International mural artists bring color, life to Indonesian street walls*

Photo taken on Sept. 13, 2023 shows a man rides his bike passes mural on a wall as apart of The Epicentrum Art Festival, an art street mural and graffiti festival in Tangerang, Banten Province, Indonesia, on Sept. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.)

"When the street is our canvas, creativity is limitless," said Edi Bonetski, art director of The Epicentrum Art Festival, which featured eye-piercingly fascinating works created by communal and global muralists.

by Hayati Nupus, Abdul Azis Said

JAKARTA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The 9 kilometers of dusty streets of Tangerang, a city near to the Indonesian capital Jakarta, has become an open air gallery, colorful and beautified by more than 50 mural and graffiti artists from different nations.

Dika Badik Adrian, a 28-year-old from Indonesia's West Sumatra province, painted a row of three pop art-style characters squabbling over a basketball in a mural.

The figure he developed in 2018 and appears as the main subject in all of his works is called Fresnot, an acronym meaning freedom is not free. This time, the Fresnots wore hats and brightly hued polka-dot masks in shades of blue, red, and purple.

"Wear a mask, so they don't get exposed to street dust," Badik told Xinhua recently.

This painting is a part of the Epicentrum street art festival, organized by the local community and has attracted artists from countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and also Indonesia.

 

Photo taken on Sept. 13, 2023 shows a motorist passes mural and graffiti on a wall as apart of The Epicentrum Art Festival, an art street mural and graffiti festival in Tangerang, Banten Province, Indonesia, on Sept. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.)

Sports, together with art and culture, are the primary topics of the painting process which run from Sept. 10 to Sept. 17.

The topic of sports is also present in the creation by Tangerang muralist Yosua Tan. He sketched a picture of a man with sunglasses and a football, a global favorite sport, and wrote "mafia" next to it. This illustrates a moral critique of football, which he said frequently turns into a political arena for certain parties.

"We hope that football doesn't turn into a political event; sport should stay sport," he said.

Ibnu Jandi, the festival's conceptualizer, said Tangerang is an urban area which was in the past a deep forest but quickly transformed with expansion of the development of the capital, with thousands of industries emerging and migrants coming from different provinces.

Similar to urban areas in other nations, not only the wooded areas vanished but also the local culture in many cases, many roads are clogged with traffic, and public spaces are congested, he remarked.

 

Photo taken on Sept. 13, 2023 shows an artist drawing mural on a wall as apart of The Epicentrum Art Festival, an art street mural and graffiti festival in Tangerang, Banten Province, Indonesia, on Sept. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.)

Akid One, 37, a Malaysian muralist, tried to showcase urban traffic in his works finished with classic tan colors, like an ancient landscape.

He said that after arriving in Indonesia, he observed the Legok highway, took pictures of it, and then used the images to create a mural showing the commotion of streets, in which there are many motorcycles travelling at high speeds, some with helmetless riders, or overloaded with woman and children, street merchants, and vehicles hauling cargo.

This scene also brought back him memories of his home country Malaysia, where he said streets were congested with cars.

"This is young people's expressions, they are not only trying to make the streets more attractive, but they are also 'rebelling' against crowded, dirty streets and shrinking public areas," Jandi explained.

 

Photo taken on Sept. 13, 2023 shows motorists pass mural on a wall as apart of The Epicentrum Art Festival, an art street mural and graffiti festival in Tangerang, Banten Province, Indonesia, on Sept. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.)

The festival's art director, Edi Bonetski, added that every street has its story, and they chronicle a city's extensive history.

"When the street is our canvas," he remarked, "creativity is limitless."

Spaces for expression are expanding into the meta world as technology develops, Bonetski said, while offline works are still being done.

Evidently, a city's old walls are now lovely, its aspirations are on show, and anybody may view and appreciate them.

 

* https://english.news.cn/20230917/e8ee6922c11a47e1961a1356709e4f9d/c.html

Going home for voting rights -- urban Indonesians traveling back to their villages for elections*

Staff members deliver ballot boxes to remote areas on horse back at Meru Betiri National Park in Jember, East Java, Indonesia, on Feb. 13, 2024. (Photo by Sahlan Kurniawan/Xinhua)

Going home during elections is more than just a physical journey for thousands of Indonesian citizens. They take with them not only fond memories of family and friends, but also the satisfaction that comes from having carried out one of the most important citizen duties when they return to their jobs and daily lives.   

by Hayati Nupus

JAKARTA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- In the lively atmosphere of Indonesia's general election, thousands of urbanites traveled a special journey: not merely to return home to celebrate the holiday, but also to exercise their right to vote.

