VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and First Lady Iriana Jokowi left Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta for Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara Province on Sunday to observe the latest development of tourism infrastructure facilities there.

The president and his entourage boarded the presidential airplane at 09.00 a.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB), and arrived at the Komodo Airport in Manggarai Barat District, East Nusa Tenggara, at around 11.50 a.m. Eastern Indonesia Time (WIT).

Among the top government officials who join the president's working visit until Tuesday (Jan 21) were Head of the Presidential Secretariat Heru Budi Hartono, Commander of the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) Major General Maruli Simanjuntak.

The President's Military Secretary Major General Suharyanto and the President's Special Staff Adamas Belva Syah Devara also joined this President Jokowi's visit.

During his visit, President Jokowi would observe the construction project of Labuan Bajo Pier's multipurpose terminal, and come to Puncak Waringin, a new tourist destination in Labuan Bajo, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Heru Budi Hartono said.

President Jokowi has also been scheduled to inaugurate a hotel, owned by a state-owned enterprise, he said, adding that the president would observe the infrastructure facilities constructed for boosting the district's tourism industry, he said.

"Labuan Bajo has been selected to be one of five highly prioritized destinations this year," he said.

In July 2019, President Jokowi had also visited the infrastructure facilities in Labuan Bajo, a tourist resort area that CNN International had placed in the world's second best spots for snorkeling in 2015.

At that time, President Jokowi visited Puncak Waringin, a new tourist destination in Labuan Bajo which covers a hilly area of one hectare and will be equipped with a souvenir center, an amphitheater, an open green area, and an observation deck.

Jokowi said the government would accelerate the development of infrastructure including an airport in the region to boost local tourism.

The president wanted the airports in the regions where tourist destinations existed to be managed by those having an international tourism network.

Labuan Bajo needs to be totally revamped with packages presenting attractive local art and cultural events to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

East Nusa Tenggara's tourism and creative economic office itself has identified 1,181 tourist attractions located in 22 districts and municipalities in the province. (ANTARA)

President Joko Widodo, at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Friday afternoon (17/01) led a Limited Cabinet Meeting which discussed the 20th National Sports Week (PON) in Papua 2020. In the PON XX there will be 37 types of sports with 678 matches. The 20th National Sports Week in Papua will be held on 20th October to 2nd November 2020 and will be centered in 4 regions, namely the City of Jayapura, Jayapura Regency, Mimika Regency, and Merauke Regency. The national sport events will be participated in by approximately 9411 athletes and officials who will come to Papua.

"The spirit of the implementation of National Sports Week in Papua is not only a mere sports competition but also the most important arena where we together strengthen the brotherhood, the relation of unity, and solidarity among regions. The event is also to show the world that there are many great talents in the field of sports from  Province of Papua," President Joko WIdodo said.

At the Limited Cabinet Meeting that was also attended by heads of Regional Government of Papua, President Joko Widodo also requested that the National Sport Week’s readiness can be seen from its  aspects of supporting infrastructure readiness.   President Jokowi also wants that infrastructure development that has been done for the national sport event can also be utilized for other activities after the festivity is completed// (VOI/Ndy/AHM/TRANS:AF)

FIFA U-20 World Cup festivity is getting closer. The Indonesian government has continuously made preparations so it can organize the event optimally. President Joko Widodo at the Limited Cabinet Meeting on Friday (01/17/2020) afternoon at the Presidential Office in Jakarta explained he wants to ensure the stadium's readiness.  He wants the stadium to be prepared to host world class matches.  The government has prepared 10 stadiums for the 2021 U-20 World Cup.

"There are six main stadiums and 4 reserved stadiums.  I asked if those can really be checked directly in the field and they are truly equipped to be used for world class matches, starting from the environment, field, seats, dressing rooms, toilets, and even the press media room which is truly representative and if there is a shortage and those are needed to be renovated and   improved so that they are really prepared to be used in 2021.  I also wanted to see in detail the connection between the stadium and the transportation to the accommodation for FIFA U-20 world cup participants. For example, ensuring the match won’t be late because of connectivity problems. Therefore, the accommodation facilities and infrastructure must also have world class services," said President Joko Widodo.

Moreover, President Joko Widodo also wants the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2021 to become a promotional event for Indonesia. He also stated that Indonesia must be able to show the world that it is a strongly developing country that is able to hold international events. (VOI/Ndy/AHM)/TRANS:AF)
 

In the wake of ferocious bushfires that tore through Kangaroo Island, local farmer Rick Morris has endured the gruelling task of burying 400 sheep killed when most of his sprawling property went up in flames.

"It puts it in perspective to say that we're one of the lucky ones," he said. Australia is reeling from bushfires that since September have claimed 28 lives, including two on Kangaroo Island, and razed 10 million hectares (25 million acres) of land -- an area larger than South Korea or Portugal.

Vast swathes of the burned land were used for grazing cattle and sheep, and officials believe the livestock toll exceeds 100,000 across Australia -- including at least 43,000 on Kangaroo Island alone, where farmers like Morris endured three blazes in just 10 days.

"We faced the full wrath of Mother Nature," he told AFP at his 930-hectare (2,300-acre) farm.

"The fire (swept) from the south side to the north side of the island and took no prisoners between... I'm amazed there were not more people killed."

Faced with the scale of the disaster, Australia's army has deployed 3,000 soldiers to assist in bushfire-affected areas.

Here, the defence force flew in firefighters from the mainland and dropped bales of hay from helicopters to farmers isolated by fires in the island's western reaches.

Brigadier Damian Cantwell, the joint bushfire task force commander for South Australia state, said he foresaw a "long road ahead" for Kangaroo Island.

"I've seen a level of destruction which is still surprising me now," he told AFP.

"There's a lot of farmers that are in distress, a lot of community members are struggling, some families have lost everything, and they're struggling to find out where they can move forward from here," he said.

"There's no end date assigned to this mission, and it's very important that there's no sense of anyone... thinking about when this is going to end."

- Pushed 'to the brink' -

Kangaroo Island's agriculture industry is worth Aus$150 million (US$100 million), and farming is the island's biggest employer.

Local agronomist Daniel Pledge said farmers would need to buy extra feed for their livestock, pasture seed to restore burned paddocks and animals would be likely to conceive at lower rates due to stress -- causing lasting impacts from the fires.

"It's a snowball effect that we can't measure and we're very concerned for our local economy, to be honest," he told AFP.

“And these effects could flow on for up to five years, for certain individuals. And that is a long time."

The country's farmers had already been battered by a prolonged drought that has crippled water supplies in rural areas across the vast and arid continent's southeast.

National Farmers' Federation president Fiona Simpson said they were increasingly under pressure across the country.

"Whether it's the drought or the recent bushfires, dry conditions are pushing many of our farming communities to the brink," she said.

"It's a situation that grows graver each day, and shows no signs of abating."

In response, the government has promised immediate support payments of Aus$75,000 to aid in farmers' recovery, which will be drawn from a Aus$2.0 billion bushfire relief package.

Morris, who is also the chairman of Kangaroo Island's agriculture industry body, said the financial support would be welcomed on the island.

For now, though, he is keeping his remaining 4,500-strong flock close until the bushfire threat passes.

"We're hand-feeding them for all their nutrient needs, and that'll be the case until April (or) May when it rains, hopefully," he said. (AFP)