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☆ Rebels in Indonesia's Papua say images show abducted NZ pilot in good health
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Separatists in Indonesia's restive Papua region have released images that they say show a New Zealand pilot taken hostage last week is in good health, but pledged he would not be freed until authorities acknowledge the independence of the area. The pilot, Philip Mehrtens, who flew a plane operated by airline Susi Air, was abducted by fighters from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) last week after landing in the remote region of Nduga. One of the fighters is holding up the "Morning Star" flag, a symbol of Papuan independence. In a statement accompanying the images, Sambom said that the pilot was in good health and that he was collateral in a political dispute. Reporting by Kate Lamb and Stanley Widianto Editing by Ed Davies and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Indonesia finds local trader forged ingredient label in probe of cough syrup deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Authorities have said two ingredients, ethylene glycol (EG) and diethyelene glycol (DEG), found in some syrup-based paracetamol medications are linked to acute kidney injury, which many of the children suffered. Pipit Rismanto, a senior police official, told reporters authorities have found that CV Samudera Chemical sold "industrial-grade" EG and DEG as pharmaceutical-grade propylene glycol manufactured by Dow Chemical Thailand and supplied them to distributors of local drug-makers. Police have arrested and charged officials at Samudera and its distributor CV Anugrah Perdana Gemilang. Reuters could not immediately reach CV Samudera Chemical or its distributor for comment. Last week, The World Health Organization called for "immediate and concerted action" to protect children from contaminated medicines after about 300 deaths in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Indonesia linked to cough syrups last year.

☆ Exclusive: WHO investigating links between cough syrup deaths, considers advice for parents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The deaths of children from acute kidney injury began in July 2022 in Gambia, followed by cases in Indonesia and Uzbekistan. The WHO has said the deaths are linked to over-the-counter cough syrups the children took for common illnesses and which contained a known toxin, either diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol. The WHO, working with Indonesia’s drugs regulator, also issued an alert in October about cough syrups made by four Indonesian manufacturers and sold domestically. The manufacturers are: PT Yarindo Farmatama, PT Universal Pharmaceutical, PT Konimex, PT AFI Farma. PT Universal Pharmaceutical Industries’ lawyer, Hermansyah Hutagalung, said it had pulled from the market all cough syrups deemed dangerous.

☆ Indonesia sends warship to monitor Chinese coast guard vessel
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Indonesia has deployed a warship to its North Natuna Sea to monitor a Chinese coast guard vessel that has been active in a resource-rich maritime area, the country's naval chief said on Saturday of an area that both countries claim as their own. A warship, maritime patrol plane and drone had been deployed to monitor the vessel, Laksamana Madya Muhammad Ali, the chief of the Indonesian navy, told Reuters. "However, we need to monitor it as it has been in Indonesia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for some time." At the time, China urged Indonesia to stop drilling, saying the activities were happening in its territory. Southeast Asia's biggest nation says that under UNCLOS, the southern end of the South China Sea is its exclusive economic zone, and named the area as the North Natuna Sea in 2017.

☆ Indonesia president says "strongly regrets" past rights violations in country
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo acknowledged on Wednesday a series of incidents amounting to "gross human rights violations" had taken place in his country's past, including the bloodshed and arrests that took place in 1965 and 1966. "With a clear, genuine mind and conscience, I as a head of state acknowledge that there were gross human rights violations that did happen in many events," he said. Jokowi said that the government would seek to restore the rights of victims "fairly and wisely without negating judicial resolving", though did not specify how. The president also cited human rights violations in the restive region of Papua, noting his acknowledgment came after reading the results received from a team he formed in 2022 to investigate these violations. Late President Abdurrahman Wahid apologised for the 1965 bloodshed, while President B.J.

