VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, one of the world's longest serving leaders after 36 years in power, on Thursday offered support for his eldest son as his potential successor, a move the main opposition leader compared to North Korea.

Hun Sen, who has presided over a broad crackdown on the opposition, civil society and the media that began in the run-up to 2018 elections, has in the past said he planned to rule until he felt he should stop.

His son, Hun Manet, 44, a deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and joint chief of staff, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1999 and holds a doctorate in economics from Britain's University of Bristol.

"I announce today that I support my son to continue as prime minister, but it is through an election," Hun Sen said in a speech in the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk.

Hun Sen defended the idea of establishing a political dynasty.

"Even Japan has its own dynasty, like (former prime minister) Abe. His grandfather was prime minister and he had visited Cambodia. Abe's father was a foreign minister and Abe was a prime minister," Hun Sen said.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Hun Sen's determination to promote Hun Manet reflected his fear of losing impunity when he can no longer lead the country, and Hun Manet's mission would be to protect his father.

In an email to Reuters, he said Hun Sen's succession plan would fail, because Cambodia was not "the private property" of the Hun family, "and is not North Korea either".

Hun Sen's Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which has been in power since 1979, holds every seat in the 125-member legislature after the main opposition was dissolved ahead of the 2018 election, accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

Western countries and human rights groups have long condemned Hun Sen for crackdowns on opponents, civil rights groups and the media.

In June last year, Hun Sen said the ruling party would be a dominant force in politics for as long as a century, telling the opposition it should wait until the next life if it wants to take power. (Reuters)

Russia has deployed its Bastion coastal missile defence system to a remote part of the Kuril island chain in the Pacific near Japan, the Ministry of Defence's Zvezda TV channel said on Thursday.

Japan lays claim to the Russian-held southern Kuril islands that Tokyo calls the Northern Territories, a territorial row that dates back to the end of World War Two when Soviet troops seized them from Japan.

The dispute has prevented them signing a formal peace treaty.

Russia used large landing ships to deliver equipment and personnel to the remote Matua island in the central part of the island chain, Zvezda said.

Russia is trying to beef up its military infrastructure on the island chain, the Ministry of Defence announced in August.  (Reuters)

World food prices rose for a fourth straight month in November to remain at 10-year highs, led by strong demand for wheat and dairy products, the U.N. food agency said on Thursday.

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) food price index, which tracks international prices of the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 134.4 points last month compared with a revised 132.8 for October.

The October figure was previously given as 133.2.

The November reading was the highest for the index since June 2011. On a year-on-year basis, the index was up 27.3% last month.

Agricultural commodity prices have risen steeply in the past year, driven by harvest setbacks and strong demand. read more

The FAO's cereal price index rose by 3.1% in November from the previous month and was 23.2% higher than its year-ago level, with wheat prices hitting their highest level since May 2011.

FAO said wheat prices were supported by concerns about unseasonable rains in Australia and uncertainty over potential changes to export measures in Russia.

The dairy price index posted the largest monthly rise, up 3.4% from the previous month. "Strong global import demand persisted for butter and milk powders as buyers sought to secure spot supplies in anticipating of tightening markets," FAO said.

Global sugar prices rose 1.4% on the month and was up nearly 40% year-on-year. "The increase was primarily driven by higher ethanol prices," FAO said.

The meat price index posted its fourth consecutive monthly decline, shedding 0.9% on the month, while world vegetable oil prices fell 0.3% on October levels, but international palm oil prices remained firm, FAO said.

Rome-based FAO cut its projection of global cereal production in 2021 to 2.791 billion tonnes from 2.793 billion estimated a month ago, according to its cereal supply and demand outlook.

However, the expected world cereal output would still represent a record, FAO said.

"The month-to-month downgrade is primarily the result of an anticipated marginally smaller global coarse grains outturn, reflecting reduced forecasts for barley and sorghum production," FAO said.

World cereal utilization in 2021/22 was forecast to rise by 1.7% above the 2020/21 level, hitting 2.810 billion tonnes. FAO's forecast for world cereal stocks by the close of seasons in 2022 stood at 822 million tonnes, up 2.9 million tonnes since November but still down 0.7% from opening levels. (Reuters)

Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander General Andika Perkasa has said he will supervise cases involving grave human rights violations in Papua province.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a working visit in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, he said 14 cases of human rights abuses have been reported in Papua, including Paniai.

"I will oversee those cases of human rights (violations)," Perkasa said, adding that several cases are being handled, including the Intan Jaya case, which reportedly led to two civilians going missing.

The legal processes should not merely be directed at individuals who committed the crimes but also their commanding officers, he added.

In the case of the two missing civilians, identified as Luther Zanambani and Apinus Zanambani, the legal process is underway with three suspects handed over to police, he noted.

"The legal process must be carried out as part of (efforts aimed at ensuring) accountability so that the TNI's credibility can be maintained," he added.

The cases of human rights abuses involving the TNI in Papua were among the issues that security minister Mahfud MD discussed with General Perkasa on November 25, 2021.

General Perkasa had paid a courtesy call to the coordinating minister for political, legal, and security affairs.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Mahfud said that they had discussed the Paniai case that was reported in July this year. He also affirmed that for resolving the case, the TNI commander would coordinate with his ministry.

In handling Papua issues, the Indonesian government has adopted an approach based on "prosperity" not "weapons", according to Mahfud MD.

In response to local journalists' question on the sidelines of his working visit in Jayapura city on Wednesday, General Perkasa said he would emphasize "social communication" to deal with Papuan groups.

The social communication-based approach will be adopted as an effort to avoid falling victim to the conflict, he said.

General Perkasa was sworn in by President Joko Widodo as the TNI commander on November 17, 2021, in place of Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, who will retire, at the age of 58, on November 8, 2021.

Papua issues will pose a challenge during Perkasa's leadership as armed conflicts are still occurring in Papua and West Papua though the central and regional governments are making the utmost efforts to improve the welfare of local communities by intensifying regional development, observers have said. (Antaranews)