VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. A total of 10,045,575 people have participated in the COVID-19 vaccination carried out by the Indonesian government, according to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force on Sunday (4/11) afternoon.

That figure was reported after an addition of 90,142 people who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday.

According to the data, there was also an additional 49,466 for people who received a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Then, 5,099,990 people have completed their COVID-19 vaccination, with each person having to get two vaccine shots.

In the phase I and II vaccination, the government is targeting 40,349,049 people to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which includes health workers, public service workers and the elderly.

The 40,349,049 people consist of 1,468,764 health workers, 17,327,167 public officials, and 21,553,118 elderly people.

The government has set a target of vaccinating around 181.5 million Indonesians  to develop a herd immunity.

Indonesia on Sunday reported an addition of 4,127 new COVID-19 cases, while 5,219 patients recovered and 87 people succumbed to the disease.

Indonesian has recorded a total of 1,566,995 cases of COVID-19 since the government announced its first cases in March 2020, while 1,414,507 COVID-19 patients have recovered and 42,530 people have died.

The country had 109,958 active cases on Sunday, a decrease of 1,179 people compared to the number on Saturday. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. The Indonesian embassy in Washington DC responded to the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes by inviting two US police officers at a webinar highlighting the issues on Saturday.

They are Captain Stacey Flynn and Sheriff Almiggabber. They belong to the Maryland State Police, the Indonesian embassy said in press statement that ANTARA received here Sunday.

At the webinar highlighting a theme of "preventing and facing hate crimes", Flynn shared advice for avoiding the anti-Asian hate crime incidents.

She also hinted that the US police do their utmost efforts to guarantee the safety of all Asian American citizens and foreign nationals in the country, including Indonesians.

Captain Flynn was quoted by the Indonesian embassy's press statement as saying that the Maryland police would seriously handle cases of reported anti-Asian hate crimes.

Therefore, Flynn suggested that those experiencing the anti-Asian attacks report the cases to the police.

The webinar was participated in by several members of the Indonesian community and diaspora as well as Indonesian diplomats residing in suburbs near Washington DC.

At the webinar, Gustaav Ferdinandus, coordinator for protocol and consular affairs at the Indonesian embassy in Washington DC, and Brig.Gen.Ary Laksmana Widjaja, police attache at the embassy, shared practical guidelines on how to prevent, respond, and report hate crimes.

"Please protect, and take preventive measures to save ourselves. If we fall victim to the hate crime incidents, do not hesitate to report them," Widjaja said.

Over these past two months, the United States has repeatedly borne witness to the anti-Asian hate crime incidents amid the ongoing threats of COVID-19 pandemic.

CNN reported on Sunday that the New York Police Department recorded 31 anti-Asian hate crimes between January 1 and March 28 this year.

One of the suspected perpetrators is identified as Joseph Russo, a 28-year-old resident of Brooklyn, New York.

Russo is accused of having involved in three violent incidents against Asian New Yorkers which occurred on March 5, March 22, and April 5, according to CNN. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has issued a ministerial decree number 16 of 2021 concerning the National Plan of Action for the Conservation of Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) 2021-2025.

"The National Plan of Action contians strategies, activities, indicators, outputs, location, time, persons in charge and related work units in the conservation of whale sharks in Indonesia," Tb. Haeru Rahayu, the ministry's Director General of Marine Space Management said in a press release here on Sunday.

Of the 117 species of sharks existing in Indonesia, whale sharks are the only type of sharks that have been fully protected since 2013 through the Decree of the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia Number 18 / KEPMEN-KP / 2013, according to him.

"Determining the protection status only is not enough. It requires sustainable, planned, and measurable conservation efforts for whale sharks. Therefore, a strategy and action plan for whale shark conservation in Indonesia is needed," he said.

Rahayu hoped the Whale Shark Conservation National Plan of Action would not remain on paper, but it must be carried out seriously by relevant parties, especially by the agencies responsible for the activity, in order to improve the condition of whale sharks in the wild in the next five years.

"The KKP ministry will evaluate the implementation of the National Plan of Action every year," he said.

The conserving of sharks and rays is crucial because they are prone to extinction, despite the fact that the presence of these two species indicates that the sea water is healthy.

"The presence of this type of fish in waters is one of the key indicators of marine health," he said.

The ministry also invites various stakeholders to work together to conserve sharks and rays in Indonesia.

Realizing the importance of sharks and rays, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has included sharks and rays in 20 species of fish that will be targeted for national conservation in 2020-2024, he added.

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are the largest shark, and in fact largest of any fishes alive today. They feed on plankton and travel large distances to find. (Antaranews)

Indonesian Air Force was part of the Aviation Department of the People's Security Forces. The Air Force was founded on April 9 1946, along with the founding of Indonesian Armed Forces (TRI). In history, April 9 was commemorated as the Founding of Indonesian Air Force, National Aviation Day, and then Indonesian Air Force Day.