VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 5 - The government has encouraged Indonesia's big investors to collaborate with local businesses to drive equitable economic growth, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated.

"For economic equalization across regions, the government has encouraged collaborations between big investors and local businesses," Jokowi affirmed at the Bogor Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java, at the opening of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIMPI) national meeting on Friday.

Through the collaboration, the president believes that local businesspersons would be able to garner the direct benefits of investment.

"I have received a report every day and every week from the head of BKPM (the Investment Coordinating Board). In the first stage, the collaboration between investors and small-, medium-scale enterprises is valued at Rp1.5 trillion. This is a quite big amount. We are optimistic that such partnerships would be developed," Jokowi stated.

The head of state also directed his aides to monitor implementation of the policy on business partnership.

"The coordinating minister for economic affairs, trade minister, state enterprises minister, head of the BKPM, and tourism minister, all are our seniors at HIMPI," Jokowi stated. (Antaranews)

Mar. 5 - Some 30 thousand hectares of land in Riau have been allocated for food estate development, the province's Governor, Syamsuar, stated.

"The Riau provincial government has filed an application with the agriculture minister and allotted 30 thousand hectares of land in the hopes of being able to develop a new food estate," Syamsuar noted in a written statement released on Thursday.

The agriculture minister has tasked the director general and the research and development center chief with observing the land for the development of food estate, he remarked.

The director general and the research and development center chief will later follow up on the proposal and hold discussions on it with appointed officials, so that it is realized soon, he confirmed.

"The Riau provincial government will prepare the location (for the food estate) and farmers. We hope the staff of the Agriculture Ministry would soon conduct a field survey to determine the area of land to be built into a food estate," he noted.

“The food crops to be planted on the food estate, include rice, corn, and other various plants, having economic value," he revealed.

Syamsuar stated that the government’s assistance, in the form of equipment and machines, are direly needed by farmers to support the food estate.

The central government is currently developing food estates in North Sumatra Province, Central Kalimantan Province, and East Nusa Tenggara Province, in a bid to achieve nationwide self-reliance in food. (Antaranews)

Mar. 5 - A clash over who represents Myanmar at the United Nations in New York after a Feb. 1 military coup was averted - for now - after the junta’s replacement quit and the Myanmar U.N. mission confirmed that Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun remained in the job.

Kyaw Moe Tun was fired by the junta on Saturday, a day after he urged countries at the 193-member U.N. General Assembly to use “any means necessary” to reverse the coup that ousted the nation’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

In Washington, Myanmar’s embassy also signaled a break with the junta on Thursday, issuing a statement decrying the deaths of civilians protesting the coup and calling on authorities to “fully exercise utmost restraint.”

Police in Myanmar broke up demonstrations in several places with tear gas and gunfire on Thursday as protesters took to the streets again, undeterred by the rising death toll in a crackdown on coup opponents.

“Instead of demonstrating respect for the rule of law, pursuing dialogue and refraining from violence, the military has dramatically accelerated violence against the people of Burma,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Thursday. “This is simply unacceptable.”

On Sunday, the Myanmar U.N. mission said Kyaw Moe Tun’s deputy, Tin Maung Naing, would become the acting U.N. envoy. On Monday, Kyaw Moe Tun formally staked his claim to remain the country’s legitimate representative - a job he has held since October - in a letter to the United Nations.

The rival claims raised the prospect of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly having to address the issue.

On Wednesday, the Myanmar U.N. mission told the United Nations that Tin Maung Naing had resigned and Kyaw Moe Tun remained the country’s ambassador. It said the note it sent on Sunday “shall be ignored.”

Myanmar’s representation at the United Nations could become an issue again if the junta tries to appoint a new ambassador.

The U.N. special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, has warned that no country should recognize or legitimize the Myanmar junta.

The U.N. Security Council is due to discuss Myanmar on Friday in a closed meeting, diplomats said. The 15-member council has voiced concern over the state of emergency, but stopped short of condemning the coup due to opposition from Russia and China.

“The people of Burma have stood firm for democracy, our voices need to be equally firm, and they must be united in supporting the people of Burma,” Thomas-Greenfield said. (Reuters)

Mar. 5 - Evacuation orders were issued for New Zealanders living in some areas on the east coast on the North Island after a third earthquake struck in the area on Friday.

The latest was a magnitude 8.0 quake that struck the Kermadec Islands, northeast of New Zealand’s North Island. This came shortly after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in the same region.

Earlier, another large 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck about 900 kilometres away on the east of the North Island and was felt by tens of thousands, causing its own tsunami warning. This warning was later lifted.

New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) issued a tsunami warning saying areas under threat were from the Bay of Islands to Whangarei, from Matata to Tolaga Bay including Whakatane and Opotiki, and the Great Barrier Island.

“People near the coast in the following areas must move immediately to the nearest high ground, out of all tsunami evacuation zones, or as far inland as possible. DO NOT STAY AT HOME,” NEMA said on Twitter.

“The earthquake may not have been felt in some of these areas, but evacuation should be immediate as a damaging tsunami is possible,” it added.

There was no tsunami threat to other areas of New Zealand.

Earlier the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck off the east of New Zealand’s North Island was felt by more than 60,000 people across the country with many describing the shaking as “severe”. Aftershocks were still being recorded in the area.

There were no immediate reports of damage from either earthquake.

“Hope everyone is ok out there - especially on the East Coast who would have felt the full force of that earthquake,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern posted on Instagram. (Reuters)