APP LAUNCHED TO PROMOTE CRAFT PRODUCTS ONLINE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 30 (Antara) - Indonesia continues to advance its cottage industry, yet it still needs to further improve the quality of its craft products and intensively promote them to win the market, both at home and abroad.         Hence, the National Crafts Council (Dekranas) is organizing a five-day annual crafts exhibition titled 'Kriyanusa 2017 Exhibition' to help handicraftsmen promote their products and improve their welfare.          Along with the exhibition, the Dekranas has also launched an application system to help handicraftsmen promote their products online through the cyber world or the Internet.          "It is expected that the exhibition will not

INDONESIAN STARTUPS STAND OUT IN BUSAN

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 29 (Antara) - Even as Jakarta plays host to the digital forum IDByte 2017 Conference, several Indonesian firms have started flexing their muscles by introducing their digital solutions at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Busan, South Korea.         Opening the IDByte 2017 Conference in Jakarta, Thursday, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said the government would help startup companies conduct experiments and create innovations through the use of digital technology.         The startup companies can be supported if Indonesian entrepreneurs build a local brand by utilizing the advances in communications technology, he said. The president's call was aimed at encouraging them to grasp digital technology solutions.         In terms of digital solutions, many Indonesian startups have begun to make progress. In South Korea, for example, several Indonesian startups showed off their digital solutions at the ITU forum in Busan from Sept. 26 to 28, 2017.         The startups representing Indonesia that were invited by the Ministry of Communications and Informatics to participate in the event included Tokopedia, Modalku, Tukang Sayur.co, Cashlez, Nurbaya Initiative and Gerakan Nasional 1.000 Startup Digital (National Movement of 1,000 Digital Startups).

COMMODITIES HOLD POTENTIAL TO BOOST ACEH'S GROWTH

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 28 (Antara) - Aceh has some 30 percent of agricultural and plantation land area; hence, agriculture and food have become the mainstay sectors for its economic growth.         The Aceh regional government, on its website acehprov.go.id, stated that out of some five million Acehnese, 70 percent live in rural areas, of which 70 percent are farmers.         Hence, apart from other sectors, such as industry, the agricultural sector has the potential to absorb workers. Aceh has a workforce of more than two million.         In 2015, of the total workforce reaching 2,182,824, some 216,806 were unemployed.       Hence, developing the agricultural sector is one of the Aceh government's priority programs as stated in the Aceh Mid-Term Development Plan 2012-2017.         Efforts by the regional government to develop and advance the agricultural and plantation sectors have yielded positive results.         According to Yufrizal, the chief representative of Bank Indonesia for Lhokseumawe, the agricultural and plantation sectors have contributed to Aceh's economic growth.         In the second quarter of this year, some agricultural commodities and plantations became the main growth contributors.         Aceh Province recorded a higher economic growth in the second quarter as compared to the first quarter of 2017 owing to the contribution of several sectors, particularly plantation, and other agricultural commodities.

KRIYANUSA 2017 SHOWCASES INDONESIA'S CRAFT PRODUCTS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 27 (Antara) - Indonesia is rich handicraft products and needs to unite and improve its artisans' quality so that their products could compete and win in the global market.         The variety and richness of Indonesia's handicraft products are being exhibited at the Kriyanusa Exhibition 2017, which will be held for five days in Jakarta.         The exhibition, which is held from Sept 27 to Oct 1, is themed "Enhancing Creativity of Indonesia's Young Craft Entrepreneurs."    Chairperson of the National Crafts Council (Dekranas), Mufidah Jusuf Kalla, stated that the improvement in quality of human resources is one effort to increase the competitiveness of handicraft products.         "Efforts to improve the competitiveness of craft products in Indonesia, through the improvement of creativity, still needs to be maintained," Mufidah noted in a speech at the opening of Craft Nusantara Exhibition (Kriyanusa) at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), Senayan, South Jakarta, on Wednesday.          Indonesian handicraft products can compete in foreign countries, but the competition in the global market, especially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) market, would be tougher.

