VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Towards the end of 2021, humanitarian tragedies are still happening. Thousands of people are displaced as refugees, and suffer from hunger, due to conflicts in various countries. As happened in the Middle East. The endless conflicts there  led to the flow of refugees to Europe. There is a refugee crisis on the Belarusian border with Poland. As a result, relations between the two countries and also with the European Union have been strained. The European Union accuses Belarus of using the refugee chaos at the border as a political tool to pressure Europe. Belarus argued and countered the accusations by saying that Europe had broken promises about its willingness to accommodate refugees.

Conflicts and wars have caused thousands of people to become victims. Displacement is one of the real forms. And these conflicts, apart from Africa, generally occur in the Middle East, and also parts of South Asia.

The civil war in Yemen, in addition to causing displacement, material and infrastructure damage, has also caused suffering for the people who are still in the country. Yemen, which was once part of a region called Sham, has now been partially ravaged. Many historic buildings were destroyed by bomb and missile attacks. What is  more devastating is, the very large number of victims who died as a result of mutual attacks.

According to United Nations data, about 377,000 people have died. More than half of those who died in Yemen were an indirect result of the 7-year war, such as famine for example. Even more sad, many children who become victims, die due to malnutrition.

The war in Yemen, for which there is no sign of ending, began in 2015. At that time the Saudi Arabian coalition intervened with the aim of helping the government, after the Houthi militia seized the city of Sanaa. The Houthi militia is a group that has Iranian support. This fact shows that the intervention of other countries, with different directions and interests, has led to prolonged conflicts and civil wars. The situation is not getting any better, when major powers, including the United States and Russia, are involved.

The worst humanitarian catastrophe has occurred in Yemen, a once prosperous country, with a beautiful civilization and historical heritage. This tragedy, which does not know when it will end, will continue to take its toll. The United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, estimates that fighting and its effects could kill at least 1.3 million people by 2030.

This very sad situation and dire consequences, should be able to spark initiatives and steps towards peace. The question is, can the conscience of the leaders in Yemen, as well as other intervening countries, be open to stop this humanitarian tragedy?

Bandung as the capital city of West Java  has a myriad of lists of enchanting natural attractions, especially Curug tourism and many waterfalls. In West Bandung Regency, there is a waterfall that’s very approproate as a tourism destination while on vacation. The name of the waterfall is Curug Tilu Leuwi Opat. Recently, it has been quite famous among tourists. Because the photos of that beautiful waterfall scenery are spread on social media. This triggers curiosity for social media users to have vacations in this tourism destination. The condition in this waterfall area is really beautiful, and very natural. The cool air temperature builds its own sensation for our bodies.

Curug Tilu means three waterfalls, while Leuwi Opat means four rivers. So, this waterfall is a tour that combines three waterfalls, four rivers, and also a cave located in an area of 5 hectares. Located in Ciwangun hamlet, Cihanjuang sub-district, Parongpong district, West Bandung Regency, West Java, Curug Tilu Leuwi Opat provides a complete treat for those who want to have an adventure in the style of nature lovers. Interestingly, this tourism destination provides a camping ground for those who want to spend the night in the waterfall area. This tourism destination has complete facilities; you don't have to worry about meeting your daily needs. You may enjoy the exciting games provided there. In addition, you can also do body rafting, paintball, flying fox, spider web, high rope, catching fish, and many other activities. These various games certainly make you feel more fun and feel at home longer there.

The price of a ticket to this tourism spot is only IDR 10,000 per person. With this price, you can enjoy a variety of natural treats that are very enchanting, especially the natural beauty of waterfalls. Besides, you can also try to feel a variety of exciting and fun games. You must keep in mind that you must apply health protocols so that your vacation is safe and comfortable.

Voice of Indonesia presents Let’s Speak Indonesian, a program that introduces the Indonesian vocabulary and guides you to speak in the language. Mari Berbahasa Indonesia or Let’s Speak Indonesian is a joint initiative of Voice of Indonesia and the Language Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.  Today’s topic is about Berbelanjawhich means Shopping. 

Here is the conversation entitled Batik Ini Kurang Laris daripada Batik Itu which means This Batik is Less Sold than That One. This conversation happens between Kevin and a clerk. Kevin wants to buy batik cloth. Let’s read to the conversation.

MUSIC

After reading to the conversation, now I am going to introduce some vocabulary and expressions related to the topic of the day.

In the dialog, you hear a comparison in the sentence batik ini kurang laris daripada batik itu(2x) which means this batik is less sold than that one. To compare two different things, you can use the expression kurang ... daripada .... (2x) which means less…..than.

Let’s read to the other examples of comparison.  

Pria   : Kain batik mana yang lebih murah? (2x) which means Which batik cloth is cheaper?

Wanita       : Kain berbahan katun lebih murah daripada yang berbahan sutera. (2x) which means The cotton one is cheaper the silk one.

Wanita       : Apakah baju yang hijau lebih murah daripada yang merah?(2x) which means Is the green clothes cheaper than the red one?

Pria   : Iya, Bu. Silakan bandingkan! Yang hijau ini kurang halus daripada yang merah. (2x) which means Yes, ma’am. Compare it, please! The green one is less softer than the red one.

That was “Let’s Speak Indonesian” for today. Hopefully, this edition can be useful for those of you who want to know more about Indonesian language. 

Indonesian Ambassador to France, Monaco, Andorra and UNESCO, Arrmanatha Nasir was awarded the highest honour of the French government, Légion d’Honneur with the title Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur. The award ceremony was held at the French Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs in Paris on Wednesday (17/11). The honour is also known as the “Quai  d’Orsay”. Information from the Indonesia Embassy in Paris received in Jakarta, Thursday (18/11) stated that Ambassador Arrmanatha Nasir received an award for his contribution/role and action in strengthening the Indonesia-France bilateral relations.

Ambassador Arrmanatha Nasir has contributed a lot in strengthening Indonesia-France politic, social-cultural and economic spheres. In his remarks upon receiving the award, Ambassador Arrmanatha Nasir conveyed that a lot of progress that has been made in Indonesia-France relations, cannot be separated from the success of the two countries to creatively bridge differences in positions and priorities to advance the common interest.

According to Ambassador Arrmanatha Nasir, the Covid-19 pandemic has disturbed people’s activities. In turn, the intensity of cooperation between the two countries has actually increased. This can be seen from the strengthening of various mechanisms of bilateral cooperation agreements, including increased cooperation in the defence industry. There was formation of a maritime dialogue forum to discuss and find solutions to various maritime challenges faced by the two countries, and in the near future, an action plan will also be signed. That’s a roadmap of activities for the next  5 years to strengthen cooperation of the strategic position of both countries.

Besides, the success of Indonesia-France relations is also inseparable from the intensity of people-to-people relations, such as through businesspeople, members of parliament and students. This can be seen from the concern of the businesspeople of the two countries amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Through collaboration with the Covid-19 task force team, some French companies also support efforts to deal with Covid-19 in Indonesia. This award was given at the end of Arrmanatha Nasir's tenure as the Indonesian Ambassador to France before heading to his new assignment as Indonesian Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Indonesian Delegation to the United Nations in New York, United States at the end of this month.