DEVELOPING FISHERY INDUSTRY IN PAPUA by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 31, 2017 (Antara)  - Papua Island has abundant marine resources, particularly in the Arafura Sea, which is rich in economically important fish species that include Barramundi, grouper, Penaeid shrimp, and Nemipteridae fishes.

          In a world where marine ecosystems and fish stocks are generally collapsing, the Arafura Sea stands out as among the richest marine fisheries in the world, making it a target for poaching by foreign fishing boats.

           The Indonesian Government has intensified the fight against illegal fishing activities and has intended to accelerate the development of fishery industry in various regions, including Papua, particularly for the welfare of traditional fishermen.

        Several Papuan regions having huge potential in the fishery industry include Biak, Jayapura, Merauke, Timika, Nabire, and Yapen Islands, F.X. Motte, head of the Papua maritime and fishery office, stated recently.

        The Papuan provincial administration will invite local and national businessmen to invest in fishery field, in order to boost the province's fishery industry development.

        Motte invited investors to also develop fish processing and canning plants in Papua.

        "Right now, Jayapura is flooded with canned fish and meat from Papua New Guinea. It is our challenge to develop similar plants in our neighboring country too," he noted.

        In the past, Papua had successful fishery companies, such as PT Mina Jaya located in Biak. The fish canning industry, however, was closed down due to several reasons.

STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST ROHINGYA MINORITY by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 30, 2017 (Antara) - Rakhine State, home to some one million Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority, has been bleeding again over the last several days following an escalation of tensions triggered by clashes between militants and Myanmar's security forces.

         In its latest report on Aug 28, the office of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi noted that the death toll from clashes between the security forces and Rohingya militants that began on Aug 25, has reached 96, which not only included alleged Rohingya attackers but also 12 security personnel, according to a report by Aljazeera.

         Myanmar's government has accused armed militants from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army for carrying out deadly attacks on police outposts, which sparked the latest violence.

         Since the violence erupted, thousands of Rohingyas, mostly women, children, and elderly, had fled towards Bangladesh, but authorities there refused entry to most of them.

         The Rohingya ethnic group living in Myanmar's Rakhine State is one of the world's most persecuted minority groups, according to a UN report.

         Indonesia has always expressed concern over the problem in Rakhine, where the Muslim Rohingyas  continue to face persecution and atrocities, and several women were raped and children were killed.

         Indonesia, singlehandedly as well as in cooperation with other members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has been working on measures to help improve the situation in Rakhine, where the Muslim minority have been oppressed and discriminated for years.

INDONESIA INVITES DIASPORA TO CONTRIBUTE CONCRETELY, POSITIVELY by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 26, 2017 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has pinned high hopes on some eight million members of the Indonesian diaspora living in various countries, as they are viewed as valuable assets and envoys representing the interests of Indonesia.

            In July this year, the fourth Diaspora Congress, organized by the Indonesian Diaspora Network Global (IDN Global), discussed recent issues, including tolerance, diplomacy, business, innovation, and cultural inheritance.

            A month later, the Indonesian Diaspora Global Summit was held for the first time by IDN Global and the Indonesian Diaspora Business Council in Jakarta on Aug 21-22 that focused on three main topics: education and health for Papua and West Papua, contribution of the diaspora to energy savings through the use of cutting-edge technology; as well as protection to the Indonesian diaspora.

           Edward Wanandi, who is in charge of holding the IDN Global Meeting, said the event was organized to exchange ideas between members of the diaspora and national stakeholders for the development of Indonesia.

           "We also want to seek inputs from the Indonesian government regarding the community's needs, so that we can better participate in the development of Indonesia, as sometimes, the things that we consider important are not really needed by our society," he pointed out.

        The Indonesian Government and the people have hoped that the Indonesian diaspora could contribute positively and concretely to national development by using the sciences and knowledge they have obtained overseas.

IMPROVING NUTRITION OF INDONESIA'S FUTURE GENERATION by Fardah

  Jakarta, Aug 26 , 2017 (Antara) - Children are the most valuable assets of a nation, as the future of a country lies in their hands.

          If the children are malnourished, they will experience stunted growth, and their brain development will not be normal.

          Indonesia is currently facing the issue of child malnutrition, and the country needs to make breakthroughs to solve the problem that threatens its future generation.

