FIFTH OUR OCEAN CONFERENCE TO ENSURE SUSTAINABLE LEGACY by Fardah

          Jakarta, Sept 29, 2018 (Antara) - Aspiring to become a global maritime axis, Indonesia, with 140 million citizens, including 2.6 million fishermen earning a livelihood from marine and coastal ecosystems, believes its future depends on oceans as two-thirds territory is water.      
     In fact, life on Earth depends on the ocean. A healthy ocean is central to human well-being. The ocean feeds billions of people, employs millions of workers, and generates trillions of dollars to the world economy.

          Lying between the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, Indonesia is one of the world's largest maritime countries, with some 5.8 million square kilometers of marine territory.

          The country is entrusted to host the fifth Our Ocean Conference (OOC) to be organized in Nusa Dua, Bali, on October 29- 30, 2018.

          This year's OOC is themed "Our Ocean, Our Legacy," as it reflects choices and actions to maintain the sustainability of the oceans' resources and to preserve the ocean's health, as a heritage presented for the children and grandchildren.

          People have an option to choose the kind of legacy they will leave for the future generations; and that choice depends on the actions they take today.

          The oceans carry not only living artifacts and history but also the promise of the people's future. Its undulating vastness holds the key to economic growth, food security resources, as well as solution to curb the impact of climate change.

          However, the oceans are under immense pressure due to adverse impact of human activities. Marine pollution, bleaching coral reefs, raising sea temperature, and unsustainable fishing continue to occur. Indirect threat to the oceans also uncloaked with the recent findings on human trafficking in fishing operations, wildlife trafficking, as well as arms and drugs smuggling.

INDONESIA HOPES TO EMULATE ASIAD SUCCESS IN ASIAN PARA GAMES by Fardah

     Jakarta, Sept 29 (Antara) -    Many international media and several world leaders lauded the smooth and well-organized implementation of the 18th Asian Games held simultaneously in two cities, namely in Jakarta on western Java Island and Palembang in South Sumatra, from Aug 18 to Sept 2, 2018.

          Indonesia successfully held spectacular opening and closing ceremonies of the Asian Games. Most importantly, the Games were organized smoothly without any serious problems, including in terms of security.

           The sport fiesta does not stop with the Asiad 2018 alone as it will be followed by the third Asian Para Games, which will take place in Jakarta from Oct 6 to 13, 2018.

          The Indonesian government hopes to emulate the success achieved during the Asian Games in the upcoming largest multi-sport event for athletes with disability in Asia.

          One of the many factors that make the Asiad a successful event is the support from the public. Therefore, the government has been intensifying the promotion of the Asian Para Games 2018 to make the public aware of it.

         Head of the Indonesia Asian Para Games 2018 Organizing Committee (INAPGOC), Raja Sapta Oktohari, recently reported to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), during a closed-door meeting at the Bogor Presidential Palace, that the preparations for the implementation of the event were nearly complete.

        Jokowi told ministers and institutions to treat the second-largest multi-sporting event for the disabled after the Paralympic Games and the Asian Games.

INDONESIA TO OFFER TOURISM INVESTMENT PROJECTS DURING IMF-WB MEETINGS by Fardah

   Jakarta, Sept 2018 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has pinned high hopes on the upcoming annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) to be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, on October 8-13, 2018.

       The host country will use the world's largest financial meeting to promote its tourist destinations and to attract investment in various fields, particularly in the tourism industry, among other things.   
    Hosting the IMF-WB Annual Meetings, Indonesia will be in the global spotlight and also gain immense benefits in various fields, including in economy, politics, banking, investment, and tourism.

          Themed "Voyage to Indonesia," this year's IMF-WB Annual Meetings will bring together some 19,800 participants and delegates, including finance ministers and central bank governors of 189 countries in "a journey to a new place of discovery."
    The tagline is selected, as Indonesia is the largest maritime country in the world and the center of the event where several countries in the world will anchor their ships.  
  Bank Indonesia has estimated that some 3.5 thousand to five thousand foreign investors will attend the IMF-WB Annual Meetings, which are viewed as offering a positive momentum to promote Indonesia's economic potentials to investors from around the world.

        The Indonesian government is planning to offer investment opportunity valued at US$42.2 billion, with total projects worth $86 billion, during the IMF-WB Annual Meetings 2018, State-Owned Enterprises Ministry's special staff member Sahala Lumban Gaol stated on September 17, 2018.

