VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

In preparation for the Hindu Day of Silence (Nyepi), thousands of people performed the Tawur Agung Kesanga ceremony todWednesday, March 6, 2019, at the Prambanan Temple in Sleman, Yogyakarta.

Other than from Yogyakarta and Central Java, the people came from Bali and other Indonesian cities as well. The ritual was attended by the Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin on behalf of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

The head of Indonesian Hindu Religious Councils (PHDI), retired Major General Wisnu Bawa Tenaya, said that the purpose of the Tawur Agung Kesanga procession was to build harmony with the natural elements; water, air, earth, fire, and space.

"In this disharmony condition, those five elements may cause disaster for all creatures, so the five elements must be integrated to achieve happiness for the universe and all beings," Wisnu added. 

Wisnu further called on all people, especially the millennial generation, to have a dream. However, he also noted that such a dream cannot be separated from national and the country's dream. Wisnu added that the dream of the Republic of Indonesia is to achieve independence, unity, and prosperity.

Meanwhile, Minister Lukman invited the Hindu religious community to support a peaceful 2019 election. (TEMPO.CO.ID)

Permanent Representative of Malaysia to ASEAN Dato` Shariffah Norhana Syed Mustaffa said that child marriage was rooted in gender inequality and discrimination.

"The drivers and root causes of child, early, and forced marriage (CEFM) vary significantly across regions and even within countries. But in nearly every context, child marriage is rooted in gender inequality and discrimination," Mustaffa said in a discussion on child early and forced marriage in the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, on Wednesday.

Other drivers of CEFM include social and cultural norms and traditions with deeply entrenched beliefs around roles and values ascribed to women and girls.

Additionally, economic factors and systemic circumstances, such as the lack of opportunities for young people, particularly girls, to gain financial independence and engage in the social and public arena, drive families to force children to marry early.

It is reported that girls from poor families are nearly three times more likely to marry before the age of 18 than those from wealthy ones.

CEFM is acknowledged as a violation of children`s rights that disproportionately affects girls, she stated.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child and Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women reaffirmed 18 years as the minimum age of marriage, emphasizing that child marriage, among other harmful practices, impairs the recognition, enjoyment, and exercise of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and children.

Girls who are married young also suffer negative impacts on their education, economic prospects, social lives, mental and physical health, as well as the health and nutrition of their children. (ANTARA)

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi visited a Palestinian refugee camp in Amman, Jordan, to show support toward Palestinian people.

Accompanied by Pierre Krahenbuhl, commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), Marsudi conversed with students of the New Amman Camp School, one of the 171 schools existing in the camps to accommodate 121 thousand Palestinian students.

"Never give up, keep your spirit, and Insha Allah, everything will be better in future," the minister told the Palestinian students.

The New Amman Camp is one of the 10 camps existing across Jordan, where at least 370 thousand Palestinians take refuge, as Palestine has been being occupied by Israel illegally.

With the support of several countries, including Indonesia, the UNRWA has set up 25 health centers, 10 community-based rehabilitation centers, and 14 women`s program centers to accommodate the basic needs of refugees.

Jordan has, in total, received more than two million Palestinians, including 700 thousand Palestinians expelled or those who had fled during Nakba, "Catastrophe," as Israel was forcefully founded on Palestinian land in 1948.

Marsudi wrapped up her visit to the camp by visiting a shelter of Palestinian refugees, who were staying in the camp for years.

The minister reiterated the commitment of the Indonesian Government and people to strive for the rights of Palestinian people, including the rights for independence.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has agreed to provide US$1 million in humanitarian aid to help Palestinian refugees in Jerash Camp in Jordan to meet their food and healthcare requirements.

Marsudi and Krahenbuhl signed an agreement to that effect at the Jerash Camp on Tuesday (March 5), the Indonesian Foreign Ministry noted in a written statement released on Wednesday.

During the meeting with the UNWRA commissioner general, Marsudi noted that the Indonesian government`s contribution reflects Indonesia`s commitment to always help the Palestinian people. (ANTARA)

Indonesia and Jordan have agreed to encourage cooperation to support Palestine’s struggle for independence, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry noted in a written statement released on Wednesday.

"Indonesia and Jordan have the same position when it comes to Palestine. The issue of Palestine is in the heart of Indonesia’s foreign policy," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi noted following a meeting with her Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, in Amman recently.

Marsudi noted that her visit to Jordan this time is the fourth of its kind in the past two years, suggesting the closeness in relations between the two countries.

During her four visits to Jordan, Marsudi admitted to not finding any issues burdening the relations between both nations.

The two foreign ministers specifically discussed the situation in Palestine. Marsudi highlighted various steps taken by Indonesia to politically or economically assist the Palestinian people`s struggle by liberalizing the export of several Palestinian commodities to Indonesia, providing financial assistance, and offering capacity building program, among others.

She said the Palestine Week, held in Jakarta and Bandung in October 2018, showed the Indonesian people's strong support for Palestine’s struggle.

Prior to the meeting with Safadi, Marsudi opened an International Training of Trainers on Business Planning for Women in Refugees Camps.

"The training is part of Indonesia`s program to support the Palestinian people in their struggle to build the Palestinian nation," she noted.

In addition, the Indonesian and Palestinian governments have signed a letter of intent on the granting of humanitarian aid to Palestine, particularly related to water desalination, medicines, and health equipment. (ANTARA)