          According to the Health Affairs Ministry, some 37 percent, or approximately nine million children, under the age of five in Indonesia experience stunted growth and such cases are found across Indonesia.   
     Stunting is impaired growth and development observed in children due to poor nutrition, repeated infections, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation.

          Children are defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the WHO Child Growth Standards median.

          Stunting in early life, particularly in the first one thousand days from conception until the age of two, has adverse functional consequences on the child.

          Some of these consequences include poor cognition and educational performance, low adult wages, and lost productivity and when accompanied by excessive weight gain later in childhood can lead to an increased risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases in adult life.

         Currently, Indonesia is one of the countries with a high prevalence of stunting as compared to that of other middle-income nations.

          Indonesia lies in the group of countries with the worst stunting conditions, with cases of stunting in infants and anemia in adult women, along with 47 other nations, including, Angola, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Haiti, Malawi, Nepal, and Timor-Leste.

ANTI-GRAFT AGENCY DETAINS ANOTHER DIRECTOR GENERAL OF SEA TRANSPORTATION by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 26, 2017 (Antara) - Within two years in a row, two director generals of sea transportation of the Transportation Ministry have been arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

        In February 2016, the anti-graft agency had detained Bobby Reynold Mamahit, the then director general, in a corruption case. In August 2016, the anti-corruption court had sentenced Mamahit to five years' imprisonment.

        The Indonesian public was in shock when the KPK made an announcement on August 24, 2017, that it had detained Antonius Tonny Budiono, the successor of Mamahit, for allegedly receiving bribes in connection with the issuance of permits and procurement for projects under his supervision during the 2016-2017 period.

        "Antonius Tonny Budiono (ATB), a suspect in his capacity as the sea transportation director general, and Adiputra Kurniawan (APK), as commissioner of PT Adhi Guna Keruktama (AGK), have been detained for the initial 20 days," Febri Diansyah, the KPK spokesman, had noted on Aug 24.    
    The anti-graft agency had closely monitored and investigated Budiono for seven months before naming him a suspect.

        "After an initial examination and questioning, it was concluded that Director General of Sea Transportation Budiono had allegedly committed corruption in the goods and services procurement projects at the Directorate General of Sea Transportation in the 2016-2017 budget year," KPK Deputy Chairman Basaria Panjaitan had stated at a press conference at the KPK building in Jakarta, Aug 24.

         During an impromptu operation conducted by the KPK on Aug 23-24, the agency confiscated money and automatic teller machine (ATM) cards from Budiono's bags.

PAPUA STRIVES TO BECOME CHILD-FRIENDLY PROVINCE by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 25, 2017 (Antara) - Indonesia's eastern most province of Papua is far from Jakarta, but the central government is paying special attention to it, particularly to public welfare, and protection of children and women in the province.

        It was with this purpose in mind that the Joko Widodo (Jokowi) administration had appointed Yohana Yembise, an indigenous Papuan, as Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister.

         Yembise has frequently visited Papua Island, comprising the Papua and West Papua Provinces, to participate in public awareness campaigns for the protection of children and women, and to help deal with various associated problems.

        Papua needs special attention, because the children and women on the island have been frequent victims of physical and sexual violence. In 2016, some 2,000 cases of violence against children were reported both in Papua and West Papua Province.

        "Most cases of violence against children include sexual abuse, physical violence and child neglect by parents," Harli Siregar, assistant to local public prosecutor office, said earlier this year.

        Speaking at a function to commemorate National Children's Day in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, on July 23, 2017, Social Affairs Minister Khofifah requested parents to provide the best education, healthcare, love and protection to their children.

         She urged the parents and teachers to not hurt children, but to keep them happy.

DEVELOPING FLORES INTO A GEOTHERMAL ISLAND by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 21, 2017 (Antara) - Flores, the long island located in Indonesia's southernmost province of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), is not only scenic but also rich in natural resources.

        Flores is positioned between the islands of Sumba and Timor, and the three are major islands of NTT, where some 566 isles are scattered in its waters.

         The exotic tropical island has been promoted internationally through the annual sports tourism event called Tour de Flores since 2016. 
    Since early August 2017, the central government has designated Flores as a geothermal island for its abundant geothermal reserves.