ASEM-TMM DISCUSSES CONCRETE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 27 (Antara) - Indonesia, which is hosting the 4th Asia Europe Meeting-Transport Ministers Meeting (ASEM-TMM) in Bali, plans to utilize the forum to concretize its ongoing cooperation projects and to offer new ones to its partner countries in the transportation sector.         As many as 12 projects were offered to investors during the bilateral meetings with representatives from nine countries, including Japan, China, Poland, Hungary, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.         On the first .day of the ASEM-TMM forum, Indonesian Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi was busy holding bilateral meetings with representatives of those countries.         The first bilateral meeting was held with the British Consultants to discuss cooperation of ships guide in the Malacca Strait. The British Consultants welcomed the idea of collaboration in vessel guides with European, Chinese, or Japanese.        "During the first discussion, I proposed to a team from Britain to create a collaboration with ships guide owned by Europe, China, and Japan, and they expressed their ability to do so," he noted.         Indonesia viewed the collaboration with various transportation stakeholders on the ship guide in the Malacca Strait as an initial step to influence and establish good relationships with shipping operators.

LIVESTOCK EXPECTED TO HELP INDONESIA BECOME GLOBAL FOOD BARN

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 26 (Antara) - Livestock, one of the important contributors to the agricultural sector, is expected to build the nation's food resilience and help it achieve the ultimate goal of becoming a global food barn in 2045.          By encouraging commercial livestock rearing, Indonesia's vision to become a global food barn in 2045 would be achieved, according to I Ketut Diarmita, the director general of Animal Husbandry and Animal Health.          To boost growth in the animal husbandry sector, livestock should serve as a driving force to achieve the target of making the country a global food barn.          Dean of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry of the Gadjah Mada University Ali Agus had stated that farms in tropical countries were significantly able to boost food sovereignty.      "The role of livestock in tropical countries is important for developing self-reliance since livestock functions as a means of savings and capital accumulation and to supply inputs for food crops through the production of manure that can be processed into fertilizer," he remarked.          Efforts to measure the contribution of livestock to realizing food sovereignty in tropical countries are critical to identifying the superiority and competitiveness of commodities and their derivative products, he added.          Director of Processing and Marketing of Fisheries of the Agriculture Ministry Fini Murfiani had noted on Saturday (Sept 23) that the primary objective of increasing production is to meet the domestic demand after which Indonesia should expand its export market for livestock products, such as meat, eggs, goats, and sheep.

GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES RESEARCH TO TAP OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 25 (Antara) - Indonesia, believed to have the largest source of ocean thermal energy, is conducting a research to tap it for the welfare of its people.         According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Indonesia has the world's largest ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) potential found in at least 17 locations across the country.         This was revealed by Head of Center for Research and Development of Marine Geology (P3GL) of the ESDM Ediar Usman in a written statement received by Antara in Jakarta on Sunday.         According to Usman, the potential of ocean thermal energy in Indonesia's maritime territory is forecast to have the capacity to generate some 240 gigawatts (GW) of electricity. The Flores waters in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) are one of the regions having OTEC potential.         Hence, the ESDM is deploying the P3GL research ship Geomarin III to conduct a survey on evaluating sea temperatures in Flores in the north of Pulau Lembata Island of NTT Province. The Geomarin III research ship will conduct the survey from September 24 to October 7, 2017.         The results obtained from evaluating sea temperatures will serve as a basis for deciding further expansion work and investment in electrical energy, which will be produced from the OTEC potential.         Indonesia has the largest OTEC potential in the world, as it is situated on the equator. The OTEC potential is scattered in the western coast of Sumatra, southern Java, Sulawesi, North Maluku, Bali, and NTT.

