VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia Defense Forces (TNI) personnel in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have joined a series of drills to anticipate the worst-case scenarios regarding the escalation of war in Palestine's besieged Gaza Strip.

Maritime task force commander with the Indonesian Battalion of Garuda XXVIII-N Contingent, Lt.Col.John David Nalasakti Sondakh, made the remarks in a press statement released by the Indonesian navy and received here on Friday.

Since the start of the Palestine-Israel war on October 7, 2023, tensions have escalated up to the Blue Line, the border between Lebanon and Israel, he said.

The UNIFIL's military exercise took place on November 1–3, and was witnessed by Indonesian Ambassador to Lebanon, Y.Thohari, Sondakh added.

The drills were aimed at improving the Indobatt (Indonesian battalion) personnel's readiness for any eventuality that might occur during an escalation of tensions, and for anticipating the UNIFIL Chief of Mission's decision to increase the readiness status from "red alert" to "black alert," he informed.

During the three-day exercise, the UNIFIL troops from Indonesia received training materials, including those related to base defense, air defense, response to underwater sabotage, as well as Indonesian citizen and force protection, he said.

"If the current situation got worse, and an order to withdraw our troops was issued, an evacuation mission could be carried out through the sea to Cyprus," he added.

Evacuation through the sea could be an option when Lebanon's Rafic Hariri International Airport is not operational and the land route is not feasible, he explained.

Besides Cyprus, another secure destination for evacuees is Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, a country that is home to 222 Indonesian citizens and 1,229 peacekeepers from the Indobatt.

Palestine and Israel's new armed conflict erupted again following a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel early on the morning of October 7.

Prior to the assaults by Palestinian liberation fighters, Israel had continued its closure of Gaza crossings.

Palestine's news agency WAFA reported on September 25 that the Israeli closure of Gaza crossings had worsened the living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza.

According to WAFA, the Palestinians had already suffered from the severe impacts of "more than 17 years of tight Israeli land, sea, and air blockades."

Al Jazeera quoted Hamas, which governs Gaza, as stating that its assault on Israel was "a response to the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence."

In response to the unprecedented surprise attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas and, according to Al Jazeera, pledged that the Israeli forces would "turn all Hamas hideouts into rubble."

In the Palestinian war on Israel, Hezbollah is assisting Hamas by launching attacks on the Israeli force's position near the Lebanon-Israel border. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has urged all Indonesians to gather knowledge about disaster preparedness and obtain practical skills that can help them respond to natural disasters.

"To be able to save (yourself during a disaster), do not feel satisfied only with technology because it always has limitedness," the agency's head, Dwikorita Karnawati, said at an earthquake and tsunami mitigation forum here Friday.

Therefore, disaster mitigation that aligns with local wisdom can be more valuable in efforts to save the lives of people during an earthquake or a tsunami, she added.

Speaking at the forum, which was held to commemorate World Tsunami Awareness Day 2023, she highlighted the importance of public preparedness for bolstering disaster response in Indonesia's disaster-prone regions.

By strengthening their disaster preparedness, people living in disaster-prone areas can become more resilient to the impacts of catastrophes, she said.

The UN Secretary-General has launched "Early Warnings for All" to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected from natural disasters in 2027, she pointed out.

Thus, 100 percent of people living in tsunami-prone regions will be ready to save themselves from a tsunami, she said, adding that BMKG is working closely with other agencies to improve public disaster awareness.

ANTARA reported earlier that with about 17 thousand islands scattered across the Indian-Pacific Ocean, the world's largest archipelagic country, Indonesia, is like a "supermarket for natural disasters."

The country has four disaster clusters: geology and volcanology (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis), hydrometeorology I (forest fires and drought), hydrometeorology II (flash floods, landslides, and coastal abrasion), and non-natural disasters (waste, epidemics, and technological failures).

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that between January 1 and December 19, 2021, for instance, a total of 2,931 disasters displaced 8.26 million people in Indonesia.

Regarding tsunamis, the Indonesian province of Aceh experienced the deadliest-ever earthquake, which was followed by a tsunami, on December 26, 2004.

The catastrophe, which also affected certain coastal areas in countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, reportedly killed at least 230 thousand people. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia is exploring collaboration with the government of Spain for building 10 surveillance ships through foreign loan or foreign grant schemes, according to the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry.

"(We are) still in the process of negotiation. Hopefully, the governments of Indonesia and Spain will collaborate to build 10 units (of surveillance ships)," the ministry's director general of marine and fish resources monitoring, Rear Admiral Adin Nurawaluddin, told ANTARA in Jakarta on Friday.

According to Nurawaluddin, the government is planning to build ten ships to comply with the domestic component level (TKDN) requirement.

"To accord with the TKDN rule, of the 10 units, 4 will be built in Spain, while the rest (will be made) in Indonesia," he expounded.

Earlier, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono revealed that his ministry was set to receive 2 surveillance ships from the Japanese government, namely Hakurei Maru and Shirahagi Maru.

Hakurei Maru arrived in Indonesia on June 15, 2023, and was renamed Orca 05, while Shirahagi Maru, rechristened Orca 06, arrived later in September this year.

The two ships, both measuring 63.37 meters in length, were used for patrol by the Fisheries Agency of Japan and can operate at sea for up to 25 days.

In a statement released earlier on July 21, Nurawaluddin informed that the Orca 06 would be used by the ministry to improve the monitoring of national marine resources in North Natuna Sea, Indonesian waters in the South China Sea.

He also noted that in 2022 alone, the ministry detected as many as 23 thousand boats involved in illegal fishing activities in Indonesian waters.

It is expected that the surveillance ship will have the capability to prevent such occurrences in North Natuna waters, he said. (Antaranews)

VOInews, Bandung: Malaysian Ambassador to ASEAN Dato' Nur Izzah Wong Me Coo said that every member country of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is making efforts to promote tourism as a supporting factor for their economy. According to her, this will provide benefits not only to each country but also to other countries in the region.

"Malaysia has always believed that if we are all prosperous then the entire region will be prosperous and each will benefit from it," she said at the Diplomatic Forum hosted by RRI Voice of Indonesia in Bandung, West Java, Thursday (2/11/2023).

He added that ASEAN as a unit in a region, is unique in terms of tourism compared to other regions. Moreover, ASEAN also has a lot to offer both as an individual country and as a unit.

"We certainly have challenges, but I believe that we can do more as a family," he said.

Meanwhile, the Director of ASEAN Socio-Cultural Cooperation at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yuliana Bahar, said that in efforts to promote ASEAN tourism, emphasizing the importance of cross-sectoral coordination and collaboration, including coordination and collaboration across ASEAN pillars. Apart from that, according to him, a common understanding of the challenges and differences each ASEAN country has is also needed.

“We must strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and potential and relevant partners. "Without that, it will be difficult to make ASEAN a single tourism destination," he said.

This is also Indonesia's spirit in chairing ASEAN this year. According to Yuliana, Indonesia as the chair of ASEAN in 2023 encourages the realization of broader cooperation between ASEAN and all partners, including countries in the Indo-Pacific region. (Andy Romdoni)