Indonesia Highlights: Indonesia and Malaysia Meet for First Summit Since Covid-19 Pandemic | BNPT: Thousands of Indonesians Fight in Iraq and Syria | Two Lava Domes Found on Mount Merapi

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia continues to work closely with Malaysia in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, as Indonesian President Joko Widodo hosted a summit in Jakarta with Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin.

The two leaders touched on Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia, the situation in Myanmar, as well as the palm oil industry,

The National Counterterrorism Agency or BNPT acknowledged that it has much to do in tackling extremism, as it disclosed that 1,250 Indonesians were radicalized enough to fighit in Iraq and Syria.

And Mount Merapi still has a knack for the unpredictable despite its standing as Indonesia’s most active volcano. Read on to get a scoop of these stories, as prepared by our editors. 

Kompas.com/Fitria Chusna Farisa Indonesian President Joko Widodo (right) discuss bilateral issues with Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin at their summit in the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Friday (5/2/2021)

Indonesia and Malaysia Meet for First Major Summit Since Covid-19 Pandemic

President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin touched on issues ranging from Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia, the military coup in Myanmar, and palm oil exports to the European Union during their meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Friday.

The two leaders highlighted efforts to protect Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia. “The Malaysian government’s Repatriation Recalibration Program [PRP] and the Labor Recalibration Program or PRTK can aid Indonesian workers wishing to go home or continue working in Malaysia.”

The two leaders will also draw up a Memorandum of Understanding that is in line with [Indonesian and Malaysian] labor laws.” President Jokowi also urged the development of a “‘one channel system’ to protect them from human trafficking,”.

President Jokowi also expressed “Indonesia and Malaysia are equally concerned about the situation in Myanmar,” and urged discussion of the coup with other ASEAN foreign ministers,” the President asserted.

Both leaders “hope the conflicting parties [in Myanmar] can resolve their issues in a peaceful manner.”

President Jokowi and Prime Minister Muhyiddin voiced their opinion, days after Myanmar’s military overthrew Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy [NLD] party earlier this week. months after the party beat the military during elections in November 2020.

President Jokowi also urged Muhyiddin to stand up for palm oil exports in the European Union [EU], “Indonesia will continue to fight for palm oil [exports to the European Union],” President Jokowi asserted.

“These efforts will be more effective if Indonesia and Malaysia can jointly carry them out.”Indonesia plans to sue the European Union in the WTO over the Union’s Renewable Energy Directives II policy, which Jakarta sees as discriminatory to palm oil.

EU Ambassador to Indonesia Vincent Piket denied that the Union discriminated against palm oil last January. He pointed out that exports of the commodity to the EU increased by 27 percent in 2020.

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