VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Deputy chief of Presidential Staff, Febry Calvin Tetelepta, during a coordination meeting with tourism stakeholders at the Bina Graha Building in Jakarta on Friday (May 7, 2021). (KSP) - 

The Indonesian government is drafting standard operating procedures (SOPs) for implementing health protocols under a pilot project for reopening Bintan, Batam, and Bali (3Bs) to tourists.

By drafting the SOPs, the government is seeking to ensure that tourist arrivals in the three destinations do not lead to the entry of new virus variants and tourists remain in good health, deputy chief of Presidential Staff, Febry Calvin Tetelepta, said at the Bina Graha Building in Jakarta on Friday.

"The SOPs for health protocols will involve cooperation among the central government, regional governments, and communities," he added.

At a coordination meeting attended by representatives from the Foreign Ministry, the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry, the Law and Human Rights Ministry, the Communication and Informatics Ministry, the Health Ministry, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), and regional governments, Febry said the SOPs must include surveillance of tracking and tracing of tourists.As part of preparations for the implementation of the pilot project, ministries/institutions and regional governments will coordinate in preparing tourist destinations for their reopening, he disclosed.

For instance, the Foreign Ministry has established an essential travel corridor arrangement (TCA) with China, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore to facilitate urgent business and diplomatic trips, he pointed out.

The Law and Human Rights Ministry is drafting a policy to support tourist visas through the revision of its regulation number 26 of 2020, he added.

The Health Ministry will support the accelerated vaccination of tourism and creative economy workers and people living near the location for the pilot project.

The Communication and Informatics Ministry is preparing super apps for the purpose of tracing and tracking through the synchronization of the e-HAC system at the Health Ministry with the PeduliLindungi system, Tetelepta said.The government is aware of the urgency for reviving the tourism industry in several tourist destinations without delay, he said.

To that end, it is seeking to implement a pilot project for the limited and gradual opening of tourist destinations in Bintan, Batam, and Bali, he added.

The three tourist destinations account for the biggest chunk of tourist arrivals in Indonesia and have passed a stringent verification process conducted by the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry, he said.

The pilot project will focus on Lagoi in Bintan, Nongsa in Batam, and Sanur, Nusa Dua, and Ubud in Bali.

Meanwhile, the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry and the Riau Islands and Bali provincial governments and the Batam city government have assured the preparedness of the three tourist destinations through the application of CHSE (clean, health, safety, and environment) and stringent health protocols, Tetelepta said.

"Through the various preparations, the pilot project for the opening of tourist destinations in Bintan, Batam, and Bali will run well so that the local people's economy can rebound without violating the health protocols," he added//ANT

A truck moves on the Salatiga-Solo toll road section in Central Java on Friday (May 7, 2021). As a result of the homecoming travel ban, the number of vehicles departing from Jakarta to other cities in Java has dropped by 53 percent. (ANTARA FOTO/Aloysius Jarot Nugroho/foc) - 

The Indonesian police turned back 23,573 vehicles from 381 checkpoints across the country on the first day of the Eid-al-Fitr homecoming travel ban on Thursday.

The vehicles comprised 12,267 cars, 7,352 motorcycles, 2,148 passenger cars, and 1,768 cargo cars, chief of the public relations division of the National Police, Inspector General Argo Yuwono, revealed in a written statement released on Friday.

"The total number of vehicles turned around on the first day for alleged homecoming trip is 23,573," he said.

The homecoming travel ban, which will remain in force till May 17, 2021, has been imposed at 381 checkpoints stretching from Lampung province to Bali province.

The ban applies to not just private cars and buses, but also other kinds of passenger cars.

As a result of the homecoming travel ban, the number of vehicles departing from Jakarta to other cities in Java has dropped by 53 percent, Argo said.

"At the Cikampek main toll gate, the number of vehicles was recorded at 8,732 compared to 19,338 during the normal situation," he added.

The COVID-19 Handling Task Force has issued Circular Number 13 of 2021 on the homecoming travel ban to stem virus transmission during Eid al-Fitr celebrations.

