VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian citizen community (WNI) in South Korea and the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul discussed the inauguration of the Indonesian Community Organization Communication Forum (Forkomasi) last weekend (02/1)  to accommodate many organizations and activities of Indonesian citizens in South Korea.  The information was conveyed by the Indonesian Embassy ( KBRI) Seoul through a written statement received by Antara News Agency in Jakarta on Sunday (03/1). The inauguration of the communication forum is one of the interfaith prayer agenda (Istighosah) held by the Indonesian citizen community in South Korea along with the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul.

The activity was attended by Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea, Umar Hadi,  representatives from 59 Indonesian mosques in South Korea, 21 Indonesian churches, 30 associations from many regions and other Indonesian citizens who live and work in South Korea. Through an official statement, the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul stated that the istighosah activity was closed with an interfaith workshop which discussed the inauguration of the Forkomasi.

This inauguration of Forkomasi along with the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul will protect the movement of the Indonesian people in South Korea, and work together to deal with some social difficulties of Indonesian citizens who stay in South Korea. Based on the data of the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, there were around 37,000 Indonesian citizens in South Korea in March 2020; they consist of migrant workers, ship crew, students/university students and international marriage partners.

Based on the data of  Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs  which refers to the records of the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul as of February 28, 2019, there were 28,167 Indonesian  migrant workers and 5,379 Indonesian crew members who stay in South Korea. From the same note, there are around 90 Indonesian community organizations in South Korea,namely the Indonesian Muslim Community (KMI)  which accomodates approximately 57 mosques and Musholla (prayer rooms), the Indonesian Church Association in Korea (PGIK)  which accomodates 18 churches, the Indonesian Community Center (ICC), 32 regional associations; Daegu Indonesian Community Communication Forum (FKMID), Pumita Busan, Ajoy Jeju, the Association of Indonesian Students in Korea (Perpika), the Indonesian Muslim Society in Korea (Imuska), UT Korea, PCI-NU PCI Muhammadiyah and other communities. Ambassador Umar Hadi stated that the Indonesian citizen community in South Korea has a solid and strong brotherhood bond. He also emphasized that solidarity among Indonesian citizens must be strengthened because  there will still be many challenges and difficulties to be faced in 2021.

Sea water pollution is a problem around the world, including in Indonesia. Plastic waste that has accumulated has brought about a negative impact on the tourism sector. The accumulation of garbage and heavy metals in coastal areas has resulted in a decrease in the quality of marine life. Through the problem, two students of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Affairs (FPK) Universitas Airlangga, namely Yolandha Sepiani Nurhanifah and Reza Istiqomatul Hidayah created innovation of a Sea Cleanliness Detection Tool based on the Internet of Things (IoT) and Automatic Alarms as Controllers of Water Environment Sustainability, abbreviated as ATLANTIS.

The ATLANTIS concept relies on the internet. The way it works is to use a digital camera to visualize the state of the sea, then records and sends a signal to the microcontroller which is connected to the display on the LCD screen. This camera is connected to a computer to detect plastic and heavy metal waste contained in the water.

Simultaneously, when the LCD screen displays data on sea water conditions, there is an automatic alarm that will sound and light up according to the level. Green alarms indicate normal water conditions, yellow for alert and red for hazards. The alarm will sound every 30 days to monitor the conditions of sea waters. This innovative idea succeeded in winning first place in the National Level for the Product Innovation Competition Category for the 2020 Student Innovation and Creativity Festival at Khairun Ternate University.

Several countries have started vaccinating their citizens in order to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic which is still sweeping the world.

Israel is one of the first countries to administer the Covid-19 vaccination. Until now, approximately 1 million people have been vaccinated there. This has been followed by Bahrain and Britain, although the numbers are not significant. Meanwhile, several other countries are still preparing or just starting the vaccination process. The Netherlands, for example, just started vaccination on January 6, 2021. Indonesia is planning to take it in the middle of January 2021.

What various countries are pursuing is that vaccination reaches a minimum of 70 percent of the population or  until Herd Immunity is achieved.

Israel hopes to achieve herd immunity in February 2021. In contrast to Britain, which was forced to carry out a lockdown again because the number of people exposed to the virus in  this country continues to increase. As of January 4, there were nearly 22,000 patients hospitalized for Covid-19 cases in the UK. This is a 30-percent increase in the week, thought to be due to a surge in infections from the new variant that is spreading faster. Concerns about the spread of the Covid19 virus and its new variants have even spread to other countries.

Many have questioned, will herd immunity be achieved immediately after vaccination?

Epidemiologist from Griffith University's Global Health Security, Dicky Budiman said that although currently there is a vaccine, it is necessary to know that the effect of the vaccine is not yet fully known. Thus, the vaccine cannot be the answer to the completion of the Covid-19 case. A New Normal lifestyle that follows the Health protocol is still needed.

Synergistic efforts are necessary for the vaccine to be effective. The number of Covid-19 transmissionsW must at least be controlled first. The public's perception of Covid-19 as a dangerous virus must also be integrated first.

Thereby, countries should focus on not only the distribution of vaccines to various places, but also other efforts in line with the vaccination program, including good public communication. So, the people must strictly apply the set health protocols, even though vaccinations have been carried out.

Samosir Island in North Sumatra, which is geographically an 'island on an island', was formed due to volcanic activity. The island, which has an altitude of 1,000 meters above sea level, is currently attracting attention as a tourism destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. As one of the largest provinces in Indonesia, you can find a variety of tourism charms, beginning from nature, culture, history, until special culinary. Each tourism spot has an interesting story and uniqueness to know. Legendary stories are another attraction. One of the exotic places that you can visit while in North Sumatra is a village, namely Bonan Dolok. Bonan Dolok Village is located in Sianjur Mula-mula District, Samosir Regency. This village on the shores of Lake Toba has an extraordinary charm. This beautiful destination is similar to Pergasingan Hill in Lombok. Traditional houses, rice fields and beautiful nature surrounded by green hills will be interesting scenery in this village. The rice fields here are very green and there is never a shortage of water because the water from two waterfalls near this area always flows. The hills around this village are very comfortable to climb. From the top of the hill, you can watch a beautiful view around the village with Lake Toba that stretches out.

Bonan Dolok village has three exotic waterfalls which are located close each other. One of the three waterfalls, Sitapigagan is the most popular and frequently visited by tourists. Sitapigagan Waterfall has its own uniqueness. The water flows through the hillside with a slope of about 60 degress and looks like a water slide. The water in Sitapigagan waterfall is a bit dark red and many people think it's dirty. However, if the water is put into a container such as a glass bottle, the water is clear. The pool under this waterfall is only as high as an adult's chest. The place is so nice and still so beautiful and natural. There are no facilities here yet. We recommend that you bring all the necessaries you need, including mealsfood and drinks.

Next to Sitapigagan Waterfall, there is Aek Sibottar Waterfall which is also beautiful. Here you can also refresh yourself after a long trip to the village of Bonan Dolok.

To get to the Sitapigagan waterfall location, you can go through 2 routes. The first route is by boat from Pangururan port to Bonan Dolok which takes about 1 hour and costs 300 thousand rupiah. The second one is by motor vehicles which take about 45 minutes. Nowadays, it is quite easy to find Dolok Bonan Village because there are many directions posted on the side of the road.

To preserve the village of Bonan Dolok and several waterfalls in this area, the Indonesian government has inaugurated Bonan Dolok village as a tourism village in North Sumatra so that the development of tourism destinations in the area and also the economic life of its people is helped through the tourism sector.