VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The tourism and culture of Indonesia are aired on Hainan TV, one of largest television stations in China. Indonesian Ambassador to China, Djauhari Oratmangun in his statement to Antara News Agency in Beijing on Monday (27/8) said  that he had recorded for a television program on Hainan TV. He promotes several tourism destinations in Indonesia, particularly Bali. China has contributed the largest foreign tourists’ visit to Indonesia for several years before the Covid-19 pandemic, with an average visit number of more than two million people per year.

Moreover, Ambassador Djauhari Oratmangun also promotes various handicrafts,  such as batik, gamelan, drums, spices, and various food and beverage products from Indonesia that have entered the Chinese market. The TV program is enlivened by a couple of wife and husband from Central Java who teach at the Conservatory Music School center of China in Beijing. On that occasion, the couple gives examples of the differences in drum beats and Javanese and Balinese dance movements.

Ambassador Djauhari further said that the program, which is packaged on the Mei Qing program Seeing the World: this is Indonesia, will be broadcast on Hainan TV in October 2021. Hainan TV is one of the largest regional media outlets in China owned by Hainan Broadcasting Group, based in Hainan Island.

The European Union -EU has not yet decided whether to formally recognize the Taliban government, after the group took over Afghanistan last month. But EU’s aid money will determine what conditions may apply in Afghanistan.

Quoting the Antara News Agency, Slovenia's Foreign Minister, Anze Logar, whose country holds the EU presidency for six months, said that accusations of the Taliban as a terrorist organization by several European Union countries made the new government in Afghanistan need recognition of legal status. This is not only a diplomatic issue, but also a legal issue.

As a group of 27 democracies, the European Union should continue to strive to uphold human rights around the world. Although condemning the Taliban, which is considered to have oppressed women when in power from 1996 to 2001, yet, when it comes to human rights, the sanctions given must still take into account human values for Afghan people as a whole.

For the European Union, the recognition of the Taliban government by other countries will certainly have important consequences, such as allowing the Taliban access to foreign aid on which the previous Afghan government depended.

Meanwhile, for the violence carried out by the Taliban, strict sanctions can also be given, considering the European Union is the largest aid donor in the world. Undeniably, without aid, it would be the biggest blow to the Taliban government, and impact on the Afghan people. But of course, all help has conditions.

European Union policies must always be based on the values they commonly refer to as human rights, democracy, rule of law, solidarity and freedom of expression. Unfortunately, some of these values cannot be applied by the EU itself. One of the EU members, Slovenia, for example, stated that it is not open to refugees from Afghanistan. The EU commitment to Afghan refugees also seems to only apply to those who have worked with European troops, NATO, governments and institutions in Afghanistan. In fact, a few other Afghans feel scared and want to flee their country because they are not in line with the Taliban.

The Indonesian diaspora creative information parade in the form of culinary, SME products, batik and souvenirs as well as Indonesian coffee also enlivened the "Online Joyful Stage" of the Indonesian Consulate General in Hamburg which took place on Saturday (28/8). The Online Joyful Stage was the culmination of a series of 76th Anniversary Celebrations of the Republic of Indonesia at the Consulate General in Hamburg. This event also presented the creative talents of the Indonesian people in the fields of arts and culture in the working areas of the Consulate General in Hamburg, namely Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on Tuesday that the event began with remarks by the Indonesian Consul General in Hamburg, Ardian Wicaksono and a joint prayer for Indonesia by M. Erwin Yasin, Chairman of the Indonesisches Islamisches Zentrum (IIC) Hamburg. In his remarks, Consul General Ardian Wicaksono emphasized that this celebration also carried the concern of the Indonesian diaspora towards Indonesian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and became a forum for friendship during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The activity was continued with a short video of a series of celebration activities since July 2021 such as online competitions, coffee tasting with coffee companies and restaurants, relaxing rides, workshops for carrying herbal medicine. Besides enlivening the event, comedian Cing Abdel was a virtual guest who entertained the entire audience via zoom and the Youtube channel of the Indonesian Consulate General in Hamburg.

The entertainment program featured Indonesian treasures such as Keroncong music, dances, folk songs and pop music. Present as performers were: TOFFI Hamburg, Bremen Cultural Studio, Keroncong Sikat Gigi Group, Papuan Community Group in Bremen, Indonesian Nauli Community and The Consulate band. The happy stage event also featured the announcement of the winners of various competitions to celebrate the Indonesian Independence Day, and the 2021 National Children's Day competition, which was collaboration with the Dharma Wanita Persatuan of the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Hamburg and the community organization "Indonesisches Kultur Agentur Team (IKAT)". This activity has succeeded in becoming interesting entertainment for Indonesian citizens in Germany. Even though it was held virtually, this did not reduce the intimacy and meaning of brotherhood among Indonesian citizens in Germany.

If you travel to Lombok, in West Nusa Tenggara, you will find some tourism destinations. One of them is Taman Langit Bukit Bengkaung.This tourism attraction offers you the beauty of Lombok from a height. Its location is in Lembah Sari, Batu Layar sub-district, West Lombok Regency. Bukit Bengkaung is located 11 kilometers north of northern Mataram City, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara province. To enter this tourism destination, you have to pay an entrance ticket of Rp 5,000 per person.

When you enter Taman Langit Bukit Bengkaung, you will see rows of cafes and restaurants. At the Park, you can enjoy various types of food with nice views of hills in Lombok. This tourism location is 550 meters above the sea level. From this place, you can also enjoy the sunset to the sparkling lights of Lombok City. For you who like photography, this attraction offers lots of photo spots. There are some interesting photo spots, such as the background of the twinkling lights, the faint birds and the sky door.

Besides sitting to enjoy various culinary delights, and seeing its natural beauty at Taman Langit Bukit Bengkaung, you can also try to learn activities, such as harvesting honey. At Bukit Bengkaung, you can also enjoy Trigona honey. Here, you can learn to harvest and taste this Trigona honey. Then, you can also try other processed honey products. One of them is bee pollen. Of course, you can do all these tourism activities by implementing health protocols. You can also visit this tourism spot, if the pandemic has been over. Bukit Bengkaung tourism attraction has complete tourism facilities, such as parking areas, toilets, prayer rooms, and Wi-Fi access.