☆ Indonesia and Malaysia agree to fight "discrimination" against palm oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOR, Indonesia, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Indonesia and Malaysia, the world's biggest producers of palm oil, agreed on Monday to work together to fight "discrimination" against the commodity after a meeting between leaders from the countries. The comments by Indonesian President Joko Widodo followed a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was making his first overseas trip since being elected last November. Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, said the two countries would "fight discrimination against palm oil" and "strengthen cooperation through the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries" to address concerns. The new capital could boost regional development, Anwar said, with the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak located in the Malaysian part of Borneo island. "We hope the development of the capital will bring greater benefits to the wider region, including on Sabah and Sarawak," he said.

☆ At least 20 reported dead as Rohingya boats land in Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PIDIE, Indonesia, Dec 27 (Reuters) - At least 20 Rohingya have died at sea in recent weeks, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday, as boats carrying hundreds of the persecuted Muslims landed in Indonesia while others were believed to be adrift in the Indian Ocean. Chris Lewa of the Arakan Project, which provides support to Rohingya, said the boat was the same as one earlier reported missing and feared to have sank. Some activists believe the lifting of COVID restrictions around Southeast Asia, a favoured destination for the Rohingya, could be a factor. The group is the latest in a series of boat landings and rescues around the region in recent weeks. There were 57 other Rohingya who reached Aceh on Sunday, while two other boats carrying a combined 230 people landed in November.

[1/2] Rohingya refugees rescued by fishermen are seen on a boat behind a patrol boat near the coast of Seunuddon beach in North Aceh, Indonesia, June 24, 2020. In Buddhist-majority Myanmar, most Rohingya are denied citizenship and are seen as illegal immigrants from South Asia. Nearly 200 Rohingya are feared dead or missing at sea this year already. "We hope against hope that the 180 missing are still alive somewhere out there", said UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch. Two boats carrying a total of 230 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, landed on the shores of Indonesia's Aceh province in November, while this month, Sri Lanka's navy rescued 104 Rohingya adrift off the Indian Ocean island's northern coast.

☆ Thailand hosts Myanmar junta figures in talks, key ASEAN nations skip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Foreign ministers of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam's deputy foreign minister joined the talks hosted by Thailand's foreign minister, according to Thai foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke. "The consultation was a non-ASEAN meeting but intended to complement ASEAN’s ongoing collective efforts to find a peaceful political resolution," Kanchana said in a statement. Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin attended along with Kan Zaw, minister for investment and foreign economic relations, and Ko Ko Hlaing, minister for international cooperation, Myanmar's foreign ministry said in a statement. The Philippines said its foreign minister would also not join, without elaborating. "Any meeting convened under ASEAN, formal or informal, should not divert from this decision," it said, according to the source.

☆ Two calves of endangered Javan rhinos spotted in Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Indonesia has welcomed two baby Javan rhinoceroses to a family of one of the world's most endangered species, the environment and forestry ministry said. Javan rhinos, which are distinguished by their single horn, were once found throughout northeast India and Southeast Asia. Today they are among the most threatened of the five rhino species, mainly due to poaching. There are now 77 Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon, the ministry said. Reporting by Heru Asprihanto and Johan Purnomo; Writing by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bali governor says new Indonesia laws pose no risk to tourists
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Visitors to Bali will not be put at risk by Indonesia's newly ratified criminal code, the island's governor said, dismissing concerns that revised laws which include articles criminalising sex outside marriage may scare away tourists from its shores. Seeking to reassure visitors, Bali Governor Wayan Koster in a statement on Sunday noted the new laws, which come into affect in three years, could only be prosecuted if there was complaint by a parent, spouse or child. Those who "visit or live in Bali would not need to worry with regard to the entry into force of the Indonesian Criminal Code", he said. The governor said provisions in the criminal code on this issue had been altered from an earlier, stricter version so "would provide a better guarantee of everyone's privacy and comfortableness." Decades in the making, legislators hailed the passage of the criminal code as a much-needed overhaul of a vestige of Dutch colonial rule.

