The Tourism Polytechnic of South Sulawesi province's capital of Makasar collaborates with Breda University of Applied Science from the Netherlands to work together to improve the quality and competency of Indonesian tourism human resources, especially lecturers and students.

Acting Director of Makassar's Polytechnic Muhammad Arifin said here on Sunday that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with Dr. Elisabeth Minnemann, President of the Executive Board of Breda University of Applied Science in Breda City, the Netherlands, on July 4, 2019.

"We agreed to implement several points of cooperation including the development of competencies and qualifications of lecturers and students at the master level of tourism destination," said Muhammad Arifin.

The two institutions also agreed to carry out training in strengthening the role of the tourism polytechnics as a Marine Tourism Study Center, rural tourism, village tourism, and international journal research and publications.

He said the submission of the collaboration paper was a follow-up to the visit carried out with the Head of the Makassar State Polytechnic Cooperation Unit Dr. H. Syamsu Rijal, M. Pd. to Breda University of Applied Science in November 2018.

Arifin appreciated the collaboration with Breda University of Applied Science which he said was one of the strategies to realize the Makassar Polytechnic as "World Class Polytechnic".

"Breda University of Applied Science has a number of tourism-related study programs such as Tourism Management, Leisure & Event Management and Hotel Management, Tourism Destination Management, so I feel it is appropriate to collaborate with Breda University of Applied Science," he said.

Arifin explained that currently there are 11 students and three lecturers of Breda University of Applied Science who visited the Makassar Polytechnic campus.

"In 2017 we conducted a Joint Lecture with Breda University of Applied Science which was facilitated by Swisscontact, a non-profit organization that has been collaborating with the Makassar Polytechnic, due to which we are interested in continuing official cooperation" he said. (ANTARA)

Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto has been designated as the World Heritage by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This determination was announced at the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee Meeting on July 6, 2019 in Baku City, Azerbaijan. The Director General of Culture of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Hilmar Farid, during a press conference at the National Museum in Jakarta, Sunday (07/07), said Ombilin coal mine deserves to be a world cultural heritage because it has a prominent universal value.

“This Ombilin coal mining site deserves to be included in the list of world heritage because of its outstanding universal value, so there is a provision that every world heritage must have an outstanding universal value, so it stands out as a universal value. It means that from universal this means important, has significance for humanity,” said Hilmar Farid.

The determination of the Ombilin Sawahlunto Coal Mine Heritage as a world heritage in Baku, Azerbaijan, was witnessed by the Indonesian Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Prof. Dr. H. Husnan Bey Fananie, MA, accompanied by Deputy Permanent Representative of Indonesia for UNESCO, Prof. DR. Surya Rosa Putra; Mayor of Sawahlunto, Deri Asta; and other delegates. (VOI / AHM)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has extended deep condolences to the family of late Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, senior spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), who passed away in Guangzhou, China, early Sunday.

"Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rojiun. Our condolences on the passing of Mr Sutopo Purwo Nugroho in Guangzhou, in the wee hours today," the President wrote on his official Instagram account on Sunday.

Sutopo who was included in the list of "The Asians of the Year 2018" by the Straits Times died at 49 while being treated for lung cancer in China.

Jokowi said Sutopo had still shown his dedication to the nation and the public by kept providing the latest information on disasters happening in several regions in Indonesia, despite his illness.

Earlier, the BNPB announced that it suffered a tremendous loss in the passing of Sutopo, who had been confirmed by doctors to get lung cancer in December 2017. The cancer that he suffered had spread to his body's bones and several other vital internal organs.

His remains would be flown by a Garuda Indonesia aircraft from Guangzhou to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Cengkareng, Indonesia, on Sunday at 03:45 p.m. local time, Indonesian authorities said.

The Garuda Indonesia aircraft serving flight number GA-899 was expected to arrive at the Cengkareng-based airport at about 08:30 p.m. local time, General Manager of Garuda Indonesia's Guangzhou Office Suzana Argentine Walandouw said.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Guangzhou also confirmed the Garuda Indonesia officer's information on the repatriation of Sutopo's remains.

"May everything go smoothly," Walandouw said, adding that late Sutopo's wife Retno Utami Yulianingsih and several relatives would also join the same flight. Shortly after arriving, Sutopo's remains would be carried to the mourning house.

From the mourning house, which is located at Tapos, in Depok city, West Java Province, Sutopo's remains would then be transported to Boyolali in Central Java Province for burial.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi had contacted Sutopo's wife to express her condolences. (ANTARA)

Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) announced that it suffered a tremendous loss in the passing of its senior spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, who died of lung cancer while being treated at an hospital in Guangzhou, China, on early Sunday.

The BNPB received the sad news from Sutopo's wife and his son's Twitter account, the agency's public relations division revealed in its press statement that ANTARA received here on Sunday.

Sutopo who was confirmed by doctors to get lung cancer in December 2017 passed away at around 02:20 a.m. Guangzhou's time or 01:20 a.m. Jakarta's time after being treated at the Chinese city's St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital since June 15.

The cancer that he suffered had spread to his body's bones and several other vital internal organs. However, despite his serious illness, Sutopo remained committed to his professional work as the agency's spokesperson.

Amid his ongoing endeavor to receive medical treatment, he still held regular press briefings to update information on the impact and mitigation efforts of such catastrophic disasters as the Lombok and Palu earthquakes and tsunamis, BNPB said.

"We all suffer a tremendous loss in the passing of Mr.Sutopo. May the Almighty, Allah Subhana Wa Taala accepts his good deeds, and enable the mourning families to cope with this loss and grief patiently," the BNPB said. (ANTARA)