Government sets target of all areas in RI having broadband access in 2015

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government has set itself the target of making all areas in Indonesia have broadband access for connection to universal internet in 2015, a minister has said.

"At a meeting in Bangkok last week, APEC telecommunications and industry ministers set a target of making all countries in Asia and the Pacific including Indonesia have broadband access in 2015," Communications and Informatics Minister Muhammad Nuh said here Tuesday.

At their 7th meeting on 23-25 April, the telecommunications and industry ministers of APEC (the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) agreed to set a target of raising access to universal internet by three folds from the 2010 target set at a forum of its kind in Brunei Darussalam last year.

Thus, the Indonesian government would soon prepare a roadmap about major strategies and policies on broadband access in the country.

At the meeting, the ministers also touched on the use of sound and safe internet.

"An environ which is able to protect users, mainly children, and guarantee safety for individual and business users, was a main point in the conclusion of the Bangkok Declaration," Nuh said.

The Bangkok Declaration also agreed on global cooperation calling on governments, industries, business community and consumers to make a concerted effort which is universal in nature.

"Indonesia at the meeting presented efforts which have been made like the ID-SIRTII (the Indonesia Security Incident Response Team on Internet Infrastructure) and newly-approved ITE Law," Nuh said.

The Bangkok Declaration also mentioned the exchange of technology information, innovative services and technical cooperation.

"The US specially offered technical cooperation to improve our capability in information on communications and technology," he said.

On the sidelines of the forum, Indonesia held a bilateral meeting with the US Coordinator for International Telecommunications and Information Policy, David Gross. (*)

COPYRIGHT © 2008 ANTARA

Indonesia, Australia host regional forum meeting on disaster

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer has welcomed the hosting by Indonesia and Australia of a desk-top exercise to enhance multinational disaster relief responses in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Australian embassy said here on Wednesday the two-day exercise commencing on Thursday aims to improve the speed and effectiveness of multinational, civil and military disaster response capabilities between the 27 participants of the ASEAN Regional Forum and will involve a range of government agencies and regional aid bodies.

Australia`s Minister for Defence Joel Fitzgibbon was quoted by the embassy as saying the initiative built on the valuable contributions the Australian Defence Force had made in regional disaster relief efforts and highlighted Australia`s commitment to its regional partners.

The last few years had seen an increase in multinational responses to regional disasters - most notably the successful international effort in responding to the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. It was important that the region works together to further improve and coordinate their efforts, Fitzgibbon said according to the embassy

"Holding the exercise in Jakarta also ensures regional countries gain maximum benefit from the lessons learned and experience of the Indonesian government and Armed Forces in responding to a range of natural disasters," he said.

"The exercise is an important step in coordinating expertise from across the region and focuses a very broad bank of resources to the critical task of rendering assistance to those who need it most during a natural disaster."

The exercise - a regional cooperation activity conducted through the ASEAN Regional Forum - is to be held at the Indonesian Naval Command and Staff College in Jakarta on May 1-2, 2008.
(*)

COPYRIGHT © 2008 ANTARA

Thousands of Indonesian workers rally to mark May Day

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Thousands of workers from Jakarta and vicinity areas rallied here on Thursday to mark the International Workers` Day or May Day.

Before proceeding to the State Palace, the workers, who were coming among other things from Bekasi, Tangerang and Bogor, gathers in several spots such as the Banteng Square and the Proclamation Monument in central Jakarta.

Workers gathering in the Banteng Square were grouped by several labor unions including the Labor Union of Indonesian People (SPRI), the Labor Union of Indonesian Informal Workers (Serbiindo), the Labor Union of Indonesian National Maritime (SBMNI), the Labor Union of National Transportation (SBTN), and the Labor Union of Indonesian Automotive (SPOI).

Earlier Jakarta Metropolitan police chief Inspector Gen. Adang Firman said his office would mobilize at least 15 thousand security personnel and the military to control the mass rallies.

Meanwhile, in the Proclamation Monument, more than 200 workers demanded the improvement of their welfare when celebrating the May Day.