☆ Indonesia set to penalise sex outside marriage in overhaul of criminal code
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Indonesian President Joko Widodo gestures as he delivers his remarks during the annual meeting of Indonesia's central bank with its financial stakeholders in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanJAKARTA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Indonesia's parliament is expected to pass a new criminal code this month that will penalise sex outside marriage with a punishment of up to one year in jail, officials have confirmed. Decades in the making, the new criminal code is expected to be passed on Dec. 15, Indonesia's deputy justice minister, Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, told Reuters. "We're proud to have a criminal code that's in line with Indonesian values," he told Reuters in an interview. A revised version of the criminal code has been discussed since Indonesia declared its independence from the Dutch in 1945.

☆ Indonesians pray outdoors after deadly quake destroys town
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Stefanno Sulaiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Muslim men pray during Friday prayers at a volleyball field, as their nearest mosque was damaged following Monday's earthquake, in Cianjur, West Java province, Indonesia, November 25, 2022. I asked the congregation to stay on guard because disaster might strike again," Muhamad, 52, said. "Prayer still needs to go on, even though we are in a shelter, prayer is an obligation," he said. Monday's quake was particularly deadly because it struck a densely populated area at a depth of just 10 km. Additional reporting by Ananda Teresia; Writing by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Indonesia struggles to get aid to quake survivors, rescue continues
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Stefanno Sulaiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Survivors included a woman who gave birth at a makeshift medical centre in a tent. "The conditions are steep," President Joko Widodo said of the rugged terrain as he visited Cianjur. Search efforts focussed on Cijedil village, where about 30 people were thought to be buried under a landslide, Joshua Banjarnahor of the national search and rescue agency, told reporters. Rain-soaked slopes and potential landslides were delaying rescue efforts, the search and rescue agency said on Wednesday, adding the likelihood of finding survivors was getting slimmer. Monday's quake was particularly deadly because it struck a densely populated area at a depth of just 10 km (6 miles).

☆ G20 declaration says leaders deplores Russian aggression against Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NUSA DUA, Indonesia, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies made a declaration on Wednesday saying they "deplore in the strongest terms" Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The declaration said "most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy." It was approved by all members of the G20 bloc, three diplomatic sources told Reuters. International law must be upheld and the threat of the use of nuclear weapons was inadmissible, the leaders said in the declaration, while welcoming the Black Sea grain initiative. Reporting by Stanley Widianto, Andreas Rinke and Ananda Teresia; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ G20 agrees to pursue efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5C
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Delegates at the U.N. climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where progress towards an agreement by the end of the week has been slow, have been watching the G20 summit closely for signs that developed nations are willing to make new commitments on climate. "We resolve to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C. This will require meaningful and effective actions and commitment by all countries," the G20 statement said. It also made reference to the need to accelerate "efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power, in line with national circumstances and recognising the need for support towards just transitions." "We will play our part fully in implementing the (COP26) Glasgow Climate Pact," the G20 leaders said.

☆ Key takeaways from the G20 summit in Bali
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Here are key takeaways from the meeting:CONDEMNING RUSSIAN AGGRESSIONMeetings of G20 ministers earlier this year ended without joint declarations because of Russian opposition to references to the war in Ukraine. With the Ukraine war, as well as massive pandemic-era spending packages blamed for fuelling red-hot inflation, the G20 countries said further fiscal stimulus measures should be "temporary and targeted". Besides the meeting with Biden, Xi held talks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron. A meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was cancelled due to scheduling issues, Downing Street said. Xi is set to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later this week.

Leaders from the Group of Seven nations as well as Spain and the Netherlands, who are all on the Indonesian island of Bali for the G20 summit, held an emergency meeting in response to the missile strike in Poland. The G20 leaders' meeting on Wednesday will be important to raise their awareness of the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Tuesday after reports of the blasts in Poland. G20 leaders were due to visit a site in Bali to plant mangroves on Wednesday morning, although the schedule of the meeting hosted by Indonesia has not always run to plan. As at other recent international forums, the United States and its allies were seeking a statement from the G20 summit against Moscow's military actions. A 16-page draft declaration seen by Reuters, which diplomats said was yet to be adopted by leaders, acknowledged the rift over the Ukraine war.

