VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia strongly condemned the bombings in various locations in Sri Lanka on April 21, 2019, at around 09:00 (local time).

The government and the people of Indonesia convey deep condolences to the victims and their families.

The Indonesian Embassy in Colombo continues to monitor the progress of the situation and has coordinated with security authorities, hospitals and the Association of local Indonesian citizens.

Until now there is no information about Indonesian citizens who were victims of the incident.

There are around 374 Indonesian citizens in Sri Lanka, including around 140 people in Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka.

The Indonesian government believes that the Sri Lankan Government can handle the situation well, and is also willing to provide the necessary assistance.

The government calls on Indonesian citizens in Sri Lanka to remain vigilant and cautious and to follow directions from local security authorities.

For families and relatives who need further information and consular assistance, can contact the KBRI Colombo hotline +94772773127

The Cairo Election Supervisory Committee assessed that during the 2019 elections in Egypt there were no significant violations found in both the voting and vote counting processes. Chairman of the Election Supervisory Committee of Cairo, Muhammad Nura revealed that there were a number of technical problems that could be quickly resolved by the Overseas Election Committee (PPLN) along with the ranks of the Foreign Voting Organizers Group - KPPSLN. According to him, violations of the 2019 Election in Egypt are more about ethical violations and even then after being warned, it could be immediately resolved by the local Overseas Election Committee.

"There are no violations which are considered severe, there is no money politics here, there are no violations that violate the administration. Most are violations of ethics and some violations or more precisely the mistakes made by the committee, it is normal," said Muhammaad Nura.

In addition to the Election Supervisory Committee, the Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt Helmy Fauzy, who had talked a lot about the election, including his appeal to Indonesian citizens in Egypt to maintain unity, also considered that the implementation of the presidential and legislative elections in Cairo ran smoothly and conducive. (KRBN/ROCKY/AHM)

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) called on the General Elections Commission (KPU), Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu), and Election Organization Ethics Council (DKPP) to maintain impartiality and professionalism during the general elections.

"Fairness and justice are so important for the next phases of these parliamentary and presidential elections as mandated by the Constitution," Head of MUI's Advisory Council Din Syamsudin told a press conference following a meeting in Jakarta on Friday evening.

The council's executive board and advisory council members met to respond to Indonesia's political dynamics during the post-election situation.

Din Syamsudin said the attendees of the meeting agreed on seven recommendations for the KPU, Bawaslu, and DKPP so that they convened the general elections in accordance with the mandate of the State's Constitution.

The parliamentary and presidential elections should be held directly, freely, secretly, fairly, and honestly in which the following steps must also be carried out by strictly upholding the principles of impartiality, transparency, honesty, and justice, he said.

Regarding this fiesta of democracy, the Jakarta campaign team of Prabowo Subianto (BPP DKI) will report the KPU and the East Jakarta KPU office to the DKPP for a mistake in the ballot entry process during the ballot counting result C1 Form at Polling Station (TPS) No 93 located in Bidara Cina, Jatinegara Sub-district, East Jakarta.

The mistake in the ballot entry was not normal and it was obviously a deliberate attempt to reduce the number of votes cast for presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, Muhamad Taufik, chairman of the BPP DKI, said.

"Based on data from the scanned C1 Form, the Jokowi-Ma'ruf pair received 47 votes, while the Prabowo-Sandiaga pair got 162. But based on data from the ballot entry conducted by KPU, the votes for the Jokowi-Ma'ruf jumped to 180, and for Prabowo-Sandiaga reduced to 56. This is an election violation. We will report it to the DKPP and the police," Taufik said in a press statement.

The ballot entry has put Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno at a disadvantage, while KPU should have been neutral, and not partial, according to him. (ANTARA)

The Japanese Consul General in Surabaya is upbeat of Indonesia-Japan relations growing from strength to strength, particularly in the cultural field, including through holding the Japanese Culture Festival at Universitas Brawijaya (UB), Malang, East Java.

Japanese Consul General in Surabaya Masaki Tani remarked in Malang City, Saturday, that the festival, titled Ishshoni Tanoshimimashou, held on April 20-21, 2019, at the UB Faculty of Cultural Sciences, was a regular feature for the last 14 years to strengthen relations between both nations.

"We and the Japanese community are optimistic that holding such activities can increase and expand our knowledge of Japanese culture," Tani stated.

The Japanese Culture Festival event was organized in front of UB's A FIB Building. The area has a replica of the Tori'i, or a typical Japanese gate, installed in each temple in the country.

Tani opined that culture holds diverse meanings and transcends the mere art of folding or origami and others. Nonetheless, Tani noted that especially for the Japanese, culture is about a value, thought, behavior, and their life.

Along with the showcasing of Tori'i replicas and Japanese-nuanced areas, a competition was held in which the attendees comprised students, including from several other regions outside Malang City.

"By delving into Japanese culture and language, I am truly optimistic that the people would be more open to the thoughts or views of Japanese people. This translates to a more comprehensive understanding of Japanese culture in its entirety," Tani stated.

Moreover, participants and students are allowed to attend the festival in typical Japanese attire.

Temple Culture Festival Chairperson Fakhri Faishol remarked that some 500 people from different regions in Indonesia, including Jakarta, Central Java, and also Sumatra, among others, took part in the event.

"The competition is divided into academic and non-academic," said Candi.

The Japanese Culture Festival featured Japanese or manga comic drawing competitions, Japanese writing or kanji writing competitions, Japanese or benron speeches, Japanese calligraphy or shodou, and storytelling or my story , among others. (ANTARA)