VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Australia has defended its plan to send citizens evacuated from the coronavirus outbreak in China to an immigration detention centre on a remote island.

The evacuees - overwhelmingly Chinese Australians - would be quarantined on Christmas Island for two weeks.

Some waiting in Wuhan, China, have questioned whether "white Australians" would be treated differently. Doctors have also criticised the plan.

But the government said it was the best solution in the short term.

"I can't clear out a hospital in Sydney or Melbourne or Brisbane," Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton told reporters on Thursday.

"I don't have a facility otherwise that we can quickly accommodate for what might be many hundreds of people, and Christmas Island is purpose-built for exactly this scenario."

The small Australian territory, about 2,600km (1,616 miles) from the mainland, has held thousands of asylum seekers since 2003. Conditions there have previously been criticised by the UN and human rights groups.

Many potential evacuees say they are conflicted over whether they will take up the offer. Officials have told them they will need to pay A$1,000 ($673; £512) for the flight, and agree to go to Christmas Island in order to be repatriated.

They may have to be flown to the mainland first before being transported to Christmas Island for quarantine, Mr Dutton said.

More than 600 Australians have registered for help after China effectively locked down Wuhan and surrounding areas in Hubei province. Canberra has said it will prioritise vulnerable groups such as the elderly and young families.

'Not being taken to our own country'

Many have expressed gratitude for the government's help, but also raised concerns about the plan and contrasted it with evacuations carried out by other nations.

The US and Japan repatriated hundreds of citizens to major cities this week.

Sydney man Daniel Ou Yang told the BBC: "Just if we go by the fact of comparing country to country, we're not even being landed in our own country."

He raised concerns about the level of medical care on the island, adding: "Are we getting this kind of treatment because we're not Caucasian Australian? Because we're Chinese Australian?"

On Friday, the government said it would send "significant" medical equipment and 24 medical staff to the island to create "a deployable hospital". It did not immediately respond to questions about alleged discrimination.

Canberra has said the plan follows the advice of medical professionals. However, the Australian Medical Association has argued people would be better quarantined on the mainland.

"We feel that the repatriation to Christmas Island - to a place previously the focus of populations under enormous mental and physical trauma and anguish - is not a really appropriate solution," the association's president, Tony Bartone, told Australia's Nine Network.

More than 140 children are among those stuck in the region, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

One Sydney woman identified as Ms Liu told the broadcaster: "We are not prisoners, how could they treat us in a detention centre rather than a proper medical facility?"

Wenbo Yu, whose wife and two children are in Wuhan, said he would prefer his loved ones to stay where they are.

"Compared to Wuhan, we believe Christmas Island is even more unpredictable," he told the ABC.

Former Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane said: "Yes, this is complex, but Australian citizens deserve better from their government."

Christmas Island's detention centre was closed in 2018 but re-opened the following year. It currently only houses a family of four Sri Lankan asylum seekers who are fighting deportation.

There have been nine confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia. Two people have recovered and been released from hospital, authorities said on Thursday.

In total, more than 9,000 people have been infected globally, and 213 people in China have died. (BBC)

The new coronavirus has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization, as the outbreak continues to spread outside China.

"The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The concern is that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems.

At least 213 people have died from the virus in China.

The WHO said there had been 98 cases in 18 other countries, but no deaths. Most cases have emerged in people who have travelled from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began.

Coronavirus Outbreak

• 59% was the average age of those infected
• 89% were not hospitalised until at least five days of illness
• 56% of cases were men
• 55% of cases diagnosed before January 1 linked to seafood market 
• Data based on the first 425 cases confirmed in Wuhan. 
  Source: The New England Journal of Medicine 

Polio, 2014 - Although closer than ever to eradication in 2012, polio numbers rose in 2013. An emergency was declared due to fears the global fight against its eradication could face a major setback.

Zika, 2016 - The WHO declared Zika a public health emergency in 2016 after the disease spread rapidly through the Americas. Although for many Zika symptoms are mild, it can be dangerous for pregnant women and the emergency was called to spur urgent research.

Ebola, 2014 and 2019 - The first emergency over the virus lasted from August 2014 to March 2016 as almost 30,000 people were infected and more than 11,000 died in West Africa. The WHO cited "the virulence of the virus, the intensive community and health facility transmission patterns, and the weak health systems" in affected countries. A second emergency was declared last year as an outbreak spread in DR Congo.

Swine flu, 2009 -The H1N1 virus spread across the world in 2009, killing more than 200,000 people, and a public health emergency was called to ensure the world was carefully monitoring its spread and able to respond, including with vaccines.

However, there have been eight cases of human-to-human infection - in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the United States.

Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, Dr Tedros described the virus as an "unprecedented outbreak" that has been met with an "unprecedented response".

He praised the "extraordinary measures" Chinese authorities had taken to prevent it from spreading and said there was no reason to limit trade or travel to China, adding: "Let me be clear, this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China".

But various countries have taken steps to close borders or cancel flights in recent days, and companies like Google, Ikea, Starbucks and Tesla have closed their shops or stopped operations.

Preparing other countries

Analysis by James Gallagher, Health and science correspondent 

What happens if this virus finds its way into a country that cannot cope? Many low and middle income countries simply lack the tools to spot or contain it. The fear is it could spread uncontrollably and that it may go unnoticed for some time.

Remember this is a disease which emerged only last month and yet there are already 7,736 confirmed cases in China and 12,167 suspected ones.

