VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Head of the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), Vice Admiral Irvansyah, at the Indonesian embassy in Washington D.C. on Saturday (March 9, 2024). (ANTARA/HO-Bakamla RI) - 

VOInews, Jakarta : Head of the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), Vice Admiral Irvansyah, discussed maritime security with officials from the Indonesian embassy in Washington D.C. on Saturday.

Upon his arrival at the embassy, Irvansyah was welcomed by the Charge d'Affaires (CDA) of the Indonesian Embassy to the United States (US), Ida Bagus Made Bimantara, and the Indonesian defense attaché, Air Commodore Edwardus Wisoko Aribowo, along with other staff.

"Bakamla will always work hard in carrying out its duties and obligations to realize the security and safety of the sea, not only for Indonesia, but for every nation, because the sea is the heritage of all mankind," Irvansyah said in a statement released by the agency.

Meanwhile, Bimantara said that the cooperation between Indonesia and the US has been well-established, including in defense and, more specifically, in the field of maritime security.

"Bakamla, as the Indonesian Coast Guard, has partnered with the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and this will be strengthened even more in the future," he informed.

He said that in 2023, President Joko Widodo and US President Joe Biden met and issued a joint statement that covered, among other things, the strengthening of maritime security cooperation.

In addition to visiting the Indonesian embassy in D.C., the head of Bakamla also met with Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Vice Admiral Eugene Black, at the Pentagon.

On that occasion, Black told Irvansyah that aspects of maritime security are becoming increasingly important, not only in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

Furthermore, he invited Bakamla to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, which will be held in June 2024 in Hawaii//ANTARA-VOI 

Indonesian Pavilliun at the ITB Berlin 2024 receive many visitors (Photo : Kememparekraf) - 

VOInews, Jakarta : Indonesia through the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf) is again participating in the world's largest annual tourism exhibition Internationale Tourismus-Borse (ITB) Berlin which will take place from 5 to 7 March 2024 at the Berlin Expo Center, Messe Berlin .

Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Deputy Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Wamenparekraf/Wakabaparekraf) Angela Tanoesoedibjo had the opportunity to lead the Wonderful Indonesia delegation which this time collaborated with various elements of Pentahelix.

Namely PPI Germany for academic representatives, 93 tourism industry players as representatives of business elements, the German diaspora as community representatives, South Sulawesi BPPD, DKI Jakarta Dispar, the Indonesian Embassy as government representatives, and Deutsche Welle, Metro TV, and TVOne as media representatives.

Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Angela in her statement, Friday (8/3/2024), said that all parties involved occupied the Indonesian pavilion covering an area of ​​396 m2 in Hall 26A Number 113 with the theme "Keep The Wonders: Journey Across Destinations".

"In addition to carrying out collaborative marketing with 93 tourism industry players consisting of accommodation service providers (hotels) and Travel Agents/Tour Operators from Indonesia who are not only targeting the German market, but the global market, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Baparekraf is collaborating with the national airline Garuda Indonesia, to "jointly present the Indonesian Pavilion at the ITB Berlin 2024 event in order to promote and sell various Indonesian tourism products on the largest tourism exchange in the world," said Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Angela.

By carrying the theme of sustainable tourism, participating tourism industry players offer tourism packages that are sustainable and of high quality in accordance with the high value traveler segment which is targeted in the long-haul markets.

"This year, the Indonesian Pavilion is dominated by green because we have adopted the tagline ReGREENerative Tourism, which combines Regenerative and Green Tourism, a philosophy where we not only minimize the negative impacts of tourism but also actively contribute to the regeneration of the local ecosystem, economy and culture. "In short, we are trying to make a destination better," said Angela.

He said, Regenerative Tourism strives to maintain environmental sustainability and empower human, natural and local cultural resources through responsible purchasing, supporting local economy, act of giving to locals, minimizing plastic usage, sustainable oriented activities, and choosing the sustainable tour operator.