☆ G20 chair Indonesia: world cannot move forward if war does not end
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NUSA DUA, Indonesia, Nov 15 (Reuters) - G20 chair Indonesian President Joko Widodo called on Tuesday for unity at the bloc's 2022 summit and said that the group must not allow the world to fall into another cold war and that conflict must end. If the war did not end, it would be difficult for the world to move forward, he said, without referring directly to the war in Ukraine at his opening speech to the summit. Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy, Stanley Widianto Editing by Ed DaviesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

As at other recent international forums, the United States and its allies were seeking a statement from the two-day G20 summit against Moscow's military actions. But Russia, whose forces pounded cities and energy facilities across Ukraine even as the G20 met, said "politicization" of the summit was unfair. [1/12] Leaders gather during the G20 leaders summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. China and Russia are close, but Beijing has been careful not to provide any direct material support for the Ukraine war that could trigger Western sanctions against it. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed concern for the health of other world leaders - including Biden - after a positive COVID-19 test forced him to return home early.

☆ G20 starts in Bali as Ukraine war, raging inflation top agenda
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Angie Teo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/10] China's President Xi Jinping greets Indonesia's President Joko Widodo as he arrives for the G20 leaders' summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, November 15, 2022. "We hope the G20 summit can deliver concrete partnerships that can help the world in its economic recovery," President Joko Widodo said after a bilateral meeting with Biden. But Xi and Putin have grown increasingly close in recent years, and reaffirmed their partnership just days before Russia invaded Ukraine. A statement from the Chinese foreign minister said Xi told Biden nuclear weapons cannot be used and nuclear wars cannot be fought. G20 leaders will denounce the use of, or any threat to use, nuclear weapons, according to an early draft of a G20 statement seen by Reuters.

☆ Zelenskiy urges G20 to adopt Ukraine's plan to restore peace
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Zelenskiy called on the G20 leaders at their summit, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, to adopt a 10-point peace formula and end the war "justly and on the basis of the UN Charter and international law". "Please, choose your path for leadership - and together we will surely implement the peace formula," Zelenskiy said. Russia calls its action in Ukraine a "special operation" to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. Ukraine and its Western allies say the fascist allegation is baseless and that the war is an unprovoked act of aggression. "If Russia opposes our peace formula, you will see that it only wants war," Zelenskiy said.

"Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy," the draft said, suggesting that Russia had opposed the language. "There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions," said the draft declaration, which was confirmed by a European diplomat. "Recognising that the G20 is not the forum to resolve security issues, we acknowledge that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy," the draft declaration said. Fiscal stimulus measures should be "temporary and targeted" to cushion the blow of rising commodity costs for the most vulnerable, to avoid adding to inflationary pressures, the draft declaration said. Wrangling over how to describe the war in Ukraine has prevented G20 ministers earlier this year from issuing a joint communique.

☆ Indonesia leader says intellectual property waiver must be widened on health issues
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NUSA DUA, Indonesia, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Indonesia President Joko Widodo at the G20 Summit on Tuesday said an intellectual property waiver "must be widened" for all health solutions, including diagnostics and therapeutics. The president in a speech before opening a session on health also said the COVID-19 pandemic was a reminder that the world should brace for other health threats in future. Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Reuters reported in August that Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, elected as Brazil's president at the end of October, would seek a partnership with the two other leading rainforest nations to pressure the rich world to finance forest conservation. The rapid destruction of rainforests, which through their dense vegetation serve as carbon sinks, releases planet-warming carbon dioxide, imperiling global climate targets. "South-to-south cooperation - Brazil, Indonesia, DRC - is very natural," the Democratic Republic of Congo's Environment Minister Eve Bazaiba said prior to the signing. In the agreement, the alliance said that countries should be paid for reducing deforestation and maintaining forests as carbon sinks. Talks on the alliance to protect rainforest until now had foundered due to "institutional difficulties," Teixeira said.

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