VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Indonesian Government is working with PT BTI Indo Tekno to purchase a submarine rescue vehicle system (SRVS) manufactured by British company Submarine Manufacturing & Products (SMP) to strengthen the Indonesian Navy's fleet.

Head of the Public Relations Bureau of the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Defense Brigadier General Edwin Adrian Sumatha informed that the value of the purchase contract is US$100 million, or equivalent to Rp1.5 trillion.

"The purchase includes one rescue submarine (SRV-F Mk.3), one mothership unit, and other equipment (decompression chamber, launch and recovery system, air transportability equipment, and remotely operated vehicle)," he told reporters on Thursday.

The SRVS can rescue and evacuate sunken submarines, he informed. The purchase contract for the system was signed by the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and PT BTI Indo Tekno on September 1, 2023.

As a follow-up, Indonesian defense player PT BTI Indo Tekno signed a cooperation agreement to fulfill the SRVS procurement contract, together with SMP Ltd and Houlder Ltd, on board British type-23 frigate warship HMS Iron Duke on the sidelines of the Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) Expo in London on September 12, Sumatha disclosed.

The signing of the cooperation document was witnessed by director general of defense potential at the Defense Ministry, Major General Muhammad Fadjar; British trade envoy to Indonesia and ASEAN, Richard Graham; chief of the Defense Industrial Policy Committee (KKIP), Lieutenant General (retd.) Yoedhi Swastanto; and Head of Aerospace and Defence at UK Export FinancePat Cauthery.

According to Sumatha, the SRV-F Mk.3 is one of the most advanced systems in the world and will be built in England.

"By adhering to the 'One Out, All Out' principle, the SRV-F Mk.3 is able to rescue up to 50 submarine crew at once, enabling the total evacuation of all crew from Nagapasa and Type 214 class submarines in a single rescue operation," he said.

Furthermore, SRV-F Mk.3 uses a hybrid design that allows it to be transported by aircraft, he added.

The hybrid design also allows the system to work more flexibly and more responsively compared to conventional evacuation systems, Sumatha said.

Meanwhile, the Mothership (MOSHIP), which is part of the SRVS, is equipped with high-tech supporting equipment, including a transfer under pressure (TUP) room and an onboard decompression room. The two rooms allow evacuation officers to immediately provide medical assistance and treatment to rescued submarine crew, he informed.

"The signing of the SRVS procurement contract shows the government's seriousness to support the modernization of defense equipment in the Indonesian Navy," he stated.

With the signing of the SRVS contract, Indonesia will become the most advanced SRVS operator in the region, boosting the capabilities and combat readiness of the Indonesian submarine fleet, and guaranteeing the safety of the crew who operate them, Sumatha noted. (Antaranews)

The U.N. human rights expert for Myanmar on Wednesday called on the United States to further tighten sanctions on the country's military rulers to include their main revenue source, the state oil and gas enterprise.

U.N. Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews, a former member of the U.S. Congress, also said it was vital for Washington to at least maintain levels of humanitarian support for victims of the junta inside and outside Myanmar.

Andrews told a hearing of the U.S. Congress's Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission he was "alarmed" by reports that some donors, including the U.S., might reduce support for Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar and said a Joint Response Plan that includes food rations for Rohingya children in Bangladesh was only 32% funded so far this year.

Andrews praised Washington for imposing sanctions on the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank in June, but said more needed to be done.

"We need to have more sanctions imposed... I urge the U.S. to join the European Union and immediately impose sanctions on the junta's single largest source of revenue, the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise," Andrews said.

"If you can stop the money, you can cut their ability to continue these atrocities," he said referring to civilian deaths at the hands of the military.

Andrews also urged Washington to work with other countries to block the junta's access to weapons.

Last month, Washington expanded its sanctions against Myanmar to include foreign companies or individuals helping the junta to procure jet fuel it uses to launch air strikes, while estimating that the military had killed more than 3,900 civilians since taking power in a 2021 coup.

In January, the United States targeted the managing director and deputy managing director of the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise with sanctions, but has yet to go further against the firm, despite the urgings of rights groups and dissidents.

Myanmar military officials have played down the impact of sanctions and say their air strikes target insurgents.

Andrews said in a May report that Myanmar's military had imported at least $1 billion in arms and other material since the coup and called out Russia and China for aiding its campaign to crush its opposition. (Reuters)

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit New York next week to attend the United Nations General Assembly, Yoon's office said on Thursday.

Yoon is scheduled to depart on Sept. 18 for the five-day trip during which he is expected to give a keynote speech on Sept. 20, Yoon's deputy national security advisor, Kim Tae-hyo, said.

The visit will include dozens of meetings, including talks with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss global issues such as the war in Ukraine and North Korea's nuclear threats, Kim said.

The trip would follow North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's rare summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week where they discussed military matters and possible Russian help for the North's satellite programme.

Yoon will deliver a message on possible military exchanges between Pyongyang and Moscow at the General Assembly, South Korean news agency Newsis said, citing the presidential office. (Reuters)

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Thursday that in the past 24 hours it had detected 40 Chinese air force aircraft entering the island's air defence zone, mostly flying to the south of Taiwan and into the Bashi Channel.

At least four of the aircraft also crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait to the northwest of the island, according to a map the ministry provided. (Reuters)