Podcasts about Surabaya

Delivered by Elyanne from the Parish of Saint James in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Genesis 49: 29-32; 50: 15-26a; Rs psalm 105: 1-2.3-4.6-7; Matthew 10: 24-33.TRANSPARENCY Our meditation today is entitled:Transparency. When people talk about transparency or openness, it is like lookingat an attractive girl. Today more and more people want to speak and understand whattransparency is all about. With the support of digital media, there are no morebarriers that limit personal data. Personal or group information is easilytracked through the internet. Any mode of work of exraordinary crime is easilyknown by Syber technology, so people are very careful about their digitalfootprints. Let us see this following illustration.In the past, the first human beings hid themselves after they fell into sin butthen God found them out. Then in His days, Jesus said that there is nothingclosed that will not be opened, there is nothing hidden that will not be known.These two descriptions may be considered somethings of the ancient time.Meanwhile, most of us today tend to think that hiding, being closed, or in secretis the personal business of every person. There are secret techniques andsystems that are used as if there is no human person, even God himself can knowit. That's how things are perceived, sothat people are so free to do as easily and promptly as they are in closed orhidden places. One hidden or secret act successfully done, will continue toproduce another hidden act and so on. Someone saw his fellow did evil  in hidden, but he was silent or afraid tospeak out, or even collaborated in that evil deed. Those who do not know tohide, learn from those who are experienced or experts in hiding. This is thebiggest challenge to transparency. The secret of the salvation for thefamily of Israel was kept for a long time by Joseph, who at that time becamethe chief official in Egypt and who had gathered all his family from Canaan.Towards his death, he revealed the secret that in proper time God would guidethe Israelites out of Egypt, to return to their ancestral homeland. With theseexamples, God actually wants to teach us that transparency is His divine will.The essence of God is openness. In the Trinity itself there is communication,and the most importat openness of God for His people is the incarnation, whenGod descended from His throne and became a human person. Actually, the purpose of transparencyor openness is to produce and maintain the truth. Philosophy teaches thissimple lesson: the absence of truth is a fault or untruth. We must also say thesame: no openness means closedness or concealment. So actually in the beginningthere was only truth and openness. Faults and closedness exist because there isno truth and transparency. Let's pray. In the nameof the Father ... O Lord of truth and justice, when we are unable to livehonestly, fill us with the Spirit of truth. Our Father who art in heaven ... Inthe name of the Father...

Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) pagi ini memeriksa Gubernur Jawa Timur, Khofifah Indar Parawansa, sebagai saksi terkait kasus pengurusan dana hibah pokmas dan APBD Jawa Timur tahun anggaran 2021–2022.KPK akan memeriksa Khofifah di Polda Jawa Timur.Untuk informasi selengkapnya, kita terhubung dengan Jurnalis Belinda Firda di Polda Jawa Timur, Surabaya.

Insiden pelemparan batu di Kereta Api Sancaka relasi Yogyakarta-Surabaya Gubeng pada hari Minggu 7 Juli lalu mengakibatkan 2 penumpang terluka. Aksi pelemparan terjadi saat KA melintas wilayah Klaten dan video rekaman Insiden tersebut viral di media sosial terlihat serpihan kaca jendela yang mengenai korban. Bagaimana kronologi kejadian dan apa langkah PT KAI selanjutnya?Wawancara bersama Manager Humas KAI Daop 6 Yogyakarta - Feni Novida Saragih

Football West will host Indonesia's Liga 1 team, Persebaya Surabaya and dozens of it's supporters, Bonek, in a game in Perth this week. - Tim Liga 1 Indonesia, Persebaya Surabaya, akan dijamu oleh tim sepak bola negara bagian Australia Barat dalam pertandingan di Perth pada pekan ini. Puluhan Bonek juga akan ikut menonton secara langsung.

Masih ingat dengan cerita yang berjudul “Selepas Tahlil Jasadnya Berdiri di Depan Pintu Rumah” 3 tahun lalu di Youtube Lentera Malam? Tim Lentera Malam telah melakukan Penelusuran ke Lokasi kejadian dan melakukan pembuktian atas fenomena mayat berjalan yang terjadi pada tahun 1989 dengan mencari saksi mata pada saat kejadian. Lalu bagaimanakah kesaksian dari kejadian mayat berjalan tersebut?Bagaimana kisah selengkapnya?Simak video berikut, jangan lupa berikan like dan komentCopyright 2024, Lentera Malam