HIGH-SPEED TRAIN PROJECT NEEDS TO FINISH LAND ACQUISITION

by Andi Abdussalam

by Andi Abdussalam    Jakarta, Sept 23 (Antara) - Indonesia's first Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train (HST) needs to finish its land acquisition soon if the construction of the railway project worth Rp80 trillion is expected to be completed on time in 2019.          Vice President Jusuf Kalla recently stated that the HST is being developed on the basis of a business-to-business scheme such that the government only concerns with its licensing, while its land clearance has become the responsibility of companies grouped in the consortium.          "There is no problem with the licensing of the project. The problem lies with the land clearance. Matters on land in Indonesia are different compared to other countries like China, where all land belongs to the state. In Indonesia, most of the land is owned by the people. Therefore, the land must be acquired first before a project could be carried out," Kalla told participants of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) course in Jakarta last month (Aug 28).          The Jakarta-Bandung HST project is being developed by a consortium of Chinese companies and Indonesian state-owned enterprises (BUMN).          According to online portal www.indonesia-investments.com, Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) is tasked with constructing the high-speed railway. KCIC consists of a consortium called Pilar Sinergi BUMN Indonesia (60 percent stake) and China's largest rail operator China Railway International Co. Ltd. (40 percent).

YOUTH SHOULD KNOW ABOUT NATION'S COMMUNIST PAST

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 22 (Antara) - Indonesia's younger generation should know the history of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) insurgence, so that they can adopt a wise outlook and view for upholding integrity, unity, and stability in the country.          In the run-up to Sept 30, the discourse on the abortive PKI coup d'etat, popularly known as the G30S/PKI movement, has begun to spark positive and negative reactions.          The public is, of late, increasingly resorting to polemic over the need to screen a documentary film on the G30S/PKI insurgence. The documentary film has always been screened on the eve of Sept 30 during the New Order government to remind the nation of the cruelty of the communist party rebels, who in their move to seize power, killed seven Army generals.         Hence, observing the abortive PKI insurgency, should not adversely serve as a new trigger and source of disunity in the country.          "The people should not easily become provoked by various irresponsible issues and agitation," Wiryanti Sukamdani, a member of the People's Consultative Assembly of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, had remarked on Thursday (Sept 21).           She said that currently, several issues had been raised and activities conducted, with the defunct PKI symbols. They should not harm the country's cohesiveness. All elements in society should support and reinforce the state ideology of Pancasila, the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika or unity in diversity, and the 1945 Constitution and the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

GOVERNMENT NEEDS GRAND STRATEGIES TO BOOST PALM OIL EXPORTS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 21 (Antara) - Indonesia, the largest crude palm oil (CPO) producer country, which along with Malaysia controls some 80 percent of the CPO market in the world, has the potential to decide the commodity's business prospects.         Hence, the government needs to create an effective grand strategy related to the palm oil commodity, which is one of the leading export goods of the national economy.          "The government should have a grand strategy or a national oil road map," Hamdhani, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission IV on plantation affairs, noted in a release in Jakarta on Wednesday.          According to Hamdhani, palm oil production is proven to have overcome the economic disparities of people in several areas of the country, such as between Java and outside Java.          Hamdhani, who is a Nasdem Party politician, also pointed out that Malaysia, as a competitor country, has applied a standard rule; hence, if Indonesia does not formulate the right regulation, its position as a ruler of the CPO market could be taken over.          It is reported that Indonesia could lose its market in India if the government did not immediately conduct bilateral negotiations following the imposition of a two-fold import duty on CPO and its derivatives to the South Asian country.

GOVERNMENT ACCELERATES RURAL ELECTRIFICATION

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 20 (Antara) - The state-owned power utility company, PLN, is cooperating with local governments in its attempt to accelerate and achieve its rural electrification program target in 2.5 thousand villages this year.         "There are more than 10 districts whose local governments are cooperating with PLN to make the rural electrification program a success," PLN's director for Maluku and Papua provinces, Ahmad Rofiq, said in Jakarta on Tuesday (Sept 19).           The Indonesian government is currently launching its electrification program called "Indonesia Terang" (Indonesia Bright), with a target to provide electricity for 10.3 thousand villages until 2019, or about 97.35 percent of the country's electrification ratio.           Rofiq stated that the cooperation held with the local governments to accelerate the rural electrification program is aimed to meet the need for power supplies of PLN's 450 watt subscribers, with a capacity of 300 kWh, especially in the Indonesian eastern regions.           The government, in its "Indonesia Terang" program, gives an emphasis on villages in the Indonesian eastern regions. Until last year, some 67 percent of the Indonesian rural electrification program covered the Indonesian eastern regions that stretch from West Nusa Tenggara Province (NTB) to Papua.

