VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and his Malaysian counterpart Da'to Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan have expressed their commitment to completely resolving the border dispute between the two nations, including in the Ambalat Block.

"In essence, with the commitment of our head of government, we want to solve all the problems that we have with a family approach, a friendly approach as neighbors that will solve all problems as well as possible. Almost all problems are almost resolved. I think so," Subianto said after the 43rd Malaysia-Indonesia General Border Committee (GBC Malindo) meeting in Jakarta on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Hasan said that the relations between Indonesia and Malaysia are based on a spirit of brotherhood and friendship, so he is optimistic that negotiations regarding the border dispute can hopefully be completed soon.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also conveyed their commitment to resolving the border problem when the two met in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on June 8, 2023.

Widodo and Ibrahim said Indonesia and Malaysia had negotiated on their state boundaries in the southern Malacca Strait and the Sulawesi Sea; meanwhile, for the land borders in Sebatik and Sinapad, both expressed the hope that the negotiations would be completed soon.

However, the agreement at the meeting in Putrajaya did not cover the issue of maritime boundaries in the Ambalat Block.

The Ambalat Block is a sea block covering an area of 15,235 square kilometers. It is located in the Sulawesi Sea or Makassar Strait and borders Malaysian waters.

Based on reports from Malaysian media, including the Malaysian News Agency Bernama, Malaysian officials said the maritime boundary agreement between Indonesia and Malaysia in the Sulawesi Sea does not include the Ambalat Block, which Malaysia refers to as Blocks ND6 and ND7.

In August 2023, Malaysian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Muhammad Alamin emphasized that Indonesia and Malaysia had not yet negotiated their maritime boundaries in Ambalat, especially regarding the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the continental shelf of the two countries.

Indonesia and Malaysia still claim full sovereignty over the two waters.

The border issue in Ambalat arose because of the overlapping territorial waters of the EEZ and the continental shelf between the two countries, whose measurement refers to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Under the 1982 UNCLOS, each country has full sovereignty over waters as far as 200 nautical miles from its EEZ coastal baseline along with its seabed (continental shelf), which is more than 200 nautical miles away.

However, Indonesia and Malaysia share territorial waters that are close to each other, so there is an overlapping of their EEZ and continental shelf.

The dispute between the two countries in the Ambalat Block heated up in 1979 when Malaysia violated the Continental Shelf Boundary agreement of October 27, 1969. Under that agreement, the two countries had agreed that the Ambalat Block was a part of Indonesian territory. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini revealed that she is currently exploring opportunities with the United States to train special teachers for people with Down syndrome.

While giving remarks at the ASEAN High-Level Forum on Disability-Inclusive Development and Partnership Beyond 2025 in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Thursday, the minister said that the management of inclusive schools can only accommodate people with physical disabilities who can still take lessons in public schools

However, when these special teachers handle students with Down syndrome, who require special attention, it becomes a challenge itself, so Rismaharini said she is trying tries to explore opportunities to get assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the help of the US Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, Sarah Minkara.

"Well, this is one of the things I mentioned to the advisor, Sarah, on how I could get assistance from USAID to facilitate special teachers for schools with Down syndrome students," the minister added.

She noted that children with Down syndrome have unlimited potential, saying that their talent must be developed with the intervention of special teachers.

"When I say teachers do not mean school teachers, but trainers who understand and capture the potential that children with Down syndrome have," said Risma.

The high-level forum was attended by 200 participants from representatives of ASEAN Sectoral Bodies, ASEAN affiliated organizations, organizations of persons with disabilities, ASEAN dialogue partners, and academics. The event was held in Makassar from October 10 to 12, 2023. (Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - State-owned electricity firm PT PLN has completed preparations for the 2023 MotoGP Mandalika Series in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), which is scheduled to take place from October 13 to 15.