Delivered by Nia from the Parish of Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Isaiah 66: 10-14a; Rs psalm 66: 103a.4-5.6-7a.16.20; Galatians 6: 14-18; Luke 10: 1-12.17-20.THE SACRED NUMBER The title for our meditation today is:The Sacred Number. In the scriptures there are many numbers that are used toindicate important meanings about God's plan and work. One of them is number 70(or 72 according to other tradition). In the holy Gospel this Sunday, it issaid that Jesus Christ appointed and sent 70 of His disciples. Their duty wasto become servants of the Word of God. The number 70 was also used by Moseswhen he chose 70 elders to assist him in leading and taking care of the peopleof Israel during their wandering in the wilderness. The body of Sanedrin, theleadership of Israel as a nation, is a composition of council with 70 members.In Jesus' time, this number of 70 was a symbol to indicate that in this worldthere were 70 nations. Therefore Jesus sent the 70 disciples to each nation asapostles of the good news of God to them. The assignments for the mission wereindeed given priority to the 70 discipels. But we need to be honest that thecontents of the mission in the form of Jesus' commandments also apply to us. Inevery commission rite of the Eucharistic celebration and worship services, weare always sent to our Christian missions. The contents of the mission are inthe form of instructions on how we can carry out tasks as messengers of theLord. A messenger of Jesus must be a person who uses smartness andintelligence. This element requires that each messenger must have basicknowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Church that havebecome our sacred traditions. A messenger must equip himself withthe fullness of love, a form of selfless love, so that in every form ofself-sacrifice, he truly presents Jesus Christ Himself. The messenger is willedby God as a peacemaker, because it is a way to achieve a common living togetherwhere there is a life that is just, harmonious and solid. A messenger isexpected not to depend his life on mere worldly facilities and goods, such asmoney, clothes and food. All that, according to the Lord Jesus, is alreadyavailable in places and people to whom the messengers associate in theirmissions. Therefore the messenger needs to prioritize a simple lifestyle,meaning he depends entirely on divine providence. In essence, a messenger works not forprofit, but for saving souls and for the glory of God. But Jesus emphasizesthat if people do not accept all the preaching, ministry and work of themessengers, they are actually provide punishment for themselves and their ownlives. Let's pray. In the name of ...O most loving God, may we grow and renew ourselves as your trusted messengers.Hail Mary full of grace ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Bella from the Parish of Kristus Raja in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Genesis 27: 1-5.15-29; Rs psalm 135: 1-2.3-4.5-6; Matthew 9: 14-17.PARTY STYLE AND FASTING STYLE The title for our meditation today is"Party Style and Fasting Style. A party requires the presence of peoplewho celebrate it. In the family of Isaac, the feast was celebrated in such away, though through a tactic of lies when Esau was absent, while Jacob wasdisguised to occupy Esau's position, then the element of celebration wasfulfilled. It's very difficult to understand aparty or celebration is made without the presence of all people concerned. Aparty contains meetings, talks, eating, drinking, ceremonials, singing,dancing, fun, and enjoying the joy of each other. In this understanding, thestyle of a party is clearly very different from a fast. Doing a fast, the most importantaspect in it is to experience an absence and emptiness. Aspects that are partof the absence and emptiness are like not eating, no joyful fiesta like music,singing, dancing, and meetings. There is an understanding that the Most High towhich the party is directed, neither near nor present with us humans, so thatby fasting, one can have the opportunity to focus more on finding, seeking andhoping to be with Him. These two different styles arepresented in the Gospel reading of today. John's disciples and Jewish people ingeneral did not realize, that Jesus as God was with them. They consider God wasvery far, He must be sought and asked for His coming. The strategy was to fast.While the apostles and disciples of Jesus were experiencing joy and feastbecause the Lord Jesus was with them. When the day came, when Jesus was notwith them anymore, then they fasted. For us today, fasting is stillimportant as well as parties. The Church provides regular opportunities for usas the faithful to celebrate them according to the time reserved for each ofthem. Personal fasting is often an option when people want to do certainspiritual practice. The party is also carried out both jointly and personally,as an opportunity to celebrate the presence of one another, God and men.Anyway, each one is done well, regularly and cannot be mixed up. Respect andsupport for others who are fasting or having parties are highly recommended,thus avoiding actions or certain interventions that disturb dan create trouble. Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O Lord Jesus Christ, give us all courage to obey Your teaching aboutfasting and penance, and may we be guided always in Your Spirit to be able tocarry out the discipline of spiritual life to reach perfection as You want fromus. Hail Mary full of grace ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Gabriella from the Parish of Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Genesis 23: 1-4.19; 24: 1-8.62-67; Rs psalm 106: 1-2.3-4a.4b-5; Matthew 9: 9-13.LIFE AND DEATH IN FAITH The title for our meditation today is:Life and Death in Faith. Abraham and Sarai as God's chosen couple lived theirfaith fully, namely their lives and deaths were in God. Sarai died at the ageof 127 years, while Abraham died later at the age of 175 years. To this couple God gave such a greatpromise, which was to make it a blessed family with great and countless descendants.In fact, until they died, they had only Isaac as the only blessed son. Saraidied without seeing Isaac getting married and generating offsprings. Abrahamhimself also had no chance to see all the promises realized, while he onlychanced to see his two grandchildren, Jacob and Esau. Their faith remained strong but hadbeen tested, coupled with all the divine promises they had not yet enjoyed. Isthis a sign of the failure of faith? This is not the case. Rather, the LordJesus said that faith as small as a mustard seed will grow big and great,provided that faith is preserved and taken care. Jesus himself died at the age about 33years and declares Himself to be the Savior; He presented himself as the way,the truth and the life. But many people did not accept Him, and He wasabandoned by His disciples at the moment of His death. But this is not afailure of faith. In fact, good fruits come along in a world that is empoweredby the establishment of the holy Church. Faith preserved firmly in the Church. This church is built on the solidfaith of the first Christians with Jesus as the head. That solid foundation isthe faith of the apostles. Matthew the tax collector who was called by Jesus athis own time and received strong protests from the people around him, seemed tobe a wrong decision of faith. But he had proven to be one of the foundational figuresof the Church and is believed to have written one of the four Gospels. Of all the small, simple, yet strongand lasting examples of faith, stands together with God's plan and promise thatis so great, the best way to bridge this gap is when we commit to live and diein this faith. This means that our respective vocation is an important sign ofour faith. Joining this vocation is the work and responsibility we must carryout also in giving content to our faith. Then the fruits of our work, dutiesand responsibilities are signs of the fruits of our faith in God. So the advicefor us would be this one: do not underestimate your calling, work and fruits ofyour work. You certainly disappoint God if you underestimate or neglect them! Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... We ask for Your Fatherly blessings, O Lord, that our callings andworks give fruits that will contribute to the building up of our lives togetheron this world. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... Inthe name of the Father ...

