the riots and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party continues to rule the state. (Reuters)