         The Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister has issued Decree No. 2268 on the designation of Flores as a geothermal island, Head of the Mining and Energy Office of NTT Boni Marasina said recently.

           "I just returned from Jakarta to collect the official letter from ESDM Minister Ignasius Jonan," Marasina had noted in Kupang, the capital of NTT, on Aug 11.

           He said a road map on Flores as a geothermal island has also been prepared by ARUP, an international consultant from Britain, in cooperation with the World Wide Fund.

           The road map was a result of cooperation on a strategic study on geothermal energy signed on August 19, 2015, by the Indonesian and British governments.

          Geothermal reserves are found in 16 locations on Flores Island: Waisano, Ulumbu, Wai Pesi, Gou-Inelika, Mengeruda, Mataloko, Komandaru, Ndetusoko, Sokoria, Jopu, Lesugolo, Oka Ile Ange, Atedai, Bukapiting, Roma-Ujelewung, and Oyang Barang.

ONE-PRICE FUEL PROGRAM FOR JUST, EQUITABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 16, 2017 (Antara) - The Joko Widodo (Jokowi) Administration has a strong political will to implement just and equitable economic development across Indonesia, including in remote and outermost regions.

        Development is not only for Java Island, or to cities, but to every region in the country, such as in the hinterland areas located in Indonesia's eastern most province of Papua.

        "I believe that only by implementing just and equitable economic development, we can increasingly become stronger to face global competition," the president said in his address to the annual session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Aug 16, one day prior to the 72nd anniversary of Indonesia's Independence.

           He hoped that by doing so, nobody will feel they are second-and third-class citizens. "We are all Indonesian citizens," he stated.

          All Indonesian citizens should receive equal benefits from developmental gains and be responsible to implement national development, he noted.

          The Head of State particularly wanted the prices of fuel oil and other essential goods in the mountains and border areas of Papua to be the same as in other regions of the country.  
    "We want the people in Papua's border area to be proud of their country as the border areas have been developed as a front verandah of the country," Jokowi remarked.

         In Oct last year, the president launched the program to set the fuel oil price in Papua to be the same as in the rest of the country. Previously, prices in Papua were much higher than in other regions of the country.    

INDONESIA FIGHTS CYBER-FRAUD SYNDICATE FROM CHINA by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 15, 2017 (Antara)- It seems that a cyber-fraud syndicate from China had found Indonesia as a heaven for their illegal operation and therefore they set up headquarters in several big cities in the country.

         More than hundred Chinese criminals, who included women, had lied as Chinese police or public prosecutors. They had connected Chinese victims and accused them of committing crimes. They had offered to cease legal process of their cases, if they transferred certain amount of money.

        Since they had operated in Indonesia in February 2017 (another report said since late 2016), they had collected at least Rp6 trillion (some US$455 million) from their victims.

         In simultaneous raids carried out on July 29, 2017, Indonesian police detained 149 Chinese and Taiwanese nationals operating their crimes in Jakarta, Surabaya (East Java), Bali, and Batam (Riau Islands).

         The raids were carried out with the cooperation of the Chinese Police, who had informed their Indonesian counterparts about the fraud targeting Chinese.

         The members of the syndicates had rented luxurious houses in elite areas in the Indonesian big cities. The Indonesian police also arrested five Indonesian believed to have helped their operation.

          In Surabaya, police had detained 93 suspects, comprising 81 Chinese citizens and 12 Taiwanese. Two Indonesian citizen were also arrested for being involved in providing means and facilities.

         "This evening, we raided four houses in Darmo Permai Golf or Graha Family in Surabaya that have been used for their operation," an officer of the special task force from the national headquarters dealing with the crime, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Susatyo Purnomo Condro, told newsmen following the raid on July 29.

          He admitted that the syndicate had been successfully uncovered thanks to cooperation from the Chinese police.

NORTH KALIMANTAN, YOUNGEST PROVINCE AIMING FOR INVESTMENT by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 10 , 2017(Antara) - North Kalimantan (Kaltara), the Indonesia's 34th province, is located in the northern part of Kalimantan Island and was separated from East Kalimantan Province in 2012.

        The country's youngest province shares its border with the Malaysian states of Sabah and Serawak in its north and west; the Makassar Strait and the Sulawesi Sea in the east; and East Kalimantan in the south.