Selamat datang di episode yang akan mengubah cara kita memandang pertemuan komunitas. Seringkali, kita pulang dari sebuah acara dengan perasaan terinspirasi, namun semangat itu menguap tanpa ada tindak lanjut yang nyata. Jelajah Kolaboraya, sebuah inisiatif yang berkeliling ke berbagai kota di Indonesia, menghadapi tantangan serupa. Peserta senang, namun tujuan strategis untuk membangun ekosistem kolaborasi yang kuat belum tercapai. Dalam episode ini, kita akan membongkar sebuah kerangka kerja baru yang radikal, mengubah format "creative workshop" menjadi sebuah "laboratorium ko-kreasi" yang dinamis, di mana aksi bukan lagi pilihan, melainkan hasil yang tak terhindarkan dari proses yang dijalani bersama. Kami akan memandu Anda melalui perjalanan tiga hari yang transformatif. Hari pertama berfokus pada pemetaan aset partisipatif, sebuah proses di mana komunitas secara kolektif menemukan dan memvisualisasikan kekuatannya sendiri, dari OMS formal hingga tokoh masyarakat yang tersembunyi. Hari kedua adalah tentang "menenun jaringan" dan ko-desain, di mana peserta tidak hanya belajar teori, tetapi secara aktif merancang prototipe solusi untuk tantangan nyata di kota mereka, seperti masalah sampah di Surabaya atau pengangguran pemuda. Proses ini secara alami akan menyingkap siapa saja individu yang memiliki DNA sebagai pembangun ekosistem sejati.    Puncak dari perjalanan ini adalah hari ketiga, di mana inspirasi dikonversi menjadi komitmen. Prototipe yang telah dibuat akan dipamerkan dan dievaluasi bersama, melahirkan rencana aksi yang konkret dengan penanggung jawab yang jelas.Episode ini tidak hanya menawarkan sebuah konsep acara yang kreatif, tetapi juga sebuah cetak biru untuk mengaktivasi kekuatan kolektif, mengidentifikasi para pemimpin lokal, dan menghubungkan inisiatif-inisiatif akar rumput ke panggung nasional seperti Pasar Kolaboraya 2025. Dengarkan selengkapnya untuk mengetahui bagaimana kita bisa berhenti hanya berbicara tentang perubahan, dan mulai membangunnya bersama.

