VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Messages painted on eggs by Myanmar coup opponents were posted on social media on Easter Sunday, Apr 4, 2021

Opponents of military rule in Myanmar inscribed messages of protest on Easter eggs on Sunday (Apr 4), while others were back on the streets, facing off with security forces after a night of candle-lit vigils for hundreds killed since a Feb 1 coup.

Hundreds of people protested in the country's second city of Mandalay, some on foot, others on motorbikes, according to images on social media, before police and soldiers moved in to disperse them.

Protesters also gathered in several other towns.

There were no immediate reports of violence.

Police and a spokesman for the junta did not answer telephone calls seeking comment. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said 2,658 people were in detention, including four women and a man who spoke to a visiting CNN news crew in interviews on the streets of the main city of Yangon last week.

Authorities have also issued arrest warrants for nearly 40 celebrities known for opposing military rule, including social media influencers, singers and models, under a law against inciting dissent in the armed forces.

The charge, announced on the main evening news bulletins broadcast by state media on Friday and Saturday, can carry a prison term of three years.The coup has also triggered clashes with autonomy-seeking ethnic minority forces that have announced support for the pro-democracy movement.Aung San Suu Kyi's party has vowed to set up a federal democracy, the main demand for the minority groups//CNA

Tokyo - Japan : Troubling 'Eek' variant found in most Tokyo hospital COVID-19 cases

Around 70 per cent of coronavirus patients tested at a Tokyo hospital last month carried a mutation known for reducing vaccine protection, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said on Sunday (Apr 4).

The E484K mutation, nicknamed "Eek" by some scientists, was found in 10 of 14 people who tested positive for the virus at Tokyo Medical and Dental University Medical Hospital in March, the report said.

For the two months through March, 12 of 36 COVID-19 patients carried the mutation, with none of them having recently travelled abroad or reporting contact with people who had, it said.

Hospital officials were not immediately available for comment.

Ahead of the summer Olympics scheduled to begin in July, Japan is grappling with a new wave of infections. Health experts are particularly concerned about the spread of mutant strains, even as large-scale vaccinations of the general population have not yet begun.

On Friday, 446 new infections were reported in Tokyo, although that is still well below the peak of more than 2,500 in January.

In Osaka, a record 666 cases were reported. Health experts have expressed concern about the spread around that western metropolis of a mutant strain known to have emerged in Britain.

NHK said none of the patients at the Tokyo hospital carried the British strain//CNA

Rubiah Ile's beach and weh island, Sabang, Aceh Province 

Indonesia remains in grip of the global pandemic of novel coronavirus that has severely hit its economy but the government is striving to win the fight against it through a national vaccination program.

In pushing down the country's infection rate, the central and regional governments also continue their collaborative prevention measures, including imposition of micro-scale public activity restrictions (PPKM-Mikro).

As of March 28, 2021, Indonesia has set up 7,664 command posts in 15 provinces to impose PPKM Mikro, according to the Indonesian government's COVID-19 Task Force.

The 7,664 command posts are in charge of prevention measures for 12,619,259 households in 193,550 neighborhood units, the COVID-19 task force revealed.The PPKM-Mikro policy has been enforced for eighth weeks but all regions must exercise caution in the wake of potential threats of COVID-19 transmission.

As of April 1, 2021, Indonesia recorded 6,142 new confirmed cases over the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the total count of positive cases to 121,222.

Bali Governor Wayan Koster has claimed that the customary village-based imposition of PPKM Mikro has helped push down the COVID-19 infection rate on the resort island.

"Bali's number of new confirmed cases, counted on a daily basis, has shown a downward trend since the imposition of this PPKM Mikro policy," Koster said on Friday.

Managing this COVID-19 infection rate seems to be a key for Indonesia's endeavors to revive its economic sector that has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.To this end, a successful vaccination program and abiding to the health protocols in daily basis are so important for the country to bring its economy back on track.

If these preconditions, including consistently implementing contact tracing and self-isolation, are fulfilled, Indonesia's economic sector can soon get recovered.

The COVID-19 pandemic that has dragged Indonesia into serious public health and economic crises since March last year has severely rattled Aceh Province's tourism industry.

