VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Head of the Ministry of Industry's Human Resources Development Agency, Arus Gunawan. ANTARA/HO-Indonesian Ministry of Industry - 

Indonesia and Singapore have continued to intensify bilateral ties, including in developing quality human resources, as the Indonesian Ministry of Industry forged cooperation with Singapore Polytechnic. 

"This is a tangible commitment from us in supporting the government's program on implementation of the Making Indonesia 4.0 roadmap that encompasses the aim to create industrial human resources that are ready to enter the Industry 4.0 era," Head of the Ministry's Human Resources Development Agency, Arus Gunawan, noted here on Friday.

Gunawan remarked that during the 2018-2019 period, the ministry had facilitated 100 training programs for 100 teachers from productive vocational high schools, gathered through the link and match program between vocational schools and industries across the country.

"The training activities are conducted at the Singapore ITE campuses, supported by the Temasek Foundation," he expounded.

Meanwhile, Deputy Principal of Singapore Polytechnic Georgina Phua lauded the participants for their enthusiasm in partaking in the series of training activities, albeit through the online medium, on account of the pandemic.

"The Singapore Polytechnic opens up opportunity for further collaborations for wider technical scopes," she stated.

In 2020, a collaboration program between the ministry's Human Resources Development Agency and the Singapore Polytechnic on training human resources for the Industry 4.0 era was also supported by Temasek Foundation.

The ministry remarked that the program’s beneficiaries had reached 380 people, four-folds higher than the targeted 96 participants.

Senior Director of Temasek Foundation, Gerald Yeo, echoed his party’s commitment to supporting the human resources development training program based on the success recorded in the previous programs.

Gunawan is optimistic that the collaboration would be continued in future and commended all parties involved in the endeavor to shape and hone Indonesian human resources//ANT

Vice President, Ma'ruf Amin, during a video conference with Jamiyyah Ahlith Thoriqoh Al-Mu'tabaroh An-Nahdliyah from his official residence in Jakarta, Thursday (8/7/2021). ANTARA/Secretariat of the Vice President - 

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin called on ulemas to protect the people from the threats of hoaxes posed through their spread and receipt.

"Senior clerics (Kyai) rabbaniyyin ulemas, who are vigilant, are what we need, and what is needed now. Allah has ordered us to invite the public to be careful. We have to look for clarity," Amin noted in a statement received on Friday.

The vice president made the statement during a virtual audience with Jamiyyah Ahlith Thoriqoh Al-Mu'tabaroh An-Nahdliyah via videoconferencing from his official residence in Jakarta on Thursday.

The vice president urged ulamas to partake in filtering information currently circulating on social media. False and unconfirmed information can lead to slander and trigger confusion among people owing to disinformation. 

"Many people take undue advantage of the confusion created in society to mislead members, instill doubts in their minds, and create mistrust and conflict," he cautioned.

Amin also emphasized that ulamas should support the government's efforts in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia through disciplined implementation of health protocols and conducting vaccinations.

All people are obligated to protect themselves from the pandemic.

"The dangers of COVID-19 are apparent not only in Indonesia but also across the world. According to scholars, warding off and protecting oneself from danger is something that is obligatory," he stressed//ANT

National Police Chief Gen Lt. Listyo Sigit Prabowo and Military Chief I Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto observed mass vaccination in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday. (ANTARA/HO-Divisi Humas Polri) - 

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo is sanguine that herd immunity would be achieved in East Java in August 2021 as a consequence of the massive vaccination drive conducted in the province.

If the daily target of vaccinating 300 thousand people is maintained and increased, East Java will achieve herd immunity at the end of August 2021, Prabowo noted in a written statement issued after observing the mass vaccination at the Mall Grand City in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday.

Prabowo commended the solidity of the ranks of the East Java Provincial Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkompinda) in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, including conducting mass vaccination.

The military- and police-initiated mass vaccination was organized by the Council of Buddhist Communities (Walubi) in cooperation with the Brawijaya Regional Military Command by targeting to vaccinate 300 thousand residents on a daily basis. 

While observing the mass vaccination, Prabowo reminded the vaccinated residents to remain consistent in adhering to health protocols, including maintaining physical distance, wearing masks, washing hands, avoiding crowds, and reducing mobility.

"Stay motivated, maintain physical distance, and wear masks since COVID-19 is still found around us. Love your family, love your brothers. Love our friends," he affirmed.

Prabowo again acquainted the public with the significance of the government's policy to impose emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM) in Java and Bali.

The emergency PPKM is being enforced with the objective of breaking the chain of COVID-19 transmission, so the essence of the measure is safety for all Indonesians, according to Prabowo.

"Hence, a big step is needed, including implementing emergency PPKM. There are three essential aspects in enforcing it, with the first being controlling; second, restricting public mobility; and third, enforcing the implementation of micro PPKM," he stated//ANT

Bangladesh has ordered a strict week-long nationwide lockdown in a bid to halt the spread of COVID-19, but Khulna's hospitals cannot cope. (Photo: AFP/Kazi SANTO) - 

Empty oxygen cylinders are piling up almost as fast as bodies in the city of Khulna, which has become Bangladesh's coronavirus hotspot in a dire new surge.

The government has ordered a strict week-long nationwide lockdown in a bid to halt the spread of COVID-19, but Khulna's hospitals cannot cope.

Neither can relatives of the dead.

Mohammad Siddik leaned against empty cylinders under a hospital emergency porch, tearfully telling relatives in phone calls that his 50-year-old brother had died.

The 42-year-old businessman brought his brother to hospital as his condition deteriorated. But there was no bed and no oxygen, he told AFP.

"He passed away gasping for air in the hospital corridor," said Siddik.

"They didn't give him any oxygen until the end."

The southwestern district bordering India's West Bengal state has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus infections blamed on the more contagious Delta variant, which was first detected in India.

On Thursday, Khulna city recorded 46 virus deaths, according to an official count, while in earlier waves the daily death toll never went into double figures.

Most people in the city of 680,000 people say the real toll is much higher and, according to reports, graveyards cannot cope with the number of dead in nearby cities such as Satkhira.

The main state-run Khulna general hospital is one of four in the city treating coronavirus patients and has 400 beds, but demand far outstrips supply.

"We have been dealing with enormous admission pressure in hospitals," said Niaz Muhammad, chief government doctor for the Khulna region.

He denied there was an oxygen shortage.Police and troops have patrolled the streets across Bangladesh, home to 168 million people, since Thursday to enforce the lockdown. Hundreds of people have been arrested each day for leaving their homes//CNA