VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The West Sumatra National Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) together with a team from the ARSARI Djojohadikusumo Foundation on Monday announced that they have reintroduced two Sumatran tiger siblings; Putra Singgulung and Putri Singgulung.

The West Sumatra BKSDA chief, Erly Sukrismanto, explained that the reintroduction program subjected a natural forest area that was kept classified from Thursday to Friday. He only said that the exact location is an eight-hour walk.

“Despite the challenges, we are overjoyed to carry out the mandate of the Environment and Forestry Ministry’s directorate general of natural resources and ecosystem conservation upon reintroducing endangered wildlife to its original habitat,” wrote Erly Sukrismanto in a written statement on November 30.

The two Sumatran tigers were initially rescued from the Solok Regency in June this year after locals reported the endangered animals had been trapped in a manmade trap. The BKSDA assures that the tigers are physically and capable of reentering the wild. (Tempo/Antaranews)

 The Indonesian government will not compel people who refuse to participate in COVID-19 immunization to get vaccinated, chief of the COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee (KPCPEN), Erick Thohir, said on Tuesday.

A survey has shown about 66 percent of Indonesians trust COVID-19 vaccines and are keen to get vaccinated, Thohir said.

“But some 16 percent are refusing to have the vaccine, we cannot force them,” Thohir, who is also the Minister of State Enterprises, said during a webinar here on Tuesday.

The government’s vaccination program is aimed at breaking the chain of transmission of COVID-19 and reducing the mortality rate, he added.

“People ask whether the COVID-19 vaccine is qualified. The government will use vaccines that are already listed under the WHO, passed clinical tests; and, the KPCPEN has been transparent with the MUI, BPOM, and all parties. The Indonesian people’s safety is on top priority,” he said.

According to Thohir, the government will maintain data on vaccine receivers as the COVID-19 vaccine would have to be taken twice.

Therefore, the minister would ensure integration of data from the Health Ministry, the Communication and Informatics Ministry, the Indonesian military, and police.

"Because we realize that personal data privacy must be protected by the government, this program will be conducted under direct coordination of President Joko Widodo. The data will be kept by the government and it will be protected," he assured.

The Indonesian government has consistently expressed confidence in the potential of the COVID-19 vaccine for helping win the fight against the pandemic.

To prepare for the first phase of the COVID-19 immunization program, scheduled in the third week of December, 2020, President Joko Widodo has instructed ministries and agencies to conduct nationwide COVID-19 vaccination simulations. (Antaranews)

Arguing against the phasing out of palm oil, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi urged the European Union (EU) to give fair treatment to the commodity during the 23rd ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting, held online on Tuesday.

“Indonesia's request to the European Union for fair treatment of palm oil is reasonable, bearing in mind that Indonesia does not sacrifice environmental conservation merely for the sake of economic development,” she said in the press statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.

If other vegetable oils need 278 million hectares of cultivated land, then palm oil requires just 17 million hectares of land, the minister said.

The use of land for the development of palm oil provides effective results compared to other vegetable oils, she added.

The minister said Southeast Asia is the world’s largest palm oil producer, accounting for 89 percent of the global production.

The industry also provides 26 million jobs in the region and more than 40 percent of oil palm plantations are managed by small farmers in ASEAN, she pointed out.

Palm oil can play a significant role in achieving the target of sustainable development goals (SDG), she added.

In Indonesia, the palm oil industry has helped bring down the number of poor by up to 10 million and contributed US$23 billion to the country's foreign exchange coffers, Marsudi noted.

The EU Commission endorsed the delegated act on Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) in March last year.

In the document, the EU Commission has come to the conclusion that palm oil has resulted in massive deforestation worldwide and set down plans to phase out the use of palm oil completely by 2030.

In response to the document, Indonesia has stressed that the post-pandemic economic recovery in the context of environmental protection must serve common interests and commitments.

Producing environmentally friendly palm oil is the commitment of Indonesia and EU, Marsudi said.

To improve common understanding and bridge better policies and self confidence in the sustainable palm oil industry, ASEAN and EU have agreed on the creation of a Joint Working Group (JWG) to discuss vegetable oils in proportion to palm oil.

“I warmly welcome the plan to organize the JWG meeting in January, 2021," Marsudi said. (Antaranews)

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded a sharp year-on-year (y-o-y) contraction of 88.25 percent in foreign arrivals to Indonesia in October 2020, clocked at 158.2 thousand foreign travelers.

The number has risen slightly by 4.57 percent as compared to the foreign tourist visits observed in September 2020.

"The trend is still quite flat until October 2020, with 158.2 thousand foreign tourists," Deputy for Distribution and Service Statistics of the BPS Setianto noted here on Tuesday.

Setianto pointed out that health issues remain the biggest concern for foreign tourists, so a disciplined approach to implement stringent health protocols, including washing hands, wearing masks, and physical distancing, is deemed necessary to drive the economy.

Cumulatively, the number of foreign tourist visits during the period from January to October 2020 has reached 3.72 million, decreasing by 72.35 percent as compared to 13.45 million during the same period of last year.

The agency recorded that some 63 percent, or 99.74 thousand tourists, used land transportation to visit Indonesia, while some 45.69 thousand, or 29 percent, used sea transportation and 12.76 thousand, or eight percent, used air transportation.

"It is still far from the normal condition in 2019," he stated.

The highest number of foreign tourists came from Timor Leste, with 82.81 thousand visitors, or 52.35 percent; followed by Malaysia, 46.04 thousand, or 29.10 percent; China, 6.68 thousand, or 4.22 percent; the United States, 3.12 thousand, or 1.97 percent; and the Netherlands, 2.92 thousand, or 1.85 percent.

The room occupancy rate in October had risen to 37.48 percent as compared to the previous month, at 32.12 percent though declined by 19.3 percent from 56.77 percent in October 2019. (Antaranews)