Exploring Thousand Islands Residents Concern About Indonesian Citizens' Observations

Demonstration of Thousand Islands residents (Diah Ayu Wardani / VOI)

JAKARTA - Several Thousand Islands residents came to the DKI City Hall this afternoon. They held posters containing protests against the government's plan to observe Indonesian citizens on Sebaru Kecil Island.

There are not many of them. They only took action by telling of the delivery of an open letter from the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) in the region concerned, on behalf of the people of the Thousand Islands. Before long, they returned home to cross.

The chairman of KNPI Seribu Islands Lukman Hadi stated that at least the representatives of the Seribu Islands community had conveyed their aspirations. Although, they did not accept representatives from the DKI Provincial Government to carry out negotiations.

Lukman said, in fact, the community does not reject the existence of Indonesian citizens who were observed for 14 days in the district where they live. They are also less worried about the potential for spreading the virus to residents.

However, Lukman asked government officials, both the central government and the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to pay attention to the potential economic losses from the observations of 188 Indonesians from the spread of the World Dream Cruise Ship virus and being placed on Sebaru Island.

"We ask the government to guarantee that tourism in the Thousand Islands will not be shaken," Lukman said when contacted, Friday, February 28.

The government should know, since the dissemination of the information on the Indonesian citizen's observation plan, there have been 200 tourists who canceled their tour to various islands in the Thousand Islands.

This, said Lukman, was clearly detrimental to local residents in the economic sector. This is because their livelihoods are clearly reduced due to the lack of tourists who come.

"The observations have not yet started, let alone this observation will have already started. The smaller our income," said Lukman.

If possible, continued Lukman, President Joko Widodo will review the observation decision on Sebaru Island. Lukman asked for continued observations at KRI Soeharso.

"The KRI ship is a hospital ship that is the same type as a type B hospital. So, all the tools and facilities are much more complete. But if it can't be done and it continues to be done on the island before, then we can't do anything. can accept that with a note, "he said.

Lukman continued, the record requested by the Thousand Islands community was the placement of doctors and psychiatrists on inhabited islands. Not to forget, the government also needs to prepare health detection devices across the island as an effort to prevent transmission due to observation.

"We also ask the Indonesian Ministry of Health to socialize and disclose facts and data from 188 Indonesian citizens who will be observed," said Lukman.

In addition, they asked the central government to provide security guarantees related to the sustainability of the tourism sector, which for a decade has been a source of the community's economy other than fisheries.