Delivered by Ria from the Parish of Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Ephesians 2: 19-22; Rs psalm 117: 1.2; John 20: 24-29.DISAPPOINMENT The title for our meditation today is:Disappoinment. It is not too much to reflect on the apostle Thomas with the feelingof disappointment. He is one of the 12 apostles who is unique. He is alsocalled Didymus and known as a person who is doubtful. He was with other disciples and manypeople in his time, had perceptions about Jesus the Messiah, who would become aking like David as the liberator of the State of Judaism. But this perceptionwas totally wrong. Jesus turned out to be executed so shameful. This clearlydisappointed many people who already believed in the power of the Messiah. Disappointment grew strongly amongmany of these people, and one of them was Thomas. Consequently he chosed tostay away, was ashamed and perhaps also cried over the regret for had beenfollowing Jesus all that long. Anyway, he was very disappointed. The testimonyof the women who met the risen Jesus, along with the story of other fellowapostles who saw firsthand the risen Jesus, was not an interesting thing forThomas. He was very disappointed, so he needed other evidence that was strongerand not just stories. A great disappointment must beovercome with a new spirit that is far more superior. This spirit is not enoughto be given by humans, but must be given from above, namely God's intervention.So Jesus himself came to give evidence of his own resurrection. With this superintervention of Jesus, the apostle Thomas could change radically through therecognition of his very strong faith, "my Lord and my God". Every one of us has experienceddisappointment, despair and broken-hearted. This condition varies from the simpledisappointment to the severe one. Whatever the conditions, the suffering of thistype requires recovery. For those who experience disappointment, despair orsevere broken-hearted, of course, they need spiritual treatment. This serves togive them a new life, a new spirit in the Christian spirituality, and the strongrecognition of faith in God. Then we may have the following wiseadvice proposed to all of us, namely, if you are now experiencing such severedisappointment, heavy despair or painful broken-hearted, rely always on God's powerand intervention. Avoid hiding yourself, crying over yourself, even the worstis blaming God. Every disappointment, hopelessness or broken-hearted has itstime to terminate. Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... In your grace and power,  OFather, strengthen us to always be in Your love, especially whendisappointment, despair and hurt befall us. May the Virgin Mary, guardianangels and saints always accompany us in those difficult moments. Hail Maryfull of grace ... In the name of the Father ...

Pemerintah kota Surabaya resmi menetapkan pembatasan jam malam bagi anak-anak melalui surat edaran Walikota.

Beberapa minimarket di Surabaya terancam ditutup atau disegel karena tidak bisa mengatasi masalah parkir liar.

Delivered by Elyanne from the Parish of Saint James in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Genesis 16: 1-12.15-16; Rs psalm 106: 1-2.3-4a.4b-5; Matthew 7: 21-29.TEACHING WITH ACTIONS Our meditation today is entitled:Teaching with Actions. The father of faith who is depicted so famous in thescriptures, Abraham, was asked by God proof of the firmness of his faith. ThenAbraham showed it by sacrificing his own son Isaac. Another story in the oldtestament which also illustrates the power of faith is the fight of the prophetElijah against hundreds of evil powers namely Baal. Elijah showed it in a a celebrationof his faith as he offered sacrifice of burnt offerings. In the new testament, the beginning ofthe Gospel of Luke describes the profile of the Virgin Mary, which in all herstories really shows that she acted and perfomed her faith according to will ofGod. The apostle Peter who was caught in confusion and error, misleading inthought and words, was rebuked strongly by Jesus because his fragile faith. Inthe end after Jesus ascended to heaven, he abandoned all failures andobscurities then dedicated all his life only to Jesus Christ and the growth ofthe Church. We give all these descriptions tounderline the words that Jesus tells us today, namely the spiritual building -the individuals of every follower of Christ - must be strong and firm built on thefoundation that is also strong and firm. Jesus Christ desires that His everyfollower, as expressed extensively in the scriptures, is the one who hears theword of God, understands it, and finally can carry it out in the real action oflife. Indeed, our own growth of faith can bestrong and last forever because it can bear fruit, namely in all actions andinvolvements. In a real life context, someone who is full of work experiences,will be needed in the company and the world of works, when compared to thosewho have just graduated from study. Someone who has a lot of experience inmanaging government, will be the teacher who will teach those who are new togovernment activities. So the principle that has beencommonly followed, when a performance determines how someone is trusted, morethan a document that contains description of the concept and its analysis. Theteaching given to children, students or beginners needs to be implemented in aprocess of showing ways to do and giving examples, rather than lecturing andinstructing that are full with words and writings. Therefore Jesus in His Wordtoday confirms that our lives will be very useful, successful and last forever,because we can carry out His Word and practice His commandments. Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O God almighty, bless our life and work, especially today, so thatthrough words and actions we may present you in this world. Glory to the Fatherand to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...