The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa - the largest in human history - showed how easily poorer countries can be overwhelmed by such outbreaks. And if novel coronavirus gets a significant foothold in such places then it would be incredibly difficult to contain.

We are not at that stage yet - 99% of cases are in China and the WHO is convinced the country can control the outbreak there. But declaring a global emergency allows the WHO to support lower and middle income countries to strengthen their disease surveillance and prepare them for coronavirus cases.

How unusual is this declaration?

The WHO declares a Public Health Emergency of International Concern when there is "an extraordinary event which is determined… to constitute a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease".

It has previously declared five global public health emergencies:

How is China handling the outbreak?

A confirmed case in Tibet means the virus has now reached every region in mainland China. According to the country's National Health Commission, 9,692 cases have tested positive.

Although questions have been raised about transparency, the WHO has praised China's handling of the outbreak. President Xi Jinping has vowed to defeat what he called a "devil" virus.

The central province of Hubei, where nearly all deaths have occurred, is in a state of lockdown. The province of 60 million people is home to Wuhan, the heart of the outbreak.

The city has effectively been sealed off and China has put numerous transport restrictions in place to curb the spread of the virus.

People who have been in Hubei are also being told by their employers to work from home until it is considered safe for them to return.

The virus is affecting China's economy, the world's second-largest, with a growing number of countries advising their citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to the country.

How is the world responding?

Voluntary evacuations of hundreds of foreign nationals from Wuhan are under way, and the UK, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand are expected to quarantine all evacuees for two weeks to monitor them for symptoms and avoid any contagion.

Australia plans to quarantine its evacuees on Christmas Island, 2,000km (1,200 miles) from the mainland in a detention centre that has been used to house asylum seekers.

Countries with diagnosed cases have been keeping patients in isolation. Other recent developments:

• Italy suspended flights to China after two Chinese tourists in Rome were diagnosed with the virus; earlier 6,000 people on board a cruise ship were temporarily barred from disembarking after a Chinese passenger was suspected of having the virus but tests came back as negative
• In the US,Chicago health officials have reported the first US case of human-to-human transmission; and around 200 US citizens have been flown out of Wuhan and are being isolated at a Californian military base for at least 72 hours
• Russia has decided to close its 4,300km (2,670-mile) far-eastern border with China in an attempt to prevent contagion
• Flights to take British and South Korean citizens out of Wuhan have both been delayed, after relevant permissions from the Chinese authorities did not come through
• Two flights to Japan have already landed in Tokyo. Three passengers have so far tested positive for the virus, Japanese media report
• Two aircraft are due to fly EU citizens home, with 250 French nationals leaving on the first flight
• India has confirmed its first case of the virus - a student in the southern state of Kerala who was studying in Wuhan
• (BBC)

Indonesian Ambassador to Italy Esti Andayani installed Jacopo Cappuccio as Indonesia's honorary consul to Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and inaugurated honorary consul’s office at a function attended by local officials, Indonesian diplomats, and community in Florence, Monday.

The honorary consul’s presence in Florence is expected to help intensify economic, social, and cultural relations between Indonesia and Italy, especially in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, Andayani noted in a statement issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Rome.

The ambassador also lauded Cappuccio for supporting the Indonesian Film Festival held regularly in Italy since 2014.

Cappuccio expressed commitment to intensifying business-to-business as well as people-to-people contacts between both nations.

"I am highly enthusiastic and ready to assist the Indonesian Embassy in Rome to achieve the target of bilateral trade between Indonesia and Italy by exploring potential areas for cooperation in agriculture and MSMEs," he remarked.

The Indonesian Embassy in Rome plans to invite Italian businessmen to a business meeting to be held in the near future.

The address of the honorary consul is Via Pier Capponi No. 17, Florence, Italy. (ANTARA)

A flash flood submerged hundreds of homes in Sempol Village, Ijen Sub-district, Bondowoso District, East Java Province, on Wednesday.

Muddy floodwaters inundated Sempol after unremitting torrential rains in the Mount Suket area in Jampit, Kukuh Triyatmoko, head of the Bondowoso disaster mitigation office, stated.

Floodwaters and mud, reaching a height of nearly 30 centimeters, submerged some 200 homes in Sempol, he noted.

"Some 200 homes are estimated to have been affected by the flooding, but we are yet collecting precise data. No reports of casualties have, so far, been received," he remarked.

The flooding was triggered by downpour lashing over two hours in the upstream Mount Suket area, near a coffee plantation.

Indonesia is currently experiencing wet rainy season after being hit by prolonged drought that has resulted in a water crisis in several provinces.

In Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra, six people lost their lives, while three went missing in flash floods, according to the Central Tapanuli Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD). Flooding due to torrential rain submerged seven villages in Barus Sub-district, Central Tapanuli District, North Sumatra, on early Wednesday morning.

The flooding also caused injuries to 22 people and inundated some 700 homes, Agus Haryanto, Secretary of the Central Tapanuli BPBD, confirmed on Wednesday.

"The latest data indicated that six people died, while three were declared missing. The dead victims are yet being identified," he noted.

The flood-affected villages were Kampung Mudik, Pasar Terandam, Bungo Tanjung, Kinali, Ujung Batu, Batu Gerigis, and Padang Masiang.

Evacuation posts and health posts have been established in the district to handle residents affected by the natural disaster.

Meanwhile, in Batanghari District, Jambi Province, at least 16 villages were inundated, as the Batanghari River overflowed its bank since the past one week.

"Some 16 villages in six sub-districts are affected by the flooding," Samral, secretary of the Batanghari Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD), stated on Wednesday. (ANTARA)