VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian government has banned the import of live animals from China following the coronavirus outbreak in the country, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has said. "The government has banned the import of live animals from China. If (live animals) have been imported, they will be returned since the disease can be transmitted from humans to humans and wild animals," he said at the Bogor Presidential Palace Tuesday.

He made the remarks after attending a limited meeting headed by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to discuss the preparedness to face the impact of the coronavirus.

The policy followed the government's decision to ban all newcomers arriving from mainland China and those staying in mainland China for 14 days from entering and transiting Indonesia and to temporarily suspend the issuance of visas on arrival for Chinese citizens.

The policy does not apply to the import of goods including horticultural goods such as garlic and fruits because the goods are not related to the transmission of the disease, he said.

The government is mulling further action including studying the impact of the outbreak on the national economy, he said.

"We will keep monitoring (the spread of coronavirus) in China until mid-February. The outbreak is expected to last until mid-February and their quarantine will be evaluated at the end of February, so we will do the same," he said.

Responding to the decline in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Indonesia, he said the government will encourage domestic travelers to visit various tourist destinations in the country.

"The government will encourage travels to tourist destinations in Bali, Batam, Bintan and Manado by offering special tariffs. We will also encourage domestic conferences and MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition) to be held in the tourist resorts to boost the numbers," he said.

The live animals the government has banned from being imported include reptiles, Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto said.

"The decision is that we ban the import of live animals. All live animals such as turtles, snakes and reptiles are banned because they are related to the virus," he said. (ANTARA)

Indonesia’s rupiah closed higher by 27 points or 0.19 percent at Rp13.715 against the United States (U.S.) dollar, Tuesday evening, after China injected US$174 billion liquidity into markets via reverse repo operations, Monday. "A drop in interest rates and China's stimulus to the markets pushed the rupiah up on today's trading," PT TRFX Garuda Berjangka Director Ibrahim Assuaibi said in Jakarta.

Apart from the liquidity support, China's Bank Central also cut its interest rate by 10 basis points to ease the market crash amid the Coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 20,000 lives.

On Tuesday morning, the rupiah opened lower at Rp13.748 against the dollar in the Jakarta interbank market. According to Bank Indonesia's exchange rate, Tuesday, the rupiah plunged to Rp13.760 against the dollar, while the day before, it was recorded at Rp13.726.

Throughout the day, the rupiah moved between Rp13.702 and Rp13.773 against the dollar. (ANTARA)

The government's target of raising oil production to one million barrels per day (bopd) in 2025 could be achieved with the support of relevant parties, Executive Director of Energy Watch Mamit Setiawan said.  

"Everything can be achieved if the government and cooperation contract holders (KKKS) are consistent in implementing a business plan and work plan and budget (WPNB) every year," he said in a written statement released Tuesday.

The government's support for KKKS is essential to deal with any obstacle in the implementation of the program, he said.

To achieve the target, the government also needs to accelerate the revision of Oil and Gas Law Number 20 of 2001, among others, he said.

"KKKS need legal certainty to invest in Indonesia. Right now everything is half-hearted, so KKKS should exercise more caution to invest since the oil and gas industry is capital-intensive and very risky," he said.

Besides, the government also needs to accelerate the process of cheaper enhanced oil recovery (EOR) since the cost of EOR technology is still high, he said.

"This is for the government to consider. Don't let KKKS develop EOR which will later prove uneconomical, except if the government has its own calculation for those developing EOR and their production increases," he added.

The other effort needed to achieve the target is accelerating the approval of Plan of Development (POD) by the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Task Force (SKK Migas), he said.

"Without the approval of the POD, KKKS will not be able to move forward so the production will come to a standstill," he said.

To increase production, not just oil drilling but also massive activities are needed to realize Work Over and Well Service (WOWS), he said.

"We have a large potential to drill the existing wells. It is a matter of how we could increase the production," he said. (ANTARA)

An art exhibition titled “Necklace of Equator” was officially opened on Monday (3 February 2020) by the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobieva and the Acting Director General for American and European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Teuku Faizasyah, at the National Gallery, Jakarta. The exhibition of the collection of paintings by Russian artists was made to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Federation of Russia and the Republic of Indonesia. Ambassador Vorobieva said she had another name for the collection, calling it “Indonesia, My Love” for she believed that it truly represents what Russians feel about Indonesia.

“How successfully and dynamically the Russian Indonesian ties have been developing during those seven decades. How close our people have become. Mutual trust and sincere friendship are the basic principles that bring us together, help to promote our bilateral cooperation and interaction and regional and international structures. I would like to add that probably Of course, “Necklace of Equator” means that Indonesia is like the jewel, of a collection of jewels, expanding along the equator. I also like to give it another name to the collection, "Indonesia my love", because when you will see the paintings you will feel the very warm feelings of love. the friendship that these paintings translate. That's how Russian people feel about Indonesian with hopes that the feeling is mutual,” she said.

The collection consists of over 50 pieces painted by Russian masters over the past 20 years. The paintings represent images and scenes that these Russian artists witnessed throughout their tour of various Indonesian islands such as Java, Bali, Lombok, and Kalimantan. This collection was curated by the non-profit, “Bureau of Creative Expeditions”, that is led by Mr. Vladimir Nikolaevich Anisimov, a member of the Russian Academy of Arts. Besides paintings, visitors will also be able to see photographs and documents from the Historical Archives of the Indonesia-Russia’sDiplomatic Relations   which are the collections of the National Archives (ANRI) and the Department of History and Documentary from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. The exhibition will be open from the 3^rd of February to the 17^th of February 2020. (VOI/SAYEE SHREE L.R/AHM)