Live Streaming
Program Highlight
Company Profile
Program Highlight (3016)
PLN Gradually Recovers Electricity Supply (0)
State-owned electricity firm PT PLN has recovered electric power to Balaraja Extra High Voltage substation in Banten Province, and furthermore it will be channeled to Suralaya steam-fueled power plant (PLTU) to gradually recover its operation to reach its capacity of 2800 MW of electricity.
In addition, power supply from Gandul Extra High Voltage substations in Depok, West Java Province, will be channeled to Muara Karang gas and steam power plant (PLTGU) to supply electricity to the Indonesian capital city, Jakarta.
Acting President Director of PLN Sripeni Inten Cahyani said here on Sunday that the power supply to Jakarta was expected to recover within three hours.
"We apologize for the inconvenience today, and currently all efforts have been made to recover the Java-Bali power system, especially in the area of West Java, Banten, and Jakarta," Cahyani said.
The company has focused on power supply to PLTGU Muara Karang and PLTGU Priok to recover the system in the capital city.
Previously, PLN has recovered the operation of hydro-generated power plant (PLTA) Saguling and PLTA Cirata which are functioned as power stabilizer, and, at the same time, supply the electricity to PLTU Suralaya through Cibinong, Depok, Gandul, Lengkok, Balaraja and Suralaya extra high voltage substations.
PLTU Suralaya is expected to return to its normal operation within six hours to normalize power system in West Java and Banten.
Blackout that affected thousands of homes and public facilities in West Java, Jakarta, and Banten was caused by several troubles in the extra high voltage 500 kV transmission of Ungaran - Pemalang.
"PLN has taken its best efforts and will have evaluation to prevent recurrence of today's incident," Cahyani said.
more news
February
No Indonesian falls victim to Japan's powerful quake
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 15 - No Indonesian fell victim to a powerful earthquake centered beneath the sea off Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, on Saturday, the Indonesian Embassy in Japan said on Sunday.
"The Indonesian Embassy has contacted (the Indonesian) community (in Japan). So far, we have yet to receive a report of Indonesian citizen falling victim (to the earthquake) ," the embassy said in a written statement.
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's northeastern region late Saturday. The quake had the same location as a powerful quake on March 11, 2011 which triggered a tsunami and led to irregularities at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
"The Japanese government has checked the Fukushima nuclear reactor and there was no report of irregularities," the embassy said.
Reuters quoting Japanese national station NHK on Sunday morning repooirted at least 104 people were injured in the quake. But no fatalities were reported.
Data from the Japanese immigration show 66,084 Indonesians stayed in Japan as of June 2020.
An estimated 1,500 Indonesians stay in the areas which bore the brunt of the quake, comprising 540 in Fukushima and 984 in Miyagi. (Antaranews)
February
Vice President Ma'ruf Amin symbolically hands over aid for flood victims at the Karangligar village head office in Karawang district, West Java, on Saturday (February 13, 2021). (Rangga Pandu)
Vice President Ma'ruf Amin symbolically handed over aid from the Indonesian President and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) for flood victims at the Karangligar village head office in Karawang district, West Java, on Saturday.
The aid comprised basic necessities, 600 packs of fast food, 300 packs of child food, 300 blankets, 300 mats,and 50 baby care kits, worth Rp252,764,600.
The aid also included 300 thousand masks, 10 thousand antigen rapid test kits, five thousand sarongs, and 1,200 mattresses.
In his address, the Vice President said he and the President were concerned about the flood that had swamped the district and called for joint efforts to prevent floods in future.He further said he will ask the Public Works and People's Housing Ministry and other ministries to respond to the Karawang district head's request to build a dam and normalize rivers in the area.
Floodwaters swamped more than 5,300 homes in Karawang district, West Java, on Tuesday (February 8, 2021), forcing 3,396 people to flee to drier ground, according to data provided by the Karawang district military command's task force.
The affected homes were located in 30 villages in 17 sub-districts, it stated.There were no immediate reports of fatalities or injuries in the flood, which followed heavy rainfall over few days.
While visiting two flood-stricken areas on Tuesday, Karawang district head Cellica Nurrachadiana had appealed to all sides to provide aid to flood evacuees soon.
He said many flood evacuees were hoping for immediate assistance in the form of blankets, food, and baby kits.
