VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Kashmir is in turmoil  again. India and Pakistan are two neighboring countries in South Asia that  have been in  disputes over the region for decades. Their conflicts not only in words but also in arms. There have been a number of victims fell  since two weeks ago. An armed conflict began when Indian paramilitary troops convoying in the Kashmir region were killed in a suicide attack on February 14. 40 people were killed  in the incident. The angry Indian Prime Minister then  not only issued a statement that would retaliate,  but manifested his anger by bombarding Jaish Mohammad's group headquarters. The Jais Mohammad militant group has indeed claimed responsibility for the  suicide attack that killed 40 Indian paramilitaries. The latest attack that killed dozens of residents was part  of Indian Pakistani conflicts which have been going on for seven decades. The two countries were trying to  control part of Kashmir since India and Pakistan gained  independence from Britain in 1947. Tensions are increasingly felt  with the presence of Kashmiri militia groups in Pakistan. There are people who live in the region who have fled,  but not a few who remain in the midst of the  conflict that is often characterized by riots and violence. Until now the two countries have not found a meeting point in resolving their  border disputes. The latest armed conflict triggered by a militant suicide bombing shows that a dialogue approach is needed for resolving the ongoing crisis in Kashmir.

Indonesian cultural product can be found at Powerhouse Museum in Australia. The Museum has one floor to specially exhibit various kinds of cultural objects in Asia. The area is called as ‘Reflections of Asia’. Indonesia is represented through Borneo traditional cloth, daggers, jug, belt from Java, crown from Sumba, and Kemben from Bali. Those collections are neatly arranged in big glass box. The collections are juxtaposed with other cultural objects from the Philippines, China, Vietnam, and some other Asian regions. Powerhouse Museum is located at 500 Haris Street, Ultimo, New South Wales, 2007. Its location is near Darling Harbour and China Town.

As many as 10 Japanese students of Keio University of Japan participated in the program of Intensive Learning of Indonesian Language and Culture of Kristen Satya Wacana University in Salatiga, Central Java for 2 weeks until  March 4, 2019. During the program, they learned various kinds of Indonesian cultures. Director of Language Training Center of Satya Wacana University, Johanna Marselina Likumahuwa said on Wednesday that the students participated in lecture of Japanese subject, visited public places, traditional markets, and Muslim worship places. In addition, there were some classes which should be participated in, such as learning Indonesian basic language and culture,  Gamelan, and presentation.

Last year, Indonesia succeeded to hold Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang. President of Olympic Council of Asia OCA, Sheik Ahmad Al Falah Al Sabah handed over OCA Award to Indonesia in the 72nd OCA Executive Board Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand on March 2, 2019. The award was received by Chairman of Indonesia’s Olympic Committee, Erick Thohir. Quoted by Okezone.com, he recognized that he is proud of the award that was given by OCA on the Best Implementation of Asian Games 2018. Indonesia was considered not only success from the implementation, but also publication which was conducted by 864 media from 44 Asian countries and 12 countries outside Asia. The news on Asian Games 2018 was enjoyed by 4.5 billion of readers with totally 16 thousands of articles.

Masjid Agung Batam or also called Batam Great Mosque is located in  Batam Center that is the downtown of the government of Batam. The dome of the mosque has a unique shape, like pyramid. Because of the uniqueness and the beauty of its building, the mosque becomes not only worship place, but also tourism attraction in Batam. The location of the Masjid Agung Batam is easy to visit. From Hang Nadim airport, you can directly take taxi. But, if you want to go by public transportation, you can get on Damri bus to Batu Aji or Jodoh and get off at Kepri Mall. From Kepri Mall bus shelter, take Trans Batam bus to Batam Center, then get off at the mosque shelter. From the shelter, you only need to walk a few steps to Masjid Agung Batam. Masjid Agung Batam or Batam Great Mosque was initially built in 1999 and finished in 2001. The building is  Malayan motif, and architecture of the mosque is categorized unique because the mosque does not have pillar so that its room looks spacious. The mosque is equipped with high tower around 66 meters. Its dome has a shape pyramid and divided into 3 parts. It has vertical perspective towards one point above as a relation symbol between human beings and the God.

The Indonesian government has offcially started applying zero tariffs on Palestinian imported commodities since Thursday, February 28 2019. Indonesian Minister of Trade, Enggartiasto Lukita, Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia, Zuhair al Shun and Indonesian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdurrahman Mohammad Fachir held a meeting with Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla at the Vice President's Palace in Jakarta on Thursday related to the start of the tariff elimination. Minister of Trade, Enggartiasto Lukita in his statement in Jakarta on Thursday as released by Antara News Agency stated that  in the initial stage, the decision was applied to dates and olive oil. He said that Vice President Jusuf Kalla also emphasized that  "zero tariffs" are applied to other Palestinian commodities without feasibility studies like  general trade agreements with other countries. According to Minister Enggartisto, the application of zero tariffs shows the strong commitment of the Indonesian Government in supporting the strengthening of the social life and capacity of the Palestinian economy and this is expected to increase the competitiveness of Palestinian products. He also explained that the provisions for the elimination of tariffs for the two Palestinian products have been active since February 21, 2019, marked by the sending of a diplomatic note by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Palestine. Thus, the Indonesian people are expected to be able to enjoy Palestinian dates when Ramadan arrives. Minister Enggartiasto Lukita also emphasized that this step is also an important momentum to improve Indonesia-Palestine bilateral trade relations. Meanwhile, Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia, Zuhair Al Shun welcomed the long-awaited decision of the Indonesian government. He also submitted a list of other commodities which are considered potential to be given tariff elimination in Indonesia. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that the total trade between Indonesia and Palestine in 2018 reached US$3.5 million dollars. Palestine is the Indonesia's 164^th export destination. The main export commodities to Palestine include coffee, tea, pasta, bread, perfume and soap. Meanwhile, Palestine is the 162nd source of import for Indonesia, with dates as  the main import commodity.