PASSENGERS CAN NOW AVAIL SKYTRAIN SERVICE AT SOETA AIRPORT

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 20 (Antara) - Since Sunday, Sept 18, this year, the Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta (Soeta) International Airport has begun operating a skytrain to facilitate the movement of passengers within the airport's terminals.          The operation of the skytrain, also known as the automated people mover system (APMS) train, was launched on Sunday to coincide with the National Transport Day.          Passengers or other visitors, who usually board a bus to travel between the airport's Terminals 1, 2, and 3, can now use a skytrain, though the service is available for limited hours.      However, once fully operational, it will serve passengers round the clock and is expected to be integrated with the airport train that serves routes linking it with Jakarta and its buffer towns of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek).          To this end, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno has planned to integrate the operations of the APMS skytrain with the airport train before the year-end.          "The skytrain has been operational at the Soekarno-Hatta airport, though the operations are still limited. However, we hope that the Skytrain and Jabodetabek commuter line train to the airport would have been connected before the end of the year," the minister stated.

PEOPLE WARNED OF PROXY WAR IN PICC TRAFFICKING

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 19 (Antara) -  The people are being warned that the illegal distribution of paracetamol caffeine carisoprodol (PICC) that has taken its toll is part of the proxy war to weaken the resilience of the nation.          Minister of Education and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said rampant drug trafficking is part of proxy war that aims to destroy younger generation.          The minister made the remarks following cases where tens of teenagers were rushed to a hospital in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi Province's capital, recently after taking PCC pills.          "Drug circulation has been in a dangerous level and its variants are also diverse, and we have to be more vigilant, as I think this is part of proxy war," the minister said in Jakarta on Monday (Sept 18).          As drugs, according to the minister, are part of a proxy war, they have significant impact that is aimed to destroy the younger generation. With drugs this great nation can easily be weakened.      "Illegal drugs are being used to weaken this huge and promising nation. Probably many parties are worried that Indonesia could emerge as a big nation and will be able to intimidate other parties. This assumption can be 50 percent true (the drug is distributed as part of proxy war) given the fact that this drug is mostly imported," Minister Effendy explained.          He explained the most important drug trafficking is taking place in the border area. For that, he asked the governors in the border areas to supervise drug trafficking especially through certain routes.

SPEEDY ACTION KEY TO FIGHTING PCC ABUSE

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 16 (Antara) - The government has been urged to act promptly to prevent more Indonesians from falling victims to the consumption of paracetamol caffeine carisoprodol (PCC) pills.          Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives, Commission IX, Saleh Partaonan Daulay has called on the government to take immediate steps following several reports of abuse of PCC tablets that has resulted in a high victim count.          "In the last two days, the Social Media Group of Commission IX has been holding in-depth discussions on the issue. Initially, we doubted the truth, but when confirmed, it is true," Daulay noted in a short message received in Jakarta on Friday.          Daulay, a politician from the National Mandate Party, said some parents have already confirmed that their children had become victims of drug abuse.         Hence, Saleh has urged the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) to take necessary steps to prevent circulation of the drug. Moreover, the drug had reportedly come from abroad.         "The distribution permit and content must be checked, and if it is dangerous, it should be immediately withdrawn," he emphasized.         According to Daulay, drugs that are not registered with the BPOM should not be circulated, let alone dangerous ones, such as PCC.

GOVERNMENT TO EVALUATE AND IMPROVE TAX INCENTIVES

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 16 (Antara) - In a bid to boost economic growth and increase the state's tax revenues, the government has issued several tax policies and incentives to facilitate companies to conduct their economic activities.         However, the lack of interest among businesses to utilize various tax incentives has prompted the government to evaluate them to identify the areas for improvement.          Several tax incentives have been formulated and issued since 2005 when Sri Mulyani Indrawati was the finance minister in the previous government.          Mulyani, who continues to retain the portfolio of the finance ministry in the current government, pointed out that the utilization of various tax incentives, such as tax holidays, tax allowances, and other tax-free facilities, was still limited.          Hence, the finance minister is ready to conduct an evaluation of the various tax incentives that have failed to draw players to boost economic activities.         "We will analyze where the constraints lie, whether they are with us or the businesses or whether there are other obstacles. We will identify what the obstacles are," the minister had remarked recently on Sept 6.