        Those offered projects will be compiled in a specific book of investment opportunities and be delivered to the investors attending the meeting.

         The book will provide complete information on investment-worthy projects, including some of which are publicly known, such as toll roads and power plants.

CORRECT VOTER LIST CRUCIAL FOR FAIR DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS by Fardah

  Jakarta, Sept 24, 2018 (Antara) - The campaign period kicked off in Indonesia, with the General Election Commission (KPU) organizing an event for the signing of a declaration pledging a peaceful campaign in Jakarta on September 23, 2018.

         The campaign period will last until April 13, 2019, for the presidential and legislative elections next year.

         The pledge to hold peaceful elections was declared by presidential hopefuls and their pairs, coalition parties' leaders, as well as legislative candidates simultaneously across Indonesia.

         Presidential and legislative elections will be organized directly, democratically, and simultaneously across Indonesia on April 17, 2019, which will be the fourth so far. Indonesia had, in fact, held its first elections since 1955, but it was not direct elections. 
    Next year's race will be a re-run of the bitter 2014 presidential election that showcased the country's divide, as Jokowi went head to head with Subianto.

         In the direct presidential election five years ago, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and his running mate Jusuf Kalla had won 70,997,833 votes, or 53.15 percent of the total 133,574,277 valid votes, while their rivals Subianto-Hatta Rajasa secured 62,576,444 votes, or 46.85 percent.

         Jokowi has picked prominent ulema Ma'ruf Amin as his pair, while Prabowo Subianto has chosen successful and young businessman Sandiaga Uno as his running mate.

BIGGER DREAM FOR TOUR DE SIAK by Fardah

Jakarta, Sept 19, 2018 (Antara) - The Siak district administration is currently organizing the Sixth Tour de Siak on September 18-21, 2018, with more ambitious plans for the sport tourism event in the future.

          The ambition is supported by the fact that the 2.2 cycling race, featuring the Men Elite category, has been recognized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), which is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events.

          Hence, the Riau provincial government has proposed the inclusion of Tour de Siak into the Wonderful Indonesia calendar of events.

          Riau had three tourism events -- Bakar Tongkang in Rokan Hilir District, Pacu Jalur in Kuantan Singingi, and Bono Surfing in Pelalawan -- that have so far been included in the national tourism calendar of events, according to Riau Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman.

          Another big plan for Tour de Siak is to extend its route up to Malacca, Malaysia.

          "Hopefully, next year, it would be materialized," the governor stated while expressing hope that in the long term, its route would also cover other regions in Riau.

          The Riau governor, accompanied by Siak District Head Syamsuar and Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Cyclist Association Beni Subaggia, officially kicked off the Tour de Siak, on the evening of Sept 17.

          Earlier on the same day, hundreds of people participated in a fun bike organized to highlight the implementation of Tour de Siak.

          "The fun bike is part of a series of activities to kick off Tour de Siak 2018. It is aimed at giving an opportunity to the public to participate," Wan Saiful Efendi, spokesman of the Siak district administration, remarked.

PROLONGED DROUGHT TRIGGERS FOREST FIRES IN KALIMANTAN AND JAVA by Fardah

 Jakarta, Sept 15, 2018 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has been working all out to prevent forest fires over the last couple of years and been successful in drastically reducing hotspots and fires, particularly in Sumatra.    
    Lately, however, the country has been experiencing severe dry season that has induced forest fires on the islands of Java, Kalimantan, and Sumatra.

         The ongoing prolonged drought has caused water shortage in several regions, such as in the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Java, and triggered fires in forest areas, particularly in West Kalimantan and Central Java.  
    In West Kalimantan, schools were recently closed, as forest fires produced smoke that could affect the health of students.

         The national disaster mitigation office has deployed four helicopters to help extinguish the fires.

         In Central Kalimantan, the East Kotawaringin district police recently named four suspects in land and forest fires in several areas in the district.

         Chief of the East Kotawaringin District Police Adjunct Chief Commissioner Mohammad Rommel remarked on September 11, 2018, that the police had investigated the cases of land fires in Ujung Pandaran, Samuda, Baamang, and Mentawa Baru Ketapang.

         The police are also investigating the case of large land fires in Mentaya Hilir Selatan District, he noted.

         In South Kalimantan, the local inhabitants are optimistic of rain falling again to disperse the haze of the smoke that had begun to blanket some areas in the province.

