Indonesia Highlights: Investors Pull Out of Upstream Oil, Gas Activity in Indonesia | Indonesian Minister: Defense Budget Still in the Works | Bogor City Spearheads Covid-19 Vaccination for People

KOMPAS.com – Major oil and gas companies intend to withdraw from Indonesia. Some companies are still looking for a replacement in their current projects.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has announced that his office has yet to finalize the country’s defense budget.

Below are the editors’ picks stories published on Kompas.com:

Investors Pull Out of Upstream Oil, Gas Activity in Indonesia

US oil and gas producer ConocoPhillips plans to release its participating interest (PI) rights in the Corridor Block after other upstream oil and gas investors withdrew from Indonesia’s oil and gas blocks in recent years.

Fatar Yani Abdurrahman, deputy head of the Upstream Oil and Gas Special Regulatory Task Force (SKK Migas), said that the intention had been conveyed to SKK Migas.
"Their intention [of releasing PI] has been conveyed verbally,” Kontan.co.id quoted Fatar on Monday, May 31.

Although they have verbally stated their intention, ConocoPhillips has yet detailed the reasons for releasing PI in the Corridor Block. Fatar also confirmed that no plans for a meeting have been made at this time. SKK Migas is still waiting for an official proposal to be submitted by ConocoPhillips.

Separately, ConocoPhillips vice president for Commercial and Business Development Taufik Ahmad did not comment further on the matter. "Until now there has been no additional information apart from what was said by SKK Migas," Taufik told Kontan.co.id on Tuesday, June 1.

Currently, ConocoPhillips holds a 54 percent participating interest in the Corridor Block, while Spain’s Repsol Energy and Indonesia’s Pertamina hold a 36 percent and 10 percent participating interest, respectively.

Source: https://money.kompas.com/read/2021/06/02/113510426/investor-hulu-migas-ramai-ramai-hengkang-dari-pengelolaan-blok-migas-tanah-air?page=all#page2.

Indonesian Minister: Defense Budget and Still in the Works

ANTARA FOTO/MUHAMMAD ADIMAJA Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto at a parliamentary hearing with Commission I DPR on Wednesday, (2/6/2021).ANTARA FOTO/Muhammad Adimaja/NZ.

Indonesia’s Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has announced that his office has yet to finalize the country’s defense budget.

The statement comes following the disclosure of a leaked procurement plan which stated that the 1.7 quadrillion rupiahs ($124.9 billion) to modernize spare parts and buy state-of-the-art equipment for the 2020 – 2024 period.

“The Ministry of Defense is still trying to determine the budget with the National Development Agency or Bappenas, the Ministry of Finance, and other stakeholders in the defense industry,” said the two-time presidential hopeful in the 2014 and 2019 presidential race.

Speaking to the House of Representatives Commission I on defense, intelligence, foreign affairs, and information Wednesday, Prabowo maintained that “the modernization of military equipment is an urgent issue due to the amount of aging equipment in the Indonesian military,” he added.

“At the same time, the military needs [state of-the-art equipment] to keep up with fast-paced strategic changes.” Prabowo did not specify the allocation from the budget.

The Ministry’s Director General for Strategic Affairs Rodon Pedrason reiterated Prabowo. “The [defense] budget for military equipment is a state secret. But it definitely is not 1.7 quadrillion rupiahs.” He confirmed reports that funds for the procurement plan will come from foreign loans.

The ministry’s bid to modernize its obsolete military equipment was highlighted by the sinking of the submarine KRI Nanggala-402, which went down with its 53-man crew during a training exercise off Bali at the end of April.

Source: https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/06/03/060600174/indonesian-minister-of-defense-defense-budget-and-still-in-the-works

Bogor City Spearheads Covid-19 Vaccination for People with Mental Disorders

RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO A patient of the Marzoeki Mahdi Hospital in Bogor, West Java receives a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

The first-ever Covid-19 vaccination program for people with mental health disorders, or known by its Indonesia acronym ODGJ, was held in Bogor City on Tuesday, June 1.
It is hoped that other cities throughout Indonesia can follow suit.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that many ODGJ have comorbidities or underlying medical conditions. However, they cannot explain their conditions so they need special attention.

“The ODGJ must also be given attention. Therefore, the step that has been done is meant to prioritize the vaccination program for ODGJ,” said Budi when visiting Marzoeki Mahdi Hospital in Bogor during the vaccination program.

The Director of the Marzoeki Mahdi Hospital, Fidiansjah, said 34 out of 100 people have received the Covid-19 jabs after receiving approval from their families and conducting the health examination process. They have passed the rehabilitation phase and are in stable condition.

“Some will need family’s approval. So, it [the vaccination] needs special handling. They must be in a calm and stable condition," said Kompas.id quoted Fidiansjah.

Fidiansjah said that the vaccination for ODGJ will continue. The Bogor City Health Office has registered 1,000 targeted vaccine recipients for ODGJ. The target recipients are not only people who are currently treated in hospitals but also those with outpatient status.

Source: https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/06/02/175556874/bogor-city-spearheads-covid-19-vaccination-for-people-with-mental-disorders.