GOVERNMENT BRACING FOR DROUGHT

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 15 (Antara) - The Indonesian government is bracing for a severe drought, as the natural disaster has began to impact several regions, particularly Central Java, described by its governor as having entered the emergency zone.         Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo stated that his province had been categorized as being in the drought disaster zone in the current dry season. "Almost 22 districts are now experiencing drought," Pranowo said, after opening an exhibition themed 'Creativity and Innovation of Central Java', which is being held in the city of Pekalongan, Friday.         To overcome the problem of water shortage for the community, since June 2017, the provincial government has been conducting coordination meetings with several related elements to discuss the drought.         At the coordination meeting, it has been decided to prepare the distribution of water by channeling it through the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the company and the local government.         In the face of the drought in several regions of the country, the central government has outlined precautionary measures to handle it in some regions in Indonesia, according to the instructions given by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

DEVELOPING RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR ELECTRICITY

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 14 (Antara) - The government has begun to intensively exploit its friendly, new, and renewable energy (EBT) source to generate electricity, as part of its efforts to achieve its 23 percent energy mix target by 2025.         The government has signed 11 Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), through state-owned electricity firm PT PLN, on Friday last week to procure energy for its electricity with Independent Power Producers (IPP), with a total capacity of 291.4 megawatts (MW).         The signing of the PPA constituted a continuation of a similar agreement signed on Aug 2 last month, with a capacity of 257.17 MW, bringing the total capacity of power from renewable energy sources signed by PLN with IPP to 548.57 MW. But this excluded the capacity of electricity from the geothermal power sector.         Besides the PPA agreements concluded by the PLN with the IPPs to produce environment-friendly energy for electricity, the government has also signed other agreements, through the Directorate General of New and Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), with its partners.

INDONESIA, SINGAPORE TO DEVELOP GAS INFRASTRUCTURE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 14 (Antara) - The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), is expected to cooperate with Singapore to develop infrastructure facilities to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG).          The cooperation to build gas infrastructure, which will be used to supply LNG to power plants in remote areas of Indonesia, is a deal to develop facilities and to not import gas from Singapore as had been wrongly reported recently.          According to Coordinating Minister for the Ministry of Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the gas will be channeled through facilities that can be moved to destination locations with a floating terminal, which is equipped to accommodate LNG and convert it into gas, also termed as regasification, or commonly called Floating Storage and Regasification Unit.          Pandjaitan noted that Singapore has offered to develop the LNG infrastructure facility for supplying gas to power plants in remote areas around Sumatra and Gorontalo in Sulawesi.     "They will have investments there, as they have built it," he added.          The supply capacity of the facilities to be built under the cooperation is estimated to reach 500 megawatts (MW), as it is reserved for remote areas.          "In total, it will be almost 500 MW. However, it will be supplied in small volumes for the islands. They can be 25 MW, 50 MW, and 100 MW in Gorontalo," he remarked.

ACEH POISED TO BECOME CATTLE PRODUCTION CENTER

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 13 (Antara) - The government is intensively promoting local breeding to increase cattle production in the country and to reduce imports, which still account for about 38 percent of the total need of about 4 million live cows.          In a bid to reduce imports, the government, through the Agriculture Ministry, is developing a Mandatory Special Artificial Insemination Breeding Program (Upsus SIWAB) 2017 across the country.         Aceh Province, in the westernmost tip of Sumatra, is one of the potential regions to carry out the Upsus SIWAB program.          The Ministry of Agriculture has said that it will continue to increase cattle population in Aceh through the SIWAB program, so that the province will become one of the cattle production centers in the archipelago.          "Currently, we are developing the Upsus SIWAB program. Through the program, we can increase the number of calves in order to increase the population of cattle, both in Aceh and other regions, throughout the country," environment expert staff of the Agriculture Ministry, Mukti Sardjono, stated in Blangpidie, Southwest Aceh District (Abdya), on Monday (Sept 11) .          Sardjono came to Abdya in order to attend the vaccination of cattle against Septicaemia Epizootica (SE) disease that was prevalent in the district. At the same time, he reviewed the development of the Upsus SIWAB program there.