Budiarto Pawirodiharjo, a 34-year-old laboratory worker, took an eight-hour train at night from Jakarta to Yogyakarta to cast his ballot for the presidential candidate of his choice, in an election to be held on Wednesday.

This time, going home means more to him than just getting together with loved ones. It is a chance to actively contribute to shaping his country's future.

"This is my civic duty and commitment," Budiarto told Xinhua on Monday.

Budiarto also noted a wider phenomenon in Indonesia, where elections have become both a political process and a significant occasion that revitalizes family values and unity.

"For many people, going home during the election is a rare opportunity to meet family, exchange stories, and of course, ensure our votes are counted," he added.

 

Staff members carry ballot boxes during the distribution of election materials ahead of general election in Jakarta, Indonesia, Feb. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Zulkarnain)

Jaya Wijaya, a 32-year-old private worker in Jakarta, is in a similar situation. It is a problem he encounters every election season, just like most people whose workplaces are far from their hometowns. This time, Jaya decided to travel back to his homeland Pematang Siantar in North Sumatra.

Last Wednesday at 5 p.m. local time, he left his boarding house in Jakarta and arrived at his home at 2 a.m. the following day after a long and exhausting journey.

"This is about our nation's future, not about me or my family. Every vote counts greatly," Jaya said.

The election season also offers a chance to renew cultural and social bonds. After the vote, Jaya and his friends in Pematang Siantar will continue to hang out and enjoy the local cuisine and sites that bring back childhood memories till he heads back to the capital.

In the meantime, 36-year-old Ndari Sudjianto has freed up her calendar for the voting day despite her hectic itinerary of touring several East Javan cities to guarantee that election broadcasts adhere to legal requirements and that every citizen's wishes concerning broadcasting are met. During the election season, her workload as a field coordinator for the East Java branch of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission expands.

 

People ride on motorcycles on a main street in Jakarta, Indonesia on Feb. 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Veri Sanovri)

On Tuesday afternoon, she drove 300 km back and forth to her hometown of Kediri with her spouse after arriving in Surabaya from outside the city. After voting the next day, she will head back to Surabaya to continue her duties.

"Elections are not just about who wins or loses, but about the active participation of citizens in determining the future direction of the nation and our lives," said Ndari.

To support migrants who want to exercise their right to vote, the Indonesian government and several institutions have offered a range of services, including relocating polling places to cities or supplying additional public transport so that all citizens, no matter where they are, can take part in the elections.

Going home during elections is more than just a physical journey for Budiarto, Jaya and Ndari, and thousands of other citizens. They take with them not only fond memories of family and friends, but also the satisfaction that comes from having carried out one of the most important citizen duties when they return to their jobs and daily lives.

 

* https://english.news.cn/20240214/1dadf5a60257455aab16fa896ef1f65b/c.html

Feature: Learn in silence -- hearing-impaired Indonesians take makeup training for career*

by Hayati Nupus

JAKARTA, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The room remains quiet even though the 22 trainees are busy painting faces in front of them with lipstick and blush. They are learning makeup techniques from a teacher for wedding ceremonies, with the aid of a sign language translator.

The Indonesian Resilience Women Foundation organized the month-long makeup courses for hard-of-hearing students in Jakarta to help them build a possible career.

"I learned new techniques during this training, and I can practice applying cosmetics on my friends and family," Hasniah Chatab told Xinhua.

Chairperson of the foundation, Myrna Winarko, said one of the major challenges for the hearing-impaired to live independently is access to suitable employment since vocational training opportunities for them are minimal.

"Through this training, they will possibly get the knowledge and abilities needed to become financially independent," said Winarko, adding that their long-term goal is to create a business environment for those with impairments.

Over 200 people with hearing impairment registered for the courses, and the foundation arranged them in batches of 20 to attend the classes.