Statistics Indonesia (BPS)-Aceh Office has recorded no foreign tourist arrivals in the province since early this year on account of travel restrictions for international travelers in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In February, 2020, BPS recorded 4,030 foreign tourist arrivals in Aceh, but in February this year, there were no arrivals, BPS-Aceh Office head Ihsanurrijal said recently."Thus, the enforcement of restrictions on international flights and sea transportation has resulted in the absence of foreign tourist arrivals in Aceh," he explained.

In February last year, the countries that contributed to foreign tourist arrivals in Aceh were Malaysia, China, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, the United States, Singapore, United Kingdom, and Thailand, among others.

The cumulative figure of foreign travelers visiting the province in January and February, 2020 was recorded at 8,012 people. Majority of them were Malaysian citizens.

Aceh, Indonesia's westernmost province, lies on the northernmost tip of Sumatra Island. It is rich in historical and cultural heritage objects as well as natural beauty.

The city of Sabang, for instance, is renowned for its well-protected forest, "kilometer-zero" monument representing Indonesia's starting point, sandy beaches, and underwater beauty, with abundant snorkeling and diving spots.Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sabang was one of the popular tourist destinations on Sumatra Island among domestic and foreign visitors as well as international sailors.

Located on Weh Island, Sabang has been frequented by tourists, including those aboard international cruise ships and yachts.

This year, the Sabang Free Trade Zone and Port Management Body (BPKS) has outlined a target of clocking at least 12 international cruise ship arrivals.

To this end, the BPKS authority has maintained steady coordination with the city government to address issues pertaining to permits for cruise ships to dock.

"The cruise ships will be allowed to dock at Sabang on the basis of the Sabang mayor's letter," BPKS Head Iskandar Zulkarnain noted in a recent statement.

The Sabang city administration awaits the Indonesian government's permits for the cruise ships to dock at this Aceh Province's coastal city.Assistant for the Sabang city government's economic and development affairs, Kamaruddin, remarked that reopening the city for cruise ships relies on the government's permits.

"We just refer to the central government's standard operating procedures. If the permit is issued, we open Sabang (for the cruise ships)," he explained.

Kamaruddin affirmed that endeavors to usher in economy recovery for the people should also be an indispensable part of the efforts to handle the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indonesia.

In the early days of this coronavirus pandemic last year, the Sabang city administration had enforced stringent travel restrictions on non-residents to enter the city.

As a precautionary measure to contain the spread of this lethal virus, the Sabang authority had mandated visitors to present free COVID-19 health certificates and placed a temporary ban on cruise ships.Since November 2020, the Sabang city government has also allowed unconditional entry to travelers keen on visiting the coastal city by land.Arrival of tourists, including those aboard the cruise ships, would also help boost the city's economic growth//ANT

Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria (Antara/Ricky Prayoga)

The Jakarta provincial government pledges to accelerate the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination program in its endeavors to restore public trust and revive the capital city’s economy.

“By doing so, we hope Jakartans will get more freedom in doing their social and economic activities in a healthy and comfortable manner,” Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria said.

The vaccination, carried out successfully, could help protect the communities from the risks of COVID-19 infection, he told participants of a webinar on COVID-19 and senior citizens here Saturday.

To this end, the vaccination program in Jakarta needs to get accelerated, and given precisely to targeted members of community, he said.The Jakarta provincial government has been administering its residents with the COVID-19 vaccine since January 14, 2021 or one day after the government kicked off its national vaccination program at the Presidential Palace on January 13, 2021.

Indonesia remains in grip of the global pandemic of COVID-19 that has severely hit its economy but the government is striving to win the fight against it through a national vaccination program.

According to the Health Ministry, it will take about 15 months to vaccinate about 181.5 million people under the national program.

"We need 15 months to accomplish it. The time-frame for conducting the vaccination is counted from January, 2021 to March, 2022," Health Ministry's spokesperson for the vaccination program, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated recently.During the period, the government is targeting to inoculate about 181.5 million people, including 1.3 million paramedics and 17.4 million public sector workers in 34 provinces, she informed.

Tarmizi noted that the first phase of the government's immunization program has been divided into two periods: January-April, 2021 and April, 2021-March, 2022.

This coronavirus pandemic has severely hit the country’s economy. In reviving the tourism sector, for instance, the Indonesian government has planned a travel bubble.

In the first stage of its implementation, the travel bubble between Indonesia and Singapore will initially run between Singapore and Bintan, Riau Islands//ANT