"For 2023, the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia will reach 11.7 million, almost double compared to the previous year which reached 5.8 million visits. "The number of national tourist trips was 7.5 million or an increase of 112.26 percent compared to 2022. This shows that Indonesian tourism has recovered very strongly," said Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Angela.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Saturday (09/03/24), Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Main Secretary of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency, Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, said that the involvement of all industries in this activity is expected to achieve the target of potential transactions at ITB Berlin 2024 of 330 thousand pax or a foreign exchange target of IDR 5.5 trillion.

"The big target is to strengthen the achievement of the target of foreign tourist visits in 2024 of 9.5 to 14.3 million foreign tourists," said Giri.

In the future, by continuing to implement tourism programs under the 3G umbrella (Geber, Gercep, Gaspol), the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will continue to implement various programs such as tourism exhibitions, sales missions, integrated cooperation programs, familiarization trips, and the Wonderful Indonesia festival.

"We are implementing all of these programs to elevate and maintain Indonesian tourist destinations in the international world," said Giri.

In this activity, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy was accompanied by the Deputy for Industry and Investment at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Baparekraf, Rizki Handayani; Director of Regional Tourism Marketing II Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf, Cecep Rukendi; as well as the Director of Financing Access at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Baparekraf, Anggara Hayun.

Also present were the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Federal Republic of Germany, Arif Havas Oegroseno; Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia Hamburg-Germany, Renata Siagian; and Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia Frankfurt-Germany, Antonius Yudi Triantoro//VOI

The main entrance of Library building in Kotamobagu, North Sulawesi that was just innagurated on Saturday (09/03/24), (Photo : Perpusnas) - 

VOInews, Kotamobagu, North Sulawesi : Deputy for Development of Library Materials and Information Services of the National Library of the Republic of Indonesia (Perpusnas) Mariana Ginting together with Acting. Kotamobagu Mayor Asripan Nani inaugurated the Kotamobagu City Regional Library Services Building, North Sulawesi, as the government's effort to ensure public access to information and knowledge.

Acting Mayor of Kotamobagu Asripan Nani stated that this library building is a symbol of the civilization of the people of Kotamobagu. He said that the inauguration of the building was the momentum for a new chapter in Kotamobagu City.

"With the inauguration of this library building, the movement of literacy in Kotamobagu can be felt. I hope it will be busy with visitors so that people understand the importance of coming to the library," he said on Friday (8/3/2024).

Acting The Mayor explained that this library building was previously the Bobakidan building which was a place for discussions and deliberations for Kotamobagu City community leaders.

"The library is not just an ordinary place, but a storehouse of knowledge which is the key to reading logic, feeling, identity, innovation and creativity," he said.

It is hoped that this library building can accommodate the values ​​of Mobagu City's struggle and become a source of inspiration for the community.

Acting The Mayor also instructed that the library be turned on, by arranging a schedule for visits to universities and schools.

"I hope this library will become a symbol of intellectual consolidation in Kotamobagu. There are seven universities here, and this library must become a leading literacy center," he added.

He hopes that there will be support in the form of the latest books that can enrich the library collection. Apart from that, he wants modern facilities and collaboration with the National Library Center.

"Let's preserve this library, with the hope that in the future, the Kotamobagu library will be at the forefront in Greater Bolaang Mongondow," he said.

According to a release received by Voice of Inodnesia on Saturday (09/03/24), this three-story building, which is located on Jalan Brigjen Katamso, Kotamobagu City, was built using Special Allocation Funds (DAK) for physical education in the library sub-sector in 2022 worth 10 billion rupiah.

Deputy Mariana conveyed that the presence of the library service building is an effort by the central government to support the development of literacy and people's love of reading.

"An interest in reading must be developed from an early age and become a lifelong habit as a process to support education to create a knowledgeable society," he said.

In line with Law no. 23 of 2014 concerning Regional Government, Deputy Mariana stated that libraries are a concurrent and mandatory affair at every level of government to support the regional government's agenda to improve the quality of human resources.

