NATIONAL

West Manggarai chapter of the Indonesian Travel Agent Association (Astindo) chairman Ignasius Suradin said Labuan Bajo is packed with tourists because the admission ticket to Komodo National Park is set at only Rp5,000 for domestic visitors and Rp150,000 for foreign travellers.

The government imposed new excise tax on a number of products, including plastic and packaged sweetened beverages in a bid to increase state revenue, as per Presidential Regulation (Perpres) 130/2022 signed on November 30, reported Detik, Saturday (17/12).

Sniffing attack has been on the rise lately. Videos are circulating on social media warning about the modus operandi. One example is a courier sending a WhatsApp message containing a link and lure potential victims to tap on it.

UNICEF, UNDP, Prospera, and The SMERU Research Institute released the results of their second-round “Socio-Economic Impact of Covid-19 on Households in Indonesia” survey in 2022 on Thursday (15/12).

The textile and garment industry is being hit by a wave of retrenchment. To date, hundreds of thousands of workers have lost their jobs, reported CNBC Indonesia, Thursday (15/12).

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo called for the ASEAN-EU partnership to make a major contribution toward an inclusive economic recovery. He hoped this partnership can lead to policy direction that seeks to facilitate trade and investment amid risk of global recession next year.

The Ponorogo regency government plan to build Reog Ponorogo monument on Mount Gamping, Sampung village, Ponorogo. The museum will be 126 meter tall, beating Bali’s Garuda Wisnu Kencana’s (GWK) 121 meters.

After imposing 11 years of moratorium, the government is set to resume sending informal migrant workers (TKI) to Saudi Arabia under a new system of syarikah (legal entities) which it claims will better protect their rights, reported BBC Indonesia, Wednesday (14/12).

About 44.1 million trips will be made during the Christmas and New Year holidays, estimated the Transportation Ministry.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) issued a red list of endangered species. It says 10 percent of marine plants and animals are at risk of extinction due to human activities, climate change and worsening pollution.

Although democracy is far from perfect, it is arguably the best form of political system. But unfortunately, democracy is often hijacked by oligarchs who seek to steer public policy to benefit their own interests. Their influence must be curbed in order for democracy to flourish, said Dhyta Caturini, activist and founder of PurpleCode Collective on Friday (9/12).