VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

China's foreign ministry said on Monday that inbound travellers to the country no longer need a pre-departure antigen test for COVID-19 from Aug. 30. (Reuters)

Japan said on Monday it had received many "extremely regrettable" harassment phone calls, likely from China, after the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific.

The Chinese embassy in Tokyo said it too had been receiving nuisance calls, from Japan.

Japan started the water discharge on Thursday in a key step towards decommissioning the Fukushima plant, which suffered triple meltdowns after being hit by a tsunami in 2011 in the world's worst nuclear plant disaster since Chernobyl 25 years earlier.

"A lot of harassment phone calls believed to be originating from China are occurring in Japan ... These developments are extremely regrettable and we are concerned," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the chief government spokesman, told a regular news conference.

Such calls prompted vice foreign minister Masataka Okano to summon the Chinese ambassador, Japan's foreign ministry said.

A spokesman for China's foreign ministry said it was not aware of the matter when asked about the harassment accusations at a regular briefing on Monday.

But the Chinese embassy in Tokyo released a statement saying it had lodged stern representations with Japan about the Chinese embassy and consulates in Japan receiving "a large number of nuisance calls from Japan".

The calls have caused "serious interference in the normal operation of the embassy and consulates", ambassador Wu Jianghao said, according to an embassy statement.

In a statement, Japan's foreign ministry said the harassment calls were also occurring at Japanese facilities in China, and urged the government to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the government had "strongly" requested Beijing to urge its citizens to act "calmly and responsibly" after incidents of stone-throwing were also reported at a Japanese school and embassy.

Fukushima city hall started receiving calls with the China country code +86 on Thursday and the number of such calls exceeded 200 the following day, flooding phone lines and disrupting city employees' ordinary work, a city official said.

On the same day, elementary and junior high schools in the city, 60 km (38 miles) northwest of the crippled plant, received 65 similar calls, he said.

He said one caller made a comment to the effect of, "Why are you releasing tainted water into the Pacific Ocean, which is a sea for everyone?".

Other municipalities, hotels and restaurants have also been getting such calls, domestic media said.

An executive at a Japanese restaurant chain operator said branches in central Tokyo were receiving frequent calls from people speaking Chinese from an +86 number. The company had reported the incidents to police, the executive said, speaking on condition of anonymity fearing even more harassment.

In China, a rock was thrown at the Japanese school in the coastal city of Qingdao on Thursday, according to the Consulate-General of Japan in the city.

When asked about the incident in Qingdao and the harassment calls, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin defended China's record of keeping foreigners safe.

"China always safeguards the safety and lawful rights and interests of foreign nationals in China in accordance with law," Wang said.

Fukushima plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (9501.T) (Tepco) has been filtering the contaminated water to remove isotopes, leaving only tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is hard to separate.

China said Japan had not proved that the water would be safe and issued a blanket ban on all aquatic products from Japan. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - The International Conference on Religious Moderation (ICROM) 2023 involving delegates, researchers, academics, and practitioners from countries in Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, and the United Arab Emirates produced recommendations for building religious harmony and moderation in ASEAN.

Director of Islamic Religious Affairs and Sharia Development of the Religious Affairs Ministry (Kemenag) Adib explained that the recommendations aim to overcome challenges in maintaining interfaith harmony in the diverse ASEAN region.

"The ICROM conference was held to build a moderate religious life, especially in the ASEAN region," he noted in a written statement in Jakarta on Monday.

At the conference, 70 researchers from home and abroad submitted scientific papers on the phenomenon of religious life in ASEAN, African, and Middle Eastern societies.

Head of the Sub-Directorate for Development of Islamic Religious Understanding and Conflict Handling at the Directorate of Islamic Religious Affairs and Sharia Development, Directorate General of Islamic Community Guidance of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Indonesia Dedi Slamet Riyadi stated that cooperation between ASEAN countries in the field of religious moderation is very strategic.

He noted that the ASEAN is a region, with high religious diversity. By improving cooperation among ASEAN countries, the ASEAN can share experiences and information in an effort to strengthen religious moderation.

Furthermore, Riyadi affirmed that the 2023 ICROM recommendation is an important step to realize harmonious religious understanding in the ASEAN, considering that it is a region with high religious diversity.

"By implementing religious moderation, ASEAN people can understand each other and respect differences, so they can coexist peacefully and harmoniously," Riyadi stated.

The 2023 ICROM recommendation also received international attention. Representative of the Strength in Diversity Development Centre Imam Shefiu Abdulkareem Majemu from Nigeria stated that Nigeria lauded the idea of religious moderation promoted by the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Indonesia.

According to Majemu, the idea of religious moderation promoted by Indonesia is important and relevant to the current global conditions.

Furthermore, he remarked that Nigeria is also striving to implement religious moderation in the country. Majemu believes that religious moderation is the key to creating peace and harmony among religious believers in Nigeria.

Geographically, Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country which has more than 200 ethnic groups and more than 500 different religious groups. This is a challenge, but it is also an opportunity, Majemu remarked.

He expressed hope that Indonesia can help Nigeria to build a tolerant and inclusive society through religious moderation. (Antaranews)

VOInews, Jakarta: The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) Singapore held a diplomatic reception at the Ritz Carlton Millenia Hotel, Singapore, Thursday (24/8/2023). The reception was attended by Singapore's Minister for National Development, Desmond Lee.

"The reception was attended by more than 700 guests consisting of government officials and the diplomatic community in Singapore, the business world, think tanks, and friends of Indonesia," said the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore in a release received in Jakarta, Monday (28/8/2023).

The reception, which was held to celebrate Indonesia's 78th Independence Day, raised Kalimantan as the main theme. There was a performance of the Enggang Dance typical of East Kalimantan, which welcomed the guests who attended. In addition, the Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Suryo Pratomo wore Mahligai clothes from Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore said that bilateral relations between Indonesia and Singapore, as one of Indonesia's closest neighbors, are getting stronger and stronger. Within Southeast Asia, Singapore is Indonesia's largest trading partner, while Indonesia is Singapore's second largest trading partner.

"The total value of bilateral trade in 2022 reached US$ 33.8 billion, an increase of 24.6% year-on-year compared to 2021. This is the second highest value in the last five years, and the largest after the pandemic," he concluded. (Antaranews)