VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan appreciated various parties involved in the discovery of Lion Air PK-LQP Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). The results of this CVR analysis will be an important clue to the cause of the plane which crashed in Karawang, West Java, last October 29, 2018. In a press conference at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs, Jakarta, Monday (1/21), Luhut invited various parties involved in the discovery of Lion Air’s CVR, among others Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) Soerjanto Tjahjono, Head of the Rescue Underwater Service Colonel Monang Sitompul and 4 divers who managed to find the CVR. To the media, Luhut told how the Fleet Command I of Underwater Rescue Team and Frogman and Underwater demolition unit personnel worked hard to discover the CVR.

"They modiefied conventional methods carried out by a team hired from Singapore, which was quite expensive, which we rented 3.5 million dollars for 10 days and was unsuccessful. The advantage thing is that they have minimized the search sector. While the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) team built a team using a Navy ship. Then the equipment was provided by Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology BPPT, and they became a team,” said Luhut.

Meanwhile the Chairperson of the National Transportation Safety Committee Soerjanto Tjahjono said that currently the Committee is in the process of analyzing the results of the CVR reading and it is expected that in less than one year the report on the CVR results can be issued. (VOI / AHM / edit r)

General Elections Commission  (KPU) has stipulated  foreign permanent voters list (DPT) in  2019 presidential election that reach more than 2 million people. Of the total numbers, there are about 2,000 voters in conflict areas, such as   in Yemen. Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens and Indonesian Legal Entities, Indonesian Foreign Affairs  Ministry, Lalu Muhammaq Iqbal, said that even though the Indonesian embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, had been closed since 2015 and moved to Salalah, Oman and was closed again as of December 31, 2018, the existence of Yemeni's Foreign Election Committee (PPLN) is confirmed to  exist. Iqbal also said that the committee’s work area is under the committe in Muscat, Oman. Meanwhile, the voting for the 2019 presidential election for overseas voters will be held on April 8 to 14.

"There are still Indonesian Communities in Yemen. There are also  PPLN members and some students in Hadramaud. Although the Indonesian Embassy is closed, the PPLN still work," Lalu Muhamad Iqbal said.

Meanwhile, General Elections Commission  (KPU) commissioner, Pramono Ubaid Tanthowi, said that to guarantee the secrecy of voters in Yemen, the delivery of ballot boxes will not be conducted by post, but carried out directly by the Foreign Election Committee (PPLN), considering the tense situation in Yemen and the ballot boxes have to pass through 17 security posts. (KBRN/RETNO/AHM)

Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) Bambang Soesatyo has called for vigilance against possible natural disasters.

Every district and city administration must consolidate and coordinate its disaster mitigation office (BPBD) to anticipate natural disasters, he said in a statement in Jakarta, Sunday.

"Every regional head whose region is prone to natural disaster must remain vigilant and cautious. Every element in BPBD must begin consolidation and anticipation," he said.

He urged anticipatory measures following a series of earthquakes in Banda, Bengkulu, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and the Sunda Strait on Jan 10 and 11, 2019.

Moreover, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that there is a potential tsunami in the Sunda Strait.

"Besides earthquakes, several volcanoes have been erupting, such as Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait, Mount Agung in Bali, and Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta. In addition to, whirlwinds have also been reported in several regions," he stated.

The earthquakes and volcano eruptions so far did not pose serious threats, but the House Speaker asked the local governments to remain vigilant and prepared.

The local disaster mitigation officers must actively communicate with BMKG officers to minimize the number of victims of natural disasters such as floods, landslides, earthquakes, and volcano eruptions, he said.

On Dec 22, 2018, Mount Anak Krakatau erupted and a huge part of its southern flank collapsed and slid into the ocean.

The flank collapse triggered a tsunami that killed at least 437 people and rendered 23 others missing in five districts in Lampung and Banten Provinces.

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, as it is located on the "Pacific Ring of Fire" where a large number of volcanoes and earthquakes occur.

During the January-December 2018 period, a total of 2,427 natural disasters hit Indonesia, leaving at least 4,821 people dead or missing, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Board (BNPB). (ANTARA)

The government of West Java Province and South Korea will establish an international coffee school in a bid to promote coffee along with tourism of West Java.

"Coffee and tourism promotion to the world are the two things to be collaborated," West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil noted in Bandung, West Java on Saturday, Jan 12.

The idea was discussed at a meeting between Kamil and Korean Sung Kyul University`s President Dong Cheoul Yoon, who is also a representative of the International Coffee Association, at the Pakuan Building in Bandung on Friday.

"The most anticipated (cooperation) is the international coffee school with networking from Korea, as Koreans are one of most coffee addicts in Asia," he pointed out.

Kamil said he had sought partnership with Korea to build the coffee school, with the hope of opening a special cafe in Korea that only serves coffee from West Java.

In the near future, the West Java government will find three locations in the mountain area, with beautiful scenery, to build the school.

"Hopefully, this would improve the quality of our coffee that would also make our economy robust," Kamil noted. (ANTARA)