VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (VOI News) - Indonesia's Representative in the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Yuyun Wahyuningsih encouraged ASEAN countries to promote the Human Rights (HAM) approach in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.  This was conveyed in a virtual seminar on the Protection of Fundamental Human Rights in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, held by The Habibie Center, Wednesday (22/04/2020) in Jakarta.

According to Yuyun, this effort can be done through a number of steps, including by utilizing the ASEAN Response Fund.  He said that the funds could be used to build Small and Medium Enterprises in the community.  While in terms of disaster management, she encouraged countries in ASEAN to increase cooperation in areas that directly touch the needs of the community such as food, clean water, and medicine.

“ASEAN needs to look at or to use human rights best approach and gender-sensitive in addressing COVID-19.  I welcome ASEAN initiatives to come up with joint medical research and development of a vaccine.  And I would like to suggest that the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund to have the element or dimension to focus more on building the SMEs or reviving the SMEs and supporting women in the use of the funds.  And for the mitigating impact, ASEAN may want to have cooperation in relation to the essentials like food, clean water, medicines, and maximizing the digital technology,” Yuyun Wahyuningsih said.

Meanwhile related to social protection in ASEAN, Yuyun Wahyuningsih highlighted the importance of health protection for migrant workers who are widely available in ASEAN countries.  According to her, the migrant workers have become one of the victims affected by the COVID-19 pandemic when the destination country and country of origin imposed the quarantine.

Yuyun underlined the importance of health protection that is recognized equally in all ASEAN countries.  According to her, this can protect migrant workers wherever they work in all ASEAN member countries.

“ASEAN needs to strengthen its existing cooperation in relation to universal health coverage, especially for migrant workers.  ASEAN needs to come up with portable insurance, health insurance for migrant workers so they can be served anywhere they work, any country in ASEAN where they are working,” Yuyun added.

ASEAN member countries have earlier had a history of dealing with the spread of the SARS and MERS viruses. This experience, according to Yuyun, should be able to encourage countries in ASEAN to increase their response to the pandemic.  She also hoped that the countries in ASEAN could immediately share in the economy after the pandemic decrease and could restore market confidence in the ASEAN economic development efforts in the post-pandemic.  (VOI/Ndy/AHM)

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto (wikipedia)

The Indonesian government is optimistic that the economic stimulus it has offered to the real sector would be able to lessen the number of laid-off workers.

"We are upbeat that the granting of stimulus, including exempting manufacturing workers from income tax payment (PPh 21) for six months, will prevent layoffs," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto noted during a press conference here on Wednesday.

He projected the fiscal impact of the decision to exempt workers from income tax payment to reach an estimated Rp15.7 trillion.

The government’s several facilities offered to the real sector will ease the burden of the business world, and it will strive as far as possible to avoid laying off workers.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati vouched to continue to monitor the realization of several incentives offered to the business world, including the relaxation of bank credits.

The government is keen to ensure that the incentives will help the business world to withstand the current situation and refrain from laying off workers. (ANTARA)

Jakarta (VOI News) - The Indonesian people commemorate Kartini Day every April 21. This event is held to commemorate the services of an Indonesian woman named Raden Ajeng Kartini in fighting for equality for women in the colonial period.

This year, the commemoration of Kartini Day was carried out amid the world struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that so far 212 countries have been affected by the virus.

Related to this, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi encouraged the role of Indonesian women diplomats to continue working as the nation's diplomatic machine. She made the remarks during the Virtual Seminar themed Kartini Today in the COVID-19 Crisis, Protection of Citizens and Foreign Cooperation, Tuesday in Jakarta.

According to Retno, Indonesia's diplomacy machine which also consists of Indonesian women diplomats must move faster in the midst of a pandemic hitting countries around the globe, especially in fighting for national interests and the protection of citizens.

Retno explained that in this difficult time, Indonesian diplomats had to ensure that the flow of logistics, especially medical devices, medicines, and personal protective equipment, had to continue.

According to her, restrictions on human movements that are currently being implemented in many parts of the world cannot limit the movement of goods flow. Given that many countries still need the support of medical devices and medicines, especially in the face of a pandemic.

Shee also stressed the importance of foreign diplomacy so that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic can be reduced, including in the social and economic fields.

“What I can say is that for our diplomacy, our diplomatic machine must move faster. It's faster to make a real contribution to fulfilling our current interests. All countries currently face a shortage of medical equipment, medicines, personal protective equipment. That's where our diplomacy moves in order to get what we need and that is not an easy thing for now because all countries are currently in need,” Retno Marsudi said.

In addition to encouraging Indonesia's diplomatic machine to move faster in the midst of a pandemic, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi also mentioned the important role of Indonesian diplomats in providing protection to Indonesian citizens abroad.

The protection of Indonesian citizens is a priority for diplomats and must be increased during the current pandemic.

“Indonesian diplomacy is also moving to improve protection for Indonesian citizens abroad. The issue of protection has become one of the priorities for Indonesia's foreign policy, but in this difficult time, protection must be increased. Many Indonesian citizens are abroad either for traveling or living abroad but they are affected by the crisis caused by COVID-19.

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi also reminded the importance of investing in women. According to her, investment in women is an important and comprehensive investment, not only for world peace but also for economic growth. (VOI/Ndy/AHM)

Vice Admiral Yudo Margono, Commander of the Joint Regional Defense Command (Pangkogabwilhan) I, concurrently head of the Wisma Atlet Emergency Hospital. ANTARA PHOTO/Aditya Pradana Putra/hp

The Emergency Hospital (RS) of Wisma Atlet in Kemayoran has offered treatment to 559 confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, constituting 373 men and 279 women, on Wednesday.

Furthermore, the hospital treated 80 patients under surveillance (PDP) and 13 people under monitoring (ODP), Vice Admiral Yudo Margono, commander of the Joint Regional Defense Command (Pangkogabwilhan) I, concurrently head of the emergency hospital, noted in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The number of confirmed cases at the hospital dropped, from 669 on April 21.

The number of inpatients decreased by 17, from 669 to 652, since 28 patients had received a discharge from the hospital and were instructed to undergo self-quarantine, while 11 new patients were admitted.

Based on the hospital's data on Wednesday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients increased by 11, from 548 to reach 559 patients; the number of those with PDP status reduced by 27, from 107 patients to 80 patients; and the number of ODP cases dropped, from 14 to 13 people.

In the meantime, the Indonesian government’s spokesperson for the National COVID-19 Response Achmad Yurianto stated that until Tuesday (April 21), the number of patients recovering increased by 95 people. Moreover, 375 new positive cases and 25 other deaths were reported.

"The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 7,135, with 616 people having died, 186,330 people under monitoring (ODP), and 16,763 patients under surveillance (PDP)," Yurianto noted.

The Indonesian government has declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a national emergency and imposed a large-scale social distancing measure, especially in Jakarta, where the highest number of cases were found, West Java, Central Java, and Riau Province. (ANTARA)