GOVT INTRODUCES CONCEPT OF 'CORPORATION' TO BOOST FARMERS' WELFARE

by Andi Abdussalam

         Jakarta, Sept 13 (Antara) - The Indonesian government continues to seek ways to improve the welfare of over 50 million farmers involved in one of the key sectors of the country's economy.

             Although the share of agriculture sector contribution to the national gross domestic product has declined significantly in the last half century, today it still provides income for the majority of Indonesian households.

             Hence, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) convened his relevant ministers to a limited meeting in the Presidential Office on Tuesday (Sep 12) to introduce his concept of 'farmers corporation' in an effort to improve the welfare of farmers whose number account for about 41 percent of the total labor force in the country.

             Data showed by  Wikipedia indicated that in 2013, the agricultural sector contributed 14.43 percent to national GDP, a slight decline compared to a decade earlier (2003) which reached 15.19 percent. 

FOOD REINFORCES NATIONAL RESILIENCE

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 12 (Antara) - A strong country will not only need an adequate defense force but also sufficient food supplies that reinforce its resilience.          Hence, it is not surprising that food resilience poses a major challenge now and in the future. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has even described food as the main factor that will hold the reign of power in future.          Ultimately, food is part of the energy sector, which could trigger conflicts. Present-day conflicts in the world have been triggered by the fight to control energy.          According to Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo, some 70 percent of the world's conflicts were fights to gain control over energy and oil.          "I ensure you that 70 percent of the conflicts are due to the fight to seize oil energy, as fossil energy cannot be renewed, and it is critical," the TNI commander had noted in a public lecture at the London School of Public Relations in Jakarta last month.          Once energy sources run out by 2056, the world will be faced with a looming food and water crisis. Other countries will then target the food and water resources owned by states that are situated close to the equator.

PROTECTION OF INDONESIAN CORAL REEFS STILL NEEDED

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 9 (Antara) - Indonesia, which is home to some 10-25 percent of the world's coral reefs, still needs to increase public awareness on protecting its coral reefs for the preservation of its marine ecosystem and fishery resources.          Ultimately, the livelihoods of millions of fishermen residing in the coastal areas depend on resources gathered from the reefs.          Indonesia's coral reefs continue to bear the brunt of different human activities or natural causes, such as the rising temperature.          Hence, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has reminded various parties of the importance of protecting coral reefs in various regions, as it is vital to the preservation and sustainability of the nation's marine ecosystem.          "Efforts to maintain the marine ecosystem should start from coral reefs," Director General of Sea Spatial Management of the KKP Brahmantya Satyamurti Poerwadi remarked in Jakarta on Friday (Sept 8).          To this end, he said, constantly improving the quality of coral reefs and seagrass beds in the Indonesian waters holds the same significance as ensuring the potential and preservation of fishery resources.

SECURITY ISSUES HINDER INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN PAPUA

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 9 (Antara) - The Indonesian government, in its efforts to advance the local economy, is launching massive infrastructure development in Papua despite the Indonesian easternmost province sometimes experiencing unfavorable security conditions.          President Joko Widodo, who had visited the province recently, said reducing isolation, creating new jobs, alleviating poverty, carrying out equitable development, and increasing the human development index are parts of the government's efforts to overcome challenges in Papua Province.          One of the most important infrastructure development projects undertaken in the province is the construction of the Trans-Papua Highway. However, roads should be constructed in line with the condition in the region.          Armed civilians or unidentified gunmen still sometimes disrupt the security situation in the province. For instance, Chief Brigadier Awaluddin Elakhan, a police officer, was hit by an armed civilian in Tiom Market in Lanny Jaya District, Papua, some three years ago.          Hence, the road construction work had to be halted when the security situation became volatile.         This was acknowledged by Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Affairs Mochamad Basoeki Hadimoeljono who said the construction of Trans-Papua roads is still constrained by security issues.