VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Netherlands will be returning 472 objects of cultural significance to Indonesia and 6 to Sri Lanka, at the request of Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

The decision to return them was made by Secretary of State for Culture and Media Gunay Uslu, following the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the Return of Cultural Objects from Colonial Context, chaired by Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You. The works are currently in the collections of the National Museum of World Cultures and the Rijksmuseum.

"The objects were wrongfully brought to the Netherlands during the colonial period, acquired under duress or by looting," the Embassy of Netherlands stated in a release received by VOI News on Thursday.

The objects that belong to Indonesia include the ‘Lombok treasure’ consisting of 335 objects from Lombok, four statues from Singasari, a keris from Klungkung, and 132 objects of modern art from Bali, known as the Pita Maha collection.

The transfer of ownership to Indonesia will take place at the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden on 10 July. 

The Advisory Committee on the Return of Cultural Objects from Colonial Context is now considering further requests from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria and will issue its recommendations on these requests later.

“This is a historic moment. It’s the first time we’re following the recommendations of the Committee to give back objects that should never have been brought to the Netherlands. But more than anything, it’s a moment to look to the future. We’re not only returning objects; we’re also embarking on a period of closer cooperation with Indonesia and Sri Lanka in areas like collection research, presentation, and exchanges between museums," Gunay Uslu said.

Previously, Indonesia requested the return of several objects that are of great importance to the country. The history of the objects was studied in detail by the National Museum of World Cultures, in consultation with Indonesian experts.

The Dutch Committee discussed their findings with the Indonesian repatriation committee, which is chaired by the former ambassador of Indonesia to the Netherlands I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja.

Based on the research, the Committee recommended that the objects be returned. (VOI)

VOINews, Jakarta - Delegates of the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) and the ASEAN High-Level Dialogue Conference, Wednesday, visited Sinduharjo Village, Sleman to learn about the village that was named as the peace village.

They tried gejog lesung, a traditional musical instrument, in Sinduharjo Village, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta. Guided by the founder of the Wahid Foundation, Zanuba Arrifah Chafsoh or Yenny Wahid, the ASEAN delegates seemed happy to try the traditional Javanese musical instrument.

Not only learning about local culture, the delegates also learned about women's economic empowerment in Sinduharjo village, which was declared the Village of Peace. Yenny Wahid told the media that the concept of a peaceful village studied by the ASEAN member delegates originated from an idea conceptualized by the Wahid Foundation to empower women without abandoning existing cultural values.

"This is also of course we have to transmit ideas using the language they understand, it can be local language of course, but also use religious jargon, use customary jargon, so use the language they understand too," Yenny Wahid said.

"We don't bump into them. But we communicate by using the values that they already believe in, but we try to change slowly or perfect it by showing that when facilitating women it is not against religion, not against custom, not against family needs, that the mother is still there for her children," she said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Regent of Sleman, Danang Maharsa, on the same occasion mentioned that Sleman's women and children empowerment continues to receive national recognition. This proves that many women's empowerment and child protection programs are running well.

Representatives of delegations from ASEAN member countries discussing women's empowerment issues were gathered by the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection to attend the ASEAN Women, Peace and Security Summit Forum which took place in Yogyakarta from July 3-7, 2023. This activity was held in the framework of Indonesia's role in the Chairmanship of ASEAN 2023. (RRI Yogyakarta/Rosi/AHM)

VOINews, Jakarta - The number of terror attacks carried out in Indonesia is showing a declining trend, according to Head of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT), Rycko Amelza Dahniel.

"Violence-based terrorism prevention and countermeasures have shown a positive trend (as seen) by the decline in terror attacks in Indonesia from year to year," Dahniel said here on Wednesday.

According to the I-KHub BNPT Counter Terrorism and Violent Extremism Outlook platform, Indonesia recorded 49 terror attacks in the period from 2018 to 2022.

Nineteen terror attacks were recorded in 2018. Their number declined to eleven for two consecutive years 2019 and 2020, and then fell further to six in 2021 and two in 2022.

However, the BNPT head said that the declining trend is merely the tip of the iceberg.

He asked all parties not to be complacent and remain vigilant, particularly against terrorist movements that have begun to infiltrate people's lives.

"(Terrorist) groups have begun to shift their approach from hard to soft approach, and from bullet strategy to ballot strategy," Dahniel said.

Public awareness and synergy among parties would be essential in efforts against violence-based extremism and terrorism as BNPT cannot manage the threats alone, he added.

The agency, earlier on Wednesday, launched four knowledge products in the form of results of analyses and studies related to countering violent extremism that leads to terrorism in Indonesia.

The knowledge products were I-KHubBNPT Counter Terrorism and Violent Extremism Outlook, K-Hub PCVE Outlook, Mid-Term Evaluation of the National Action Plan on Prevention of Extremism (RAN PE), and Analysis of Local Government Readiness to Implement RAN PE.

Dahniel expressed the hope that the knowledge products would become the basis for follow-up discussions on the prevention of violent extremism in Indonesia.

"We surely expect those analyses and studies to be discussed and given feedback from various parties," he said. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Secretary of the Commodities Futures Trading Regulatory Agency (Bappebti), Olvy Adrianita, has invited young people to contribute to the economy by investing in crypto assets.

"Let's bolster the economy and digitalization through crypto, make domestic products competitive in the global market. We must (invest) in one platform to build the economy," she said at the opening of the Degree Crypto Token Business Center in Solo, Central Java, on Wednesday.

Trade not only in the form of goods, but also in the form of crypto assets can help improve the Indonesian economy, she explained.

Therefore, millennials and Generation Z are expected to become crypto players in the future.

For that, good literacy regarding crypto is important as it often promises high returns, but comes with high risks, she highlighted.

People also need to be careful with illegal crypto assets, she added.

"This is a high-risk trade so people have to be very careful. They have to understand the business process very well. Please choose the licensed ones by checking (the companies) on the Bappebti website," she said.

Currently, there are 28 crypto asset trading companies that have obtained licenses from Bappebti.

Based on a survey conducted by the Center of Economic Law Studies (CELIOS), in terms of investment instruments owned by Indonesians, crypto assets rank third.

Mutual funds rank first at 29.8 percent and stocks are next at 21.7 percent.

At least 21 percent of the survey's respondents said they had invested in crypto assets.

The average investment ranged from Rp500 thousand to Rp1 million. However, total crypto asset transactions reached Rp306.4 trillion (US$20.3 billion) in 2022.

The government and related institutions are striving to create a conducive environment for the growth of the crypto market.

Both Bappebti and the Financial Services Authority (OJK) have continued to regulate policies that support and protect investors. (Antaranews)