“We also assure that their daily needs will be met, particularly nutrition intake. We will also try to build another public kitchen. The command post is ready to collaborate with military and police personnel (to handle the impact of the flood),” he stated//ANT
February
Medical workers register before receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine jabs in Istora Senayan, Jakarta, on February 4, 2021. (ANTARA FOTO/M Risyal Hidayat/aww)
Indonesia reported 9,869 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking the tally to 1,201,859, according to data from the Health Ministry. With the addition of 11 thousand recoveries, the number of people recovering from the infection increased to 1,004,117. Meanwhile, the number of deaths rose by 275 to reach 32,656.
Jakarta still reported the highest number of new cases at 3,810, followed by East Java (776) and West Java (683). The capital city also led in the number of new recoveries at 5,636, followed by West Java (1,582) and East Java (1,085).East Java recorded the highest number of deaths at 120, followed by Jakarta at 50 and Central Java at 21.
Meanwhile, Aceh and Maluku reported less than 10 new cases//ANT
February
Over one million healthcare workers vaccinated against COVID-19
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 12 - The number of Indonesian healthcare workers who have received COVID-19 vaccine shots so far has reached 1,017,186, according to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force on Thursday afternoon.
The number of workers vaccinated against COVID-19 increased by 47,640 on Thursday compared to the previous day, it reported.
Of the 1,017,186 people who have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 345,605 people have been administered their second dose, an increase of 66,354 people compared to Wednesday (February 10, 2021), according to the task force.
In its initial stage, the vaccination program is targeting a total of 1,468,764 healthcare workers.
The government has set a target of inoculating 181,554,464 people, or 70 percent of the total population of Indonesia, with the aim of building herd immunity against the coronavirus.
The next priority targets of the vaccination program are public service officers, including police and military personnel.
Each person covered by the vaccine program requires to be administered two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. This means that Indonesia needs 362 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for 181 million people.
To speed up the vaccination process, the Ministry of Health is collaborating with the TNI (Indonesian Defense Forces) and Polri (Indonesian Police) to carry out vaccinations and contact-tracing.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has highlighted the dual strategies of surveillance and vaccination applied by his ministry to win the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
"The first strategy is surveillance. How we know where the enemy is and where they are moving. In the past, they tracked them using interrogation techniques, but now, they employ testing and tracing techniques," Sadikin explained here on Thursday.
Based on the Health Ministry's computations, 30 tracers per 100 thousand people are required for the tracing process, and they need to be deployed in every village. Hence, Indonesia needs a total of 80 thousand tracers to meet its target of vaccinating around 181 million people.
"For Indonesia’s population, approximately 80 thousand tracers are required across all villages. We do not have such apparatus, and only the Police and the TNI have it," Sadikin pointed out. (Antaranews)
February
Feb. 12 - Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met Qatari Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Syekh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in Doha on Thursday to discuss bilateral and regional cooperation.
During the meeting, the two foreign ministers agreed to forge bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic field, with an emphasis on investments in the telecommunication, tourism, and electricity sectors.
"We must continue to drive the economic cooperation between the two countries to be able to expedite the economic recovery process in the wake of the pandemic," Marsudi said in the written statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
Trade between Indonesia and Qatar continued to increase by 11.53 percent during the 2015-2019 period. Meanwhile, Qatari investment in Indonesia in the past three years focused on the tourism and energy sectors.
In 2020, Qatar's investment in Indonesia was valued at US$6.2 million, an over 30-fold increase compared to 2018.
During their meeting, the two foreign ministers also exchanged views on several regional issues, particularly the peace process in Afghanistan.
They agreed on the importance of international support to maintain the momentum of the peace process in the country.
They also agreed that the peace process will run faster than expected and therefore, a high commitment from all sides is needed, Marsudi stated.
Meanwhile, Qatar praised Indonesia for its attention to the role of women in Afghanistan.
"Women's role must always be prioritized both in the peace process and the development of Afghanistan in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic," Marsudi remarked.
The two ministers also discussed the issue of Palestine, particularly with regard to the meeting of Arab League foreign ministers. (Antaranews)
February
Two new economic zones to attract US$19.3 bln investment: govt
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 12 - The Indonesian government has projected that two new special economic zones (SEZ) in West and East Java would attract US$19.3 billion in investments, and thus support the business ecosystem in those regions.
The new economic zones are Lido in West Java and Java Integrated Industrial and Port Estate (JIIPE) in Gresik, East Java.
“The Lido special economic zone is expected to be able to boost tourism in Indonesia. The result must be clear, tourists to West Java must also be of international quality,” said Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, who is also chairman of the KEK National Council, in Jakarta on Thursday.
The Lido SEZ is projected to attract investments of up to US$2.4 billion and absorb 29,545 workers in its 20th year, he said.
