VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian government will host the fifth "Our Ocean Conference" in Bali on October 29-30, 2018, according to the conference’s official website http://www.ourocean2018.org/ launched on June 8 to coincide with World Ocean Day.

The website states that "Our Ocean Conference is focused on generating commitments and taking actions to maintain the sustainability of our oceans.

Since 2014, "Our Ocean Conference" has successfully generated commitments totaling around US$18 billion and 12.4 million square kilometers of marine protected areas.

"Our Ocean Conference" 2018 will demonstrate significant progress on past commitments and inspire new ones made for the continuation of more concerted and integrated actions for protecting the oceans.

This year, the conference will convene participants from countries across the globe to ensure diverse perspectives from various stakeholders, including governments, commercial sectors, financing entities, scientific communities, civil society organizations, and young leaders. Heads of state, ministers, and champions from various backgrounds will also be invited to influence concrete and actionable commitments to preserve the oceans' health.

"Our Ocean, Our Legacy" will be the theme of this year’s conference, as it reflects choices and actions to maintain the sustainability of the oceans` resources and to preserve their health, as a heritage presented for future generations.

The main objective of "Our Ocean Conference" is to increase as well as enhance the collaboration and partnership between various ocean stakeholders, which is translated into concrete and actionable commitments.

Discussions during the conference will highlight integrated and actionable solutions, which remove barriers between sectors, disciplines, and financing streams to comprehensively address the ocean as an inter-connected system and economy.

Marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries, marine pollution, and climate change-related impacts on the oceans will be among the focus areas of this year`s conference.

This year’s "Our Ocean Conference" will also maintain the crosscutting themes of sustainable blue economy and maritime security, as introduced by the European Union in 2017.

The meeting will continue the strong tradition of tracking past commitments and encouraging new commitments and partnerships that deliver multiple objectives.

While maintaining its global reach, "Our Ocean Conference" 2018 is the first conference to be held in Asia and as such will highlight the importance of action in the region.

As the largest archipelago in the world, with its 17 thousand islands, Indonesia represents the lifeline that "Our Ocean" holds for humankind. (ANTARA)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) revealed four factors behind Indonesia`s success in becoming a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

"First is the condition that Indonesia is a democratic, stable, and peaceful country. Indonesia’s domestic condition has a significant contribution to this success," the president noted during a press conference at the Bogor Palace, West Java on Tuesday.

The second determining factor is Indonesia`s diplomatic track record and contribution to maintaining world peace.

"Third is Indonesia`s independent and neutral foreign policy, while the fourth factor is the role of Indonesia in bridging differences, including in conflicting countries," Jokowi explained.

The president remarked that Indonesia had received 144 votes out of the 190 UN member states.

"This achievement is a result of the long-term hard work, struggle of our diplomats, and also from every meeting we have held with the heads of state and government of fellow countries," he stated.

The president added that every time he met the heads of state and government, he always raised the topic of Indonesia’s nomination for a non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

"We always seek support of fellow countries," the president stated.

Jokowi also revealed that Indonesia had conducted a long-term campaign through clean ways and not wasted money and highlighted the track record of the country.

"(We have highlighted) Indonesia’s track record and vision for the UN Security Council," he explained. (ANTARA)




 

A number of Indonesian students in Nanning, China, performed a play to promote Sundanese (West Java) culture, with a title "Sangkuriang dan Tujuh Bidadari," or literally meaning "Sangkuriang and the Seven Beautiful Angels."

"Every year, we perform an art play, and this year, we have selected the Sundanese culture," the chairperson of the Indonesian Students Association (PPI) of Nanning, Annisa Harapuspa, told Antara in Beijing on Tuesday.

She stated that the cultural party of "Portray of Sundanese" was held on Saturday (June 9) night at a Concert Hall of the Faculty of Art, Guangxi University for Nationalities (GUN).

The performance began with a fashion show of traditional dresses brought by Chinese students who majored in Bahasa Indonesia.

"We did not expect the audience`s enthusiasm to be so high that we could not accommodate them in the hall," Harapuspa, who was accompanied by Khanti Brillianty, as the organizer of "Portray of Sundanese," noted.

Seventy Indonesian students and Chinese students were involved in the event, which was held at the Capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region bordering with Vietnam.

Some of the honorary guests who attended the event were Indonesian Consul General in Guangzhou Gustanto, Dean of Education Faculty at GUN Cui Wan`an, former mayor of Nanning Ke Ziqing, Vice Dean of Southeast Asian Language and Culture Faculty of GUN Lu Jinqiang, and Deputy Director of International Department of GUN Zhang Xinlei.

"We want to introduce Sundanese culture to Chinese people, especially in Nanning," Harapuspa revealed.

Indonesian Consul General Gustanto expressed hope that Indonesian students would continue to promote Indonesian traditional cultures through art performances.

"Of course, I appreciate cultural events like this, so that the diversity of our traditional cultures would widely be known in foreign countries," he added.

GUN is the first university in Nanning which has an Indonesian Language (Bahasa Indonesia) department. To date, there are about 200 students from several areas in mainland China who major in Bahasa Indonesia at the largest university in Guangxi.

The enthusiasm among Chinese students to study Indonesian is very high. Hundreds of students majoring in Indonesian at GUN participated in the selection of Dharmasiswa scholarship program 2018, which was held by the Education Attach? of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Beijing and the RI Consulate General of RI in Guangzhou some time ago.

The Dharmasiswa program awardees have an opportunity to learn Indonesian language for one year at several universities in Indonesia funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia and get allowance during their study in the country. (ANTARA)

The National Anti Narcotics Agency (BNN) has arrested 5 men on charge of being members of drug syndicate selling marijuana in Bali.

"The five - Sucipto Silalahi (21), Albertus Nova (29), Putra Yasa (21), Ade Romadhon (29) and Guruh Rakasiwi (26) are members of a syndicate the sending of marijuana from Medan to Bali," Bali BNN chief Brig.Gen. Putu Gede Suastawa said in Denpasar, Bali, on Tuesday.

They used courier service sending the marijuana by air from Medan to Bali, Putu said.

They were arrested separately as the syndicate sold marijuana on line in Denpasar, Putu said.

Sucipto Silalahi was arrested on June 7, 2018 in Kuta, district of Badung with 2.3 kg of the illicit drug. Interrogation of Sucipto led to the arrest of Albertus Nova and Putra Yasa at Jalan Ray Renon in Denpasar and the other two suspects.

Altogether BNN confiscated 12 kilograms of marijuana from the suspects, Putu said.

If found guilty, the suspects face a jail term of up to 12 years. (ANTARA)