This effort, he continued, is in line with the 2020-2024 RPJMN which sets targets for increasing literacy, innovation and creativity. The government continues to encourage strengthening literacy culture through priority activities, namely the Mental and Cultural Revolution.

"Literacy culture is fundamental, through literacy a knowledgeable, innovative, creative and characterful society will be created," he explained.

To meet the information and knowledge needs of the public, National Library has developed digital-based library services including E-resources, iPusnas, BintangPusnas.edu, and Indonesia OneSearch.

Apart from that, the social inclusion-based library transformation program (TPBIS) which has reached thousands of libraries and millions of people is clear evidence of the government's commitment to expanding access to literacy.

"The literacy program is also strengthened by the establishment of DAK-sourced library service facilities, mobile library cars, and various coaching and development activities for literacy activists," he continued.

Deputy Mariana hopes that the integration of literacy programs between government institutions and society can make Indonesia a nation of knowledge, innovation, creativity and character.

"Congratulations on the presence of the Kotamobagu City Regional Library Service Facility Building as a means for developing people's love of reading and literacy", he concluded//VOI

Reuters visuals journalist Issam Abdallah takes a selfie in Maras, Turkey, on Feb 11, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Issam Abdallah) - 

VOInews, BEIRUT/THE HAGUE : An Israeli tank crew killed a Reuters reporter in Lebanon in October by firing two shells at a clearly identified group of journalists and then "likely" opened fire on them with a heavy machine gun in an attack that lasted 1 minute and 45 seconds, according to a report into the incident published on Thursday (Mar 7).

The report by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) - which was contracted by Reuters to analyse evidence from the Oct 13 attack that killed visuals journalist Issam Abdallah - found that a tank 1.34 km away in Israel fired two 120 mm rounds at the reporters.

The first shell killed Abdallah, 37, and severely wounded Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Christina Assi, 28.

A Reuters investigation in December covered TNO's preliminary finding that a tank in Israel had fired at the journalists.

In its final report on Thursday, the institute revealed that audio picked up by an Al Jazeera video camera at the scene showed the reporters also came under fire from 0.50 calibre rounds of the type used by the Browning machine guns that can be mounted on Israel's Merkava tanks.

"It is considered a likely scenario that a Merkava tank, after firing two tank rounds, also used its machine gun against the location of the journalists," TNO's report said. "The latter cannot be concluded with certainty as the direction and exact distance of (the machine gun) fire could not be established."

Reuters could not independently determine if the Israeli tank crew knew it was firing on journalists, nor whether it also shot at them with a machine gun and, if so, why.

Neither of the two surviving Reuters reporters or another AFP journalist at the scene remembered the machine gun fire. All said they were in shock at the time.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not respond to requests for comment about any aspect of the attack on journalists. Asked to comment on TNO's preliminary findings in December, the IDF said: "We don't target journalists."

A day after the Reuters investigation was published, it said the incident took place in an active combat zone.

International humanitarian law bars attacks on journalists as those in the news media have the full scope of protection granted to civilians and cannot be considered military targets.

"We condemn, in the strongest terms, the attack on a clearly identifiable group of journalists, working in the open. The attack killed our colleague Issam Abdallah and injured several others. We reiterate our calls on Israel to explain how this could have happened and to hold those responsible to account," Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni said.

AFP Global News Director Phil Chetwynd reiterated his call for a thorough and transparent investigation by the Israeli military.

"If reports of sustained machine gun fire are confirmed, this would add more weight to the theory this was a targeted and deliberate attack," he said.

Ihtisham Hibatullah, Al Jazeera's manager of international communications, urged the Israeli government to disclose the findings of its own investigation.

"This incident strongly indicates intentional targeting, as confirmed by investigations, including by TNO," he said.

Lebanon's Minister of Information did not respond to a request for comment//CNA-VOI