VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Asia Pacific Regional Council (APRC) of the International Council of Women (ICW$ marked its tenth anniversary in a dinner held here on Sunday evening. APRC president Tabucanon Monthip Shriratna said in her speech on the occasion that in the past six years of her leadership the institution had continued improving the quality of its efforts in women empowerment in the Asia Pacific region.

"I pray the next president and board of APRC would also do their best in the women empowerment," she said.

ICW President Jung Sook Kim expreceiation to APRC`s performance in the past 10 years.

"In the past ten years APRC has made a good progress in terms of quality and quantity, We must continue our best efforts to achieve advancement of women`s roles as well as APRC and ICW," she said.

Besides APRC ICW also has European Center of ICW as well as regional councils for America and Africa. Indonesia is currently hosting the 35th General Assembly of ICW in Yogyakarta. Organized by Kowani (Indonesian Congress of Women) and supported by the state enteprises ministry and 35 state-owned companies the meeting since September 13 is scheduled until September 19. (ant)

As many as 30 helicopters will be prepared to evacuate heads of state who will attend the IMF-World Bank meeting from October 8-14, 2018 in case of a tsunami and earthquake.

"In the event of a disaster, the evacuation of the head of state will use helicopters in the process, one head of state standard evacuation process in 10 minutes," Head of the UPT Center for Disaster Management Operations (Pusdalops PB) of the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency of Bali Province I Gede Made Jaya Serataberana, said in Denpasar on Sunday.

 In the event of a tsunami disaster, he continued, the heads of state and delegations of IMF-WB participants have prepared a vertical evacuation plan by going to the fourth floor of the hotel. According to Jaya, in addition to the BNDCC and BICC Nusa Dua, Badung Regency, which is the venue of the IMF-WB meeting, most hotels in the Nusa Dua ITDC area have been trained for evacuation processes and have been certified for disaster preparedness, equipment completeness, and evacuation tools.

"For the evacuation using a helicopter when the tsunami, the system is half-playing and does not have to look for a helipad. On the golf course it can, taken from the hotel can also be done. Lowered the device, then withdrawn, then shifted, in a higher field just raised then flown to Ngurah Airport Rai, or Mataram, or Belimbing Sari Airport in Banyuwangi, "he said.

In principle, added Jayaserataberana, the military, Police, National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), IMF-WB national committee have prepared a number of vertical and horizontal evacuation steps to anticipate the possibility of disasters during the meeting, all of which are connected to the "Command Center" and PB BPBD Bali Pusdalops.

"For the evacuation of the residents, the hotel has also cooperated with the banjar and the village, where to go to the hotel during the tsunami, and the hotel should not refuse," said Jaya, while mentioning based on the results of the LIPI analysis the tsunami height in Bali could reach 12 meter.

On the other hand, to anticipate possible eruptions of Mount Agung, evacuation scenarios have been prepared using sea and land routes.

"At Benoa Harbor cruise ships will be prepared with a capacity of 3,000 passengers. In addition, the Navy also prepares floating hospital vessels. There are also KRI, submarines, and so on that will be lined up a few days before the IMF-WB meeting, "Jaya said. (ant)

 Indonesia is ready to take part in Tanzania`s industrialization efforts to become a middle-income country in the near future. The statement was conveyed by the Indonesian Ambassador to Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and the Comoros Union, Ratlan Pardede, in remarks at the 73rd anniversary of Indonesian Independence in Dar es Salaam on September 14, 2018.

"Apart from the challenges faced by the international community, Indonesia is ready to work with all partners around the world, including Tanzania, to maintain all the positive economic progress we have enjoyed in the past 10 years," Ambassador Ratlan remarked in a written statement to Antara in Jakarta, on Saturday.

In the event, which was attended by about 200 people from the diplomatic community in Dar es Salaam, government officials, businessmen, the Indonesian community in Tanzania, and Zanzibar State Minister, Issa Haji Ussi Gavu, the Indonesian ambassador, conveyed several important matters related to the bilateral relations between the two countries. Several advances in the bilateral relations between Indonesia and Tanzania were demonstrated by the participation of Tanzanian government and business representatives at the Indonesia-Africa Forum in April 2018 and the visit of Zanzibar President Ali Mohamed Shen to Indonesia to explore more economic opportunities for Indonesia and Tanzania.

"The volume of trade between Indonesia and Tanzania has increased exponentially from $274.3 million in 2016 to $303.4 million in 2017, an increase of 35.2 percent," Ratlan remarked.

Furthermore, he also explained the ongoing cooperation in the development of human resources and the agricultural sector between Indonesia and Tanzania, especially regarding the provision of scholarships to study in Indonesia as well as the establishment of Agriculture and Rural Training Centers (FARTCs) in Mkindo, Morogoro.

In Zanzibar, Indonesia also collaborated with the Zanzibar government to present Indonesian seaweed experts in conducting training to bring added value to seaweed.

"Realizing the importance of the agricultural sector as a basic foundation for economic development since 1980, Indonesia remains committed to support the development of Tanzania`s agricultural sector," Ratlan revealed.

In his remarks, Zanzibar State Minister Issa Haji Ussi Gavu emphasized the importance of the two countries to not only share the past but also the future.

"Along with bilateral political ties, there are also formal economic relations. Thanks to this effort, the two countries have tried to consolidate not only political cooperation but also economic cooperation related to the bilateral relations that have been established," Gavu noted.

Further, he added that relationship of giving and receiving between the two countries was also reflected in the people-to-people cooperation whose benefits proved mutually beneficial.

The Indonesian Embassy in Dar es Salaam will continue to maintain its commitment to enhance bilateral cooperation in various sectors between Indonesia and accredited countries to a higher level. (ant) 

Daulat Pane, senior journalist of VOI interviewing President of INAPGOC, Raja Okto in Jakarta, today.