VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Citilink Indonesia, a subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia that focuses on low cost services (LCC) will officially make regular flights to China at the end of October 2018. President Director of Citilink Indonesia, Juliandra Nurtjahjo said in Jakarta on Friday that his side plans to open three routes of regular flights which expected to enhance the existence of Citilink Indonesia in China as a World Class LCC after previously successfully opening charter flight routes.

"So today, we start collaborating with Megacap as our partner and this is the first Citilink’s regular flight to China. So far, my friends have heard that Citilink flew to China, we flew charter. Thus, Citilink has operated only charter flight. Especially in the Chinese market, we are regular with partners and we  fly regularly to China on schedule. The existence of Citilink is increasingly seen in China. And, Citilink doesn't close the charter one; the charter keeps going on," Juliandra said.

Juliandra added that regular international flight routes to China are the ones from Jakarta to three cities: Xiamen, Kunming and Nanjang. He also remarked that the focus of Citilink Indonesia's expansion to China is secondary cities, which have considerable potential and have not been reached by many world airlines. Citilink Indonesia also sees the opening of this regular international route as a form of airline support for the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism program to get a target of 20 million foreign tourists to Indonesia before 2019. Citilink Indonesia's new routes to several cities in China is a realization of the expansion of regular international route services in Asian regions in addition to Denpasar flights - Dili and Jakarta - Penang. (VOI/Rezha/RHM)

Youth alternative movement-We Youth collaborated with Political Women to organize interactive talk shows "Youth X Public Figure" in Jakarta on Friday (September 7, 2018) with the theme "Indonesian Cooperation" which was attended by approximately 500 young people from different backgrounds. In  the talk show, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi was present and she was accomplished by young woman figure, Tasya Kamila. In the presence of all the young people, Minister Retno Marsudi explained the importance of digital diplomacy for Indonesia's foreign policy at this time. The digital diplomacy, according to Minister Retno Marsudi, is an effective method for conveying messages from Indonesia to the world community, especially young people or the millennial.

"Nowadays, if we are carrying out diplomacy with old style, a lot of people have speed up and have lived in a different world. Guess –is it connected! This definitely doesn't connect. We use what method other people are using. Now, what connects us is digital technology. Therefore, in conveying messages, we use social media for example. In the past, other friends stood at one position. For example, there was an explosion where. In the past, Indonesia took action too long for few days. But now, it's impossible. Once there are events in minutes, friends can see on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Twitter, my Twitter," Retno Marsudi said.

On the same occasion, Minister Retno Marsudi also called for Indonesian young people to become ambassadors or diplomats for Indonesia by promoting Indonesia to the international community through social media. This form of promotion can be done through positive hash-tags (#) about Indonesia and content uploads that can enhance a positive image. In addition, she hopes that young people whose numbers are quite large from the total population of Indonesia are able to contribute in the form of achievements and the name of the nation in the international arena. (VOI/Rezha/RHM)

The Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) held the 2nd Senior Official Meeting (SOM) of the Archipelagic States and Island Countries on September 6 to 8, 2018 in Jakarta. The meeting discussed plastic waste, blue economy development, adaptation to climate change, good governance, disaster management, sustainable fisheries and economic growth. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan stressed the need for archipelagic and island nations to unite to take concrete steps to overcome environmental problems.

“Indeed, we need mutual acts to form togetherness in overcoming environmental problems. Especially for example, if we look at the current marine waste problem, the plastic problem is our direction. And we want in this forum for us to find a step together to overcome this problem,” Luhut Pandjaitan said.

Meanwhile UNDP's Country Director for Indonesia, Christophe Bahuet said this initiative facilitated the exchange of experiences of archipelagic and island nations with new technologies and found new funding to overcome existing threats and challenges. According to him, this is a commitment of Indonesia, UNDP and other parties to achieve the goal of sustainable development number 14 related to life in the sea. This meeting invited 46 archipelagic countries and island countries in Asia and Africa. Countries invited include Singapore, Palau, Mauritius, Saint Kitts and Navis and New Zealand. (VOI/RIFA’I/DP)

The government has urged fishermen in the country including in Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province, to make use of digital economic potential to directly market their fish products to consumers without going through middlemen. Director General of Rural Development (PDT), Samsul Widodo, made the remarks through a press statement received in Jakarta on Sunday.

Widodo was in Sumbawa to give a public lecture at the Samawa University with the theme "Accelerating Development of Disadvantaged Regions through Digital Economic Development.

The results of the 2017 survey showed that some 54.68 percent of the Indonesian population are internet users (as potential of the digital economy). Furthermore, Widodo hopes, Sumbawa can sell the fish catch to export destination because Sumbawa has the potential of large marine fish.

According to Widodo, his side found tuna fish weighing 55kg each in Sumabawa, adding that PT. Aruna Jaya Nuswantara will display the fish at the Health booth at the Maritime Expo at Badas Port relating to the Sail Moyo Tambora 2018. This event had been launched to mark the start of tourism development in Sumbawa Island, one of the largest islands in West Nusa Tenggara. (ant)