VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo has asked the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) to do their utmost to locate and rescue submarine KRI Nanggala-402, which went missing near Bali on Wednesday.

"I have ordered the TNI commander, the navy chief of staff, and Basarnas to work closely with other related agencies to do utmost efforts in their search and rescue (SAR) mission," he said on the Presidential Secretariat's Youtube channel here on Thursday.

Contact with the German-made submarine, which was carrying 53 submariners on board, was lost while it was preparing for a torpedo drill in the waters north of Bali, according to Military Commander, Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto.

"The last contact (with the submarine) was made at 4:30 a.m. local time (on April 21, 2021). There was no more contact when the torpedo drill was to be conducted," he informed earlier.

President Widodo said Tjahjanto and the Indonesian navy chief of staff are leading the SAR mission on the ground.

"This mission's main priority is saving the 53 submariners," he said while urging the families of the sailors to remain patient and wait for the outcome of the SAR efforts.

Widodo also appealed to the entire nation to pray for the safety of the submariners and for the success of the search efforts.

After the submarine went missing, the Indonesian Navy sent out a distress call to the International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO).

The navies of several countries, including Australia, India, and Singapore, responded and offered to help search for the missing submarine, the Indonesian Defence Ministry informed.

Singapore has sent its MV Swift Rescue, while Malaysia has dispatched its Rescue Mega Bhati to join the search for KRI Nanggala-402 in Bali Island's waters, it added.

The missing 209/1300-type submarine was built in Germany's Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in 1977, and was officially inducted into the navy in 1981.

Its propulsion system uses a Siemens low-speed diesel electric motor, connected directly to the propeller shaft, which generates about five thousand shaft horsepower (shp).

The electrical power is stored in batteries, which make up 25 percent of the weight of the vessel, according to the navy. Four MTU diesel supercharged engines are responsible for generating electricity in the vessel. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. A budget of Rp1.7 trillion has been allocated for this year for the development of the new capital of Indonesia in East Kalimantan, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati disclosed on Thursday.

The budget fund has been divided for each ministry and government agency or non-ministerial government agency, she said.

"The budget fund for the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, the Transportation Ministry, and the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry amounts to Rp800 billion and the budget for project development fund (PDF), classified as non K/L (non-ministerial government agency), amounts to Rp900 billion," the minister informed at an online press conference on the state budget here on Thursday.

The ministries and non-ministerial government agencies will use the funds to make preparations for the development of the new capital, in accordance with their respective tasks, she added.

"The budget is always found at each of the K/L (ministries/institutions). The budget fund at the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry will be used to prepare various basic infrastructures there," she said.

Meanwhile, Presidential spokesperson Fadjroel Rachman said the budget fund for the development of the new capital city accounts for just one percent of the total budget of Rp500 trillion allocated in the fiscal budget under the state budget. The remaining budget needs for the capital city project will be met through various alternative financing sources, he added.

"Insya Allah (God willing), it will need a sizable amount of fund at around Rp500 trillion, and only one percent of the fund will be taken from the state budget, and the rest will come from various financing sources," he said.

The government is hoping to perform the groundbreaking for the construction of the new capital city in 2021. Minister of National Development Planning and head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Suharso Monoarfa, is aiming to hold the commemoration of Indonesia's independence on August 17, 2024 at the new capital.

The new Indonesian capital will be built on 256 thousand hectares of land, of which 5,600 hectares will be developed into a government zone.  (Antaranews)

Jakarta. Japan has extended US$6.9 million to support the activities of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for mitigating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the education sector and strengthening vaccine cold chain facilities in Indonesia.

The grant is a continuation of Japan's support in 2020 for UNICEF's multi-sectoral response action to address the direct impact of the pandemic in Indonesia, the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta said in a written statement released on Thursday.

"Japan is working closely with Indonesia to help improve the capacity of the health system and drive economic recovery, based on the principles of human security," Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia, Kanasugi Kenji, stated.

"Expanding the production of secure, affordable, and effective vaccines and providing equitable access (to vaccines) is the key to addressing the pandemic. Japan is collaborating with UNICEF to ensure that vaccines reach recipients by supporting vaccine cold chain logistics in this vast country," he added.

Indonesia rolled out its nationwide vaccination program in January, 2021 and is targeting to inoculate 181.5 million people, or 67 percent of its total population, using different COVID-19 vaccines.

A recent assessment of the cold chain system in Indonesia indicates that the administration of more than 335 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will have a significant impact on the immunization supply chain and the cold chain storage capacity.

The Japanese grant will be used to procure cold chain facilities, including cold storage and transportation facilities, to support access to and distribute COVID-19 vaccines across Indonesia in an equitable manner.

UNICEF has said it will procure, distribute, and install cold chain instruments at provincial and district/municipal levels, and strengthen institutional capacity to manage the instruments.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government-backed ‘Safe Return to Learning Program’ is aiming to address the educational, health, and psycho-social needs of children in the provinces of Papua and South Sulawesi.

The support will strengthen the national system and capability to provide basic public services to community groups in remote areas, which lack access to services, the embassy noted.

For the learning program, UNICEF will cooperate with local authorities to enable children, particularly those living in least developed regions, to return to safe learning and receive important health services. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. Chief of the National Defense Forces (TNI), Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, and chief of the National Police (Polri), General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, observed drive-through COVID-19 vaccinations at Mall Bali Galeria, Badung, Bali on Wednesday.

"At the moment, I have observed drive-through vaccination services at Praja Raksaka Sports Stadium (Gor) in Kepaon, Denpasar and at Mall Bali Galeria," Tjahjanto said at a press conference at Mall Bali Galeria.

The TNI chief said 80 medical workers from TNI and Polri have been deployed to provide drive-through vaccination services to 1,198 people at the two venues until Friday.

“Especially today, the vaccination is intended for public and tourism workers, including coast guards, online motorcycle taxi drivers, transportation workers, restaurant workers, travel agents, and food stall owners," he added.

Meanwhile, chief of the National Police (Polri), General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, said the mass vaccination service is part of efforts to accelerate national economic recovery and curb COVID-19 growth rate.

He said the TNI and Polri support the mass vaccination program and micro-scale public activity restrictions in Bali in the hope that the local economy would return to normal soon.

Earlier, at least 750 taxi drivers in Bali had joined the drive-through COVID-19 vaccination service launched by the Bali provincial police and health office.

"From one post to another, (we have prepared) special places, in accordance with the vaccination stages and standard operating procedures (SOPs). So, we are continuing to follow the stages of vaccination," chief of Bali Provincial Police, Inspector General Putu Jayan Danu Putra, said in a recent press statement.

"When the people of Bali have been vaccinated and the COVID-19 pandemic is over, the Bali economy will return to normal,” he added. (Antaranews)