The workers were among others members of the Reform Tourism Labor Union Federation (FSP-PAR-Rev), the Indonesian Automotive Labor Union (SPO), the Indonesian Migrant Worker Union (SBMI), and the Demanding Worker Alliance.

They voiced their demands for the improvement of their welfare, the eradication of contract system and the payment of proper salaries for them.

Other spots in Jakarta where a number of workers gathered for the May Day were the Hotel Indonesia Circle, in front of the Parliament Building, and the Senayan sport stadium.

Around 50,000 workers were expected to gather in the Senayan stadium in the conclusion of the May Day celebration.

Similar rallies were also held in other Indonesian cities such as Yogyakarta, Medan (North Sumatra), Denpasar (Bali), Surabaya and Malang (East Java), Bandung (West Java) and Makassar (South Sulawesi). (*)

COPYRIGHT © 2008 ANTARA

Indonesia stresses on every country`s rights to develop nuclear energy

London (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has highlighted the rights of every country to develop nuclear energy, but expressed their high concern over a slow process of the nuclear disarmament by countries which have modernized their nuclear fleet.

In the second preparatory committee meeting of Nuclear weapons non-proliferation treaty held in Geneva, Indonesian Charge d`Affairs to UN in Geneva I Gusti Agung on Wednesday said it was the right of every country to develop nuclear energy already guaranteed by the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

The double standard of nuclear weapons producing countries which often stressed on non-proliferation policy in one hand while ignoring the obligation of nuclear countries to dismantle their weapon on the other hands, had the potential to weaken the integrity of nuclear weapons non-proliferation treaty, he said.

A big worry about the proliferation of nuclear weapons should not be made as an excuse to block others` rights, he said.

Therefore Indonesia often encouraged the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the relevant agency in dealing with the challenges in the context of preventing the proliferation and building international cooperation in making use of nuclear energy.

In the meeting, Indonesia also called on countries in possession of nuclear weapons to abide by the protocol on nuclear weapon-free zone.

At present, more than 100 countries have been part of nuclear weapons-free zone including ASEAN member countries known as the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANFWZ).

Indonesia also stressed on the importance of creating nuclear free zone in the Middle East as already agreed in the review conference of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty in 1995.

As a NPT member country, Indonesia had actually met NPT provisions including forging cooperation with IAEA and ratifying comprehensive safeguard agreement and IAEA additional protocol.

Indonesia continued monitoring and learning the proposal on multilateral mechanism to guarantee the supply of nuclear raw materials.

The proposal was expected to be able to support the interest of whole countries wishing to make use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, Gusti Agung said. (*)

COPYRIGHT © 2008 ANTARA

NAM calls for nuclear disarmament

London (ANTARA News) - Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) called for the disarmament of nuclear weapons as the only guaranty to prevent the danger posed by nuclear weapons to the survival of human beings.

Such an appeal was extended in the second preparatory committee meeting of the nuclear weapons non-proliferation conference in Geneva which happened to be part of a review conference of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapon to be held in 2010.

The Third Secretary of the Indonesian permanent representative office in Geneva, Widya Sadnovic, in a press release made available to Antara News in London on Wednesday said Indonesia in the meeting reiterated the position of NAM on the nuclear disarmament and
non-proliferation as specified in the various documents of the conferences and NAM summits.

The meeting, which started on April 28 and would end on May 9, 2008, was attended by around 190 members countries of the nuclear weapons non-proliferation treaty (NPT) in which the objective was to review the provisions of the NPT implementation, decisions and agreements, thus assessing the adherence of member countries in implementing the NPT chapters.

NAM member countries in the NPT were committed to fulfilling the agreements produced in the review conferences in 1995 and 2000 with an aim to stop the proliferation of the whole nuclear weapons.

According to Widya Sadnovic, all NAM group expressed their agreement to the nuclear disarmament and the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in a balanced manner.

NAM group also expressed their concern over the slow process of nuclear disarmament by countries having nuclear weapons as part of their defense system and they even continued to modernize their nuclear fleet.

In this context, NAM as the biggest group in NPT proposed that the next review conference of the non-proliferation treaty of nuclear weapons should be able to formulate the time frame of the chapter VI implementation and mechanism in a bid to verify the member

COPYRIGHT © 2008 ANTARA