VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. Philippine and U.S. soldiers will conduct a two-week joint military exercise from Monday, resuming the annual training event after last year’s cancellation due to the pandemic, the Philippine military chief said on Sunday.

The announcement came after the two countries’ defence secretaries held a phone call to discuss the drills, the situation in the South China Sea, and recent regional security developments.

Unlike previous exercises, however, this year’s “Balikatan” (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) drills to test the readiness of their militaries to respond to threats such natural disasters and militant extremist attacks, will be scaled down.

Only 1,700 troops -- 700 from the United States and 1,000 from the Philippines -- will participate, unlike previous exercises which involved as many as 7,600 soldiers, said Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana.

“There will be physical contact but it is minimal,” he said.

The Philippines has protested against the presence of the Chinese boats inside its 200-mile exclusive economic zone at Whitsun Reef in the strategic waterway, repeatedly asking China to move the vessels away.

Chinese diplomats, however, have said the fishing boats were just sheltering from rough seas and no militia were aboard.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Vietnam have competing territorial claims in the South China Sea.

In the phone call on Sunday between Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Austin also reiterated the importance of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the two countries, according to a statement issued by Lorenzana’s department.

Lorenzana committed to discussing the matter with President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte last year unilaterally cancelled the two-decade-old VFA in an angry response after an ally was denied a U.S. visa. The agreement provides the legal framework under which U.S. troops can operate on a rotational basis in the Philippines.

The VFA withdrawal period, however, has been twice extended, creating what Philippine officials say is a window for better terms to be agreed.

Relations between Washington and its former Asian colony have been complicated since 2016 when Duterte, who has criticised U.S. foreign policy while befriending China, rose to power.

Duterte has said Washington must pay more if it wants to maintain the VFA.

Lorenzana also sought the assistance of Austin in speeding up the delivery of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna that the Philippines has ordered.

Austin “would look into the issue and bring it to the attention of the office concerned”, the statement said. (Reuters)

Jakarta. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday ordered swift rescue and relief efforts after eight people died in an earthquake that hit off southern Java island.

Three others were badly injured in Saturday’s magnitude-5.9 quake and more than 1,180 buildings were damaged, most of them slightly, the disaster agency BNPB said. Some houses were flattened, images in Indonesian media showed.

Two shelters for the displaced have been set up in the town of Lumajang.

All of the casualties were reported in 15 districts and cities in East Java, the closest province to the epicenter of the quake, which struck in the Indian Ocean.

“I have ordered ... immediate emergency response to search and find victims under the rubble and to treat the wounded,” the president, known by his popular name Jokowi, said in broadcast remarks.

There were no reports of the quake disrupting production facilities, but the BNPB said 150 public facilities were damaged. Most industrial areas in East Java are located in the northern side of the island.

Jokowi noted that as Indonesia straddles the volcanic “Ring of Fire” in the Pacific, natural disasters such as earthquakes could happen anytime, adding that Indonesians should always be prepared.

The Southeast Asian nation was struck last week by tropical cyclone Seroja, which triggered landslides and flash floods killing more than 170 people on islands in East Nusa Tenggara province.

A magnitude-6.2 quake that hit Sulawesi island in January killed more than 100 people. (Reuters)

Jakarta. President of the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI) Said Iqbal has asked the government to make a policy of full payment for Eid Al-Fitr holiday allowances (THR), and if it has to be paid in installments, the companies must show a loss report.

"(We) reject the THR payment in installments even though the National Tripartite agreement to be recommended to the labor minister, has been circulated on the social media with one of the contents that I read says it would  hand it over to the bipartite if companies are unable to pay THR," said the President of KSPI at the virtual press conference monitored here on Sunday.

Said's statement refers to the recommendation from the discussion of the National Wage Council work team and the National Tripartite Worker Body regarding the 2021 THR which will be submitted to the Labor Minister Ida Fauziyah.

Regarding the issue of submitting a decision on the THR payment to an agreement between workers and companies, Said said if the company cannot pay it in full, the company must transparently include a financial report that shows the losses over the past two years.

"What must be emphasized in the next circular from the labor minister is that even though it is a bipartite mechanism, it cannot be paid in installments. If a decision has to be made at the bipartite level, it must be preceded by disclosing the company's financial statements that they have suffered losses for two consecutive years," Said pointed out.

To emphasize those demands, along with various other issues such as Job Creation Law, Said said workers would carry out demonstrations both offline and virtually on Monday (4/12), which would involve thousands of workers in 1,000 factories in 20 provinces across Indonesia.

Earlier on Monday, Minister Fauziyah said that the scheme for granting THR 2021 was still under discussion involving the National Wage Council and the National Tripartite Committee.

"We will listen to reports from the National Wage Council Work Team and the National Tripartite Worker Agency. After that, a provision will be issued through a circular regarding the THR," said Fauziyah.

On that occasion, she also ensured that THR is an obligation that employers must pay to their employees. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. A magnitude 6.1 earthquake that hit  Malang District, East Java Province, on Saturday (4/10), damaged 40 houses and places of worship in Jember District, according to an official of the local Regional Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD).

"Based on data collected on residents' houses affected by the earthquake, 21 houses were lightly damaged, 12 moderately damaged houses, five severely damaged, and two places of worship were also damaged," said BPBD Jember Acting Secretary Heru Widagdo here on Sunday.

He said some residents had repaired houses damaged by the earthquake.

Meanwhile, the earthquake, he said, had affected  21 villages and two urban villages in the Jember, but it did not cause any casualties.

"Two residents were injured while they tried to escape from the shock of the earthquake. One of them was a resident of Sumberbulus village in Ledokombo, who suffered head injuries and had received treatment from the local community health center (Puskesmas)," he noted.

BPBD has distributed assistance to residents whose areas were affected by the earthquake.

"Hopefully this assistance can help ease the burden on the victims," he said.

On Saturday, the earthquake occurred 96 km south of Kepanjen City in Malang. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the sea at a depth of 80 km.

"The earthquake in Malang was felt quite strong in Jember, damaging dozens of houses. Even during the earthquake, some residents ran outside of the houses and those in public facilities," said Widagdo. (Antaranews)