VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - National Police (Polri) Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo highlighted the human trafficking issue at the 23rd ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.

He said that the discussion regarding the issue was in line with the commitment to eradicating human trafficking made by the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the 42nd ASEAN Summit last month.

"Human trafficking cases have become an international concern. It is one of the serious matters discussed in the SOMTC," he added.

The Polri chief said he expects the results of the discussion on the issue during the meeting to produce a policy that can protect Indonesian people from falling victim to human trafficking in the future.

He emphasized that international cooperation for eradicating the crime should not only concern exchanging information, but also improving law enforcement collaboration to arrest perpetrators.

Better cooperation could also help save the victims and return them to their country of origin, he added.

Prabowo also appealed to people who wish to work abroad to get employment through an official and registered Indonesian migrant worker placement company.

He also ordered his ranks to take firm action against anyone involved in human trafficking, even if the perpetrator is a police officer.

Indonesia is leading the 23rd SOMTC, which is being held in Yogyakarta from June 20–24, 2023, as part of its chairmanship of ASEAN this year.

SOMTC is an institutional framework assisting the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) to initiate, coordinate, and implement strategies and programs for preventing and combating transnational crimes.

"It is an important meeting for Polri, especially to talk more seriously about some issues which we have been discussing so far," the Polri chief stated.

In the previous year, SOMTC meetings were held virtually due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Thus, Prabowo said he expects that the attendance of the delegates in person to discuss various transnational crime-related issues at SOMTC this year would help generate concrete cooperation, especially regarding law enforcement.

"Because, so far, the problem (in eradicating transnational crimes) is when the perpetrators flee abroad, we (law enforcement institutions) often need to go through difficult bureaucracies (to arrest the perpetrators),” he added. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia Cyber Education (ICE) Institute has collaborated with China's Tsinghua University to provide its students and the people at large in Indonesia with free access to quality distance learning materials.

"The ICE Institute has now collaborated with XuetangX.com that Tsinghua University initiated," Prof. Nizam, a top official at the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry, noted in a statement here Tuesday.

As a result, Indonesia's university students could freely access course modules taught at Tsinghua University, Nizam, acting Director General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology at the ministry, remarked.

All course materials that ICE Institute provides can also be accessed by students and the public freely, he noted, adding that COVID-19 had taught academic communities about the need for online learning platforms.

One of the online learning platforms that can be accessed at any time and from anywhere is provided by ICE Institute, a platform jointly developed by Universitas Terbuka (UT) and 14 other universities in Indonesia, he stated.

The professor expects the collaboration between ICE Institute and XuetangX.com to provide the people at large in Indonesia with free access to quality distance learning materials.

Through ICE Institute, the universities' teaching staff remain able to guide their students and ensure that they really study, Nizam stated.

Rapid developments in technology occurring worldwide, including artificial intelligence (AI), pose challenges to humankind, but efforts need to be directed on how AI, for instance, can optimally be used for the greater good in education, he stated.

"How to optimize the use of AI for good intentions for humanity and not for destroying humankind," Nizam remarked.

Meanwhile, Universitas Terbuka Rector Prof. Ojat Darojat, said that ICE Institute has been working with XuetangX since 2022. Several collaborative activities include exchanging course materials, joint development of courses, exchange of experts, and joint training.

Director of Tsinghua University's Online Education Center Xiaoxiao Wang said Tsinghua's online learning platform has existed and got developed since a decade ago.

The distance learning that Indonesia's Universitas Terbuka (Open University) has developed is remarkable enough that it has attracted Tsinghua University to work together to make a joint online learning effort, Wang remarked.

The presence of Tsinghua's online learning platform has not merely been accessed by people in China but also in different parts of the world, Wang added. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia has been elected as a member of the Executive Board of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), representing the East Asia and Pacific region, for the 2023-2027 period.

The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, said that the accession to the UNWTO executive board shows that the global community trusts Indonesia to encourage the revival of the tourism sector.

"I am grateful and moved by the trust that has been given to Indonesia," Uno said in a statement released on Tuesday.

He mentioned that Indonesia received 16 votes in the election, surpassing China (15 votes), Japan (14), South Korea (12), and Thailand (11).

Indonesia will represent the East Asia and Pacific region on the executive board, alongside China, Japan, and South Korea, he added.

Uno stated that Indonesia and other members of the East Asia and Pacific region would be responsible for developing UNWTO programs in the region, which will be reported to the organization's General Assembly in October 2023.

The minister emphasized that Indonesia's membership on the UNWTO Executive Board would strengthen its role in national and global tourism development.

Last year, Indonesia hosted the World Tourism Day commemoration in Bali, coinciding with the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting.

With Indonesia's new role at UNWTO, Uno urged all stakeholders and citizens to unite for the progress of the tourism sector.

"The world has bestowed much recognition on us (Indonesia)... We are not just developing our tourism, but also regional and global tourism," he said. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Daniel J. Kritenbrink, has outlined several objectives of the visit of US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to Beijing, China.

The visit took place on June 18–19, 2023.

"He had candid, substantive, and constructive conversations with President Xi, Director Wang, and State Councilor Qin," Kritenbrink informed during a digital press briefing that was attended from here on Tuesday.

He made the statement in reference to meetings between Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping; director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Office, Wang Yi; and People’s Republic of China State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, in Beijing.

Kritenbrink said the first objective for Blinken's visit to Beijing was to strengthen high-level channels of communication to make clear positions and intentions in areas of disagreement.

The visit was also carried out to explore areas where they might work together and where their interests align on shared transnational challenges.

Another objective was to emphasize the importance of maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues so as to reduce the risk of miscalculation, Kritenbrink informed.

"He made clear that while we will compete vigorously, the United States will responsibly manage that competition so that the relationship does not lead to conflict," he said.

The secretary stressed that the US will continue to use diplomacy to raise areas of concern, as well as areas of potential cooperation where their interests align, Kritenbrink added.

During his meetings, the secretary also discussed key priorities in the bilateral relationship and a range of global and regional issues. (Antaranews)