Dampak perang Iran-Israel, kepulangan 760 jemaah haji asal Surabaya tertahan di Jeddah. Hal ini disampaikan oleh Direktur Jenderal Penyelenggaraan Haji dan Umrah Kementerian Agama, Hilman Latief. (Rap)

Delivered by Ria from the Parish of Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Genesis 12: 1-9; Rs psalm 33: 12-13. 18-19.20.22; Matthew 7: 1-5.WHOJUDGES RIGHT? Thetitle for our meditation today is: Who Judges Right? Ferdinand is a cheerfulsenior high school student. He was elected president of the Catholic Youth ofhis local parish a week ago. But after one week he resigned. The reason he quittedso quickly as chairman was because many of his friends gave him constructivecomments and suggestions. However, many more criticized and gave him negativeviews and slander.  Negativejudgments or being judgmental is found everywhere made by anyone among us.According to the Lord Jesus Christ, this should not be done, and should not bethe lifestyle of His followers. It is a sin to make someone the lord of truthand goodness. TheLord Jesus gives us an affirmation and insisting us to stop our habit to judgeand condemn others because we consider them sinners. Instead, He teaches us toprioritize goodness and good qualities of others, because through this wayhuman education takes place, love grows as it should be, and solidarity amongGod's people remains. Judgment,criticism and sharp comments are still needed for every person, group andcommunity, but we should do them in gentleness and love. This is a sacred duty.Parents correct and even judge their children about the relationship betweenthe opposite sex which is already worrying many people around. Maybe some youngreligious men and women are judged quite strong in the matter of daily lifediscipline that has dried up and lost its quality. This should be considered asacred judgment. So,Jesus' best advice for us is that whoever judges, criticizes and values hisneighbour in goodness and in love, he will be judged accordingly by God. Who,then, can judge properly or correctly? It is God who gives. He is the source oflove and goodness. We as His people participate in giving correction, properjudgments and appropriate criticism because we are indeed made as God'sinstruments to such duty. Weshould do this beginning from ourselves to judge ourselves, whether we areclean or free from mistakes and sins or we are truly sinners. If we commit thesame sin as the person for whom we are judging, while we ourselves have not anyslightest of repentance, it is tantamount to lying or hypocrisy. That will notwork because people will challenge us to first give the proof if we are cleanor we have changed. Words and deeds must walk together. Let'spray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus Christ, make us sincere andtrue in giving judgments, criticisms and correction to our fellowmen and women,and make us credible Christians through our words and actions. Glory to theFather and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit... In the name of the Father...

When you order food through Gojek or Grab in Indonesia, you're not just getting dinner delivered, but you're also participating in what has become a sophisticated digital platform economy. These food apps have fundamentally transformed how millions of Indonesians eat, shop, and navigate daily life, while generating billions in revenue for tech unicorns that now rival traditional media conglomerates in their cultural influence. But how exactly are these online food platforms reshaping Indonesian society? And what happens when we compare their impact across different cultural and economic contexts? A fascinating new study by Nadia Egalita, a PhD researcher at RMIT, offers insights into these questions through comparative ethnographic research conducted in Surabaya and Melbourne. Egalita's research reveals striking disparities in how online food delivery operates across class lines in Indonesia. While upper-middle-class families with domestic workers and dual kitchen systems allow children to order multiple meals daily, lower-middle-class households use these platforms primarily as treats for kids. Meanwhile, in Melbourne, rising costs have made food delivery a luxury that forces people back into their kitchens, challenging assumptions about technology inevitably replacing traditional cooking practices. Using innovative “digital walkthrough” methods that examine participants' actual ordering histories alongside their stated preferences, Egalita uncovers the gap between what people say they eat and what they actually consume. Her findings challenge common narratives about digital platforms isolating users, instead revealing how families bond over scrolling through menus and negotiating meal choices together. The research also offers fresh perspectives on platform capitalism, digital labor conditions, and the changing nature of domestic life in Indonesia and Australia. We'll explore how these seemingly simple convenience apps are actually reshaping everything from kitchen design to intergenerational relationships, while examining the regulatory challenges posed by Indonesia's growing platform oligarchy. In 2025, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Elisabeth Kramer from the University of New South Wales, Dr Jemma Purdey from the Australia-Indonesia Centre, Tito Ambyo from RMIT, and Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University.

