VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Chicago exhibited the beauty of Indonesian tourism at a travel exhibition in the city in collaboration  with three diaspora entrepreneurs in the United States.  The Consulate General in Chicago in a written statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday (23/2) stated that the people of the United States showed a high desire to travel again based on  a poll in 2022. It showed that 93.3 percent of respondents plan to travel within 1 year ahead.

Following up on the trend, the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago also participated in the 2022 Chicago and Travel Show exhibition  which is one of the largest travel exhibition events in the United States  with no less than 20,000 visitors annually. The Consulate also stated that at the event, the Indonesian booth was filled with two travel agents namely  BaliDia & Voyage2Paradise and batik shop My Batik Shop.  Indonesian booths were decorated with handmade decorations, particularly imported ones from Indonesia. The Indonesian Consul General in Chicago, Meri Binsar Simorangkir explained that the event provides a good opportunity to promote Indonesia, particularly with the reopening of Bali and the Riau Islands for foreign tourists.

According to the Indonesian Consulate General's report,  the visitors who came to the Indonesian booth asked a lot of questions, particularly  related to entry requirements to Indonesia, the type of visa needed, and the type of hotel for quarantine. The visitors also chose various Indonesian souvenirs, such as silver jewelry, home decoration, coconut shells, and batik of various colors  brought  from Indonesia.

The Indonesian people took part in the 38th National Day parade of Brunei Darussalam. The participation was represented by the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in collaboration with the Indonesian Community Association (PERMAI).The Indonesian Embassy in Brunei in Darussalam in its Press Statement received by Antara stated that there were participants who wore 12 traditional clothes from many provinces in Indonesia. Then, 24 participants also wore black and brown batik uniforms. The parade was led by PERMAI Chairman, Mukhidin Umar. The delegates walked for 400 meters across the  streets of the capital to Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar 'Ali Saifuddien to pay their respects to Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the royal family as well as high officials of Brunei  Darussalam in the field grandstand.

The parade was also attended by Head of Foreign Representatives in Brunei Darussalam, including Indonesian Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, Sujatmiko. Ambassador Sujatmiko expressed his pride to the Indonesian community who annually celebrates the National Day Parade of Brunei Darussalam, and also performs the richness of Indonesian culture through the various traditional clothes that they wore.

The National Day or better known as National Guard is an annual parade event held to celebrate Brunei Darussalam's National Day which is commemorated every 23rd February. Based on the health protocol applied in Brunei Darussalam, this year's parade was held on a smaller scale than the previous one. This year's parade was attended by 161 groups or delegations with a total number of 3,800 participants, consisting of military, government, private, schools and community groups both local and foreign participants. The restriction on participants also affected the number of participants with a total of 36 Indonesian people. Apart from Indonesia, the foreign communities who participated in this year's parade were communities from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and India.

In the early 20th century, Indonesia was the leader of the world's largest Indigo blue natural dye market. Because Indonesia has abundant natural wealth which is the raw material for natural dyes, and until now, this potential has not been utilized properly. In fact, almost all regions in Indonesia have a culture of using natural dyes and natural resources as raw materials for natural dyes. Now, it is estimated that more than 90% of textile craftsmen and industries in Indonesia still use synthetic dyes in producing their textile products. In fact, the raw materials for synthetic dyes are imported with a large capacity and very high value. There are synthetic dyes that are carcinogenic and very dangerous for users, and the environment. 

With this problem, the UGM research team, who are members of the Indonesia Natural Dye Institute research group at Universitas Gadjah Mada (INDI-UGM) undertook a downstream program for natural dye prototypes. They built a natural dye production site from the waste of the Merbau wood industry in Jayapura, Papua. Sawdust from Merbau wood has the potential to be used as a source of raw material for the natural dye industry.

Head of the INDI UGM team, Edia Rahayuningsih said that the waste from forest products in Papua could reach 20-40% of the total mass of trees. Unfortunately, this waste has not been used optimally, and is usually thrown into the environment or burned so that it becomes a problem in the environment. Therefore, her side has produced a tool for processing the natural powder which is managed by CV Karui Jayapura. Apart from raw materials for Merbau in Papua, according to Edia, natural dyes can also be made from raw materials derived from indigofera plants, cocoa waste, palm oil waste, and mangrove bark waste.

Lecturer of Airlangga University, Niko Azhari Hidayat developed a digital health service or Telemedicine, Vascular Indonesia. The Indonesian Vascular Telemedicine Service is a part of the Indonesian Telemedicine Association to support the activities of the Ministry of Health in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. This thoracic cardiac and vascular surgeon said that the Vascular Indonesia platform consists of a Triage room that aims to identify patients early. In addition, there is also a Vascular Indonesia Care Unit service to monitor complaints and symptoms of self-isolated patients. This service is intended for patients who have uploaded e-recipes. In addition to monitoring patients remotely, the team of doctors at Vascular Indonesia also regularly holds webinars containing educational materials and guidelines on how to maintain a good immune system when undergoing self-isolation.

To get digital health service or Telemedicine, Vascular Indonesia, self-isolated patients who have previously carried out PCR tests in laboratories affiliated with the Ministry of Health, will receive an automatic message containing the option to undergo telemedicine services. By choosing the Vascular Indonesia telemedicine service, the patient can immediately consult the doctor on duty. The Vascular Indonesia telemedicine service is free for patients who are confirmed positive for Covid-19. Telemedicine services consist of volunteers, 36 general practitioners, and 20 specialists. This service is to help patients who are exposed to Covid-19 to perform self-isolation, and to suppress the spike in the Covid-19 trend in recent weeks.

Dr. Niko is not a new figure in the world of digital health. With a doctorate in thoracic cardiac and vascular surgery specialist, he developed the Foot-Diabet Indonesia application in 2019. The social impact application is a means of education and prevention from the dangers of diabetic foot. In addition, the man who had a clinical fellowship education at the University Medical Centrum Utrecht, The Netherlands, and earned the title of a vascular and endovascular consultant is also one of the initiators of the Indonesian Varicose Vein application, an online innovation service in the form of a program called the Vascular Indonesia Health Travel Program.