VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia and Kenya have established cooperation in the health sector, which will include the regulation of pharmaceutical products and the transfer of vaccine technology.

"I have conveyed Indonesia's commitment through Indonesian Aid to Kenya in the fields of health, food security, and disaster mitigation. This commitment will be further strengthened, especially in Kenya's priority sectors," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) announced on Monday.

During a joint press statement with Kenyan President William Ruto, which was broadcast online, Jokowi stated that the cooperation would be carried out between Indonesia's National Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) and the Kenyan Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB).

Regarding vaccines and pharmaceutical products, the cooperation will involve Indonesia's state-owned pharmaceutical holding company, Bio Farma, and Kenya's Biovax with Generics Africa Ltd.

Meanwhile, Ruto reported that BPOM and PPB have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for this cooperation.

This bilateral collaboration will enhance the promotion, development, and implementation of pharmaceutical product regulation, he added.

Ruto also mentioned that Indonesia and Kenya have signed an agreement for the transfer of technology and the marketing of Bio Farma's vaccines in Kenya.

Bio Farma will manufacture vaccines in Kenya because of its strategic location and its status as a commodity hub with high economic value.

In its statement, Bio Farma described Kenya as a commodity hub that can reach over 300 million people in neighboring countries, including Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Congo.

This cooperation follows the outcomes of a meeting that took place on July 14, 2023, in Nairobi between Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, and Kenyan Secretary for Investments, Trade, and Industry, Moses Kiarie Kuria. (antaranews)

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles will travel to the Philippines to observe joint training drills focussed on regional security, his office said on Monday, amid tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.

More than 2,000 Australian and Philippine defence personnel will participate in amphibious landing and air assault drills, with two Australian navy vessels, HMAS Canberra and HMAS ANZAC, having arrived to conduct the bilateral exercises with the Philippines Navy.

Australia holds annual defence exercises in South East Asia, although it is the first amphibious exercise - the movement of ground and air forces from ship to shore - with the Philippines.

Philippines military chief Romeo Brawner told reporters the exercise in Palawan, held on Monday by Australia, the Philippines and a U.S. aircraft, was "not directed against China".

Palawan is a southwest island province near the South China Sea.

China and the Philippines have been embroiled for years in on-off confrontations at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

At the bilateral drills in the Philippines, Exercise Alon will involve 1,500 Australian defence personnel, 1,200 Philippine personnel and 150 U.S. Marines who are part of the U.S. rotational force in Darwin in Australia's north.

An Australian defence statement last week said Exercise Alon will involve a "simulated, combined air assault using [US Marines Corp] Osprey tiltrotor aircraft in Palawan, a combined amphibious demonstration at Zambales and artillery and aviation live-fire serials at Crow Valley" in the Philippines.

Zambales is also near the South China Sea.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he will make the first visit by an Australian leader to the Philippines in 20 years next month, to discuss defence and security cooperation.

Albanese on Monday played down the Australian navy deployment to the Philippines for training exercises, against the backdrop of the China tensions.

"This is business as usual, Australia conducts activities in our region," he said.

Marles will also stop in Malaysia to meet his counterpart, his office said. (Reuters)

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Monday trilateral cooperation with the United States and Japan will grow stronger if North Korea's threats increase.

He made the remark at a Cabinet meeting days after he took part in talks with the leaders of the Untied States and Japan where they agreed to deepen military and economic cooperation.

"The structure of the trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan will become more solid as North Korea's provocation and threats increase," Yoon said during the meeting which was televised live, heralding what he called the "opening of a new era" in the three countries' relations.

The three-way partnership would develop into a strong framework to promote regional peace along with the AUKUS pact between the U.S., Britain and Australia, and the Quad grouping of the U.S., Japan, India and Australia, Yoon said.

The summit at the Camp David presidential retreat was the first standalone meeting between the U.S. and Japan and South Korea, as they seek to project unity in the face of China's growing power and nuclear threats from North Korea.

Yoon said the trilateral cooperation did not exclude other countries, and that it would contribute to freedom, peace and prosperity in the region and the world. (Reuters)

Thailand's Pheu Thai Party vowed on Monday to deliver on a raft of election promises and change the constitution, as it unveiled an 11-party alliance that includes some military-linked rivals that will try to form a coalition government this week.

Thailand's bicameral parliament has been deadlocked for weeks on forming a government, after the anti-establishment election winner Move Forward succumbed to conservative resistance in parliament, leaving second-placed Pheu Thai to take up the effort.

While the proposed alliance is a step towards ending the stalemate, the pact between the populist Pheu Thai and some of old military-linked enemies could prolong concern about a new bout of instability after nearly two decades of on-off turmoil.

Parliament will vote on Tuesday on the prime ministerial bid of Pheu Thai's Srettha Thavisin, a 60-year-old real estate mogul who was thrust into politics only a few months ago.

"We are confident that Srettha will pass the vote," Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew told a press conference.

"We must quickly work to restore the economy and come up with policies that will develop mechanisms for the stability of politics, the economy and society," he said, after announcing how many cabinet portfolios each party would get.

Pheu Thai's pact includes parties created by generals who were behind 2006 and 2014 coups against its governments, and engineered re-writes of a constitution to make it extremely difficult for election winners not favoured by the conservative establishment to form governments.

Most Thais disagree with the idea of a coalition government that includes military-backed groups, an opinion poll showed on Sunday.

Cholnan acknowledged the political divisions in the alliance but said rival forces had a duty to the public to not delay the formation of a government.

"Throughout this time we faced division with a fair heart and a determination to overcome that division," he said. "The goal right now is shared responsibility for the sake of the country."

The alliance comprises 314 lawmakers and Srettha needs 375 votes from the combined upper and lower houses of parliament to be endorsed as premier and form the next government. It will be counting on support from non-alliance members, including from the upper house Senate, to get it over the line.

Pheu Thai said it would lead a coalition government that would deliver on populist promises including tackling graft, boosting the minimum wage and providing handouts in digital currency.

It also said it would forge ahead with changing the constitution to make it more democratic, but would steer clear of amending laws related to the monarchy.

Move Forward's bold plan to change part of the criminal code that insulates the palace from criticism was the main reason its government bid collapsed.

The party has declined to back Pheu Thai's multi-party effort, calling it a distortion of the election result and against the public will. (Reuters)