Delivered by Elianne from the Parish of Saint James in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. 2 Corinthians 5: 14-21; Rs psalm 103: 1-2.3-4.8-9.11-12; Matthew 5: 33-37.OATH The title for our meditation today is:Oath. A local government official has been sworn in to carry out the five yearsmandate to be a public servant for the first time in his life. His wifeaccompanied him in the ceremony. In a photo session with all the family members,we could see the official family picture so beautiful and praised by manyaround. Everyone hoped, that the newly elected official would commit to theoath he has expressed before the public. When they were already at home, thewife gave him advice as she said this: "You are an elected public officialbecause people really believe in you. The oath that you have stated was seen bythe earth where you stand and the sky where you look up, and the public thatsurrounds you saw or heard what you have stated. All are the witnesses. Allknow that you are a public official whose main duty is to serve. They trulybelieve that you are the leader in this place. The children and I pray for andsupport you." Oaths, as expressed in the hope andprayer of the wife, are basically carried out by those who have responsibility,mission and trust given to them. They fulfill a responsibility or mission thatis supported by the authorities or positions that they have. After the positionor authority is no longer attached to the leader, the oath is also no longervalid. We should remember that an oath is a statement of commitment that is seriousand strong. The binding and demand of an oath is far greater than simply apromise to bring to a friend a special birthday gift. For this reason, generally, an oath ismade by anyone in the name of the super-natural power. When the nature andpeople who come around to assist are the witnesses for an oath taken, thismeans an oath is not a secret or personal, but a public affair. An oath istaken under the power of the universe. According to our faith, an oath is takenunder the power of God. It leads to God. And so the Lord Jesus reminds ustoday, if a believer takes an oath, just make it anyway, but avoid falsehood,pretense, lies, and with intention to be revoked. A person who takes an oath should makeit with truth and sincerity, because God himself sees it through the presenceof the entire universe that witnesses, namely heaven, earth, air, people andculture. All these elements belong to God. Therefore the principle of an oaththat Lord Jesus teaches and we the followers are obliged to obey is thefollowing: "Let your “Yes” mean “Yes”, and your “No” mean “No". St. Paul specifically says that anoath that is true or false, which is said in truth and sincerity, is basicallymotivated by the love of Jesus Christ that underlies all our words and actions.We must use it. Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... Almighty Lord, may Your Spirit always strengthen us in realizingYour will for us and our lives. Hail Mary full of grace ... In the name of theFather ...

Delivered by Ria from the Parish of Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. 2 Corinthians 4: 7-15; Rs psalm 116: 10-11.15-16.17-18; Matius 5: 27-32.LANGUAGES OF THE SPIRIT The theme of our meditation today is:Languages of The Spirit. The Basilica of St. Anthony is located at the heart ofthe city of Padua, in the Northern Italy. Visitors come from all over the worldall the time to see and experience its beauty. Tourists can find it easy to getto the center by means of available transportation and road guidance leading tothe Basilica. Free access internet can make them comfotable to stay longer inthe city. There was a visitor from Indonesiaeven wanted to extend his stay in that city of Saint Anthony. Every day hefirst went to visit the Basilica of St. Anthony then to other tourist attractions.He was so happy walking from the big city park to the basilica when with thefree access wifi he was able to have video calls with his familyat home inIndonesia. As he felt at home in the city of the follower of Saint Francis ofAssisi, he decided to spend some more days that he could enjoy all theconveniences offered by that wonderful city. Anthony of Padua is not only a holyman. He is also famous as a clever person, a realiable preacher of faith, and awise teacher. One of his famous sermons is about the languages ​​of the HolySpirit. These languages help every follower of Christ to communicate and relateto other people and the environment. He says that someone who is filled withthe Holy Spirit is able to speak in a variety of different languages. Thesedifferent languages ​​are various ways to bear witness to Jesus Christ. Jesushimself says in the Gospel of John that the Holy Spirit has the duty to bearwitness of Himself and the Father in heaven. The languages of the Spirit ​​refer tohumility, poverty, simplicity, patience, obedience, perseverance, generosityand other Christian virtues. We speak in different languages ​​when we usethese virtues in ourselves and we practice them as we relate and interact withour neighbours. This means that our actions speak more powerful than our words.Your words should teach and your actions speak. For the one who is full ofwords but empty in actions will be punished by God like the fig tree that doesnot bear any fruit and the Lord was about to punish it. Jesus emphasizes that anger is a sinof killing. This is certainly against the language of the Spirit as SaintAnthony teaches us. Anger or hatred is the opposition of the love of Christ. SaintPaul says that the light of God shines in our hearts to enable us to proclaimHis glory to the whole world. The light of God is the gift of the Holy Spirit alreadyplanted and is growing in us. Let's pray. In the name of theFather … O Jesus Christ our Good Lord and Teacher, may we be more eloquent inusing the languages ​​of Your Spirit. Our Father who art in heaven... In thename of the Father …

Libur panjang Idul Adha dimanfaatkan para mahasiswa di Yogyakarta untuk mudik ke kampung halaman.Tujuan favorit: Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya hingga Banyuwangi.PT KAI Daop 6 Yogyakarta siapkan 31 KA jarak jauh termasuk tambahan & fakultatif.Tiket cepat habis, PT KAI imbau masyarakat pesan lewat aplikasi resmi.