The foundation has created a business unit to provide as many training and employment opportunities as possible. "Seventy percent of our graduates have worked as makeup artists, for weddings, graduation ceremonies, or even fashion shows," she said.

For trainees to connect with their customers, the courses also include handling clients and social media marketing strategy. They also received encouragment from the trainers and the foundation, which helped develop their mental fortitude and self-assurance.

"As a result, they don't perceive themselves as inferior to others, and their shortcomings are actually their strengths rather than hindrance," said Sussie Sahroni, chief executive of the training.

The trainees are at an advantage over normal people in that they are more concentrated and imaginative, said Tina Almuin, a trainer from a cosmetics company sponsoring the training.

"Their makeup results are even better ... they cherish the opportunity to receive practical training," she said.

Darra Novita, a graduate of the training courses, has many clients for wedding makeup and prom makeup. She received most of her orders on social media platforms.

"I was very anxious when I first got an order, but I'm very happy to be able to enjoy the money I worked hard for," said Novita. "I can now use it to buy toys for my 7-year-old child."

She dreams of one day working with her husband, a photographer, to launch her own wedding planning business.

 

* https://english.news.cn/20230717/3ab75582efd540f98cb26fa05bd38157/c.html

Young Indonesians eye burgeoning job of TikTok livestream shopping hosts*

A merchant (L) promotes a product via livestreaming on the TikTok in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia on Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Septianjar Muharam/Xinhua)

by Hayati Nupus, Abdul Azis Said

As of May 2023, Indonesia had 113 million TikTok accounts out of the 135 million users in Southeast Asia, making the archipelagic country the second-largest contributor of TikTok users worldwide behind the United States.

JAKARTA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- In front of a cellphone camera and ring light, a host was promoting a product offered via livestreaming on the TikTok social media account while occasionally responding to inquiries from potential customers in the chat column. A few orders started to come in, and the number kept growing.

With a shop and entertainment concept, the TikTok online shopping feature is expanding in Indonesia and boosting sales. Venture builder and insights research firm Momentum Works predicts that this year's transaction value in Southeast Asia could reach 15 billion U.S. dollars, more than three times last year's value.

As of May 2023, Indonesia had 113 million TikTok accounts out of the 135 million users in Southeast Asia, making the archipelagic country the second-largest contributor of TikTok users worldwide behind the United States.

The development of social media by ByteDance also provides young talents job chances, with vacancies for livestream shopping hosts on job search sites.

Due to the higher income from hosting livestream shopping, 24-year-old Donatus Ladjar, the owner of the Angelo TikTok account, quit his previous job as a social media manager at an institution last year.

Supported by an agency, Ladjar has hosted and promoted various products on their account, from tissue paper to snacks belonging to a popular celebrity.

Ladjar may make double the monthly minimum wage in Jakarta just by talking in front of his cell phone for about 20 hours a week.

"That includes commission, which is generally 1 percent of total sales," he told Xinhua recently.

Ladjar keeps trying to come up with new ideas for product promotion to compete with celebrities who are already popular and have a large number of followers.

 

A merchant promotes a product via livestreaming on the TikTok in Sleman district, Yogyakarta, Indonesia on Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Agung Supriyanto/Xinhua)

Since his workdays are brief, he has a lot of free time which he utilizes to hold livestreaming sales on his individual TikTok account and generate additional income as an affiliate.

Ladjar has a double advantage from hosting well-known brands, which has helped him quickly grow his personal account's followers.

Aufia Nisa, 24, hosts livestreaming fashion products as a side, usually in the evenings or on weekends, in between her work as an employee at a government office in Bandung.

Since Nisa likes fashion and frequently serves as a style icon for her peers when it comes to dressing up and accessories, she was able to respond to every customer query with ease during the livestreaming.

"It turns out that this hobby may be profitable, and I enjoy selling as a result," she said.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Azizah has been hosting livestream shopping on TikTok since last year. She is a high school graduate but has not attended college because of financial burdens.

Using this income, she covered her younger brother's tuition and enrolled her name at a college. She will soon begin her studies at her own expense.

With a flexible work schedule and substantial income, Azizah plans to continue her career as a TikTok livestream shopping host between her activities as a student later.