         Thanks to its strategic location, North Kalimantan is expected to be  a gateway to Malaysia, the southern Philippines and Brunei Darussalam.

        In the past, it's remote villages located along the border were almost untouched by development because of the great distance from the center of the East Kalimantan provincial administration in Samarinda.

        At present, the development of projects has been accelerated in Kaltara to catch up with other provinces.

        To carry out development, the province needs foreign and domestic investment in the infrastructure sector, in particular.

        Some 14 foreign diplomats visited North Kalimantan recently at the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry's initiative to evaluate and obtain first-hand information on the tourism and economic potential of Indonesia's youngest province having abundant natural resources.

        Foreign envoys from Oman, Serbia, Egypt, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Croatia, Venezuela, Bosnia Herzegovina, Laos, Sweden, Romania, India, Nigeria, and Ukraine were personally received by  Kaltara Governor Irianto Lambrie, who first briefed them on the history of the province formed five years ago.

        The governor invited the foreign countries to invest in his region, which has been gearing up for massive development by constructing a nine thousand-megawatt hydropower plant in the Kayan River area, an industrial zone, and an international seaport in Bulungan District.

JUSTICE STILL ELUDES ANTI-CORRUPTION CHAMPION NOVEL BASWEDAN by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 5, 2017 (Antara) - Some people view Novel Baswedan, a senior investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), as a hero for his fearless and ceaseless fight against corruption, one of the most pressing problems facing Indonesia.

        Baswedan, a 40-year-old retired police officer, had joined the anti-graft agency in 2007 and since then has been frequently terrorized and attacked.

          In 2012, his motorcycle was seriously damaged after being attacked by supporters of convicted Amran Batalipu, a former district head of Buol in Central Sulawesi Province.

         Since 2012, he had also been criminalized, and in 2015, he was named a suspect in a case of maltreatment that had occurred in Bengkulu in 2004, when his subordinates had arrested several swallow nest thieves. Baswedan was head of the Bengkulu Police's criminal investigation unit at that time.

         In 2016, Baswedan was hit by a car while driving a motorcycle on his way to the KPK building.

       A fatal attack against him took place on the morning of April 11, 2017, when he was heading home after performing Fajr, or the Dawn prayer, at a mosque nearby when two motorcyclists hurled acid on his face that injured his eyes, particularly the left eye.

        His attackers escaped and until now are still at large, while Baswedan is currently being treated in a Singapore hospital. He has lost his left eye and has to undergo a major surgery.

         Former chief of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Inspector General M. Iriawan had also investigated a possible link between the attack and the online hijab and Muslim dress business run by Baswedan's wife.

         Several parties, however, are certain that the attack is related to the corruption cases being handled by Baswedan.

INDONESIA, TELEGRAM SHARE COMMON CONCERN ABOUT TERRORISM by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 4, 2017 (Antara) - The Indonesian government and Russia-based Telegram have finally settled a misunderstanding between them and pledged to work together to solve existing problems as they share a common concern about terrorism.

           The understanding was reached during Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's visit to Jakarta on Aug 1 following a decision by Indonesia to partially block web-based Telegram application.

          Durov held a meeting with Communication and Informatics Minister Rudiantara to discuss a follow up on the mechanism to handle negative content, particularly when it concerns terrorism.

          At the meeting, both sides agreed to open a special communication channel for the ministry and Telegram in order to prevent the spread of negative content effectively and swiftly.

          Durov remarked that his company was concerned about the terrorism content and shared a similar commitment with Indonesia's Communication and Informatics Ministry concerning counterterrorism.

         He revealed that Telegram was committed to working faster to "shut down publicly available content related to ISIS and propaganda of terrorism."
   "Telegram is highly concerned about the global threat of terrorism, particularly in a country like Indonesia," he explained.

          Minister Rudiantara has expressed appreciation to Durov for his response and his visit to Jakarta to meet him and discus the problem.

          "I laud Telegram for being very responsive concerning this issue," Rudiantara stated.

           He promised to normalize Web-based application Telegram this week since its blocking since July 14, 2017.

BECOMING ONE WITH MOTHER NATURE by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 3, 2017 (Antara) - The Indonesian Government observed National Environment Day in a function themed "Connecting People to Nature," held at the Environmental Affairs and Forestry Ministry office in Manggala Wanabakti complex in Jakarta on Aug 2 this year.

