An Indonesian film titled "Labuan Hati" (2017) directed by Lola Amaria was successfully screened in New York. The screening was held at Turkish House, Turkish Consulate General in early May. This was one of five films of MIKTA countries screened every Tuesday until 4 June 2024. Indonesian Consul General in New York Winanto Adi said MIKTA is a regional group promoting the strengthening of relations and cooperation promotion as a platform for dialogue and collaboration. The film Labuan Hati showcases the beautiful nature of Indonesia, especially Labuan Bajo.

Some 150 guests joined the MIKTA Movie Reception that served various snacks and beverages from MIKTA countries. The Indonesian Consulate General in New York served kue mangkuk which literally means bowl cake made of rice flour, croquettes, and wedang jahe or herbal drinks made of ginger root. MIKTA is a regional organization consisting of Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkiye, and Australia. The organization founded in 2013 aims to build a platform for the diverse member countries to strengthen cooperation.

Labuan Hati is a drama and road movie from Indonesia, released on 6 April 2017. The casts are Nadine Chandrawinata, Kelly Tandiono, Ully Triani, and Ramon Y Tungka. Labuan Bajo was a meeting point of the three young women. They took a boat together for 7 days and 6 nights, under the guidance of diving instructor named Mahesa (Ramon Y Tungka). This will bring them into friendship and rivalry to be the best in front of Mahesa.

Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia Santo Darmosumarto held a  meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs of Cambodia Sar Sokha to discuss efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including in combating transnational organized crime, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday (14/5).

Ambassador Darmosumarto expressed his appreciation for the continuous support and assistance from the Cambodian Government for some efforts made by the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh to facilitate the needs and protect Indonesian citizens in Cambodia. The support also ensured that the Indonesian General Election last February which took place in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Poipet, Chrey Thum and Bavet ran smoothly.

In addressing transnational organized crime particularly trafficking in persons, cyber crime and drug trafficking, Ambassador Darmosumarto appreciated the cooperation between relevant agencies in both countries especially the Cambodian National Police and the General Department of Immigration. Deputy Prime Minister Sar Sokha has acknowledged that these agencies have been actively responding to reports from Indonesian citizens who are victims of such crimes.

Meanwhile, according to statistical data from Cambodian authorities,  it is estimated that there are around 100 thousand Indonesian citizens living in Cambodia. This is a dramatic increase  when compared to before Covid-19 , there were only around 2,000 Indonesians living in Cambodia. They work in various fields  among others as hotel staff, cyber engineers and restaurant owners.

Moreover, Indonesia is also ready to share its experience and expertise in tackling the threat of international terrorism. There is also potential for concrete cooperation in combating drug trafficking and cyber crime  as both countries work together to ensure stability and peace in the region. This is essential if Southeast Asia will remain a driving force for global economic development.

As both countries strive for development and prosperity, cooperation between Indonesia and Cambodia is vital in creating a safe and conducive environment for development. By working together, Indonesia and Cambodia affirmed their joint commitment to fighting against transnational crime and protecting the interests of both countries.

If you travel to Karanganyar Regency, Central Java, you should visit its waterfall tourist spots. Karanganyar Regency has many waterfalls located on the slopes of Mount Lawu. One of the newly opened waterfall attractions is Ngargoyoso Waterfall. Its main attraction is the approximately 30-meter waterfall whose water comes from the river around the rice fields. The river flow will fall into a stream forming a kind of pool. You can splash around in the pool below the waterfall.

Ngargoyoso Waterfall is under the management of Lawu Group. Some other tourist attractions under the Lawu Group are Sakura Hills in Tawangmangu and Kemuning Sky Hills, or Kemuning Glass Bridge. The entrance ticket price is 20,000 rupiahs or about 1.2 US dollars per person. With the price, you can enter the tourist area and play with water to your heart's content. You have to walk down about 5 minutes from the parking lot along the stairs because the waterfall point is at the bottom of the cliff. Arriving at the bottom of the cliff, you will see a waterfall about 40 meter- high that falls into the river. You can take pictures with the waterfall in the background. Not only taking pictures, you can also play in the water. At the bottom of the waterfall, a sort of pool can be used to play water.