Dalam episode ini, kita akan membahas apa saja pertimbangan penting yang harus dipikirkan sebelum memutuskan ke mana arah pendidikan S1 akan dibawa. Bersama tamu spesial di epsisode kali ini yaitu Ibu Rina (Wakil Rektor 4) dan Ibu Putri (Dosen Manajemen) dari Institut Asia Malang, kita akan membuka cara pandang baru tentang dunia pendidikan tinggi di era digital.Memilih jurusan kuliah dan kampus bukan sekadar mengikuti tren atau sekadar ikut-ikutan teman. Episode ini membahas bagaimana perubahan teknologi, khususnya AI yang berdampak besar pada masa depan profesi dan pentingnya memilih program studi yang adaptif. Apakah jurusan yang Anda pilih akan tetap relevan 10 tahun ke depan? Apa saja profesi yang akan tergantikan oleh teknologi? Pertanyaan-pertanyaan krusial ini dibahas dengan cara yang mudah dipahami.Tak hanya dari sisi teknologi, Anda juga akan diajak untuk memahami pentingnya karakter, passion, dan pola pikir dalam memilih jurusan. Di tengah inflasi gelar dan makin kaburnya batas antara belajar formal dan informal, pendidikan tetap memegang peran besar dalam membentuk struktur berpikir dan jaringan sosial yang kuat. Tanadi Santoso juga berbagi pengalaman pribadi dan kisah menarik dalam membimbing anak-anaknya memilih jurusan dan kampus, dari Surabaya hingga ke Harvard. Kisah ini menggambarkan betapa pentingnya peran orang tua dalam membimbing tanpa memaksakan, serta pentingnya komunikasi terbuka antara anak dan orang tua dalam menentukan masa depan.

Delivered by Ria from the Parish of Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 20: 17-27; Rs psalm 68: 10-11.20-21; John 17: 1-11a.EMBRACE THE GLORY OF GOD The title for our meditation today is:Embrace The Glory Of God. Jesus has explained so much about the Holy Spirit whoteaches us everything about Him, including about the cross and suffering. If weas His followers love and accept the cross that the Lord has given us, we mustbe so loved and blessed by the Holy Spirit. For example, the Apostle Paul saidthat suffering and the cross had become his daily food. The Holy Spiritstrengthened and comforted him to accept it with pleasure, and he enjoyed it tothe end. To endure to the end with this cross, Jesus makes it the greatestchallenge for His followers. There are people who are ready for it like Paul,but there are more not yet or even not ready. So He prays for them so that theydo not need to worry about all kinds of suffering and the cross. Blessed are wefor the Lord Jesus Christ prays for us! His prayer for us and His promise ofthe Holy Spirit that helps us to carry our crosses, aim to make us always likethe cross, embrace it, and carry it. Before carrying the cross, we must embracefirst. That means we want, we like and we accept it. If we embrace something orsomeone, that means we love, also we are careful to keep it from falling. Wetry to make sure that the cross does not fall from us and can even move toanother person. This means we embrace the glory ofGod. The cross signifies victory and glory for us, which is achieved byovercoming error and sin. What does embracing God's glory mean? First, becauseJesus Himself reveals that glory to us, especially when He prays for us.Second, Jesus offers an abundance of blessings without limit and this describesreally the glory of God. The glory of the Lord refers to His abundant mercy andkindness. Third, by embracing the glory of Godthrough His cross, we are certain to know God personally. In principle, if wecan get to know someone about his situation that is most difficult, then wecome to know him deeply and personally. With the cross of Jesus, we can knowmany people who are suffering around us because of the various problems.Fourth, the glory of our Lord is also experienced through the fellowship oflove that endures to the end, precisely when love is expressed in serving thosewho suffer. The cross signifies the unity of Jesus Christ with the sinful andsuffering human beings. Let us prepare ourselves for the Solemnity of thePentecost by embracing the glory of God.Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O Good and loving God, help us to always choose for Your glory inall our efforts and duties. May we faithfully carry our crosses in all times.Hail Mary full of grace ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Nia from the Parish of the Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Zephaniah 3: 14-18a; Rs psalm Isaiah 12: 2-3.4bcd.5-6; Luke 1: 39-56.SISTERHOOD VISIT The title for our meditation today is:Sisterhood Visit. When brothers and sisters visit one another, they normallyexchange spirit and energy that represent their wills to foster unity, familyspirit and togetherness. Those who meet with intention to find out faults inothers, even among brothers and sisters, will just create conflict and forceviolence toward others. It is not a brotherhood or sisterhood meeting. We always believe that a sisterhood orbrotherhood visit will benefit the meeting itself and unity among sisters orbrothers. The meeting of siblings really strengthens their bonding and mutuallove. There is no way to replace one's own sister or brother. Those who are notsiblings can do also sisterhood or brotherhood visit to show how they really needone another and the values or meaning that they nourish together from thatencounter. The holy scriptures have a lot ofevents on the meaningful meetings of persons. One of those meetings is what wecelebrate today as a feast, namely the visit of the Virgin Mary to her hersister Elisabeth. We know that every visit of a sister or brother has good andnoble purposes. In that encounter the spirit of sisterhood or brotherhood bindsthem strongly. Blood relationship and solidarity or love between them becomespiritual wealth that sustain their unity. Today, the visit of the Virgin Mary toher sister Elisabeth presents us a higher meaning  of such encounter than simply an encounterbetween sisters. If a meeting of sisters or brothers can produce goodness andmutuality between them, in the meeting of Virgin Mary and Elisabeth, itssignificance rises to the fullness of grace in which the power of the almightyGod intervened extraordinarily. This is the point of holiness. At this level the Holy Spirit worksand moves all human activities. Elisabeth who first obtained the result of thework of the Holy Spirit, rejoiced to welcome her sister Mary who was filledwith the Holy Spirit to become the Mother of God, whose motherly womb conceivedthe Son of God. This sisterhood bond of Mary and Elisabeth gives us inspirationthat our sisterly or brotherly relationships need to be empowered by the HolySpirit. This is the true sign of our being followers of Christ. The Holy Spirit animates our visit orencounter when we involve in the sacred activities such as personal renewal,repentance, works of mercy, forgiveness, consolation for the sufferings,assistance for the needy, cooperation of parties to face together calamities,and unity of faith to glorify and praise the Lord. We need to always invoke theHoly Spirit to take part in every visit of ours as brothers and sisters.  Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O Lord Jesus Christ, bless us to always obey the guidance of yourHoly Spirit. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... Inthe name of the Father ...

