VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

To welcome the 2018 Asian Games which will be held in Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra from August to September, Jakarta Provincial Government has prepared several strategies to overcome traffic congestion issue. One of these strategies is preparing additional Transjakarta buses in several areas that become the entrance gate to Jakarta.  It was stated by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to reporters in Jakarta recently. He also expected people can utilize Transjakarta buses and not use their private vehicles to attend the 2018 Asian Games.

“Transjakarta will prepare special additional vehicles to serve the 2018 Asian Games from various points around Jakarta. So, people will not enter Jakarta by their private vehicle but by Transjakarta buses,” Anies said.

In addition to providing buses for visitors, according to Governor Anies Baswedan, the Jakarta Provincial Government will also provide buses to accommodate athletes or contingents of the 2018 Asian Games. The buses will serve them who stay at the Athletes Guesthouse at Kemayoran to the 2018Asian Games,at Senayan area. Currently, Jakarta Provincial Government is trying to make travel time from the Athletes Guesthouse to the Asian games 2018 venue in 30 minutes. (VOI/REZHA/NITA)

Banten Province developsits tourism potential that can increase the visits of domestic and foreign tourists. Head of Banten Provincial Tourism Office, EnengNurcahyation the sidelines of the launch of Rhino X Triathlon 2018 on Sunday, May 13th, at TanjungLesung, Banten, Indonesiasaid that the calendar of events used to arrange cultural agenda and various festivals of Banten Province significantlyincreases the number of tourists’ visits.

“We have not measured the effect of the calendar of event but the data show that there is significant increase of the number of tourist visits. Currently there are nearly 16 million domestic tourists and 300 thousand foreign tourists. But we have not specifically seen the impact in 2017. In 2018 we have not calculated significantly, because we just passed the first quarter. Currently it is still in the process of evaluation of every municipality and regency. We are also developing regional tourism information system to see how it really is in real terms, because Statistics Agency released its release in one year. So we try to find out the priorities and destinations that are greatly demanded by the tourists through the cooperation of city districts, including also managers of tourist destinations and hotels. We try to develop the existing tourism system,” Eneng Nurcahyati said.

Eneng Nurcahyati added that there are 100 Calendar of events in Banten Province for 8 districts and cities. Since 2017 the cities and districts have started to design their own calendar of events because every city and regency has its own strengths. According to her, the Calendar of event is one effort to increase tourist visit to Banten Province. (VOI/NK trans Rezha/AHM)

Bomb attacks occurred at three churches in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya on Sunday morning(13/5). Spokesman for the East Java Provincial Police Senior Commissioner Frans Barung Mangera said that the bomb attacks occurred in three locations, namely Santa Maria Tak Bercela Church in Ngagel, GKI (Indonesian Christian Church) in Diponegoro Street, and a church in Arjuna Street. He said,  the police have conducted investigation in the three locations. The explosion in front of Santa Maria Tak Bercela Church has killed two persons and injured 13 others. He also added, there are only three locations. He urged people to not believe in misleading information that the bomb exploded in five locations or any others. The police would share updated information on the victims as well as the incident in the three locations. Barung said, the bomb in Santa Maria Church exploded at 7.30 a.m, while two other bombs in GKI and Pantekosta Churches at 7.35 a.m and 8.00 a.m. (ANTARA)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) visited the wounded victims of bomb blasts at three churches in Surabaya, East Java, who were treated at the Bhayangkara Hospital in Surabaya, East Java, Sunday.

The president made the visit after reviewing two bombing incident locations namely GKI church on Jalan Diponegoro Surabaya and Central Pentecost Church Surabaya on Jalan Arjuna.

The President visited the treated victims accompanied by several officials including National Police Chief Tito Karnavian, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto, Head of National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Budi Gunawan, and Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto.

Previously, President Jokowi canceled two of his agenda in Jakarta and immediately departed to Surabaya shortly after receiving reports of a bomb explosion in the city.

The first church visited by the President was the GKI church on Jalan Diponegoro. The President and entourage arrived at 3.30 p.m. and were greeted by East Java Governor Soekarwo and Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini.

Then at 3:45 p.m. the President arrived at Central Pentecost Church Surabaya on Jalan Arjuna.

At the church whose parts were burned, the President chatted with the coordinating minister for Political, Lagal and Security Affairs, the head of BIN, the chief of the National Police and Commander of the TNI.

The President on the occasion received reports on the explosions at the Church of the Immaculate Santa Maria on Jalan Ngagel Madya, Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) on Jalan Diponegoro, and Central Pentecostal Church on Arjuna Road.

The first explosion occurred at the Church of Mary Immaculate, which is around 7:30 a.m. The other two explosions took place each 5 minutes after the first explosion.

"The act of terrorism is really barbaric and beyond the limits of humanity that caused victims of community members, police officers, as well as innocent children including perpetrators who use two children aged about 10 years as suicide bombers," the President said.

He asserted that terrorism is a crime of humanity and has nothing to do with any religion where all religious teachings reject any terrorism. (ANTARA)