VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, and several foreign ambassadors participated in a coral reef transplantation activity in Bali on March 26, 2021. (ANTARA/HO Kemenko Kemaritiman dan Investasi)

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, and several foreign ambassadors recently carried out coral reef transplantation at Nusa Dua beach, Bali, according to a press statement issued here on Saturday.

During the event, Pandjaitan also promoted the government's National Economic Recovery (PEN) program, which includes labor-intensive coral reef restoration activities.

"The coral reef restoration program, apart from bringing positive benefits to the environment, has also provided benefits to Balinese people who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially those living in coastal areas," he said while speaking on ‘Planting Coral Reefs for a Sustainable Blue Economy’ at the Bali Investment Forum in Bali on Friday (March 26, 2021).

Pandjaitan's deputy for maritime resources coordination, Safri Burhanuddin, Bali Governor Wayan Koster, the Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia, the Italian Ambassador, the Swiss Ambassador, the Japanese Ambassador, the Dutch Deputy Ambassador, and the Russian Deputy Ambassador were also present at the transplantation event.

The labor-intensive coral reef restoration program has been able to provide jobs to more than 10,171 people affected by COVID-19, especially people who previously worked in the tourism and marine sectors, the minister said."And this program has run for four months from October, 2020 to January, 2021, funded by a State Budget (APBN) of Rp111.2 billion, and the area to be restored has reached 74.3 hectares," he said.

The coral reef restoration program is planned to be continued in 2021 in three Super Priority Tourist Destinations (DPSP) and six Marine Tourism and Marine Conservation Destinations.

Indonesia has a vast variety of coral reefs, spread over an area of 25 thousand square kilometers, or around 10 percent of the world's coral reefs, spanning 284,300 square kilometers.

Besides, Indonesia has the highest number of coral reef species on the planet. Of the 845 coral reef species in the world, Indonesia is home to 569 species belonging to 82 families and 15 tribes.

Coral reefs are not just beautiful, but are also crucial for maintaining the food supply of millions of people living along the coasts all over the world, the minister said.

Besides, coral reef fisheries are a critical source of protein for tens of millions of people, and coral reef tourism is a significant source of foreign exchange for Indonesia, he added.Biologically diverse coral reefs are also vital for protecting the shoreline of the country's low-lying islands//ANT

An army personnel in Kupang City administered the AstraZeneca vaccine on Saturday (March 27, 2021). ANTARA/Kornelis Kaha

Some 3,700 army personnel in the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara were administered their first shots of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday.

The recipients from the 161/Wirasakti Military Resort Command were administered the vaccine in Kupang City and in the districts of Timur Tengah Utara and Belu.

The AstraZeneca vaccine's efficacy is similar to that of China's Sinovac, Chief of the 161/Wirasakti Healthcare Detachment Lt Col Agus Saktiadi stated here on Saturday.

However, the recommended time gap to be kept between the first and second dose of the two vaccines differ, according to Saktiadi.

Recipients of this Oxford University-AstraZeneca-made vaccine are required to get the second shots 28 days after obtaining their first shots.Those receiving the first shots of the Sinovac vaccine are required to wait for 14 days before being allowed to receive the second jab, Saktiadi explained.

"Despite the difference in time intervals between the first and second shots, the two vaccines are secure and 'halal' (lawfully-permitted for Muslims)," he stated.

Indonesia has been striving to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since the government officially announced the country's first cases on March 2, 2020.

The government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program since January 13 this year to stem the spread of the disease.

The Health Ministry estimates a time period of 15 months to vaccinate some 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," the Health Ministry's spokesperson for the vaccination program, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated recently.

During the period, the government is targeting to inoculate some 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 is divided into two periods: January-April, 2021 and April 2021-March 2022.

Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto has affirmed that all TNI personnel will participate in this vaccination program.Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate crossed one million cases on January 26, 2021.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease has dragged Indonesia into serious public health and economic crises//ANT

16 Indonesian Jamaah Tabligh (JT) members return from India on March 26, 2021. (ANTARA/HO-Kemlu RI)

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry and representative in India again facilitated the return of 16 members of Jamaah Tabligh (JT or Tablighi Jamaat) from India.

The members arrived safely in Jakarta by Garuda Indonesia Airways on March 26, the ministry noted in a statement here on Saturday.

Upon arrival, swab tests were conducted on the members and were required to undergo a five-day quarantine in accordance with the health protocols against COVID-19.

They were the last batch of a total of 751 Indonesian members of JT, who had been returned to Jakarta from India since 2020.

Of the total, one member passed away in India owing to illness, while two decided to head to Saudi Arabia since they held a stay permit from the Saudi Government.JT members had been stranded in India since early last year when the Indian Government imposed a lockdown owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, and some of them had to face legal charges.

Thousands of foreign JT members joined a major Nizamuddin congregation in Delhi in March 2020.
The Indian government had detained hundreds of foreign JT members for allegedly violating COVID-19 lockdown measures in March last year, with the largest group being from Indonesia.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry, the Indonesian embassy in New Delhi, and the Indonesian Consulate General in Mumbai had offered protection to them by providing consular access, lawyers, logistics aid, and temporary accommodation. The Indonesian diplomats had also approached the Indian authorities for their release.

With the return of the 16 JT members, there were no other JT members from Indonesia in India//ANT

A TV journalist interviews Medan Mayor Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution (left) on Thursday (March 25, 2021) ANTARA/Said

The Medan city government has vowed to transform the Kesawan City Walk area into a culinary hub offering authentic culinary delicacies of varied ethnic groups of North Sumatra Province.

Thus, visitors keen on enjoying the city's authentic culinary arts can easily spot food stalls selling an array of cuisines of ethnicities, such as Malay, Minang, Indian, and Chinese communities.

“One of the criteria for small and medium enterprises opening food stalls at the Kesawan City Walk is that they offer authentic cuisines of various ethnic groups,” Medan Mayor Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution noted in a statement that ANTARA quoted here on Saturday.

Showcasing the cuisines of multi-ethnic groups is part of the city government’s endeavors to preserve the heritage of cuisines and cultures of communities in North Sumatra Province and to make Medan “the Kitchen of Asia,” he remarked.Following the revitalization of the Kesawan City Walk, SMEs will be allowed to open their food stalls by adhering to the regulations of the city government’s cooperative and SMEs office, he remarked.

The soft launch of the Kesawan City Walk’s revitalization and refurbishment program will take place on Sunday, Nasution confirmed.

Revitalizing Medan’s vital historical and cultural heritage site was part of the city government’s endeavors to make it the “Kitchen of Asia”, he affirmed.

The city government’s efforts garnered the backing of all elements of the Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda) as the Kesawan City Walk’s culinary and pedestrian hub would later help to increase the businesses of local small and medium enterprises, he explained.

The refurbishment of this iconic tourist site is also projected to contribute to the city government’s regional income revenue, he noted.The Kesawan neighborhood area is well-known as one of Medan’s key historical and cultural heritage sites where both domestic and foreign visitors can observe the ancient buildings, including those from the Dutch colonial era.

The revitalization and refurbishment of this Kesawan City Walk is expected to enable Medan to have its culinary brand as the Kitchen of Asia, according to Nasution.

“From now on, let us brand our culinary richness as the Kitchen of Asia,” the son-in-law of President Joko Widodo stated.

Meanwhile, Head of the Medan city government’s Housing and Spatial Planning Division Benny Iskandar noted that once the Kesawan City Walk’s revitalization was completed, its corridor of A. Yani Street would be brimming with a plethora of the city’s popular authentic culinary delicacies.

The other corridors would be offered to street performances from various segments of communities in Medan, Iskandar remarked//ANT