Indonesia Highlights: Indonesian Navy Launches First Domestically Built Submarine | Indonesian Police to Reward Netizens for Reporting Cyberspace Crimes | Indonesia’s Former VP Suggests Mosques for C

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia is the only country in Southeast Asia capable of producing its own submarines, after it launched the first vessel made in the country.

The Indonesian National Police will issue award badges to netizens who lent their aid to the force’s Cybercrimes Directorate in their investigation of crimes in cyberspace.

And last but not least, two-time Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla suggested Indonesia’s mosques play a more secularized role and open its doors as centers of mass vaccinations. Read on to get more details of these stories on Indonesia Highlights:

Puspen Mabes TNI Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and other officials at the launching of the Alugoro-405 submarine in Surabaya, East Java on Wednesday (17/3/2021)

Indonesian Navy Launches First Domestically Built Submarine

Indonesia has taken a major step towards modernization and self-sufficiency in the production of major weapons systems, after the country officially launched the Alugoro-405 submarine in Surabaya, East Java on Wednesday.

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto presided over the launch of the vessel at the Penataran Angkatan Laut [Navy Shipyards] or PT PAL, which built Alugoro-405 in cooperation with South Korean shipping giants Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering.

“[The commissioning] of the Alugoro-405 marks a historical milestone [for Indonesia], as it marks the first time that an Indonesian state-owned enterprise like PT PAL succeed in building a submarine for the Indonesian armed forces,” said the former four-star general.

Prabowo added the launch marks an awareness to bolster Indonesia’s defenses. “The building of the [Alugoro-405] is not a aggrandizement or threat to others. Like our ancestors, it shows that while Indonesia loves peace, we have a greater love for our freedoms,” he said.

“Indonesia has to have the strength to safeguard our sovereignty and the integrity of our territory from external threats. Today marks a step forward to build up a stronger military.”

The Alugoro-405 will be deployed with the Indonesian Navy’s II Fleet [Koarmada II], along with the submarines KRI Nagapasa-403 and the KRI Ardadedali-404, which were built in South Korea for the Indonesian Navy [TNI AL].

As the first Indonesian-built submarine, the Alugoro-405 also represented a transfer of technology from South Korea to PT PAL. The building of the Alugoro-405 also makes Indonesia the only Southeast Asian country that is capable of building a submarine.

Source:

https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/03/18/023908374/indonesian-navy-launches-first-domestically-built-submarine?page=all#page2. 

ist Illustration of the internet

Indonesian Police to Reward Netizens for Reporting Cyberspace Crimes

The Indonesian National Police has announced that it plans to reward netizens who report crimes or potentially criminal acts on social media.

The step is part of Indonesian National Police head General Listyo Sigit Prabowo’s plan to launch the Virtual Police to deal with online crimes or crimes originating in cyberspace.

“The badge awards are the [police’s] token of appreciation for members of the public who help our Cybercrimes Directorate with their investigations,” said Indonesian National Police spokesman Police Grand Commissioner Ahmad Ramadhan at a press conference Wednesday.

While the Indonesian National Police has yet to confirm when they will issue the badge or even determine its criteria, the Cybercrimes Directorate did upload the designs for the award on its Instagram account @ccicpolri.

General Listyo has drawn up the Virtual Police policy, after President Joko Widodo urged the police to be careful in enforcing the articles of the Information and Electronic Transaction Law [UU ITE].

Aside from monitoring cyberspace for potential crimes or preventing the public from committing offenses, the Virtual Police also sought to educate the public, and warn them online.

The Indonesian Police has come under fire for its rigid enforcement of the draconian Information and Electronic Transaction Law. These included insults towards President Jokowi and his officials by a 24-year old netizen to desecration of Indonesia's national flag by the mother of a disabled child.

Source:

https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/03/18/044220074/indonesian-police-to-reward-netizens-for-reporting-cyberspace-crimes?page=all#page2. 

KOMPAS.com/RISKA FARASONALIA General Chairman of the Indonesian Mosques Council (DMI) Jusuf Kalla during the Gathering of Mosques in Semarang City, Sunday, February 2, 2020.

Indonesia’s Former VP Suggests Mosques for Covid-19 Vaccination Sites

General Chairman of the Indonesian Mosques Council (DMI) Jusuf Kalla, who is also the former vice president for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and incumbent President Joko Widodo, suggested the government also use mosques as Covid-19 vaccination sites.

"I hope that the mosques could be used as the vaccination sites at the neighborhood units (RT) and community units (RW) levels considering facilities in mosques could accommodate a mass inoculation program," Kalla said on Wednesday.

However, Kalla added that the vaccination programs could only be held in large mosque. "[The vaccinations] should be held at big mosques with large yards and a good sound system for public announcements to the public during the vaccination drive," he added.

Next month, the Muslims will observe the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Therefore, Kalla called on the mosque's committees across Indonesia to tighten health protocols to prevent transmission among those observing religious activities.

"During the holy month of Ramadan [next April], we will be fasting amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Mosques must follow health protocols, people maintain physical distancing, wear masks and bring your own prayer mats, and mosques must be sanitized every day," he said.

"The DMI will distribute equipment to keep the mosque clean, especially in high-risk places of Covid-19 transmission," he said.

Source:

https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/03/17/172157974/indonesias-former-vp-suggests-mosques-for-covid-19-vaccination-sites.