VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency –BNPB, Doni Monardo said in Sukabumi, West Java on Friday that the people in Indonesia still need comprehensive familiarization regarding disaster preparedness. He argued that the government has prepared the infrastructure needed to anticipate the disaster. However, the government also needs to encourage people to be aware of the dangers of disasters so that they can better prepare themselves if disasters come.

"We have to prepare the infrastructure and things related to the ability of our own community to be more aware that we live in the ring of fire, where some of the volcanoes are active. Then, we are in a volcanic fracture. In our place here includes fracture. And this was just checked by Mr. Vishnu. Here where we are is prone to landslides. So actually, the preparedness of our software is enough to support the provision of information to the public. But maybe familiarization is lacking so many people don't understand," Doni Monardo said.

Doni Monardo further stated that Indonesia is in the ring of fire. Thus, it faces a great risk of disaster. He emphasized that Indonesian people must improve awareness to anticipate and mitigate the disasters. He also encourages the community to enhance knowledge to reduce risk if affected by disasters. Training on disasters needs to be carried out in accordance with the potential for disaster risks that vary across Indonesia. (VOI/Ndy/AF)

Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency -BNPB, Doni Monardo said in Sukabumi, West Java on Friday that BNPB would form an intelligence team to ensure that disaster mitigation measures in Indonesia could be integrated. He believes that this team will carry out integrated research related to disaster anticipation and mitigation. He also said that the anticipation and disaster mitigation measures refer to the input produced by the team.

"So, the team consists of Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Volcanology Body, and Ministry of Marine and Fisheries (KKP) that is part of the tsunami. Then, there is an information and geospatial agency. There are Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). So, we want to gather all of them into the National Disaster Mitigation Agency -BNPB. Then every period, maybe it can be every month, they deliver information to the public. Well, I say sorry if this is bitter saying that we have to express. So, the community is ready, instead of being scared. The community is well informed so that our society must be better prepared," said Doni Monardo.

Furthermore, Doni Monardo said that the steps to reduce disaster risk must begin at the lowest level in the community environment. He gave an example of the Rukun Warga level or the smallest resident unit which should also be able to take anticipatory steps considering that the Rukun Warga is the closest level where the community can overcome the possibility of disaster risk. (Ndy)

Permanent Under-Secretary, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Simon McDonald, said that United Kingdom (UK) is targeting to immediately have an embassy for ASEAN and appoint a definitive ambassador this year. After meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political and Security Community Department, Hoang Anh Tuan Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community Department, Aladdin D. Rillo at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Thursday (10/1), Simon McDonald, said the British Embassy for ASEAN would be located at the British Embassy in Jakarta, and British ambassador in Jakarta, Moazzam Malik was appointed as the British Ambassador to ASEAN temporarily.

“So ​​I was able to tell the deputy secretary general that this year was an ambassador dedicated to ASEAN, a base for a good discussion about the development of the United Kingdom's relationship with ASEAN. So far the relationship between United Kingdom and ASEAN has already broked by the European Union, while we are not in the European Union, we are going to have to do this by ourselves, and this is the signal that we want to do this but a serious way,” said Simon.

Simon McDonald was in Jakarta to attend the Annual Meeting with the British Ambassadors in ASEAN countries. According to McDonald they discussed, among others, the geopolitical shift in the region and the rise of China, as well as various things that UK could do to support ASEAN for welfare and ensure security in the region. Simon McDonald added that the two-day meeting was discussed about increasing cooperation with ASEAN in the fields of trade and investment, security and defense, cyber and fintech, English language education and teaching, and human rights and democracy in the ASEAN region. (voi / retno / edit r)