Nailul Huda, a digital economy expert at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), predicts that the demand for livestream shopping hosts will rise in the future due to the growing popularity of online shopping via livestreaming features and the allure of tempting discounts.

Although online shopping host is a type of informal skilled labor not backed by benefits like health and employment insurance like formal workers, Huda believes the substantial income enables livestream shopping hosts to pay for various social security advantages on their own.

 

* https://english.news.cn/20230912/83dbf5d25440410ba234e1e7111ec177/c.html

Roundup: Indonesian startups chase profit to survive amid investment crisis*

by Hayati Nupus

 

JAKARTA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Startup companies in Indonesia now have to change their business strategies to more efficient and profit-oriented ways to survive the "bubble burst."

 

Chairman of the Indonesian Venture Capital and Startup Association Eddi Danusaputro said that investors are currently more selective in disbursing their money amid the global economic crisis that has triggered a lack of liquidity and rising interest rates.

 

"Investors are now only interested in startups that can manage their runaway and have a clear path to profitability, especially the future valuation trend will fluctuate," Danusaputro told Xinhua recently.

 

Indonesia has 40 percent of Southeast Asia's Gross Merchandise Value of 70 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, which is expected to rise to 146 billion dollars in 2025, according to the e-Conomy SEA 2021 report "Roaring 20s: the SEA Digital Decade" researched by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company.

 

This archipelagic nation of 270 million people with a growing middle class has many fields to explore, from financial inclusion, transportation to agriculture, which are very tempting for venture capital firms.

 

But so far, nearly 3,000 technology startups in the country are competing to get the unicorn title with valuation as the main goal and putting aside profit, said Danusaputro.

 

When the "bubble burst" of funding sources comes, efficiency is the only option for those who are not yet profitable to survive, said Danusaputro. These startup companies have to reduce promotions, delay expansion, tighten cash flow, and even cut the number of employees.

 

"This step to reduce the number of employees does not seem good in the short term but it makes the company survive and be profitable in the long term," he said while emphasizing the importance of financial independence rather than having to rely on donor money for healthy startups.

 

If startup companies are healthy, they can maximize their potential and build a strong digital ecosystem in a country to prevent a financial crisis, added Danusaputro.

 

Venture capital firm AC Ventures said two years ago was a golden period for startups amid the pandemic that triggered people to switch their activities to online, but now market expectations have changed a lot due to the economic crisis.

 

Stopping "burning money" and pursuing profit are key strategies, said AC Ventures' Founding Partner Pandu Sjahrir.

 

"Mergers or acquisitions are examples of exciting new opportunities," Sjahrir said.

 

To survive and continue to grow, SIRCLO, a startup company providing services and software for e-commerce, is focusing on cost-conscious business strategies and developing services that drive revenue systems, said founder and CEO of SIRCLO Group Brian Marshal.

 

"The business model we are currently running is oriented towards sustainability and profitability, so even (if) investment is being tightened, we are optimistic that we will be able to grow amidst this challenging situation," said Marshal.

 

Moreover, e-commerce solution services will be needed more in the future, Marshal added, amid technological developments that boost online sales trends.

 

Rather than relying on external funds, startup NoLimit Indonesia, which focuses on monitoring and analyzing online media with big data technology, prefers to maximize its resources as internal capital to build a healthy company.

 

"I think all startups can start running their company with whatever capital they have, as long as they are consistent and tough to face challenges," said CEO of NoLimit Indonesia Aqsath Rasyid. 

 

 

* http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2022-09/02/content_78402490.htm

Feature: Indonesia actively promoting pineapple export to China*

Workers process pineapples on a processing line at the factory department of PT. Great Giant Pineapple, a large private-label manufacturer of canned pineapples, in Terbanggi Besar of Lampung Province, Indonesia, July 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

by Wang Aona, Hayati Nupus

JAKARTA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- At central Lampung province in the southern part of Indonesia's Sumatra island, gloved workers are picking ripe pineapples in the field and throwing them onto a conveyer belt, with a truck waiting at the other end to take the fruit to the canning factory.

With sufficient tropical sunshine and high temperature throughout the year, there are about 2,000,000 sweet pineapples to harvest every single day at the plantation of PT. Great Giant Pineapple (GGP), a large private-label manufacturer of canned pineapples.

