VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (VOI News) - Despite of not holding Eid al-Adha mass prayer, the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta this year still carries out the slaughtering of sacrificial animals while still following the health protocol. This was conveyed by Abu Hurairah, Deputy Head of Takmir or Worship Division of the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta to Voice of Indonesia, recently. He said the process of slaughtering sacrificial animals which will take place on Saturday (1/8) will avoid crowds by limiting no more than 50 people and implementing health protocols. For the distribution of sacrificial meat, Abu Hurairah said it would be carried out by delivering it directly to homes and mosques adjacent to the Istiqlal Mosque.

"The distribution of the sacrificial meat is insha Allah, if we start slaughtering on Saturday at 8 am it means after the Dzhuhur prayer, our sacrificial meat can be distributed. As in the previous years, in the past 4 or 5 years, the we no longer distribute coupons to the public, but on the contrary, the committee of the Istiqlal mosque sacrifice committee will deliver the meat to houses, small mosques, or mosques and we prioritize the meat distribution, of course, to the people who live close to the Istiqlal Mosque," said Abu Hurairah..

Abu Hurairah added, until Wednesday (7/29) the number of sacrificial animals received by the Istiqlal Mosque was 18 cows and 11 goats. The sacrificial animals are given by the the community, businessmen, and state officials. (VOI / AHM)

Minister of State Secretry Pratikno.

The Indonesian government has made an earnest appeal to Indonesians to stop their activities for three minutes on August 17, 2020, at 10:17 a.m. Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB) in observance of the country's Independence Day.

The entire community is expected to respect and observe the Proclamation by momentarily halting all activities and standing up straight and solemnly on August 17, 2020, at 10:17 a.m. local time, Minister of State Secretary, Pratikno, as chair of the Committee for the National Independence Day Celebrations and Reception for Heads of State, foreign countries' representatives, stated in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"Take a perfect stance and stand tall to honor the commemoration of the anniversary of Indonesia’s Proclamation of Independence," he emphasized.

The anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia's Proclamation of Independence on August 17, 2020, will be commemorated virtually through the application of stringent health protocols and the active involvement of the entire community.

"Stop all your activities for just three minutes on August 17, 2020, at 17 minutes past 10 Western Indonesia Standard Time," Pratikno stated.

This year's ceremony to commemorate the Proclamation of Indonesia's Independence will only be attended by limited number of invitees involved in the series of memorial services.

The public, at large, will be able to follow the virtual memorial ceremony on television or the Internet.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, large gatherings of the public and other invited guests is out of the question since the government will be prioritizing public health and safety.

Indonesia had proclaimed its independence on August 17, 1945, after being colonized by the Dutch forces for 350 years and later by Japan for three and a half years. (ANTARA)

Minister of Research and Technology Bambang Brodjonegoro. (Handout KBRI Ankara)

Research and Technology Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro and Turkish Technology and Industry Minister Mustafa Varank partook in a virtual meeting to discuss opportunities for cooperation in the development of COVID-19 vaccines and medicines.

During the virtual meeting, initiated by the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara on Tuesday, Minister Brodjonegoro was accompanied by the Indonesian ambassador to Turkey, several officials of the ministry, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, head of the Agency for Application and Development of Technology (BPPT), head of the Aeronautics and Space Institute (LAPAN), the chair of Eijkman Institute, and heads of technology-based industries, including PT. Bio Farma, PT Dirgantara Indonesia, and PT RAI.

"Indonesia is very open to strengthening cooperation in the fields that were already discussed. Hence, we agree to discuss the memoranda of understanding in each field as soon as possible and also sign an agreement between the two ministers that will serve as an umbrella for other cooperation agreements", the minister noted in a statement issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara.

According to information from the World Health Organization (WHO), Turkey is one of the four nations globally to have achieved the most noteworthy progress in the field of vaccine development.

Meanwhile, PT Bio Farma is one of the largest vaccine industries in the Islamic world.

In addition to cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector, the two ministers discussed technological developments and the likelihood of cooperation in the commercial aerospace industry for N-219 and R-80 planes, satellites and satellite launchers or rockets, as well as for the development of unmanned aircraft technology for producing drones.

In the field of satellite and rocket development, Turkey has begun domestically building large-scale communication satellites and is one of the developed countries in the rocket industry, especially for military purposes.

Hence, the two countries perceive vast opportunities to collaborate to develop satellite technology, rockets, and satellite launchers.

"Based on the presentations given by the two delegations, it is increasingly clear that concrete opportunities for technological cooperation in various fields between Indonesia and Turkey are hugely promising. We must immediately follow up on them," Minister Varank noted. (ANTARA)

Jakarta (VOI News) - The Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi, India, has again successfully implemented a self-initiated repatriation program for Indonesian citizens detained in India. Only 4 (four) days after the 4^th phase of repatriation program on July 23, on Tuesday (27/7), the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi has successfully implemented the self-initiated repatriation program for the fifth time. A release from the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi received by Voice of Indonesia in Jakarta on Wednesday (29/07) said that 24 Indonesian citizens were registered in the 5^th phase of self-initiated repatriation program. Speaking to Voice of Indonesia in Jakarta on Wednesday (29/07), the Counselor of the Socio-Cultural Information of the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi, Irvan Fachrizal, as the field coordinator of the repatriation program said that the Indonesian Embassy continuously makes efforts to protect Indonesian citizens detained in India due to the lockdown policy by the local government because of the COVID-19 outbreak since March 24, 2020.

"The Indonesian Embassy will continuously carry out the protection task by identifying detained Indonesian citizens in all states in India so that they can return to Indonesia through a similar program. Referring to the experience of repatriation several times earlier, inshaAllah in the future it will be even better and we hope that Indonesian citizens can soon gather with their beloved families in the country. Of course that becomes the spirit for us in carrying out the task of making every repatriation program a success," said Irvan Fachrizal.

This repatriation program used Garuda Indonesia flight on the Delhi – Medan – Jakarta route, and arrived in Jakarta on July 28, 2020. Of the 24 Indonesians, 1 of them is a student, 21 religious pilgrims, and 2 tourists. They came from the states of Haryana, Punjab, and Karnataka.

Like the repatriation that has been done before, the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi facilitates the Indonesian citizens with a travel permit to be used when continuing to travel to their respective regions in Indonesia, a certificate of the COVID-19 test, and a complete personal protection equipment (PPE) for their smooth and secure arrival in Indonesia. . Until now, the number of Indonesian citizens who have been successfully repatriated from India is 419 people from the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi and from the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) of Mumbai. (VOI / Release of Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi / AHM)