VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLE (ENGINEERING360)

Indonesia needs to strengthen its underwater defence and security in the wake of the discovery of an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) belonging to a foreign nation deep inside its territorial waters, a top legislator said.

"Any underwater drone and submarine of foreign countries cannot be at our sea without our government's permission,” Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), Azis Syamsuddin, said here on Friday.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry must lodge a protest with the country which owns the drone that was recently found by a fisherman near Selayar Island, South Sulawesi province, he added. The Foreign Ministry needs to also coordinate with the military (TNI) commander to take the necessary measures in response to the discovery of the foreign UUV, Syamsuddin said. The TNI commander could dispatch TNI units to bolster their early-detection capability and to prevent the UUV from sending data obtained from the covert operation, he added. 

The discovery of an underwater drone, which resembles China's Sea Wing UUV in physical appearance, indeed poses a serious threat to Indonesia's underwater defense and security, he asserted. The Indonesian government must work to protect and secure the country's territorial waters by modernizing its underwater detection and tracking capability, he added. According to reports, prior to the discovery of the underwater drone near Selayar Island on December 20, 2020, another underwater drone had been found in the waters off Riau Islands in March, 2019//ANT

Indonesian Export-Import Agency receives credit worth US$200 million dollars from South Korea - My Indonesia 

The Indonesian Export-Import Agency (LPEI) or Indonesia Eximbank received credit worth US$ 200 million dollars with a two-year tenor from the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM).

Executive Director III of LPEI, Agus Windiarto in his statement on Wednesday (23/12) said that the synergy between the Indonesian Export-Import Agency-LPEI and the Export-Import Bank of Korea -KEXIM is believed to strengthen the existing cooperation. The support during the pandemic proved that the two institutions are able to support each other to cooperate in a bid to restore the economy.

The credit facility entitled ‘Master Interbank Credit Facility Agreement’ was signed on Tuesday (22/12) virtually at the LPEI Office. Agus Windiarto said that the cooperation is expected to strengthen the development of bilateral trade of both countries and further enhance the partnership between Eximbanks that are members of the Asian Exim Banks Forum (AEBF). He added that LPEI welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with Korea Eximbank after previously with China Eximbank even during these difficult times.

On this occasion, LPEI hopes to meet the needs of exporters and enable entrepreneurs to develop business capacity and ultimately help increase national exports.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Board of Directors concurrently LPEI Executive Director, Daniel James Rompas said that LPEI continues to provide support to the Small and Medium Enterprises segment and domestic corporation to penetrate the export market. With KEXIM's support, it is hoped that the role currently given to LPEI to encourage economic growth through the National Economic Recovery program can be further enhanced.

Daniel James Rompas also emphasized that the loan facility is also a form of trust from international financial institutions to the LPEI in gaining access to funding to support foreign trade activities.

Head of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), Jusuf Kalla, met with Afghan President Asraf Gani at the Afghan Presidential Palace in Kabul on Thursday (December 24, 2020). (ANTARA/HO-JK Team/sh)

Head of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), Jusuf Kalla, has agreed to mediate a dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban to end the conflict in the country.

"Of course, we are ready to help for the sake of peace. We are planning to invite the conflicting parties to hold the dialogue in Jakarta. That will be one option. We will invite the Taliban through MUI (the Indonesian Ulemas Council)," Kalla said in a statement received here on Friday.

The MUI will ask the Taliban to hold the dialogue with the Afghan government, he added. Kalla said he will also work in coordination with the Indonesian government, which has initiated the peace process. Afghanistan President Asraf Gani met with Kalla at the Afghan Presidential Palace late on Thursday (December 24, 2020) and asked the former Indonesian vice president to broker the peace dialogue with the Taliban.

Gani said he is optimistic that Kalla's involvement in mediating the dialogue would help end the conflict in the country. Kalla's experience in resolving conflicts in Indonesia could help Afghanistan, especially given his influence among ulemas as DMI head, the Afghan President remarked. Earlier, the Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs of Afghanistan, Mohammad Qasim Halimi, had reportedly asked Kalla to mediate a dialogue between the government and the Taliban in an effort to broker a peace deal. Meanwhile, head of foreign affairs at the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), Hamid Awaludin, who will serve as a negotiator on Kalla's team has said he believes that factions in Afghanistan can reach a common understanding as there is no talk on amending the Constitution.

"All factions have agreed on an Islamic government, but there might be differences in the implementation model because it is related to interpretation of the Islamic law," he explained//ANT

ASEAN's concrete actions paramount to ending Rohingya's misery - Antara

Indonesia currently hosts over 900 human trafficking victims, who have become refugees on the high seas.

The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority in Myanmar that have faced persecution at the hands of the Buddhist majority for decades. In fact, the UN reports show that Rohingya are the most persecuted minority in the world.
In May 2015, the Rohingya refugee crisis had grabbed international headlines when tens of thousands of Rohingya fled from genocide in Myanmar in overcrowded boats heading toward Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Facing a genocide in their hometown of Rakhine State, Myanmar, nearly one million of them fled to the neighboring country, Bangladesh, in 2017, and were accommodated in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp, the biggest refugee camp in the world today. Their tragedy continues unabated, as the Rohingya refugee crisis has become a ripe ground for human trafficking since they were moved to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal, which could be inundated by a single strike from a cyclone.

Prior to the 37th ASEAN Summit in November 2020, dozens of current and former lawmakers from across Southeast Asia urged the policy-making body to ensure that its actions bring about a positive and sustainable change that contribute to ending the cycle of violence and displacement of Rohingya in Rakhine.

"While we welcome ASEAN playing a proactive role in the Rakhine crisis, there is so much more it can do to help bring it towards a resolution," an Indonesian MP and board member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) Mercy Barends noted in a statement last November.

"It is time for the ASEAN to articulate a coordinated and long-term strategy that addresses the root causes of this crisis. Failure to do so will risk causing further harm and suffering for the Rohingya and all other communities in Rakhine," Barends emphasized.

Furthermore, an escalating armed conflict between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military endangers the safety of thousands of civilians from all communities, the MPs pointed out. In their open letter, the lawmakers put forth several recommendations to the ASEAN on playing a proactive and positive role in resolving the crisis, including by promoting transparency in its decisions and ensuring meaningful consultation with the Rohingya and refugee communities, as well as with civil society actors.

"Until now, the ASEAN has allowed the Myanmar government to dictate the terms of its engagement on the Rakhine issue, but this week’s ASEAN Summit presents the perfect opportunity to change course and use its political leverage with the Myanmar government to push for measures that bring meaningful change on the ground in Rakhine State," Barends affirmed.

"We urge the ASEAN to develop a strategy that listens to the people most impacted by this crisis, and most importantly, one that abides by the principle of ‘Do No Harm,'" Barends stated.

Speaking at the 20th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi specifically drew attention to the issue of Rohingya refugees as a form of organized human smuggling and trafficking in the region. Marsudi re-emphasized the criticality of addressing the root causes of the Rohingya crisis through voluntary, safe, and dignified repatriation.

“For Indonesia, Myanmar is home to Rohingya refugees,” Marsudi stated//ANT