VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, was designated as a world cultural heritage during the 43rd session of UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan.

"Ombilin was designated as a world cultural heritage today," Education and Culture Ministry's Director of Cultural Heritage and Diplomacy Nadjamuddin Ramly told Antara on Saturday.

It is the fifth world cultural heritage in Indonesia after the Borobudur Temple (1991), Prambanan Temple (1991), Sangiran Site (1996), and Subak system in Bali (2012).

The country also has four world natural heritage sites: Komodo National Park (1991), Lorentz National Park (1999), Sumatra Tropical Forest (2004), and Ujung Kulon National Park (1991).

In 2015, Sawahlunto City was included on the temporary list of world cultural heritage. Since then, the process of data collection, preparation of supporting documents, and protracted discussions with experts and academics from within and outside the country have been intensified.

Finally, a proposal emerged to expand the nomination theme to strengthen Outstanding Universal Value.

The expansion of the nomination theme certainly has implications for the expansion of the nomination area by combining several cities or districts, specifically, Padang City, Padang Panjang City, Solok City, Solok Regency, Padang Pariaman Regency, and Tanah Datar District in West Sumatra into one nominated region: "Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto."

"The site of the Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto was of outstanding universal value, as it met the criteria two and four," Ramly explained.

Criteria two is that it should exhibit an important interchange of humanitarian values over a period of time or within the scope of cultural areas, in the development of architecture and technology, monumental arts, urban planning, and landscape design.

In connection with criteria two, the uniqueness of the Ombilin mine is reflected in the exchange of information and local technology with European technology related to coal exploitation in the late 19th century to the start of the 20th century in the world, especially in Southeast Asia.

Under criteria four, the site should be an exemplary example of a building type, architectural work, and combination of technologies or landscapes that elucidate crucial stages in human history.

"In this case, the uniqueness of the Ombilin coal mine site in Sawahlunto exemplifies a series of technological combinations in a mining city landscape designed for efficiency in the coal extraction, processing, and transportation phases, as demonstrated in the company organizations, division of labor, mining schools, and structuring a mining city inhabited by around seven thousand residents," Ramly further elaborated.

He revealed that the submission of the initial draft nomination document, carrying the proposed name change to "Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto" to the UNESCO World Heritage Center was conducted on September 30, 2016, followed by repeated revisions, until the final nomination text was sent at the end of January 2018.

The manuscript was finally declared complete and subsequently evaluated its feasibility to become a world heritage by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which is the Advisory Board of the UNESCO World Heritage Center cultural category.

This evaluation phase encompasses the stages of conducting field evaluation, requesting the first additional information document, conducting teleconference interview, and requesting the second additional information document.

After the ICOMOS evaluation results were published, a new request emerged, so the Indonesian government examined the ICOMOS recommendations and sent factual error information from the recommendations to UNESCO.

Non-technical efforts to encourage the Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlun to became a world heritage were conducted jointly by the Education and Culture Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry during a day-long public diplomacy meeting.

"Several records must be completed before the deadline of December 1, 2021. After the designation by UNESCO, all parties involved in the Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto are expected to maintain its status as a world cultural heritage," Ramly concluded. (ANTARA)

Since 2014, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has sunk 516 vessels belonging to countries in its neighborhood and even from Indonesia for conducting illegal fishing operations in its waters. These vessels numbered 294 from Vietnam, 92 from the Philippines, 76 from Malaysia, and 23 from Thailand, in addition to two from Papua New Guinea, one each from China, Nigeria and Belize, and 26 from Indonesia.

In addition, from January to June 2019, the ministry has captured 67 illegal vessels consisting of 17 from Malaysia, 15 from Vietnam, three from the Philippines and 32 from Indonesia.

"The success in capturing illegal fishing vessels is inseparable from the integrated monitoring system of air surveillance, sea surveillance and fishing vessel monitoring system (VMS)," the ministry's Acting Director General of Marine and Fisheries Resources Monitoring, Agus Suherman said in his statement Saturday.

The ministry, in collaboration with the Task Force 115, the Attorney General's Office, and other relevant agencies has also eliminated as many as 28 illegal fishing vessels based on court decisions from January to June 2019.

The figure consists of 23 vessels from Vietnam, three from Malaysia, and one each from the Philippines, and Indonesia. These and the ships that have been sunk between October 2014 and June 2019 bring the total to 516.

Earlier, the Indonesian Marine Bachelor Association (Iskindo) appreciated the agreement in the G20 Summit regarding Indonesia's initiative and leadership in combating IUU fishing.

"Although the agreement is non-binding, it will be the concern of the G20 countries in providing support for efforts to reduce the practice of IUU around the world," Iskindo's daily chairman Moh Abdi Suhufan said.

