Jokowi welcomes Laos PM at Bogor Palace

Bogor, West Java | Thu, October 12, 2017 | 02:16 pm

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo welcomed Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith to the
Bogor Presidential Palace in West Java on Thursday.

After the welcoming ceremony, Jokowi held a bilateral meeting with his guest, who was
making his first official visit to Indonesia.

"This year, Indonesia and Laos celebrate the 60th anniversary of our bilateral relationship and I
appreciate the activities we have held together under the principle of mutual respect," Jokowi
said during the meeting.

The President said Indonesia and Laos discussed regional issues in ASEAN including the
support of both countries to solving the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine state in Myanmar.

The ministers that accompanied Jokowi in the meeting included Economic Coordinating
Minister Darmin Nasution, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, Industry Minister
Airlangga Hartarto, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, Culture and National Education
Minister Muhadjir Effendy, Technology, Research and Higher Education Minister Muhammad
Nasir, State Secretary Pratikno and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung

In previous reports, Sisoulith was said to have bought weapons from Indonesia. During the
2017 Trade and Tourism Fair in Vientiane held by the Indonesian Embassy to mark the
60th anniversary of bilateral relations between the countries, state-owned weapons maker PT
Pindad made an offer to the Laos Defense Ministry. A number of memorandum of
understandings (MOUs) are expected to be signed during Silouliths visit to Indonesian. (bbn)
BNN foil delivery of marijuana hidden in coffee packages

Semarang | Thu, October 12, 2017 | 07:14 pm

The National Narcotics Agency's (BNN) Central Java office thwarted on Thursday an attempt
to send 10.68 kilograms of marijuana placed in 20 packages of ground coffee through state
postal service Pos Indonesia.

BNN received a tip regarding the delivery and deployed a team to Imam Barjo post office in
Semarang, Central Java, where officers apprehend two men who picked up the packages, which
had been sent from Takengon in Aceh to an unknown person in Semarang.

The two men, identified as Suriyanto and Saddam Husen, claimed they had been ordered to
retrieve the packages by Agus Santoso, who is serving a prison sentence at Porong Penitentiary
in Sidoarjo, East Java, for drug trafficking.

"It was sent by someone named Irwandi for Rosinda in Central Semarang. However, the postal
courier could not find [Rosinda] at the given address," BNN Central Java head Brig. Gen. Tri
Agus Heru said on Thursday.

A preliminary investigation found that the marijuana was to be sent further to Bali.

The BNN Central Java office continues to investigate the case and plans to coordinate with
Porong Penitentiary to interview Agus. (hol/ipa)