VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) in Papua has called on interfaith communities to exercise restraint following a church bombing attack in Makassar City on Sunday.

"Let us place trust in the police to handle this case. It is so dangerous if it is kept unresolved," MUI-Papua Office Head Syaiful Al Payage stated.

Payage denounced the suicide bombers, who blew themselves up at the Catholic church's gate on Sunday morning, as the attack was not justifiable on any grounds.

"We are optimistic that the National Police would solve the case and hunt those responsible for the bombing attack down," he stated.

Payage highlighted the importance of the police's successful crackdown on the perpetrators to ensure that congregations can perform their religious rituals in a secure and comfortable manner.

In tackling the rising threats of extremists' ideology, the MUI-Papua Office head suggested to the Ministry of Religious Affairs to strengthen preventive measures through education.

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside a church on Kajaolalido Road in the Baru neighborhood area of Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi Province, on Sunday.

The couple attempted to enter the church compound but to no avail after security guards stopped them at the gate when a Palm Sunday Mass service had recently concluded.

Some 20 people, including churchgoers and the church's security guards at the gate, got injured in the blast.

The suicide bombers, who reportedly belong to a JAD network, died shortly after conducting their attack by using a pressure cooker bomb at about 10:30 a.m. local time.

Since 2000, Indonesia has become the target of terrorist attacks, and the spread of radicalism and terrorism continues to threaten the nation.

ANTARA highlighted the repeated incidents of assaults by suspected terrorists and armed Papuan rebels on civilians and security personnel in 2020.

On May 22, 2020, for instance, notorious armed rebels reportedly shot at two medical workers -- Almalek Bagau and Eunico Somou -- from the Wandai Health Center in Intan Jaya District, Papua Province, while they were delivering drugs for COVID-19 patients.

In another incident on June 1, 2020, a lone wolf assaulted Brigadier Leonardo Latupapua, a policeman of the Daha Selatan police precinct in South Kalimantan Province. Latupapua succumbed to grave injuries following the early morning attack.

On June 21, 2020, a man unexpectedly attacked Second Brigadier Hanif Ariyono, a driver of Deputy Chief of Karanganyar Police Commissioner Busroni's official vehicle, with a machete in Karanganyar District, Central Java Province. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. The Health Ministry will secure the supply of COVID-19 vaccines for the vaccination program in April following the AstraZeneca vaccine embargo by India.

"Indonesia only has seven million doses of Sinovac's vaccine for April. Earlier, I thought we can obtain 7.5 million doses of AstraZeneca," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin noted during a discussion here on Monday.

Sadikin noted that AstraZeneca’s delivery to Indonesia for March and April stood suspended over a vaccine embargo imposed by India.

India is among the world's biggest vaccine producers: Novavax, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer.

Indonesia was earlier scheduled to receive 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 22 and 7.5 million more doses in April.

However, the plan was suspended due to the vaccine embargo in India after the country clocked an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases that forced the local authority to ban vaccine exports.

Sadikin highlighted that India's move had threatened vaccine supply in Indonesia.

As of March 26, more than 10 million people were vaccinated, with 500 thousand to 600 thousand recipients on an average per day.

"If we only have seven million doses of vaccine, then it will suffice for just 14 days," he pointed out.

However, Sadikin ensured the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia, as the country has four sources of vaccine supply from different producers.

"When a problem arises with one supplier, we still have three other producers. I cannot imagine if the world were to only rely on AstraZeneca, then we will surely face a big problem," he emphasized. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. A massive fire broke out at state-run oil firm PT Pertamina's Balongan refinery in Indramayu, West Java, on early Monday, inflicting injuries to dozens of local residents and leading to evacuations of hundreds of villagers.

Spokesman of the West Java Police Senior Commissioner Erdi A. Chaniago spoke of the personnel having evacuated hundreds of people from two villages near the location.

"Since last night, we have secured the scene and around the location," Chaniago noted here on Monday.

The police moved people out of the two villages in proximity to the oil refinery to nearly two kilometers away from the scene.

The Balongan oil refinery is located some 100 kilometers off West Java's capital city of Bandung.

"We cannot forecast whether the fire can be stopped soon or it would spread to other locations," he remarked.

Five people have so far suffered burn injuries, while a dozen others sustained mild injuries owing to the fire.

Meanwhile, PT Pertamina has yet to identify the cause of the fire that broke out at 00.45 a.m. local time on Monday.

The company has made assurance that the incident would not hinder fuel oil supply to consumers.

"We can ensure that fuel oil supply to the public would not be obstructed, and currently, it has run normally," Corporate Secretary of Subholding Refining Petrochemical PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional, Ifki Sukarya noted in a statement.

The fire broke out at Balongan's T-301G tank amid lashing rains and lightning in the area.

Witnesses claimed that the fire was visible from a distance of five kilometers.

As many as 200 people were evacuated to the Indramayu District office, 400 people to the Indramayu Islamic Center, and 350 people to the Bumi Patra Complex sports center.

Sukarya noted that the residents, who suffered burn injuries, were passing by the location when the fire erupted and were receiving treatment at the Indramayu Public Hospital.

Pertamina and the Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel have cordoned off the area. "We call on people to stay calm and avoid the fire scene," he remarked.

The company will provide logistics to the evacuees.

Moreover, it has deployed the Healthy Safety, Security, and Environment (HSSE) team from the nearest units of the Cilacap Refinery, Production and Exploration Refinery, Plaju Refinery to work jointly with the Indramayu Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) to extinguish the fire. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. Indonesian Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo has called on communities to not panic in response to the suicide bombing outside a Catholic church in Makassar on Sunday.

"Do not panic. Please stay calm. The National Police's counterterrorism squad, Densus 88, has continued to track down the group's moves," Prabowo notified local journalists.

The police will continue its counterterrorism efforts on all terrorist networks in the country, the police chief remarked after observing the church compound in the city on Sunday evening.

Prabowo spoke of having instructed his men to promptly implement measures for early detection and prevention after finding out about the terrorist cells' planned activities.

In enforcing the law against the suspects for saving and securing the community members at large, the police officers should avoid falling victims, he emphasized.

"Arrest them, but if they attack (the police), take stern actions against them," Prabowo noted while urging local residents to continue with their routine activities.

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside a church on Kajaolalido Road in the Baru neighborhood area of Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi Province, on Sunday.

The couple attempted in vain to enter the church compound after security guards stopped them at the gate when a Palm Sunday Mass service had recently ended.

At least 20 people, including churchgoers and the church's security guards at the gate, got injured in the blast.

The suicide bombers, who reportedly belong to a JAD network, died shortly after conducting their attack by using a pressure cooker bomb at about 10:30 a.m. local time.

Since 2000, Indonesia has become the target of terrorist attacks, and the spread of radicalism and terrorism continues to threaten the nation.

ANTARA highlighted the repeated incidents of assaults by suspected terrorists and armed Papuan rebels on civilians and security personnel in 2020.

On May 22, 2020, notorious armed rebels had reportedly shot at two medical workers -- Almalek Bagau and Eunico Somou -- from the Wandai Health Center in Intan Jaya District, Papua Province, while they were delivering drugs for COVID-19 patients.

In another incident on June 1, 2020, a lone wolf assaulted Brigadier Leonardo Latupapua, a policeman of the Daha Selatan police precinct in South Kalimantan Province. Latupapua succumbed to grave injuries following the early morning attack.

On June 21, 2020, a man unexpectedly attacked Second Brigadier Hanif Ariyono, a driver of Deputy Chief of Karanganyar Police Commissioner Busroni's official vehicle, with a machete in Karanganyar District, Central Java Province. (Antaranews)