"We divided the plantation, covering over 30,000 hectares of land, into several zones, and harvest all the pineapples in each zone at the same time," said Murdi Suprayitno, a production planning worker of plantation group one.

About 50 percent of the GGP's pineapple production is exported to more than 60 countries and regions. Besides canned pineapple, it also produces fresh pineapple, jam, cubes in cups, juice concentrate, and canned fruit cocktails.

"Right after Indonesian fresh pineapples gained official access to the Chinese market, we started to plant more pineapple trees accordingly to boost our production capability," said Welly Soegiono, the GGP's director of corporate affairs.

In August 2022, the General Administration of Customs of China issued a new protocol, which approved the export of Indonesian fresh pineapples to China if they meet requirements.

"This is what we have been longing for. Since China's domestic production of pineapples is very limited, there has huge potential for imported pineapples," said Soegiono.

Right after the approval, the GGP started to export fresh pineapples to China immediately. Until now, over 42 containers carrying over 580 tons of pineapples have been shipped by cold chain from Lampung to southern China's seaports.

It takes about eight to 10 days to send the pineapples to China, with stops at other countries in between. The temperature needs to be kept under 10 degrees Celsius to protect the fresh fruit from going rotten.

After unloading, the containers will be filled with fruits like apples, oranges, and pears, which grow in abundance in China but not so in Indonesia, and travel back.

The fruit trade between China and Indonesia has become more and more vigorous in recent years.

"Under the scheme of RCEP as well as the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA), the company is able to export pineapple products to China duty-free. With fast customs clearance, Indonesian pineapples thus reach customers fast, with good prices," said Cindyanto Kristian, CEO of fresh fruit and GTM (Go to Market) of PT. Sewu Segar Nusantara, a company in charge of the distribution and marketing of fresh fruits in collaboration with the GGP.

"Therefore, all these have helped our products gain more competitiveness," he added.

Previous market investigation has shown that Chinese customers are willing to pay more for quality fruits, and they prefer eating fresh over canned ones, Kristian said.

"This drove us to raise local production standards," he said. "Customers can tell the quality of a pineapple right after cutting it open, so we must make sure that pineapples sent to them are fresh with high quality."

Now Kristian needs to fly often between China and Indonesia. He is not only pushing for market expansion from southern China to the north and finding reliable distributors, but also using various international exhibitions held in China to promote Indonesian pineapples.

Using the brand Oriji in China, the GGP started participating in various shopping festivals in China and joined in online live-streaming sales.

"Indonesian pineapples feature strong aroma, bright color, and sweet taste. I believe they will gain preference from Chinese customers soon," said Kristian. ■

 

Cindyanto Kristian, CEO of fresh fruit and GTM (Go to Market) of PT. Sewu Segar Nusantara, talks to Xinhua correspondents at PT. Great Giant Pineapple in Terbanggi Besar of Lampung Province, Indonesia, July 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

 

Welly Soegiono, director of corporate affairs of PT. Great Giant Pineapple, a large private-label manufacturer of canned pineapples, talks to Xinhua correspondents at PT. Great Giant Pineapple in Terbanggi Besar of Lampung Province, Indonesia, July 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

 

This photo taken on July 5, 2023 shows a cabinet displaying stock buyers' products at the factory department of PT. Great Giant Pineapple, a large private-label manufacturer of canned pineapples, in Terbanggi Besar of Lampung Province, Indonesia. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

 

Workers pack pineapple products at the factory department of PT. Great Giant Pineapple, a large private-label manufacturer of canned pineapples, in Terbanggi Besar of Lampung Province, Indonesia, July 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

 

This aerial photo taken on July 5, 2023 shows people loading pineapples onto a truck at a pineapple planting garden of PT. Great Giant Pineapple, a large private-label manufacturer of canned pineapples, in Terbanggi Besar of Lampung Province, Indonesia. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

 

*https://english.news.cn/asiapacific/20230708/a45a31817ab3455a8bf15c30bb187913/c.html#:~:text=In%20August%202022%2C%20the%20General,China%20if%20they%20meet%20requirements.