The ban excludes logistics distribution service vehicles and travelers who need to travel urgently for non-homecoming purposes, specifically for work or business, to visit sick family members, or attend funerals of family members.

Pregnant women are allowed to be accompanied by one family member, and for childbirth purposes, accompanied by a maximum of two people, as per the circular//ANT

A fish auction in progress at the Kutaraja fish port in Banda Aceh. The government has set up five logistics corridors to strengthen connectivity between fish collection and distribution centers to increase food resilience, boost people's welfare, and create jobs. (ANTARA PHOTO/Ampelsa/foc) - 

The Marine and Fisheries Affairs Ministry (KKP) has set up five logistics corridors to strengthen connectivity between fish collection and distribution centers, as part of efforts to expand access to fisheries in eastern Indonesia.

The five corridors are Kendari-Surabaya/Jakarta, Makassar–Surabaya/Jakarta, Bitung–Surabaya/Jakarta, Ambon–Surabaya/Jakarta, and Mimika–Surabaya/Jakarta, the ministry's director general of marine and fisheries competitiveness, Artati Widiarti, informed in a statement issued here on Friday.

Connecting upstream and downstream fisheries will increase food resilience, boost people's welfare, and create jobs, while encouraging the growth of the fisheries sector in eastern Indonesia, she added.

"These corridors are expected to boost efficiency in logistics channels and expand market access to reach consumption and industrial areas, for even distribution of fish consumption and people's welfare," Widiarti elaborated.

The corridors would be opened gradually in accordance with regional and business readiness, she added.

"We will revive the fisheries sector that has been impacted by the pandemic through stock management and distribution mechanism, provision of logistics facilities, warehouse receipt systems, and access to distribution and funding," she said.

Widiarti expressed the hope that local administrations would support the operation of the logistics corridors by raising awareness about them among business operators, and mapping and monitoring the logistics processes — from production to collection centers — in their respective regions.

The ministry has also said it will speed up the evaluation of the non-tax state revenue (PNBP) imposition under the post-production scheme, which would take into account the social and economic conditions around fish ports in some regions.

An advisor to the KKP minister, Darmadi Aris Wibowo, said the directorate general of capture fisheries has identified three locations which will serve as models for the implementation of post-production PNBP imposition — the Karangantu fish port (PPS) in Serang, Banten, Nizam Zachman PPS in Jakarta, and Cilacap PPS in Central Java//ANT

Despite the crackdown, pro-democracy protesters have persisted with their demonstrations against the coup AFP/STR - 

Thousands of anti-coup protesters marched in Myanmar on Sunday (May 2), calling for a "spring revolution" with the country in its fourth month under a military regime.

Cities, rural areas, remote mountainous regions and even Myanmar's rebel-controlled border territories have been in uproar since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a Feb 1 coup.The junta has aimed to suppress dissent through a brutal crackdown that has seen mass arrests and an escalating death toll.

Demonstrations kicked off early in commercial hub Yangon as activists called for a show of force and a "spring revolution".

Youths gathered on a street corner before marching swiftly down the streets in a flash mob - dispersing soon after to avoid clashing with authorities.

"To get democracy is our course!" they chanted, waving a three-finger salute of resistance.

"To bring down the military dictatorship is our course!"

Central Mandalay region saw hundreds take the streets led by monks in saffron-coloured robes, carrying the flag of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.

In northern Shan state, youths carried a banner that read: "We cannot be ruled at all."

"He was shot in the head and died immediately," said one protester, who said he rushed to hide his friend's body in case authorities tried to take it away.

"They are asking for his dead body, but we will not give them ... We will have his funeral today," he told AFP.

By midday, local media reported that security forces were chasing protesters down and arresting them.

"They are arresting every young person they see," a source in Yangon told AFP, adding that he was hiding at the moment.

"Now I am trapped."

Bomb blasts also went off across different parts of the city in the morning.

The explosions have been happening with increasing frequency in the former capital, and authorities have blamed it on "instigators".

So far, security forces have killed 759 civilians, according to the local monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

The junta - which has labelled AAPP as an unlawful organisation - says 258 protesters have been killed, along with 17 policemen and seven soldiers//CNA