Besides playing in the water, another activity that can be done is to ride the "keranjang sultan" (sultan's basket), a kind of flying basket ride that floats above the river. For one way, the ride costs 20,000 Rupiah, or about 1.2 US dollars per person, while round-trip costs 30,000 Rupiah, or about 1.8 US dollars. You can also dine at food stalls around the waterfall while enjoying the natural beauty.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy participated again in the largest international tourism exhibition at the Seoul International Travel Fair (SITF) 2024 which took place at Coex Hall A in Seoul, South Korea from May 9 to 12, 2024. The Ministry presented the Wonderful Indonesia Pavilion in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, the Jakarta Tourism & Creative Economy Office, the South Sumatra Culture and Tourism Office, and Garuda Indonesia. This was stated by Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno when attending the 2024 Seoul International Travel Fair (SITF), Saturday (11/5).

The Wonderful Indonesia Pavilion featured Balinese decorations. Complementing the pavilion is a "Wonderful Journey" theme to promote the 5 Super Priority Destinations. The Indonesian Pavilion also featured 14 tourism industries, including travel agents/tour operators, hotels, golf, and tourism attractions.

Quoted from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy's press release, Sunday (12/5), Minister Sandiaga explained that the foreign tourist market from South Korea is still one of the potential markets for the tourism industry in Indonesia.

South Korea ranks 8th out of the top 10 countries contributing the most foreign tourists to Indonesia in 2023 and continues to show a positive trend and reach more than 300 thousand visits.

Deputy for Marketing of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, said that Bali has become top of mind for South Korean outbound tourists.

In addition to Bali, Wonderful Indonesia also offers 5 Super Priority Destinations outside Bali, such as Lake Toba, Borobudur Temple, Mandalika, Labuan Bajo, and Likupang, and focuses on the leading segments in the South Korean market, namely golf and leisure. Marthini also explained that in targeting the luxury segment, the Indonesian tourism industry prepares tour packages that suit tourists from South Korea.

The Wonderful Indonesia Pavilion also promoted destinations in Indonesia as filming locations. Recently, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has launched a film location ecosystem called ‘Indonesia Film Facilitation’ (https://www.iffa.id/), as an access for international filmmakers to visit various beautiful filming locations in Indonesia. Promoting destinations through movies can expose more destinations in Indonesia and encourage more Korean tourists to visit Indonesia.

On a trip to Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, don't be satisfied with just enjoying the beauty of Mount Rinjani, let's also stop by the tourist villages there. One of them is the Sigar Penjalin Tourism Village. This village can be reached in about 1.5 hours from Lombok International Airport or about one hour from Mataram City. Sigar Penjalin Tourism Village has a collection of beautiful beaches such as Sejuk Beach and Sira (Sire) Beach. From these beaches, if you are lucky, you can see Mount Batur or Mount Rinjani. On this beach, you can rent a boat to go to Gili or enjoy the underwater world. Apart from that, at Sejuk Beach, you can see how busy the wooden ship builders are, repairing or making tourist boats.

Visiting Sigar Penjalin village, you can also visit Lombok WildLife which offers various exciting interaction packages, for example taking part in bathing elephants. Apart from that, you can walk around the 3 hectares of the sanctuary area which is designed to be as similar as possible to its natural habitat. This activity is quite fun. By bringing a basket of animal food packages containing kale, sweet potatoes and fruit for IDR 50,000, you can interact with elephants, beautiful birds, deer, orangutans and various other animals. You can also meet baby animals born there.

Not far from Lombok WildLife Park, there is Rangsot Hamlet which is famous for its beekeeping and Trigona honey production. This type of bee is very small and has no sting, so you can observe it closely without worry. It is said that the honey produced by Trigona bees has 3-4 times the properties of other types of honey, therefore the price tends to be more expensive. Unlike the Apis type of beehive, the honey in the Trigona bee hive is placed in sap sacs which will give rise to a sour taste in the honey. This sweet and sour combination is also what makes Trigona honey unique and suitable as a special souvenir from North Lombok.