Postage stamps show vitality facing challenges of times*

Envelopes showing the travel route from East Asia to Indonesia in the early 20th century were exhibited at the Indonesia 2022 World Stamp Championship & Exhibition in JIEXPO of Jakarta, Indonesia, on Aug. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Hayati Nupus)

The Indonesia 2022 World Stamp Championship & Exhibition is held in Jakarta, which displayed thousands of stamps belonging to hundreds of philatelists from 61 countries, evoking the precious memories of generations of philatelists. Not outdated in the digital age, the stamps remain as important recorders to reflect the changing times. 

by Hayati Nupus

JAKARTA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Since getting the first postage stamp in the world of Penny Black in 2002, Arianto Januar, living in Jakarta, feels that he is the happiest person.

The black-and-white stamp with Queen Victoria's image issued by the British government in 1840 is the dream of every philatelist -- a person who studies or collects stamps and related items -- and it was being contested in an online auction in which Januar won it after raising the bid price many times.

His savings for years had to be depleted for that small piece of paper, but Januar didn't mind.

"This is my passion. Not everyone can have a collection like mine," Januar, philatelist since the age of four and has a collection of millions of stamps, told Xinhua recently.

Sometimes this member of the Indonesian Stamp Collector's Community has to fly to various countries, visit international exhibitions, or queue for hours, to get the new pieces he craves.

 

A visitor takes pictures of postage stamps on display at the Indonesia 2022 World Stamp Championship & Exhibition in JIEXPO of Jakarta, Indonesia, on Aug. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Hayati Nupus)

Meanwhile, Resti Damayanti, a 15-year-old who missed the heyday of philately, said that at first, she wondered why people were willing to sacrifice everything to get a stamp, including her late father.

The confusion drove her to visit the Indonesia 2022 World Stamp Championship & Exhibition in Jakarta, which displayed thousands of stamps belonging to hundreds of philatelists from 61 countries from Aug. 2 to Aug. 9.

She walked through booth after booth, observed the stamps displayed there, and then gained a lot of new insights.

"We can gain new knowledge from a stamp, including the historical fact that in the past people had to travel by sea for six hours from Medan to Singapore. We need much less time by plane now," Damayanti said.

In the past, stamps were affixed to envelopes, postcards, or other postal items as proof of payment of shipping costs, but they are rarely used anymore since the digital era, although they are not completely lost, said the chairman of the Indonesian Philatelic Association, Fadli Zon.

 

Thousands of postage stamps were exhibited at the Indonesia 2022 World Stamp Championship & Exhibition in JIEXPO of Jakarta, Indonesia, on Aug. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Hayati Nupus)

Philatelists around the world now still gather, discuss and hunt for stamps to enrich their collections, while many institutions still regularly publish their latest editions.

Zon, who has countless stamps in his private library in Jakarta, is still waiting for his luck to get Surakarta military stamps, which were issued in only 40 pieces on an emergency basis during Indonesia's struggle to defend its independence in 1949, which are now worth billions of rupiah (more than 70,000 U.S. dollars).

Now stamps are markers of a nation's history and bridges of diplomacy between countries. "Stamps record the identity of a nation, can also be an object of investment, (and) the price reaches tens of billions of rupiah," Zon said.

Despite limiting the use of stamps, the digital era also makes it easier for philatelists to hunt and get new collections through online sales, Zon added.

The survival power of stamps is also unlikely to be lost, as some countries have issued digital stamps -- physical stamps with a digital touch such as barcode features -- as well as crypto and non-fungible token stamps.

 

* https://english.news.cn/20220813/576cbd48e76843f4939c80a082a138db/c.html

Telemedicine helps contain Indonesia's 3rd wave of COVID-19*

A man wearing a face mask rides a scooter in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia on Feb. 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

More than 40 percent of patients in Indonesia now use telemedicine, which can help prevent medical facilities from being overwhelmed amid the third wave of COVID-19.

by Hayati Nupus

JAKARTA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Lala Yusuf, 29, lives in Semarang on the Indonesian island of Java. She fell sick at the beginning of February and has been self-isolating in her boarding house since. A swab test confirmed that she was infected with COVID-19.

The PCR test results were recorded in PeduliLindungi, the official test-and-trace app, and Yusuf was given access to the Ministry of Health telemedicine. In less than 24 hours, a courier came to deliver a package of medicines consisting of antivirals, multivitamins and paracetamol that had been prescribed by a doctor.

