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Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto (front) held a coordination meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali on Friday (Aug 21, 2020) to discuss the strategic program and policies to handle the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy. ANTARA/HO-Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs/sh

Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto shed light on measures to expedite state expenditure through programs to drive economic growth in the third and fourth quarters of 2020.

"This will help in bringing about a recovery in Indonesia's economy and steer it in the direction of positive growth," Hartarto noted during a coordination meeting held in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Friday to discuss the strategic program and policies to handle the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.

In his statement, the minister noted that efforts will be made to accelerate state expenditure in some areas, including in the manpower sector, through the issuance of the pre-employment card, with the fifth batch underway.

In its earlier four batches, over 13 million people had applied for the card, nine million had conducted email verification, while seven million others have had their citizenship registration number (NIK) validated.

In the food and agriculture sector, the government has encouraged gross domestic product growth in the sector in the second quarter of 2020, as it began registering a positive growth of 2.19 percent.

The government has also developed a food estate in a swamp area in Central Kalimantan to establish a modern and sustainable food production system to boost food resilience and improve the farmers' welfare.

This year, the government is targeting to develop 30 thousand hectares of food estate in the region.

The minister pointed out that in order to lend a positive sentiment to investors and accelerate economic recovery in trade and industry, the government had encouraged investment facilities in taxation and non-taxation, land availability, and infrastructure.

For micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises (MSME), the government had expedited the disbursement of productive aid and micro loans for laid-off workers' housewives keen on starting a business.

In the field of research and innovations, the government will forge cooperation with state enterprises and private companies in the pharmaceutical industry for mass production of the vaccine.

During the 2020-2024 period, Hartarto affirmed that some of the national strategic projects (PSN) were implemented with the labor-intensive program that involved 209,139 people.

The projects comprised the construction of dams, irrigation system, toll road, clean water facility, sanitation, airport, port, railway, and regional infrastructure.

The government has also forged cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and South Korea to impose the travel corridor arrangement (TCA).

TCA is a short-visit facility for businesspersons and diplomats keen on continuing bilateral cooperation in investment and business projects in adherence with the health protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Currently, the Indonesian government is in discussions with China over the TCA," Hartarto added. (ANTARA)

Villagers involved in the maintenance of an irrigation network as part of the cash labor-intensive program. ANTARA/HO-Public Works and Public Housing Ministry/sh

The Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry reported that 163,003 workers were absorbed under the cash labor-intensive program in the water resource sector as of Aug 18.

"In addition to boosting the people's purchasing power, the cash labor-intensive program is aimed at distributing cash to rural areas. The program should be implemented with strict adherence to health protocols and practicing social distancing to prevent the transmission of COVID-19," PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono noted in a statement in Jakarta on Friday.

The ministry's Directorate General of Water Resources has apportioned budget amounting to Rp3.34 trillion for implementing the program in 2020 at 14,618 locations that will involve 264,471 workers.

As of August 18, the program has involved 163,003 people comprising 155,500 farmers, 6,483 members of the river-care community, and 1,020 other community members.

The total funding disbursed during the period had reached Rp1.26 trillion, or some 37.75 percent of the budget.

The program has been implemented for the development of an irrigation system at 10 thousand locations in 33 provinces, with budget reaching Rp2.25 billion. As of August, 96,348 workers were absorbed at 2,608 locations.

A targeted 17,090 people will be absorbed for the maintenance of irrigation networks and swamp areas. The program had involved 25,981 people as of August.

The river and beach maintenance operation at 751 locations is targeting 13,131 workers, while as of August, 6,483 people were absorbed at 260 locations.

