VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has ordered the distribution of rice aid to 21.3 million beneficiary families for three months starting September.

He announced it during the 2023 National Inflation Control Coordination Meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday.

"Each family will receive 10 kilograms of rice each month from September to November. This is similar to a market intervention," he stated.

He informed that the total quantity of rice provided for beneficiary families will be 210 thousand tons per month.

Currently, the government's rice reserve stock, which is managed by state-owned logistics company Bulog, is pegged at 1.6 million tons.

This quantity is considered sufficient to cover national needs.

"Usually, Bulog has 1.2 million tons of rice in stock. Earlier, I asked Bulog's president director, Budi Waseso, and he said his company still has 1.6 million tons of rice in the warehouse. We will use this method to help control the price of rice," Jokowi said.

He also pointed out that the price of rice has continued to increase by around 5 to 6 percent above the normal price. Hence, efforts are needed to control inflation, such as through the distribution of food aid.

Jokowi also asked related stakeholders, such as Bulog and regional governments, to use their budgets to conduct market interventions if rice prices remain volatile.

He expressed hope that the efforts would help maintain the inflation rate and lower it to 2.5 percent by 2024.

"Do not let our inflation increase again because it will be a burden on society," he stressed. (Antaranews)

Russia said on Thursday it intended to develop ties with North Korea, while not confirming a statement by the White House that Russian President Vladimir Putin had exchanged letters with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The White House said on Wednesday it was concerned that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea were advancing actively, and said Putin and Kim had written to each other pledging to increase their cooperation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not answer directly when asked by reporters if the letter exchange had taken place.

"Moscow and Pyongyang maintain good, mutually respectful relations. We intend to develop them further. Contacts are being made at various levels," he said, calling North Korea "a very important neighbour".

Washington has warned before that North Korea could provide more weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine. Earlier this month the United States imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia. (Reuters)

Thailand's former premier Thaksin Shinawatra has submitted a request for a royal pardon, outgoing Justice Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Thursday, his latest move in a long-running power struggle with the country's establishment.

Thaksin, Thailand's most famous politician, made a dramatic homecoming last week after 15 years abroad where he lived in self-exile to avoid prison.

Thaksin arrived on a private jet and greeted supporters before being moved to a prison to serve an eight-year sentence for abuse of power and conflicts of interest from his time in power.

Hours later, Srettha Thavisin of the Shinawatra-backed Pheu Thai party won a parliamentary vote to become prime minister with the support of pro-military lawmakers.

Thaksin, a former telecoms tycoon still wields influence in Thai politics with parties loyal to him winning every election in the past two decades until this year.

This month's events have fuelled speculation that Thaksin has struck a deal with his bitter rivals in the conservative establishment and royalist military, which ousted his parties in coups in 2006 and 2014, at the time accusing him and his parties of corruption and disloyalty to the powerful monarchy.

Thaksin denied those allegations and has rejected talk of a deal with the generals.

On his first night in jail, Thaksin was transferred to a police hospital, on account of chest pains and high blood pressure.

A representative of the 74-year-old Thaksin declined to comment when asked by Reuters about his pardon request.

A request for royal pardon must be submitted through the corrections department to the justice minister.

"The request will then be presented to (incumbent) Prime Minister Prayuth Cha-ocha who needs to sign it before presenting it to the king," Wissanu told Reuters.

If a royal pardon is not granted, Thaksin will have to wait two years to submit another request. (Reuters)

North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly, will convene on Sept. 26 to discuss organisational matters and other issues, state media said on Thursday, as the country slowly reopens after years of pandemic lockdowns.

The North's parliament rarely meets and usually serves to approve decisions on issues such as governing structures and budgets that have been created by the state's ruling Workers' Party, members of which form the vast majority of the assembly.

The planned meeting comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un blasted top officials last week for their "irresponsible" response to flood damage, saying they had "spoiled" the national economy.

Kim has said such irresponsibility and lack of discipline from officials were "mainly attributable to the feeble work attitude and wrong viewpoint of the premier of the cabinet," raising speculation over a personnel reshuffle.

The North has suffered serious food shortages in recent decades, including famine in the 1990s, often as a result of natural disasters. International experts have warned that border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic worsened matters, while international sanctions and the North's focus on developing its missile and nuclear programmes have also contributed.

The agenda of the upcoming parliamentary session will include laws on the irrigation, public servants, people with disabilities, and the law enforcement in the financial sector, news agency KCNA said.

The decision was made at a Plenary Meeting of the parliament's Standing Committee on Wednesday, where members also discussed a law for "revitalizing domestic tourism and expanding international tourism simultaneously."

North Korea has recently approved the return of its citizens who were abroad after years of strict border restrictions, state media reported on Sunday as the isolated country cracks open its border to passenger travel. (Reuters)