VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia at the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held via video conference on Saturday pushed member states to work closely to address the challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region.

The forum discussed a wide range of issues, ranging from border dispute, escalating tension in the South China Sea, lack of progress on denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula, terrorism threat to rivalry between two superpowers.

"Under these current circumstances, we underscore the need for ARF to remain relevant to forge cooperation among (member) states in addressing the ever increasingly complex challenges in the region," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a virtual press statement on the meeting.

In the press statement, Indonesia highlighted the significance of member states projecting dialog culture and values and peaceful settlement of conflicts.

The values and norms have navigated the Southeast Asian region in dealing with a wide range of challenges and become a guide to establishing cooperation with partner countries in the region for more than five decades, she said.

"We hope all partner countries including ARF member states to stick to the values," she remarked.

Indonesia is also looking forward to seeing peaceful and stable South China Sea where internationally-recognized principles including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982 are upheld, she said.

In fact, the matter has been outlined in the joint communique of the 53rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) stating that UNCLOS 1982 constitutes the frame of international law for all activities in waters and sea.

"The Code of Conduct in the South China Sea must be consistent with the international law including UNCLOS 1982. Indonesia also stressed that UNCLOS 1982 is the only basis to determine maritime entitlements, sovereignty and sovereign rights, jurisdiction, and legitimate interest in waters and sea," she said. ,

Indonesia also highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation to deal with transnational security challenges, especially the threats of terrorism and human trafficking during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I remind (the forum) that poverty and recession will increase the potential of groups to recruit them in terrorism movement. For its part Indonesia proposes an ARF statement related to treatment of children recruited by or associate with terrorist group. In sya Allah (Gode willing) it could be agreed upon and become the outcome of the ARF meeting," she said..

ARF is part of a series of ASEAN Ministerial Meetings held every year.

ARF consists of 10 ASEAN member states, China, Japan, the United States, Russia,, North Korea, South Korea. India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, Timor Leste, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and European Union.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. (ANTARA)

The government updated the development of the COVID-19 case in Indonesia with a note that additional cases are still happening.

Based on data compiled by the Ministry of Health's website on Friday, over the past 24 hours, positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 have increased by 3,737 cases.

The total of the COVID-19 cases since early March to date is 210,940 cases.

The COVID-19 case has spread to 490 districts/cities in 34 provinces in Indonesia.

Several provinces reported the highest additional cases today, including Jakarta with an additional 964 new cases, Central Java with 566 cases, East Java with 362 cases, West Java with 272 cases, and Riau with 182 cases.

Meanwhile, recoveries increased by 2,707 people, bringing the total to 150,217 people. More 88 people died on Friday, bringing the total deaths to 8,544 people. (RRI)

Head of the COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee (KPCPEN) Erick Thohir put forth a suggestion of two schemes for the COVID-19 mass vaccination program.

The two schemes are a free vaccination program and a paid vaccination program, Thohir, also the state enterprises minister, noted while delivering a scientific oration at Padjadjaran University, Bandung, West Java, on Friday.

"We proposed two types of vaccination to the government and the parliament, specifically government-funded vaccination under the military/police program in cooperation with the Education Ministry as well as the Health Ministry and the Indonesian Red Cross," he stated.

The Education Ministry will deploy 40 thousand prospective nurses and 12 thousand prospective physicians to partake in the mass vaccination program, besides 1.5 million doctors and nurses ready to support the program.

The budget for the free vaccination program will come from the state budget by utilizing data of the National Health Insurance (BPJS Kesehatan). The government had fully subsidized the premiums of 93 million people, he stated.

"We are optimistic that people capable of paying (for the vaccination) would help the government by opting for the paid vaccination program," he pointed out.

During its meeting with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), the committee urged members of some associations to conduct paid vaccination to lower the government's burden.

Thohir praised their commitment to covering the funding for COVID-19 vaccination for their respective employees.

Indonesia will receive 30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by 2020-end, and it will have 300 million vaccine doses in 2021.

"God willing by the end of this year, we will have 30 million doses of the vaccine, and in 2021, we will receive 300 million doses of the vaccine," Thohir stated. (Antaranews)

ASEAN member countries held a meeting with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Representatives on Thursday.

During the meeting, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi highlighted women's issues, including female migrant workers.

Retno said the number of ASEAN migrant workers is around 9.9 million worldwide, of which 48.7 percent are women.

"We ensure that during the pandemic, women have equal rights and access, including in health services," Retno said.

Retno said that Indonesia is focusing on women, including migrant workers in the AICHR table. Most of the AICHR representatives are also women.

Retno also asked AICHR to pay attention to Rohingya's irregular migrants. 

The Rohingya refugees, who are often referred to as 'boat people', risked their lives and resorted to dangerous means to find a better life.

"Most of them are women and children," she said.

During this meeting, Indonesia also welcomed the adoption of the AICHR Five Year Work Plan 2021-2025. (RRI)