May 08, 2012
The Indonesian government announced it would distribute 10,000 free small portable radios to Indonesians living in the country’s outlying and outermost regions.
“We will distribute the radios in border areas and in our outermost regions, but will first prioritize border areas in East Nusa Tenggara and other eastern Indonesian regions, such as Papua,” Communications and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring told a press briefing after the opening of the 2012 Radio Asia Conference in Jakarta on Monday.
He said the government would partner with several local radio makers to support the program and would start distributing the free radios this year.
Tifatul estimated that the price of each unit would be about Rp 10,000 ($1), so the program would cost the state at least Rp 100 million.
He added the government had set a target to build 286 base transceiver stations across the country’s regions bordering with Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and East Timor, and expected it to support the implementation of the radio program.
Tifatul said the program was expected to reach out to people in remote and outlying areas and support the tightening of Indonesia’s border defense and security.
BeritaSatu/JG
(the batteries supplied free of charge, the $1.-radio water proof or is this "great idea" going to turn out into an other red herring like that tsunami early warning system that got demolished and sold for spare parts by some evil but enterprising people?) siK.
wo 9 mei 2012 - 8:33