VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Construction of Jakarta's Light Rail Transit (LRT) project has been 85 percent completed and it is expected to be ready for operation ahead of the Asian Games next month.

Jakarta and Palembang will co host Asia's largest sport event in August this year, and the LRT with elevated track is designed to help facilitate transport free from traffic jams in the city.

"LRT of Jakarta is to be operational in August this year a week before the start of Asian Games," Veri Yonnevil a member of the city council (DPRD) said in Jakarta on Wednesday, July 18.

The LRT has been designed to cope with worse traffic jams in the capital city.

In Palembang , the government has already built a 24 kilometer long elevated rail track of LRT linking the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport and the Jakabaring sport center in the South Sumatra capital city.

The Rp10.9 trillion project has a local content of 95 percent making it relatively cheap compared with those of Malaysia and Manila of the Philippines.

The project was built by the state-owned construction company PT Waskita Karya.

Construction of the project which began in 2014, is to be completed this month designed mainly to facilitate the transport of athlete from the airport to the city.

The track is built over land along the main road in the city that the implementation of the project would not be delayed on difficulty in land clearing. Land clearing has been one of the main drag in the implementation of many infrastructure projects in the country. Land owners would put a much higher price when they know their land would be used for big projects. (ANTARA)

Indonesian men`s and women`s field hockey teams groomed for the Asian Games 2018 have increasingly improved their performance after they underwent training at the national training center and joined test events in Malaysia, the Indonesian Hockey Federation (FHI) said.

"The team is currently more structured, either at the time of defending or attacking," FHI Secretary General Yasser Arafat stated in Jakarta on Wednesday, July 18.

They have also been familiarized with the instructions of their Malaysian coach Lim Chiow Chuan, Arafat remarked.

But they are yet to completely understand the games, he added.

This is quite reasonable since the Indonesian national field hockey team has never taken part in any international leagues as their Malaysian counterparts have done, he explained.

"It is a matter of improving their understanding since the sport has been developing rapidly, while Indonesia has no professional league. Also, it is the first time that the national team is trained by a foreign coach," he revealed.

The Indonesian field hockey teams groomed for the Asian Games 2018 are staying in Malacca, Malaysia. However, they also have undergone trials in several areas in Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur, he pointed out. (ANTARA)

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi is expected to be the first person to carry the Asian Games torch from the Yogyakarta Palace, Thursday.

"We thank the foreign affairs minister for her willingness to participate in the torch relay, as it would boost our spirit, particularly of the Indonesian athletes, who will compete next month," Eris Herryanto, secretary general of the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (Inasgoc), stated in Yogyakarta, Thursday, July 19.

Governor of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X will light the flame and hand over the torch to Minister Marsudi.

The minister will run for 100 meters toward the north square of Yogyakarta and later hand over the torch to Yogyakarta Police Chief Brig. Gen. Ahmad Dofiri.

Several VIPs and athletes will participate in the torch relay in Yogyakarta that will cover a total distance of 8.5 kilometers (km).

From Yogyakarta, the torch relay will head to Surakarta, where badminton player Sigit Budiarto and actress Dian Sastrowardoyo will also run carrying the torch in their hands.

The torch relay will tour 53 cities in 18 provinces, with a total distance of some 18 thousand km across Indonesia.

Last Tuesday (July 17), the torch arrived in Yogyakarta from New Delhi, with the flame generated from a parabolic mirror directed straight at the sun in India, where the Asian Games flame was lit for the first time during the inaugural edition in 1951.

On Wednesday evening, the flame from India was merged with the eternal flame from Mrapen, at the Pramanan Temple.

After the merging of the two flames, Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla handed over the torch to badminton player Finarshi at the complex of Prambanan temple.

The relay is expected to end on Aug 17 when the torch arrives at the Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta.

Over 16 thousand athletes from 45 countries will participate in the 18th Asian Games, to be co-hosted by Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra Province, from August 18 to September 2, 2018. (ANTARA)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo highly appreciated the consistency and commitment of the government of the Federated States of Micronesia in respecting Indonesia`s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We have agreed to strengthen our cooperation at various fora in the South Pacific region, including the Pacific Islands Forum," Widodo told journalists at a joint press conference with visiting President Peter M. Christian in Bogor on Wednesday, July 18.

Christian`s state visit was a new milestone for the two countries` relations, he stated, adding that the two governments pledged to enhance the countries` cooperation in various sectors, particularly in maritime and inter-island connectivity.

"As archipelagic countries, we have agreed to strengthen our cooperation in maritime and inter-island connectivity." In this connection, Indonesia has offered the N219 aircraft to help strengthen the country`s inter-island connectivity and meet the needs of its air transportation.

"Christian will visit the state aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) in Bandung tomorrow," he noted.

Indonesia and Micronesia share many similarities. They both belong to the Pacific nations and are categorized as archipelagic countries, he remarked, adding that Indonesia has at least 17 thousand islands, while Micronesia possesses around 600 islands.

Indonesia and Micronesia were also willing to support their business people for having a better interaction. Therefore, the Micronesian entrepreneurs would be invited to join the Great Expo Indonesia 2018.

Indonesia also vowed to appoint its honorary consul to the country to strengthen bilateral relationship. Indonesia would also offer scholarships and development cooperation programs in an effort to strengthen people-to-people contact among citizens of the two countries, he concluded.

Meanwhile, Christian revealed that the two countries have had a diplomatic relationship for 27 years, and his government is committed to working together with Jakarta in various fields, including making a closer relationship through people-to-people contact.

In doing so, a university student exchange program and inter-university cooperation would be part of the programs, he stated, adding that his government also welcomed a better economic cooperation and closer relationship among businessmen of the two countries.

Christian, who has Ambonese ethnic blood ties, also congratulated Indonesia for its success in becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

During his visit to Indonesia, Christian is scheduled to visit Ambon, the capital city of Maluku Province. For him, Indonesia is not a stranger, because he has ethnic blood ties with the people of Ambon, in which he belongs to the third generation of Ambonese in Micronesia.

"This shows that the two nations have indeed had people-to-people relations for tens and even hundreds of years ago," Widodo remarked. (ANTARA)