VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Board Wishnutama Kusubandio welcomed the UNESCO's decision to include Danau Toba in North Sumatra as one of its Global Geoparks.

The Minister said in a statement received here Sunday that Lake Toba has become one of the super priority tourism destinations that has received a world-class certification from the UNESCO Global Geopark, making it even more well known in the international level.

Most importantly, it will bring benefits to local people.

"Lake Toba can be the source of earnings for the people, with high potentials to be developed into a tourism destination. Combining three potentials including geodiversity, biodiversity, and cultural diversity, Lake Toba  plays an important role in upholding the tourism sector," he said.

He further explained that through a sustainable geotourism development, the people are expected to have opportunities to expand their local products, culture, and creation of jobs.

"This appointment gives Indonesia an opportunity and responsibility to boost economic expansion and sustainable development in the area," he continued.

Lake Toba was named as one of UNESCO's Global Geoparks at the 209th UNESCO Executive Board Assembly in Paris, France, on July 2.

Lake Toba made it to the UNESCO list after being assessed and decided by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council at the IV UNESCO Global Geoparks International Conference in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, in 2019. (ANTARA)

The European Union (EU) has signed three grant agreements worth €5.3 million or Rp86 billion with European and Indonesian NGOs working in partnership to help Indonesia contain the COVID-19 outbreak and its social and economic consequences.

Three European NGOs – Stichting World Vision Nederland, Association Federation Handicap International, and Stichting Hivos – teamed up with 8 Indonesian NGOs: Yayasan Wahana Visi Indonesia, Perkumpulan Relawan CIS Timor, Perkumpulan Sasana Inklusi dan Gerakan Advokasi Difabel (SIGAB) Indonesia, Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI), Perkumpulan Lingkaran Pendidikan Alternatif untuk Perempuan (KAPAL Perempuan), Perkumpulan Pamflet Generasi, Perkumpulan Untuk Peningkatan Usaha Kecil (PUPUK) and Yayasan Sentra Advokasi Perempuan Difabel dan Anak (SAPDA).

"We are proud to announce the signing of three new grant agreements through our Civil society support programme to mitigate the health crisis caused by COVID-19 and to overcome its economic and social consequences for the citizens of Indonesia, in particular the poor and the vulnerable. We expect that the joint actions of the NGOs will benefit more than 2.9 million Indonesians in eight target provinces," EU Ambassador Vincent Piket said in a statement received in Jakarta, Sunday.

All actions will aim at: responding to the immediate health crisis and the resulting humanitarian needs of marginalised and high-risk populations, such as people with disability, elderly, children under 5 years, youth, pregnant and lactating women, women-headed households, sexual and gender minorities, persons at risk of mental health and psychosocial distress, the immune-suppressed, people living with HIV, and people with chronic diseases such as tuberculosis; strengthening health, water and sanitation systems, as well as Indonesia’s capacity and preparedness to deal with the pandemic; mitigating the immediate social and economic consequences on vulnerable populations, including support to the private sector with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises, and government reforms to reduce poverty.

The involvement of NGOs is crucial given that they have proven to be the closest organisations to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The projects cover eight provinces, namely DKI Jakarta, West Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and North Maluku with an expected implementation period of 18-24 months.

The addition of 1,671 fresh COVID-19 cases in Indonesia until Saturday noon brought the tally to 74,018, while 1,190 recoveries were reported, bringing the total to 34,719, Achmad Yurianto, government's spokesman for COVID-19 response, stated.

The highest number of new confirmed cases were found in East Java Province, reaching 409, followed by 378 new cases in Jakarta, Yurianto noted at a press conference in Jakarta on Saturday.

South Sulawesi Province witnessed the addition of 180 new cases, 100 in Central Java, 87 new cases in North Sumatra, 79 in South Kalimantan, and 73 new cases in West Java.

"Today, 18 provinces reported under 10 new cases, while no cases were recorded in the six provinces of Jambi, West Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, Lampung, and East Nusa Tenggara," Yurianto remarked.

Furthermore, Yurianto pointed to an increase in the number of patients recovering from COVID-19 in various regions, including 318 new recoveries in East Java, followed by 215 in Jakarta, 176 in South Sulawesi, 75 in South Kalimantan, 50 in Central Java, 28 in West Java, and 16 in North Sumatra.

The number of patients succumbing to COVID-19 rose by 66, thereby bringing the death toll to 3,535 since the Indonesian government announced its first COVID-19 cases on March 2, 2020.

Yurianto attributed the rise in COVID-19 cases principally to the failure of people to stringently follow health protocols.

A research conducted by several experts indicated that those not wearing masks were responsible for the surfacing of new COVID-19 cases, according to Yurianto.

"This is important. Hence, we remind (Indonesians) to wear masks that are comfortable to use. Please, always wear a mask," he reiterated.  (ANTARA)

A joint exercise is conducted by the Indonesian Navy and the Indonesian Air Force in Ambalat waters, near the border of Indonesia and Malaysia on July 11, 2020. .ANTARA Foto/ HO/Dispen Lantamal VI

The Indonesian Navy and Indonesian Air Force conducted an exercise near the border of Indonesia and Malaysia.

The Indonesian Navy deployed three warships -- KRI Diponegoro (DPN) -365, KRI P. Rengat (PRE) -711, and KRI Kakap (KKP) -811 -- while the Indonesian Air Force deployed a Boeing 737 aircraft from Squadron 5 of the Hasanuddin Air Force Base.

The tactical cooperation at the Indonesia-Malaysia border area was monitored by Sea Combat Group Commander of the Fleet Command II First Admiral Rahmat Eko Rahardjo from KRI Diponegoro-365 in the Ambalat waters on Saturday.

The exercise, involving the Navy and Air Force, was an enactment of a recommendation arrived at during a coordination meeting at the headquarters of the Air Force Operation Command II when KRI Diponegoro-365 docked at the Main Naval Base VI in Makassar.

The joint activity focused on forging sound tactical cooperation between the Navy and Air Force while conducting a joint military operation to safeguard the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia in the RI-Malaysia border region, particularly in the Ambalat Block waters.

The two-day exercise was also projected to help hone the capabilities and skills of the crew members of KRI DPN-365, KRI PRE -711, and KRI KKP -811 as well as to integrate tactical cooperation between Indonesian warships and aircraft in executing operational tasks. Tactical cooperation should constantly be established optimally between the three warships and aircraft to support the tasks of the Indonesian Navy in guarding the country's waters and the Indonesian Air Force in defending the country's air space, he emphasized.

Eko expounded that the exercise had taken a cue from past historical experiences that airplanes were crucial and effective weapons in sea operations akin to what had occurred during the Pacific war, specifically the Midway battle in 1942. (ANTARA)