The British Ambassador to Indonesia, Moazzam Malik in Jakarta on Tuesday (2/10) said that the British government has prepared several option of assistance that will be sent to Indonesian Government in handling earthquake and Tsunami in Palu, Central Sulawesi. Previously, the British International Development Minister has agreed to allocate humanitarian aid funds worth 38 billion Rupiah to Indonesian government. Ambassador Moazzam Malik explained that they have inventoried several options to assist the Indonesian government.

“We have several options. So we have some materials on shelter kits in Dubai and Delhi, as well as tents and temporary kicthen, blanket and others that can be given to the victims. We have also communicated with transportation airlines in effort to sendmaterials directly to Palu or big airports such as Makassar or Balikpapan around the emergency area. There are also some Military options such as military aircrafts and ships that are currently docked in Singapore. We have emergency agencies that can help improvement process, which have carried out activities in Indonesia, including Red Cross, PMI, and NGOs,” Moazzam Malik said.

Moazzam Malik further explained that the 38 billion Rupiah assistance is taken fromthe British state budget for especially humanitarian aid whenoccurring international disaster. Moreover, to follow up the humanitarian assistance, the British government hasalso sent special team to coordinate with the Indonesian Government to help victims in Palu, Central Sulawesi. (VOI/Ndy/Trs:NK/AHM)

Indonesia’s Director General for America and Europe of the Foreign Affairs Ministry Muhammad Anshor and US Ambassador to Indonesia Joseph Donovan signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) on promoting strong cyberspace cooperation in Jakarta Sept 28.

"International cooperation in the cyber realm, including with the United States, is important to address the continuous evolution of challenges and problems in cyberspace," Director General Anshor remarked as quoted from a statement from the US Embassy on Monday.

The LoI embodies the commitment of the two countries to boost cooperation in cyberspace as agreed during President Joko Widodo`s visit to the United States in October 2015.

"The Letter of Intent builds on existing partnerships and deepens cooperation on cyberspace that supports our vibrant democracies and economic growth," Ambassador Donovan noted.

The signing ceremony was also attended by representatives of the relevant ministries and institutions in Indonesia including the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs; State Cyber and Crypto Agency; Indonesian National Police; and relevant units in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The LoI will become the framework for advancing cooperation and development of national cyberspace capacity and for empowering the newly established State Cyber and Crypto Agency as Indonesia`s focal point for executing cybersecurity tasks.

Several areas of cooperation highlighted under the LoI are: discussion on the development of national cyber strategy; national incident management capabilities; capacity building and cooperation in countering cyber crime; and increasing cybersecurity awareness.

The two countries will work on an action plan to identify concrete activities under the LoI. (ANTARA)

The Indonesian government will accept foreign donation for victims of the magnitude-7.4 earthquake and a subsequent tsunami that devastated Palu and Donggal, Central Sulawesi Province, on September 28, 2018.

"Last night, President @jokowi authorized us to accept international help for urgent disaster-response and relief. I am helping to coordinate assistance from private sectors around the world. Please message me at my social media accounts or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ," Thomas Lembong, head of the Investment Coordinating Board, noted on its Twitter account, @tomlembong, Monday.

Meanwhile, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said he had coordinated the matter with Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi.

"I just contacted the foreign affairs minister in New York. She said that the president has expressed willingness to accept international assistance in accordance with our needs. It means we welcome international offers. It will be latter coordinated with the coordinating minister for political, legal, and security affairs," he stated.

The Agency and the Foreign Affairs Ministry are currently preparing the mechanism and procedures in line with the existing regulations, he added.

He, however, said the government will not declare the earthquake and tsunami in Palu and Donggala a national disaster, although the government welcomes foreign aid. (ANTARA)

The National Police (Polri) will again send 1,400 personnel to Palu, Central Sulawesi, to help secure, evacuate, and rehabilitate the conditions there after a devastating earthquake and tsunami on Friday.

Police Public Relations Division Chief Inspector General Setyo Wasisto remarked in Jakarta on Monday that the 1,400 personnel will be sent to Palu soon.

He said thousands of police from North Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, Gorontalo, and South Sulawesi will be deployed to guard several shops to prevent cases of looting in future.

Wasisto appealed to the public to not commit criminal acts and violate the law by forcibly taking non-food items, such as electronic goods and gold.

He ensured that the military (TNI)-Polri had continued to send basic necessities, such as food, medicine, and other equipment to the earthquake and tsunami victims.

Wasisto also appealed to volunteers and several mass organizations keen to send logistical assistance to Palu to coordinate with the Indonesian National Police to get escort. (ANTARA)