         The commemoration was aimed at increasing the people's awareness towards environmental problems such as deforestation, waste management, as well as air and water pollution.   
    Indonesia's forests, which are the third largest in the world after those in Brazil and Congo, hold some of the world's most diverse ecosystems, from endangered orangutans and rhinos to Rafflesias, the biggest flowers on earth.

         But, the country has lost a lot of its tropical rain forest due to illegal logging and rapid conversion of forests to plantations, despite the fact that since May 2011, the government has imposed moratorium on granting new licenses to clear forests in primary natural forest and peatland areas.

         Some companies appeared to have exploited protected national parks, for instance, to make way for plantations or have destroyed industrial parks, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) remarked while leading the function to observe National Environment Day 2017.

         The Head of State revealed that he will tighten requirements on the issuance of permits for the forest industry to protect natural resources and preserve the environment.

          "We should stop issuing any careless and irresponsible work permits to companies planning to operate in forest areas," Jokowi noted.

           The main objective of granting permits for industries in forest areas is to improve the welfare of the people.

            "The problem now is that most communities living near industrial forests are poor. Hence, we should rethink whether the teakwood plantations had contributed to the people's well-being" the president rhetorically told the audience.

VACCINATION CAMPAIGN TO FREE INDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM MEASLES, RUBELLA by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 2, 2017 (Antara) - The Indonesian Government has demonstrated a strong political will by launching a measles and rubella (MR) vaccination campaign to achieve an ambitious goal of eliminating measles and rubella by 2020.

         The campaign has been launched in accordance with WHO's Global Measles and Rubella Strategic Plan, 2012-2020.

         The two-month national campaign was officially kicked off by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at a function held in Islamic Junior High School 10 in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on Aug 1, 2017.

        The Head of State expressed his hope that Indonesia would be free of rubella and measles by 2020.

        "I fully support the national campaign on immunization to protect the children from measles and rubella," Jokowi stated.

        The function was attended by First Lady Iriana, Coordinating Minister for Culture and Human Development Puan Maharani, Minister/State Secretary Pratikno, Health Minister Nila Moeloek, Special Presidential Staff Staff Johan Budi SP, Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubowono X, and Sleman District Head Sri Purnomo.

        According to him, immunization is crucial for children's health as it could prevent deadly diseases.

        "That is the responsibility of parents and also the state," he noted.

        In Indonesia, less than one percent of children have received measles and rubella immunization, while ideally it should be more than 95 percent, he noted.

        The government has a strong commitment to eliminate measles and control rubella and to make the country free of measles and rubella by 2020, he affirmed.

         Working to eliminate measles and rubella can help strengthen health systems in general and immunization systems in particular.

FLORICULTURE FESTIVAL MARKS REVIVAL OF INDONESIAN FLORICULTURE by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 1, 2017 (Antara) - A series of activities highlighting the Indonesian Floriculture Festival 2017, organized in Jakarta on July 24-29, marked the revival of floriculture as one of the country's economic assets.

           Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution officially designated July 24, as Indonesian Floriculture Day at his office on that day.

           On July 28, a seminar on national floriculture was organized at the Bogor University of Agriculture (IPB) Convention Center. On July 29, the Indonesian Floriculture Expo was held at the Baranangsiang Campus of IPB and was officiated by Mufidah, the spouse of Vice President Jusuf M. Kalla.

           On July 30, Bogor hosted the Floriculture Carnival, and IPB Rector Herry Suhardiyanto declared the "Love Indonesian Floriculture" Movement to encourage sustainability and promotion of the floriculture sector.

            The events were organized by the office of Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs in cooperation with the agriculture ministry, the IPB, and the Bogor municipality, Dr Syarifah IIs Aisyah, chairperson of the organizing committee, stated.

        Tens of flower-decorated vehicles went around the city, including to the Bogor Botanical Garden, during the carnival, which was officially kicked off by Bogor Mayor Bima Arya Sugiarto and his deputy, Usmar Hariman.

        Other activities highlighting the carnival were an agricultural and culinary bourse, flower arrangement contest, fashion show, talk show, marching band competition, and flower-decorated vehicle contest. Indonesian flowers were used in all the activities.