The groundwater maintenance operation covers 2,124 locations, and as of August, it was implemented at 857 locations, with 462 people being absorbed. (ANTARA)

A joint rescue team prepared for evacuation of an Indonesian crew member from a Chinese-flagged fishing ship in Batam Navy Base dock in Riau Island on July 8, 2020. ANTARA FOTO/M N Kanwa/foc./sh

Indonesia has suggested the formation of a mutual legal assistance treaty with China to handle alleged human trafficking and mistreatment of Indonesian crew members aboard Chinese fishing ships.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi put forth the proposal at a bilateral meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Sanya City, Hainan, China, on Thursday (Aug 21).

"I stressed that the issue (on the Indonesian ship crew) is not merely a private issue, but the government must also get involved to ensure that such incidents of abuse do not recur in future," Marsudi remarked during a virtual press conference after the meeting on late Thursday.

To this end, the minister urged the Chinese government to forge cooperation in mutual legal assistance.

"(The necessity of) Mutual Legal Assistance addresses the need to get witnesses from Chinese nationals and to conduct transparent investigation on alleged human trafficking in the Chinese ship Long Xin 629," the minister elaborated.

Marsudi highlighted that the proposal drew a warm welcome from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

On Tuesday, South Korean TV station MBC reported a video showing a sea burial on a Chinese fishing vessel later identified as the Long Xin 629.

An unnamed Indonesian sailor on the vessel divulged details that the body flung into the sea was that of a 24-year-old Indonesian sailor, identified by his initials as AR.

AR was one of the three Indonesian seamen, who died at sea on the vessel and whose bodies were cast overboard into the Pacific Ocean.

Some 14 Indonesians, former crew members of the Chinese fishing ship Long Xing 629, were flown from South Korea to Indonesia aboard a Garuda Indonesia aircraft.

Upon their arrival on May 9, the ship crew underwent a 14-day quarantine at the Trauma Center Protection House (RPTC).

The Task Force for Human Trafficking of the Indonesian Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) handled the case.

In July, Indonesian authorities captured two Chinese fishing vessels off the coast of Riau Islands, following a report of the death of an Indonesian crew member aboard one of the ships.

The body of the crew member, identified as AH, was found in the freezer of one of the ships, Lu Huang Yuan Yu 118. AH is suspected of having fallen victim to human trafficking. (ANTARA)

President Director of PT Bio Farma (Persero) Honesti Basyir (second right) and Director of Research and Development of Sinovac Biotech Ltd Gao Qiang (right) showed the agreement signed in Sanya City, Hainan, China, on Thursday (Aug 20, 2020). ANTARA/HO-State Enterprises Ministry/shSinovac Biotech Ltd, China's pharmaceutical firm, concurred with the plan to lend priority to Indonesia in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine until the end of 2021.

The agreement was reached through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked between Sinovac and Indonesian vaccine producer PT Bio Farma (Persero) in Sanya City, Hainan, China, on Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated.

"Sinovac and Bio Farma have signed an MoU on bulk vaccine capacity commitment in 2021 under which Sinovac will give priority to Bio Farma in the bulk supply of the vaccine after March 2021 until the end of 2021," Marsudi noted following a bilateral meeting with China on late Thursday.

The two companies have also signed a preliminary agreement on the purchase and supply of the COVID-19 vaccine in bulk.

Under the agreement, Sinovac has agreed to produce up to 40 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine during the period from November 2020 to March 2021.

"This is a quite a long-term cooperation between Bio Farma and Sinovac," she stated.

The minister desisted from divulging further details on the selling price of the vaccine but said that both nations remain resolute in intensifying cooperation in vaccine production to ensure availability of the vaccine at an affordable price.

"At the meeting, Indonesia conveyed the importance of vaccine supply being adequate, timely, safe, and affordable," she stated.

Marsudi and State Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir paid a visit to China to follow up on bilateral cooperation in some areas.

Both ministers also met with representatives of the China National Pharmaceutical Group Sinopharm and vaccine manufacturer CanSino Biologics (CanSinoBIO).

The ministers will continue the trip to the United Arab Emirates for discussions on bilateral cooperation, especially pertaining to vaccines and the economy. (ANTARA)