In the G20 forum which took place in Osaka Japan, on June 28 and 29, 2019,

leaders of the G20 countries managed to agree on the commitment to tackle IUU fishing globally.

With such an agreement, the G20 countries would be compelled to take up the issue of IUU fishing within the framework of global cooperation.

"We appreciate the Indonesian government which in the past four years has consistently combated IUU fishing and has opened the eyes of the world on the mode, crime, impact and methods of eradicating IUU fishing through a legal approach," Suhufan emphasized.

The agreement is one of Indonesia's effort at the world level to invite other countries to protect fish resources, according to him.

Indonesia is one of the few countries in the world that has succeeded in increasing fish stocks after its crackdown on IUU fishing practices in its waters, he stressed.

Furthermore, Indonesia is considered necessary to oversee the commitment within international cooperation and program partnerships so the agreement of the heads of state can be followed up at the working level of cooperation.  (ANTARA)

"Garbage in the sea, especially plastic waste, is a big threat, not only for biodiversity and the marine environment, but also for tourism and the fishing industry. Therefore, we invite ASEAN and South Korea to work together to overcome the problem of plastic waste at sea, "said Jose Tavares, Director General of ASEAN Cooperation of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Indonesian Delegation at the 23rd ASEAN-Republic of Korea (RoK) Meeting Dialogue in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam (2-3 / 7).

Indonesia led a discussion session on maritime cooperation, fisheries and marine conservation.

Previously, at the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) Summit on November 15, 2018 in Singapore, EAS State Leaders adopted EAS Leaders' Statement on Regional Plan of Action on Combating Marine Plastic Debris. At the 34th Summit of ASEAN, ASEAN Leaders also adopted the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris.

In addition to maritime cooperation and marine conservation, the 23rd Meeting of the ASEAN-Korea Dialogue also discussed the ASEAN Cultural House (ACH) which was established in Busan, South Korea, and officially opened in 2017 to introduce and promote ASEAN to South Korean communities through cultural channels.

Indonesia conveyed its optimism regarding the potential of ACH in contributing to the increasing closeness of South Korean and ASEAN relations. Indonesia encouraged ACH to be able to make the best use of the moment of organizing the 30th Anniversary of the ASEAN-Korea Partnership Cooperation to be held in Busan to further promote ASEAN to the South Korean community.

"I am sure that Busan and its people have the capacity, creativity and enthusiasm to hold an impressive ASEAN-Korea Partnership Commemoration Summit," continued Jose Tavares.

The 30th Anniversary Commemoration of the ASEAN-Korea Partnership will be held in November. The selection of Busan as the location was the second time after first hosting the 25th Anniversary of the ASEAN-Korea Partnership Cooperation in 2014.

The ASEAN-Korea cooperation has been going well for almost 30 years since 1989. The ASEAN-Korea partnership is further strengthened by increasing the level of partnership cooperation from a comprehensive to a strategic partnership in 2010. Furthermore, to increase cooperation it becomes more concrete, the 17th Summit ASEAN-Korea in Kuala Lumpur, on November 22, 2015, has ratified the ASEAN-RoK Plan of Action to Implement the Joint Declaration of Strategic Partnerships for Peace and Prosperity for the 2016-2020 period.

The ASEAN-RoK Dialogue meeting itself is the annual ASEAN-Korea meeting at the level of the High Official / SOM. The 23rd meeting this time was chaired jointly by His Excellency Emaleen Abd Rahmad Teo, Chair of the ASEAN-Brunei Darussalam SOM and His Excellency Yoon Soon-gu, Chair of the SOM ROK. (Source: ASEAN External Cooperation Directorate)

Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in digital economy.  The MoU was signed by Indonesian Communication and Informatics Minister Rudiantara and Saudi Minister of Communication and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha in Riyadh.

"We are committed to making this cooperation not just an MoU or a Memorandum of Understanding, but MoA, notably a Memorandum of Action," Rudiantara said in a press statement Thursday.

In the digital economy field, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have the potential to establish cooperation in Umrah (minor Hajj) Digital Enterprise, as many Indonesian Muslims are eager to go to Saudi for Umrah.

Umrah Digital Enterprise, it is believed, will be able to address problems concerning the Umrah departure process.

The Communication and Informatics Ministry will invite two Indonesian unicorns - Tokopedia and Traveloka, to run the Umrah Digital Enterprise.

"We are proud to present the two Indonesian unicorns - Tokopedia and Traveloka. I believe, this is a beginning of our collaboration in the digital economy to support the 2030 Vision of Saudi Arabia, and the vision of Indonesia, which is the largest digital economy in ASEAN," he said.

Saudi Minister Alswaha lauded the cooperation with Indonesia.

"I believe that this partnership is very unique and special. We establish collaboration with the country having the largest Muslim population in the world. I am sure we could do more extraordinary things," he said. (ant)