Indonesia Highlights: Fogging Activity Takes Place after an Indonesian Village Has Been Exposed to Coronavirus | ‘Hajj Fund is Properly Managed’: Indonesian Senior Minister | Jokowi, Xi Jinping Schedu

KOMPAS.com – The entire Sidodowo village in Lamongan, East Java has been exposed to Covid-19. The local authorities then imposed local lockdowns followed by fogging activity to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy has assured that the country’s hajj fund has been managed properly.

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

Fogging Activity Takes Place after an Indonesian Village Has Been Exposed to Coronavirus

The Lamongan Covid-19 Task Force has been carrying out fogging activity after imposing local lockdowns to curb the spread of coronavirus in Sidodowo village, East Java.

“As of this afternoon (June 5), we have conducted fogging activity [spraying disinfectant] at 2,743 houses,” said an official of the Lamongan Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Muslimin on Saturday, June 5.

Muslimin said prompt action must be taken following the instructions given by Lamongan Regent Yuhronur Efendi, who is also the head of the Lamongan Covid-19 Task Force, to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the head of Lamongan Health Agency Taufiq Hidayat said the fogging activity was chosen because it was considered more effective to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Source: https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/06/05/183046678/warga-satu-desa-di-lamongan-terpapar-covid-19-satgas-kebut-lakukan-fogging.

‘Hajj Fund is Properly Managed’: Indonesian Senior Minister

Humas Kemenko PMK Indonesia?s Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy speaks during an event in Jakarta, Wednesday, March 31, 2021.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy has assured that the country’s hajj fund has been managed properly.

The statement was made to respond to public queries about a total of 150 trillion rupiahs ($10.5 billion) haj fund which is collected from would-be pilgrims.

“I guarantee that the hajj fund is managed properly,” Muhadjir said in a press statement on Saturday, June 5.

“As of today, the total haj funds reached 150 trillion rupiahs and it has been properly managed. I understand that people have made queries on the collected hajj funds so far,” he said.

He further added that as information nowadays is accessible by anyone, some people easily spread misleading information to the public. This includes reports that hajj funds had been used to invest in infrastructure projects.

Muhadjir then immediately visited the office of Hajj Fund Management Agency, known by its Indonesian acronym BPKH, in Jakarta on Friday, June 4.

Based on the information received, he said that the management of hajj funds by BPKH has gone very well. “We can assure that the hajj fund has been managed prudently and responsibly,” the senior minister said.

He said that the speculation circulated in public was untrue. BPKH, he said, is an independent and professional body that cannot be interfered with by anyone. Therefore, the hajj fund management can be accounted for objectively.

Muhadjir said that as Indonesia has canceled sending Muslim pilgrims to the hajj in Saudi Arabia this year, it should be seen positively by the people because the decision aimed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Source: https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/06/05/162551974/hajj-fund-is-properly-managed-indonesian-senior-minister.

Jokowi, Xi Jinping Scheduled to Witness Trial Run of Jakarta-Bandung Railway Project Next Year

KCIC Work in progress at Indonesia's first high-speed railway project.

Indonesia has set a target to conduct a trial run of the country’s first high-speed railway project in November 2022 and commence operations in 2023, Kontan.co.id reported on Saturday, June 5.

Built by railway developer PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), the $6.07 billion railway project - which will connect the capital Jakarta and Bandung in West Java - is about 74 percent complete.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo is expected to invite his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during the trial run as Indonesia will assume the G-20 presidency in 2022, a year earlier than arranged.

“Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and China’s President Xi Jinping are scheduled to witness the trial run of the high-speed railway in November 2022," said KCIC general manager corporate secretary Mirza Soraya in Jakarta on Thursday, June 3.

Jokowi Says Established in October 2015, KCIC is a joint venture between a consortium of the Indonesian state firms under PT Pilar Sinergi BUMN Indonesia (PSBI) and a consortium of Chinese railway companies under Beijing Yawan HSR Co.Ltd, through a business-to-business scheme.

The 142.3 km railway project will serve four main stations namely Halim in Jakarta; Karawang in West Java; Walini, and Tegaluar in Bandung, with a travel time of 36 to 44 minutes. The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway will provide a total capacity of 601 passengers, including a room for the disabled.

Source: https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/06/05/215919174/jokowi-xi-jinping-scheduled-to-witness-trial-run-of-jakarta-bandung-railway.