Indonesia Highlights: Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway Project on Schedule for Completion in 2022 | Here’s What We Need to Inoculate a Million People per Day: Indonesia’s Bio Farma | Indonesia to Be

KOMPAS.com - China and Indonesia are on target to have the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project done by 2022. This commitment was reaffirmed during the inaugural meeting of the China-Indonesia high-level dialogue cooperation mechanism in Guiyang recently.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma official pointed out what should be done concurrently to achieve a target of vaccinating a million people per day in the second semester of 2021.

Below are excerpts from the news in Indonesia, curated by Kompas.com editors:

Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway Project on Schedule for Completion in 2022

China and Indonesia are on target to have the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project done by 2022.

This commitment was reaffirmed during the inaugural meeting of the China-Indonesia high-level dialogue cooperation mechanism, which was co-chaired by Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday, June 5, in Guiyang.

A statement issued by China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the project is part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an investment program to link China with the rest of Asia, Europe, and beyond through large-scale infrastructure projects along the route of the historic Silk Road.

“The two sides will further align the BRI and the vision of Global Maritime Axis to ensure the completion of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway as scheduled,” said the statement on Saturday.

“It is to set a benchmark for the first phase of the projects jointly built by the two countries under BRI,” it added.

The first high-speed railway project in Indonesia was initiated in 2015. With a standard speed of 350 km per hour, the high-speed train will cut the travel time between the capital city of Jakarta and Bandung in West Java to only 40 minutes, faster than the three hours on the existing train service.

Source: https://money.kompas.com/read/2021/06/08/192000226/china-janjikan-proyek-kereta-cepat-jakarta-bandung-selesai-tepat-waktu.

Here’s What We Need to Inoculate a Million People per Day: Indonesia’s Bio Farma

KOMPAS.com/GARRY LOTULUNG A photo of a Covid-19 vaccinator during a mass vaccination program in Jakarta on Tuesday, June 8, 2021.

Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma official pointed out what should be done concurrently to achieve a target of vaccinating a million people per day in the second semester of 2021.

The company’s Retail and Services Division head, Mahsun Muhammad, stressed the importance of adequate vaccine supply, vaccine distribution, and vaccination program to achieve the target.

“These three points certainly need to be prepared for the program,” Mahsun said during an online discussion on Tuesday, June 8.

Mahsun said the supply of the Covid-19 vaccine will be fulfilled in stages, both for the government program and mutual cooperation scheme or locally known as Gotong Royong vaccines. He said that both vaccination programs will support each other to vaccinate one million people per day.

He further added that his office will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Health and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the vaccination programs. "So that all vaccination programs can go hand in hand and the number of people to receive the vaccines will increase," he said.

Previously Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono said the implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination after the recent Idul Fitri celebrations would be increased. He hoped that one million people can be vaccinated per day.

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/06/08/18262071/vaksinasi-covid-19-ditarget-1-juta-suntikan-per-hari-begini-strategi-bio.

Indonesia to Begin 'Work from Bali' in Phases

ITDC Nusa Dua Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) area in Nusa Dua, Bali.

The government plans to start its 'Work from Bali' (WFB) program in July to revive the tourism in the Indonesian resort island but will adjust to the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

"We continue to finalize this policy. We plan to roll it out in the third quarter in stages, but still considering the pandemic situation and adjusting to each related ministry and institution," said Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno during the ministry's weekly briefing, Monday, June 7, in Jakarta.

The WFB policy, which is facilitated by the government, will send about 25 percent of the state civil apparatus to work from Nusa Dua, Bali. This policy is under the purview of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs with seven other ministries, including the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

"We hope it will help us to reach a breakeven point of 30 to 40 percent so Bali’s economy in the second and third quarter can rise from a contracted zone to a positive and green zone," Sandiaga said.

In the first quarter, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy began the WFB policy, resulting in an increase in domestic tourist visits to Bali after January 2021, Sandiaga claimed. However, Bali’s economy still contracted 9.8 percent in the first quarter.

“Based on our data, arrivals at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in January reached 2,500. And as of today, the number of visitors has tripled to 7,000-7,500," he continued.

From July 2021, the board of governors and several bureaus of Bank Indonesia could gradually carry out activities from Bali. It is the same for employees at the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and ministries under the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs.
“However, the government ministries and institutions still account for a relatively small percentage compared to the private sector and other digital nomads. We hope that the government will start it and big businesses will follow suit," the minister said.

Source: https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/06/08/154618174/indonesia-to-begin-work-from-bali-in-phases.