The United States returned three historical items of Indonesia, which were taken and sold illegally by black market and smuggling network in their country on Friday (26/4). The historical items return was done based on the decision of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for a case of stolen items smuggling in Southeast Asia with defendants Subhash Kapoor and Nancy Wiener.

Kapoor is an India-American descent art trader, while Wiener is a US citizen who practices illegal antique trade. As reported by Channel News Asia, in his official statement, Bragg said they have returned 30 stolen historical items from Indonesia and Cambodia being sold in the US. Besides from Indonesia, the US will also return 27 stolen historical items from Cambodia. The value of these antiques were estimated to be 3 million USD, as quoted by Times Now News.

The three historical items returned to Jakarta were statues from the Majapahit Kingdom Era that led the Nusantara in the 13th-16th century. Earlier, these antiques were confiscated by New York Court in 2023.

Indonesian Consul General in New York, Winanto Adi thanked for the return of Indonesian historic items. As quoted from Al Jazeera, this was dubbed as a valuable present for the 75th year of US-Indonesia diplomatic ties. 

Although Kapoor was arrested in 2011 and sentenced to prison, Bragg ensured the investigation still continues. During his leadership, Bragg through the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has found almost 1,200 stolen items from 25 countries including Southeast Asia, and some of which were from Indonesia. The value of these antiquities amounts to 250 million USD.

Indonesia is hosting the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) which will take place in Bali from 18 to 25 May 2024. Therefore, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is preparing a number of side events and other interesting activities to support the event "The 10th World Water Forum 2024". One of the side events is the Melukat procession. The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will facilitate delegates to experience the melukat procession which specifically has spiritual meaning for the Balinese people. This melukat procession will later involve the local regional government.

This melukat procession is very closely related to the principle of life, which is adhered to by the Balinese people regarding Tri Hita Karana which builds a harmonious relationship between humans and God, with each other, and with nature.

Water is a natural resource that needs to be preserved. Because water is a driving source of life for all. This meaning is in line with the mission that the World Water Forum wants to carry out.

Apart from that, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, in collaboration with Jejak.in, will also offer a package for calculating the amount of carbon emissions, which will be issued by the delegates via a carbon footprint calculator during their trip to Bali. The aim is for the delegation to contribute to environmental sustainability through mangrove planting and coral reef restoration.

Then, in the Indonesia Pavilion at the World Water Forum, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will provide tourism content with virtual reality (VR), selling low carbon tour packages, a series of fairs & expos, providing Wonderful Indonesia souvenirs and goodie bags, presenting content and activating the game, namely "Lokapala ", to exhibiting and selling selected and quality MSME products through planograms.

Batu Lapis Beach is one of the beaches in Totoharjo Village, Bakauheni District, South Lampung Regency. It is pretty unique because on the edge of this beach there are layers of rocks, not like other beaches which are usually a stretch of sand. Batu Lapis Beach, which is a natural wonder in Lampung Province, is filled with very beautiful rocks and it gives the impression that the stones are arranged. The structure of stacked rocks on this beach has earned this beach the nickname Batu Lapis Beach which means layers of rocks.

This unique layers of rock have different colors. Visitors not only can enjoy the natural beauty around the beach, looking at the blue and clear sea, they can also spend time taking photos on this amazing coral rock. Layered coral rocks that form naturally make this place unique. The coral rocks, which surface has been eroded by the waves and some of which have split, actually create a truly amazing view. The waves at this beach are quite high, so visitors are not allowed to swim.