The JIIPE SEZ is expected to bring in investments of US$16.9 billion and employ 199,818 people once it is fully operational, he said.
The Lido SEZ will be developed as a tourism project with attractions such as a world-class theme park, golf courses, and retail and dining facilities, he noted.
It will also have six-star luxury resort accommodations, film studios, and music festivals, he added.
The presence of a theme park in Lido is expected to increase the number of domestic and foreign tourists to 63.4 million visitors by 2038, or an average of 3.17 million tourists per year.
According to Hartarto, foreign exchange flows from foreign tourists as well as foreign exchange savings from domestic tourists could reach US$4.1 billion over 20 years.
Meanwhile, at JIIPE, there are plans to develop businesses in the metal, electronics, chemical, energy, and logistics industries, he said.
JIIPE is expected to contribute exports valued at US$10.1 billion per year once it is fully operational, as well as import substitution for metal and chemical industrial products, he said.
The two SEZ proposals, which have been approved, will be recommended to President Joko Widodo.
Indonesia so far has developed 15 SEZs. They comprise nine industrial SEZs and six tourism SEZs in Arun, Lhokseumawe, Aceh; Sei Mangkei, North Sumatra; Tanjung Api-Api; South Sumatra, Galang Batang, Riau Islands; Tanjung Kelayang, Bangka Belitung Islands; Tanjung Lesung, Banten; Mandalika, NTB; Maloy Batuta Trans East Kalimantan; Palu, Central Sulawesi; Bitung, North Sulawesi; Morotai, North Maluku; Sorong, West Papua; Singhasari, East Java; Likupang, North Sulawesi; and Kendal, Central Java.
The development of the SEZs has resulted in an investment commitment of Rp70.4 trillion, of which Rp23.1 trillion has been realized as of the end of 2020.
The biggest investment realization came from Galang Batang, which officially became operational at the end of 2018, followed by Sei Mangkei and Kendal, which became an SEZ at the end of 2019.
In addition, the development of SEZs has created 19,951 jobs as of the end of 2020. (Antaranews)
February
SOE ministry donates one million masks to combat COVID-19
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 11 - The Foundation of State-Owned Enterprises Ministry for Indonesia has provided one million face masks for residents in red zones (with severe infection risk) as part of efforts to reduce the COVID-19 infection rate.
The face masks were symbolically handed over by the SOE Ministry's secretary, Susyanto, to his counterpart from the Home Ministry, Hamdani, on Wednesday, the SOE Ministry's spokesperson, Rudi Rusli, said.
The mask-wearing campaign is part of the SOE Ministry foundation's efforts to support the nation's collective efforts to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission in communities, he said in a statement issued here on Wednesday.
The Home Ministry plans to distribute the one million masks to people residing in red zones across Indonesia from next week with the help of members of the ministry's Family Welfare Movement (PKK).
The Indonesian government's COVID-19 Task Force reported 8,700 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, which took the country's total case count to 1,174,779.
By mid-day on Tuesday, at least 1,937 new COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, bringing the number of those being treated at hospitals to 169,351, the task force stated.
Meanwhile, 10,424 patients recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total recoveries to 973,452, while 213 people succumbed to the virus, bringing the death toll to 31,976.
The task force further revealed that most of the new cases were contributed by Jakarta, which recorded 3,437 new infections, while Central Java contributed 948 cases.
Other provinces that reported hundreds of new cases included West Java (775), East Kalimantan (550), and Bali (453). Meanwhile, Maluku recorded less than 10 new confirmed cases as of mid-day on Tuesday.
Jakarta also accounted for the most deaths with 50 people in the capital city succumbing to the virus.
Central Java recorded the second highest number of deaths at 48, followed by West Java (17), East Kalimantan (9), and Bali (7).
The task force also disclosed that 77,086 people in 510 districts/cities across the country remain categorized as suspected patients.
At least 67,888 new specimens were tested on Tuesday, bringing the total number of specimens examined to 9,791,928, the task force informed.
The government has been striving to reduce the country's COVID-19 infection rate.
In this regard, the Health Ministry is collaborating with the National Police and the Indonesian Defence Forces (TNI) to carry out vaccinations and contact tracing at the grassroots level. (Antaranews)
February
Child marriage: Police act on KPAI report, probe wedding organizer
Written by Nur Yasmin
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)
February
Indonesia pledges US$2.3 million in aid for Palestine
Written by Nur Yasmin
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)
February
Indonesia may return to lower middle-income status: minister
Written by Nur Yasmin
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)