Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesia’s new debt is expected totriple this year as the government struggles to fund its fight against the COVID-19pandemic.
Accordingto the newly enacted Presidential Regulation No. 54/2020 on the 2020 statebudget revision issued on April 3, the Indonesian government has increased deficitspending to 1 quadrillion Rp (61.5 billion USD) this year, a jump of 286 percentfrom the initial target of 351.9 billion Rp.
The government plans to offer sovereign debt papers worth 549.6 trillionRp, an increase from the initial 389.3 trillion Rp, while also planning to raise450 trillion Rp in “pandemic bonds”.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on April 6 thatthe government would look for safe financing sources, including the option touse the endowment fund for education (LPDP) as well as accumulated cash surplus(SAL), but said that “would not be enough”.
President Joko Widodo has announced additional statespending worth 405.1 trillion Rp to financeIndonesia’s battle against the novel coronavirus SAS-CoV-2 pandemic. The new allocationwill be used specifically for healthcare, social safety net and businessrecovery programmes.
The state budget revision now targets 1.76 quadrillionRp in revenue, lower than the 2.23 quadrillion Rp previously set out in the2020 budget.
Expenditure, meanwhile, jumps to 2.61 quadrillion Rp from the 2.54quadrillion Rp targeted previously. The government has widened its state budgetdeficit beyond the previous 3-percent-of-GDP cap to around 5 percent this year,in line with a new government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to lift thelegal limit./.
Indonesia’s state revenue is expected to decline significantly this year as the government rolls out tax incentives, including corporate income tax cuts, amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has triggered declines in commodity prices and business output.
Jakarta will intensify measures to restrict people’s movements after being granted permission by the Indonesian government to implement large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) to slow the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will allocate 100 billion Rp (some 6.1 million USD) from its 2020 budget for the protection of Indonesian citizens living abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his article, Oscar Sanchez Serra highlighted President Ho Chi Minh’s founding of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper on June 21, 1925, which marked the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press rooted in a bold and far-sighted vision.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) 