PLN is fully committed to supporting the international event, which is being held for the second time at Mandalika Circuit, by ensuring reliable electricity supply using a multi-layered supply security system, the company's president director, Darmawan Prasodjo, affirmed on Thursday.

"PLN already has a standard electrical system for events like MotoGP. We have also prepared electricity needs for international events such as the G20 Summit, ASEAN Summit, Motocross World Championship (MXGP) three times, Idemitsu Asian Talent Cup (IATC), and Shell Eco-Marathon," Prasodjo informed in a written statement.

According to the general manager of PLN's West Nusa Tenggara Regional Main Unit, Sudjarwo, the progress of preparing the main installation and backup systems for all MotoGP event venues at the Mandalika Circuit has gone according to plan.

"The progress of setting up electrical installations at the Mandalika Circuit, which consists of work on setting up the main venue and backup equipment, installing electrical networks, preparing personnel, assets, facilities, and system reliability checklists, has been completed," he said.

According to him, the electricity supply to Mandalika Circuit will be sourced from Kuta Substation (30 MVA) and Sengkol Substation (60 MVA). Meanwhile, for the distribution readiness system, the company has prepared three feeders — Mandalika 1, Mandalika 2, and Sengkol — under a zero downtime scheme.

The supporting equipment will comprise 18 generator sets, 19 mobile uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, 9 mobile substations (UGB), and 18 automatic transfer switches (ATS), Sudjarwo added.

He said that PLN has readied 180 personnel along with 25 cars and 12 motorbikes. His party has also prepared 3 teams of line voltage handlers (PDKB) consisting of 8 personnel and 7 direct contact personnel.

PLN is also preparing 5 additional public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLU) consisting of 2 existing SPKLU units and 3 mobile SPKLU units, with 1 unit with a capacity of 50 kilowatts (kW) and 2 units with a capacity of 200 kW already installed at Mandalika Circuit.

"We ask for support from the entire community and stakeholders for this MotoGP event. We hope we can fully support the electricity needs for this world-class event," he remarked. (ANTARA News)

VOI, Jakarta - European airline chiefs said on Thursday the industry needs to make more money and may consolidate further to pay for sustainability targets, a trend likely to lead to higher fares for passengers on top of rising demand for air travel.

The head of British Airways parent IAG (ICAG.L) told reporters at a CEO roundtable that there was a more than a 90% risk that the industry would not meet a European Union mandate for the availability of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in 2025.

The European Union has adopted rules requiring flights departing from EU airports to carry a progressively increasing amount of SAF, starting with 2% of total fuel in 2025.

Gallego said Europe's tougher rules, compared to other regions, risked making its fragmented industry less competitive, putting pressure on airlines to continue a recent wave of partnerships.

"The problem we have in Europe is we have a small group or a small airline competing in a global war with mandates of sustainability that are ahead of others. We are not going to be competitive," Gallego said.

"So we need to consolidate the industry, you know, in order to afford all these, for example, sustainability ambitions that we have. And that's the reason why we are trying to be bigger, more efficient, and to develop better platforms for our customers."

Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the Brussels event, Ryanair (RYA.I) Chief Executive Michael O'Leary forecast more consolidation with IAG best placed to buy Portugal's TAP ahead of rivals Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) and Lufthansa (LHAG.DE).

He expressed surprise that Air France-KLM had bought a stake in Scandinavian SAS.

He also reiterated predictions that low-cost rivals Wizz Air (WIZZ.L) and easyJet (EZJ.L) would fall to consolidation, with easyJet snapped up by IAG or Air France-KLM, or both, and Wizz Air getting bought by Lufthansa or a Middle Eastern buyer.

"Riyadh (Air) have lots of plans, but they have no access to aircraft," he said.

The comments drew a frosty response from easyJet. Other carriers were not immediately available for comment.

"Millions of consumers in Europe will be relieved to hear there is no realistic prospect of Ryanair becoming the only low cost airline in Europe," an easyJet spokesperson said. (Reuters)