Indonesia Highlights: Covid-19 Task Force Chief Tests Positive for Coronavirus | The Indonesian Navy Catches Taiwanese Trawler on North Natuna Sea | Police Catch Five Terror Suspects Behind 2019 Bombi

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia continues to face an uphill climb against Covid-19, as Doni Monardo, the head of the unit at the forefront of the country’s struggle against the pandemic tested positive for the coronavirus.

But while Covid-19 might paralyze Indonesia, but it does not stop the armed forces or police from safeguarding the country’s borders or resources. The Indonesian Navy intercepted a Taiwanese trawler illegally catching fish on the North Natuna Sea, which is Indonesian territorial waters.

The Indonesian National Police is just as firm against any threats foreign or domestic. Investigators in Aceh nabbed five suspects behind a 2019 attack on a police station in North Sumatra. Read on for more on these stories, as curated by our editors:

DOKUMENTASI BNPB Covid-19 Task Force chief Doni Monardo delivers a briefing at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten on Tuesday (29/12/2020)

Covid-19 Task Force Chief Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Indonesian Covid-19 Task Force Chief Doni Monardo has tested positive for Covid-19, months after he headed the unit to contain and mitigate the pandemic in Indonesia.

The former Army general admitted that he tested positive in a swab PCR test. “[My diagnosis] proves how close Covid-19 is to our daily lives. I have been practicing health protocols such as washing hands and wearing masks, and I still contracted the coronavirus,” Doni said.

He added that he was “asymptomatic, and is currently self-isolating at home, while managing mitigation efforts for natural disasters such as the recent earthquake in West Sulawesi and floods in South Sulawesi.”

Doni called on the public to maintain health protocols and maintain a high alert against Covid-19. He suspected that he contracted Covid-19 during a working lunch, and warned the public against taking off masks during mealtimes.

Source:

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/01/23/10241591/positif-covid-19-doni-monardo-imbau-masyarakat-disiplin-terapkan-protokol. 

KOMPAS.com/GARRY LOTULUNG Ships of the Indonesian Navys I Fleet in the harbour of Tanjung Priok, Jakarta. The I Fleet covers the Natuna Sea, north and south

The Indonesian Navy Catches Taiwanese Trawler on North Natuna Sea

The Indonesian Navy continues to safeguard Indonesian waters, not least its marine resources, from other countries that try to take advantage of the country’s large coast to obtain them illegally in the beginning of 2021.

“The Indonesian Navy vessel KRI Usman Harun intercepted a Taiwanese trawler in Indonesian territorial waters on the North Natuna Sea as it was trying to escape,” said Indonesian navy Rear Admiral Abdul Rasyid.

“Its actions forced the Visit Board Search and Seizure [VBSS] boarded the ship and detained its crew, which included two Taiwanese nationals and seven Indonesians citizens. The KRI Usman Harun then towed the trawler to the Ranai Naval base for further investigation.“

Abdul added that “the VBSS] found 12 tons of fish in the ship’s holds. If found guilty, the ship’s captain and crew faces up to six years in jail and a Rp. 20 billion [$1,426,200] fine.

Source:

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/01/23/14384531/tni-al-tangkap-kapal-asing-berbendera-taiwan-di-laut-natura-utara. 

KOMPAS.COM/TEUKU UMAR Police spokesman Chief Police Commissioner Winardy shows the pictures of the men captured by Densus 88 counterterrorist unit on Saturday (23/01/2021). The men were about to start a bomb attack on the police.

Police Catch Five Terror Suspects Behind 2019 Bombing of A Police Station in North Sumatra

The police’s Detachment 88 counterterrorist unit has nabbed five terror suspects in Aceh province. “We suspect the men were involved in a suicide bombing at the police headquarters in Medan, North Sumatra, in November 2019,” said Aceh Police spokesman Police Chief Commissioner Winardy.

“The suspects were making a bomb that they plan to set off at police precincts in Medan. We are also trying to determine their role in the bombing. ”

Winardy added that the police also confiscated explosive materials during the operation. “Investigators found bombmaking materials such as explosives, nitrate kalum fertizer, charcoal powder, and steel pipes.”

The Densus 88 also found a threatening note towards the military, police and civil authorities. A number of the terrorists were involved in a bombmaking plot that was eventually uncovered and nabbed in Riau in late 2020.

Source:

https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/01/23/20023631/5-terduga-teroris-di-aceh-diduga-terlibat-bom-bunuh-diri-di-polrestabes.