VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Thirteen Chinese air force aircraft entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday, the island's defence ministry said.

Taiwan, which China claims as part of its sovereign territory, has over the last few months recorded repeated missions by China's air force near the island, concentrated in the southwestern part of its air defence zone near the Pratas Islands, which Taiwan controls. (reuters)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) emphasized that the protection of citizens' personal data was a matter of grave concern for the government.

"Protection of personal data is also a serious concern for the government, and it is an integral part of human rights," he noted at the commemoration of the 2021 World Human Rights Day at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Friday.

President Jokowi urged Communication and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate as well as other ministries and institutions to immediately finalize the draft law on personal data protection with the House of Representatives.

"Thus, it ensures the protection of people's human rights and the certainty of doing business in the digital sector," he remarked.

In the midst of the industry 4.0 growth and the rise of disruption due to digitalization, issues of human rights protection also continued to surface. He called on all stakeholders to consistently innovate to ensure the protection of human rights for every citizen, especially for marginalized groups of people.

"We must continue to follow this scientific development, so that no one is harmed in today's disruptive world," he remarked.

The government had issued Presidential Regulation Number 53 of 2021 in mid-2021 in connection with the National Action Plan for Human Rights 2021-2025.

The action plan focuses on respect, protection, fulfillment, enforcement, and promotion of human rights in Indonesia that targets groups of women, children, indigenous people, and disabled individuals.

"This Presidential Regulation 53 also emphasizes that the enforcement of human rights not only included respect for civil and political rights but also encompasses the fulfillment of economic, social, and cultural rights, especially of vulnerable groups, whose rights we not only need to protect but also fulfill," Jokowi remarked. (Antaranews)

Complete vaccination will be made a pre-condition for undertaking travel during the Christmas and New Year holidays as part of efforts to reduce virus transmission, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force has said.

"In the near future, the government will enforce a mandatory policy of full-dose vaccination for inter-district or inter-city travelers in the agglomeration area (and outside) during the Christmas and New Year period," the task force's spokesperson, Wiku Adisasmito, informed here on Thursday.

The central government has given local governments the discretion to adjust the rules based on their situation, especially regions outside Java-Bali where the vaccination rate is still below the national average, he said.

"For this reason, all people who have not been fully vaccinated can immediately visit the nearest vaccination service post, including those at some airports and ports," he added.

Indonesia has never managed to get through a long holiday period without a spike in COVID-19 cases, therefore, the readiness for the Christmas and New Year period is important, he observed.

Even though the pandemic situation at the national level is still under control, he highlighted that there are six provinces that have experienced a significant rise in cases.

The six provinces are Lampung, which has reported 18 daily cases in four days; Bangka Belitung, where daily cases have increased from 8 to 15 in two days; Jakarta, where cases have jumped from 41 to 70 cases in two days; West Java, which has reported an increase in cases from 29 to 83 in three days; East Nusa Tenggara, where cases have risen from 3 to 27 in three days; and West Papua, which has seen cases rise from 4 to 13 in five days, he informed.

In addition, the effective reproduction number (Rt) that shows the potential for transmission in a population has also begun to show an increase in some provinces, Adisasmito said.

"The rise of Rt is an early warning in determining control measures," he explained.

Until now, there are two islands where the Rt has increased: Java Island and Sulawesi Island. They have recorded an increase in the Rt from 0.95 on November 11, 2021, to 0.98 on December 2, 2021, he noted.

"It is unfortunate that this increase in Rt in some regions was not accompanied by the compliance of health protocols," he added.

According to Adisasmito, discipline in following the health protocols is important for preventing COVID-19 transmission. (Antaranews)

Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah has said that Indonesia must push major breakthroughs during its G20 Presidency and encourage greater equality in national and global employment development.

"Indonesia must be able to make big breakthroughs at this G20 forum, especially in facing the current and future global employment challenges," she remarked while officially opening the G20 Employment Working Group (EWG) in Jakarta on Thursday.

This would be in accordance with the directions issued by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) when he officially opened Indonesia's G20 Presidency on December 1, 2021, she noted.

Indonesia's G20 Presidency in 2022 will not only be a ceremonial momentum but will be used to encourage real action from G20 countries to fight for the aspirations and interests of developing countries, such as Indonesia, the minister said.

In terms of employment, Indonesia will focus on four priority issues, including the creation of sustainable jobs, inclusive job market, and the initiative for decent job creation for disabled people, she informed.

Another focus will be the development of human resource capacity for sustainable productivity growth and the protection of an adaptive and inclusive workforce in response to the changing world of work, she said.

As G20 President, Indonesia can produce concrete initiatives to encourage the recovery of global employment conditions, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Fauziyah added.

"We will also use the Indonesian presidency to contribute to national, regional, and global employment development that is more equitable, more fair, and of course, more inclusive," she emphasized.

The effort is needed to achieve a world that is more resilient to crises, digital disruptions, and climate change, she explained.

Indonesia's Presidency of the G20 started in December 2021 and will end in October 2022. The main theme of its Presidency is 'Recover Together, Recover Stronger'.

President Jokowi had previously outlined three main focuses of the forum—providing inclusive health, digital-based transformation, and the transition to sustainable energy.

The G20 is a global forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union. Members of the forum, which was formed in 1999, account for 80 percent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) and 75 percent of global exports. (Antaranews)