The location of Batu Lapis beach is somewhat hidden yet not far from the city center Kalianda. It is only around 26 km away, while from the provincial capital, Bandar Lampung it is approximately 86 km.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Nauru,  Dupito D. Simamora, handed over letters of credence to the President of the Republic of Nauru, David Ranibok Waiau Adeang, at the Nauru Presidential Palace. They also  agreed on a commitment to strengthen relations by upholding the principle of equality.   The Indonesian Embassy in Suva in its official statement received  in Jakarta on  Saturday (20/4/2024) stated that both parties agreed to  respect and trust each other.  These attitudes and principles are expected to be reflected in the policies of the two countries as well as within the framework of the Pacific Islands Forum of which Nauru is a full temporary member of  Indonesia as a dialogue partner. The visit was also used to strengthen relations  of both  countries bilaterally, in the Pacific region and also share interests at the global level such as educational cooperation, handling climate change and collaboration among  communities. Overall,  the event of handing over the credentials was used effectively to improve mutual understanding, concrete future cooperation, and innovation to strengthen cooperation between the people of the two countries and protect Indonesian citizens and the Indonesian diaspora.

Moreover, during his visit, Ambassador Simamora and the Indonesian Embassy in Suva entourage also held meetings with important figures in Nauru, including the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nauru's Minister of Education and Climate Change and other high-ranking officials. Discussion regarding the potential for increased cooperation in the field of education and climate change is a priority,  including the provision of scholarships including the Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship to support human resource development and better mutual understanding between the two countries.

 Furthermore, during his visit in Nauru, the Indonesian Ambassador also held a separate meeting with alumni of Indonesian scholarship recipients from Nauru who work in various sectors including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The alumni had a deep positive impression while participating in the program in Indonesia and suggested that Indonesia would like to continue involving Nauruan youth in the future. The delegation also visited and kept in touch with Indonesian citizens and Indonesian diaspora families who live in Nauru. Indonesian diaspora families who are also large entrepreneurs in Nauru also conveyed opportunities for placing Indonesian workers in several sectors in Nauru. To be able to continue maintain good relations of both  countries, they also carried out initial exploration  regarding the possibility of Indonesia having an honorary consul in Nauru// that’s Diplomatic Corner.

The city governments of Bandung West Java Indonesia and Melbourne Australia represented by officials from each city signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Melbourne Town Hall Melbourne Monday (22/4). The signing was carried out by the Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp AO and the Person in Charge of the Mayor of Bandung Bambang Tirtoyuliono/ who signed the document separately in Bandung.

The signing was also witnessed by the Indonesian Consul General to Victoria and Tasmania Kuncoro Giri Waseso Assistant for the Economy and Development of Bandung city Eric Mohamad Atthauriq and a number of delegates from the Bandung city government.

A statement from the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne received in Jakarta Wednesday (24/4/2024) said the MoU is intended to form cooperation and develop relations that are effective and mutually beneficial.

There are five agreed areas of cooperation namely smart cities economy and trade higher education training and capacity building livable cities and urban resilience.

After signing the memorandum the Bandung and Melbourne City governments held a meeting to discuss educational cooperation the development of innovation and pioneering companies the existence of a multicultural society and the use of technology in city management. Both parties also agreed that the newly signed Memorandum of Understanding must be able to strengthen existing cooperation.

Before the memorandum was signed the two cities already had active cooperation including through the Bandung-Melbourne Innovation Event Social Impact in 2022 the participation of the Bandung city regional government in the 2021 Victoria Cleantech Expo as well as the collaboration of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade State Government Victoria and the Melbourne City Government in organizing E-Commerce and Cyber Security training for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

As an implementation of the memorandum of mutual understanding both the cities of Bandung and Melbourne will share experiences related to the implementation of daily city operations pitch competitions knowledge exchange arts and culture cooperation student exchanges as well as two-way trade and investment promotion.

Prior to the signing the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne also facilitated a meeting between the Bandung City Government Delegation and the Indonesian Culinary Association of Victoria. At the meeting both parties discussed possible collaboration in the future including the participation of the city government Bandung in gastronomic promotion activities in Victoria exploring business opportunities such as exporting spices and handicraft goods from Bandung as well as expanding restaurants from Bandung.