 

Staff members work at isolation rooms in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, Feb. 17, 2022. (Photo by Septianjar/Xinhua)

"The process is quick and easy. The medicine is worth 1 million rupiahs (about 75 U.S. dollars), but was completely free," said Yusuf.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, university lecturer Tya Azhari, 42, is also self-isolated and consulted a doctor via the app. As she sees it, the telemedicine service is a breakthrough in public health. "The quality of the service is bound to improve in time," Azhari said.

 

Commuters wearing face masks arrive at a railway station in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Feb. 18, 2022. (Photo by Sandika Fadilah/Xinhua)

The Indonesian government wants everyone infected with COVID-19 to receive free medical services through 17 telemedicine providers, especially those who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, preventing facilities from being overwhelmed. Those with severe symptoms are still advised to go to the nearest medical center. More than 40 percent of patients now use telemedicine. Most tested positive but without symptoms.

Amid the third wave of COVID-19 in Indonesia, bed occupancy has remained below 40 percent of total capacity, while the daily infection rate peaked at 65,000 on Feb. 16 due to the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.

 

* https://english.news.cn/20220225/2578fe36cac149ef8ab06d955cd33ef3/c.html

Roundup: China continues investment support in Indonesia's electric vehicle industry*

by Wang Aona, Hayati Nupus

 

JAKARTA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- China continues to expand its investment to support the development of Indonesia's electric vehicle industry.

 

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), one of the leading companies among the world's electric vehicle battery manufacturers and supplies to various automakers, including Tesla and Volkswagen, is one of the Chinese companies investing in this Southeast Asian country.

 

A third-tier subsidiary of CATL, Ningbo Contemporary Brunp Lygend Co., Ltd. (CBL), recently signed a 5.97-billion-U.S. dollar investment deal with Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC), a holding of state-owned companies including Mining Industry Indonesia (Mind ID), Aneka Tambang (Antam), Pertamina, and state power company PLN.

 

"The realization of this investment will bring the electric vehicle battery industry to Indonesia as well as position Indonesia as a global electric vehicle battery production base," President Director of IBC Toto Nugroho told Xinhua recently.

 

IBC, inaugurated in March last year, was established to develop an integrated electric vehicle battery industry ecosystem, from upstream to downstream, to mining and nickel extraction.

 

With China investors as global players in the development of electric vehicle batteries and Indonesia's rich reserve of battery-making raw materials like nickel, Nugroho believes that the cooperation between the two countries will synergize and strengthen each other.

 

Indonesia is estimated to have deposits of at least 72 million tons of nickel reserves in areas of domestic mining operations, accounting for 52 percent of the world's total reserves of around 139 million tons, according to data from the country's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

 

Nugroho believes that the cooperation between the two countries will support Indonesia's serious intention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the use of renewable energy.

 

"Besides CATL, many other Chinese companies are now investing in electric battery development in Indonesia. China is one of Indonesia's significant investment partners, we hope this cooperation will continue to increase and cover wider fields, including the development of electric vehicles and renewable energy," he said.

 

As the country with the most consumers in Southeast Asia and supported by the world's largest nickel reserves, Indonesia has a bright opportunity to become a major player in the global electric vehicle sector, said Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries (GAIKINDO) Yohannes Nangoi.

 

"Moreover, more people will switch to electric vehicles in the future as fossil fuels damage our environment and cannot be renewed," Nangoi added.

 

Currently, the use of electric vehicles is limited within cities and for short trips. In the future, with increasingly developed technology, electric vehicles will be used for longer distances and various types of vehicles, including trucks transporting commodities between provinces or islands.

 

The problem is that electric vehicles currently are more expensive than conventional ones, but Nugroho believes this will be solved if the batteries meet three conditions: charging quickly, storing more power, and being cheaper.

 

"It is just a matter of time, as to how fast the experts or mechanics can achieve these three main things," he said.

 

The support of leading Chinese companies in this field will help Indonesia achieve the goal. "Those Chinese companies dare to invest in large amounts in Indonesia. Cooperation between the two countries has great prospects," Nangoi added. Enditem

 

* http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2022-06/21/content_78282384.htm?f=pad&a=true