         The people in Banjarmasin and Banjarbaru as well as the surrounding areas recently breathed a sigh of relief after rainfall, lasting for two hours, cleared the air of haze.

AFTER ASIAD, PENCAK SILAT EXPECTED INCLUSION INTO UNESCO ICH LIST by Fardah

 Jakarta, Sept 15, 2018 (Antara) - Indonesia has delivered its best-ever achievement in the Asian Games history by ranking fourth in the medal tally, with 31 gold medals, nearly half of them from the pencak silat martial art.

        Indonesia won 14 out of the total 16 gold medals up for grabs in pencak silat also participated in by Malaysia, Japan, Brunei Darussalam, India, Nepal, Laos, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan in the 18th Asian Games co-hosted by the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to September 2, 2018.

        Pencak silat debuted in the largest multi-sport event in Asia. This is because Indonesia had the privilege to propose pencak silat, its traditional martial art, in which it had hopes of winning gold. The country certainly did not miss the opportunity to make pencak silat as its "gold mine" in the Asiad.

        At the closing ceremony of the Asian Games 2018, dozens of performers, wearing white clothes and red headscarves, demonstrated the movements of pencak silat to spectators at the Bung Karno Main Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta.

        In the presence of rain that began in the afternoon, the performers displayed a variety of Indonesian martial arts movements, which included strikes, kicks, sweeping, and take down.

        Pencak silat is a traditional martial art that has played an important role since Indonesia's ancient history. West Sumatra and West Java are believed to be the origins of the sport, but it later spread across the country.

INDONESIA RECORDS TWO SUCCESSES IN ASIAN GAMES 2018 by Fardah

   Jakarta, Sept 13, 2018 (Antara) - Having a chance to host the Asian Games for the second time after waiting for over 50 years, Indonesia did not want to miss the opportunities to show the world that the nation is capable of successfully organizing the largest sporting event in Asia and upgrading its rank in the Asiad's medal table.

            Many international media as well as several world leaders lauded the smooth and well-organized implementation of the 18th Asian Games held simultaneously in two cities, namely in Jakarta on western Java Island and Palembang in South Sumatra, from Aug 18 to Sept 2, 2018.

         Headlines of major media on the Games read "Asian Games Stir Indonesia's Pride, Boost Jokowi's Campaign", "Indonesia proved their credibility with a successful show at Asian Games", "Games-Hosts Indonesia bid emotional farewell to 18th Asiad," and "Asian Games close: Indonesia shows it's the 'Energy of Asia'".

        Besides, Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), during his state visit to South Korea on Sept 10,  received congratulations for successfully organizing the 2018 Asian Games.

        Ahmad Al Sabah Al Fahad, president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), in his remarks during the closing ceremony of the Asian Games in Jakarta on Sept 2, 2018, lauded the Indonesian Government for successful organization of the Games and, in particular, the country's security authorities for maintaining safety during the Games.

       "I especially convey my appreciation to the security and traffic police who have worked hard (to overcome traffic jams) enabling athletes to come to the venue on time," Al Fahad stated.

INDONESIA BRACES FOR PROLONGED DROUGHT by Fardah

 Jakarta, Sept 10, 2018 (Antara) - Hydro-meteorological disasters have over many years dominated natural disasters in Indonesia, which is often flooded during rainy season and very dry and even extremely dry in certain regions during dry season.

         Located on the equator line and between Asia and Australia, Indonesia has only two seasons -- rain and dry. The dry season is usually between March and September, while rainy season between September and March.

         September is usually transitional period where rains begin to fall across the country. But, up to September 10 this year, many regions remain very dry as rains have not come for months.  
   Currently, drought hits some regions in Indonesia, especially on the islands of Java and Nusa Tenggara. The drought hit 4,053 villages in 888 sub-districts located in 111 districts and cities in 11 provinces.

        Some 4.87 million people in the country are affected by this year's drought, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

        "The dry season is forecast to last until September 2018 and reach its peak during the August-September period. Those islands are hit by the drought almost every year," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho noted on Sept 7, 2018.

        The drought has also affected the agriculture sector, as farmers had to spend additional funds of some Rp800 thousand to rent water pumps and buy diesel fuel to water their paddy fields.

         "Some farmers have modified their water pumps by replacing diesel oil with LPG and saved some Rp100 thousand to Rp150 thousand," he remarked.