VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Feb. 11 - The National Police’s Crime Unit has launched an investigation against a wedding organizer for promoting underage marriages, based on a report submitted by the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI).

"The issue regarding the wedding organizer, the KPAI has now made a report to the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Police," head of the Public Information Bureau of the Indonesian National Police's Public Relations Division, Police Brigadier General Rusdi Hartono, said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Investigators are looking into alleged violations of the marriage law by the wedding organizer Aisha Weddings’ website aishaweddings.com, he informed.

"Of course the National Police Crime Unit will investigate this problem, seeing how such issues that arise in this society can be resolved completely," he said.

Aisha Weddings had promoted a call for marriages for those between the ages of 12 and 21 on its website. It also offered ‘nikah siri’, or unregistered weddings and polygamous marriages, as part of its services.

After drawing protests from users on social media, the Aisha Weddings site is currently inaccessible, with the homepage displaying a message stating it is under repair.

Underage marriages violate Law Number 16/2019 on Marriage which lays down 19 as the minimum age when couples can tie the knot in the country.

Child marriage has been deemed a form of child rights violation that can hinder the fulfillment of children’s needs.

It can also have an impact on their health, including the risk of maternal and infant mortality, according to the National Development Planning Agency.

In terms of education, women who are married before they turn 18 have four times lower chances of completing their high school education, it has stated. (Antaranews)

Feb. 11 - The Indonesian government is committed to extending US$2.3 million in aid to support Palestine's struggle for independence, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said.

The aid will be channeled either through the bilateral mechanism or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), she said at a joint virtual press conference with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday.

"We also hope assistance for COVID-19 handling in Palestine could be disbursed in the first semester of this year," she added.

Marsudi, who is also co-chair of the global vaccine procurement program for COVAX AMC Engagement Group member countries, highlighted the importance of ensuring fair and equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine for all countries, including Palestine.

She further reiterated Indonesia’s support for Palestinian independence, which, she said, can be achieved through negotiations with Israel.

Indonesia's support for Palestine's struggle will always be based on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution and internationally-agreed parameters, including the two-state solution, Marsudi stated.

"Peace talks and negotiations must be continued immediately and Indonesia is ready to contribute (to the process)," she added.

The agenda of the Indonesian Foreign Minister's first visit to Jordan, including her meeting with the Palestinian Foreign Minister in Amman, received appreciation.

"I know it is not easy, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic (...) but you have the guts and commitment to visit," al-Maliki remarked.

While expressing gratitude to Indonesia for its unrelenting support for Palestine, al-Maliki said both nations will continue to cooperate in developing bilateral relations and promoting peace and justice for Palestine. (Antaranews)

Feb. 10 - With its economy contracting 2.07 percent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia is projected to return to its status as a lower middle-income country, the National Development Planning Ministry said.

“Due to the pandemic, (the economic growth) has been corrected,” National Development Planning Minister/National Development Planning Agency head, Suharso Monoarfa, said at an online press conference on the state of the Indonesian economy here on Tuesday.

The country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita declined in 2020, he informed.

GDP declined from US$4,174.9 per capita in 2019 to US$3,911.7 per capita in 2020, while GNI declined from US$4,047 to US$3,806 during the period, he said.

At the end of 2019, the World Bank upgraded Indonesia's status as an upper-middle income country from its previous status of a lower-middle income country, with income above US$4,046, Monoarfa noted.

"If the growth in 2021 can reach 4.5-5.5 percent, and 5 percent in the next year, we will have an income of US$4 thousand; thus, we can return to the status of an upper middle-income country," he added.

However, if the growth remains constant at five percent, the country's per capita income would stay below US$12 thousand and make it difficult for Indonesia to exit the middle income trap before 2045, he said.

Indonesia recorded a less sharper economic contraction compared to countries such as the US, which saw economic growth dip to minus 3.5 percent, the Philippines (minus 9.5 percent), and Mexico (minus 8.3 percent).

Meanwhile, Vietnam recorded a positive growth of 2.9 percent, China 2.3 percent, and Taiwan 3 percent. (Antaranews)

Feb. 10 - Indonesia-China relations got closer and reached their highest level in several cooperation sectors despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia, Xiao Qian, said.

"In 2020, China-Indonesia relations passed through an extraordinary year. Under the attention and promotion of their state leaders, governments and peoples, the two states have helped and supported each other to solve common difficulties," he said during a press briefing here on Tuesday.

The close relations were reflected in communications between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who held telephone conversations thrice and wrote a letter to each other when the two countries marked 70 years of diplomatic relations in 2020, he added.

In addition, ministers from the two countries paid reciprocal visits, he said. Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and Foreign Minister Wang Yi who visited Indonesia, while Indonesian Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, and State-Owned Enterprises Minister, Erick Thohir, paid visits to China, he noted.

"The high-level exchange between the two nations is getting closer and mutual trust continues to deepen," Qian said.

He said Indonesia and China have worked hand in hand to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In times of crisis, when China fought against the pandemic, the Indonesian government provided medical supplies to help China. Soon after the pandemic spread in Indonesia, China offered medical assistance and shared diagnosis and treatment experiences without reservation," he elaborated.

In the meantime, pharmaceutical companies from the two countries conducted the third phase of clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine and promoted cooperation in the joint procurement, research, development and production of vaccines, he said.

Economic cooperation between the two nations also made fresh progress with China maintaining its position as Indonesia's biggest trade partner and second largest foreign investor, he added.

"In 2020, bilateral trade between China and Indonesia reached US$78.37 billion, with China's imports from Indonesia reaching US$37.37 billion, or up 10.13 percent compared to a year earlier," he said.

China's foreign direct investment in Indonesia also spiked 72.9 percent from a year ago to reach US$1.83 billion, he added. (Antaranews)