Từ ngày 23-28/05/2025, tổng thống Pháp Emmanuel Macron công du ba nước Đông Nam Việt Nam, Indonesia, và Singapore. Giới quan sát cho rằng, bên cạnh các mục tiêu kinh tế, thương mại và đầu tư, chuyến công du này của nguyên thủ Pháp còn nhằm củng cố chiến lược Ấn Độ - Thái Bình Dương mà Pháp vạch ra từ năm 2018. Đông Nam Á có vai trò như thế nào trong chiến lược này của Paris ? Và Pháp có thể đem đến điều gì cho ASEAN ? RFI Tiếng Việt đặt câu hỏi với nhà nghiên cứu Laurent Gédéon, giảng viên trường đại học Sư phạm Lyon.----- ***** -----RFI Tiếng Việt : Vì sao tổng thống Macron chọn đến thăm ba nước Việt Nam, Indonesia và Singapore ?GV. Laurent Gédéon : Có lẽ chuyến thăm của tổng thống Emmanuel Macron nên được phân tích theo hai hướng : Thứ nhất là mối quan hệ gắn kết Pháp với mỗi nước trong ba quốc gia này với những đặc điểm riêng của từng nước, và thứ hai là cách thức mà các nước này hòa nhập vào tầm nhìn chung của Pháp về Ấn Độ - Thái Bình Dương.Về quan hệ song phương với Việt Nam, trước hết cần lưu ý đây là chuyến thăm thứ năm của một tổng thống Pháp đến Việt Nam kể từ năm 1993 và sự kiện thể hiện sự gần gũi giữa hai nước. Pháp đã ký quan hệ đối tác chiến lược với Việt Nam năm 2013, mối quan hệ này đã trở thành Đối tác Chiến lược Toàn diện vào năm 2024 và điều đó minh chứng cho sự hội tụ giữa hai nước.Trong bối cảnh tích cực này, có nhiều khả năng là Emmanuel Macron sẽ nỗ lực củng cố mối quan hệ song phương, nhất là trong các lĩnh vực không gian, hợp tác năng lượng và đường sắt.Hợp tác trong các lĩnh vực quốc phòng và an ninh chắc chắn cũng sẽ được thảo luận. Tôi xin lưu ý là sự hợp tác này hiện tại dựa trên hai khía cạnh : Về mặt quân sự, chúng được thể hiện qua các chương trình đào tạo (chủ yếu là về quân y ) và các chuyến viếng thăm thường xuyên của các quan chức cao cấp quốc phòng của hai nước.Về mặt chiến lược, mối quan hệ này được đặc trưng bởi cuộc đối thoại song phương, tập trung vào các vấn đề an ninh khu vực, nhất là ở Biển Đông, khu vực Pháp ủng hộ tự do hàng hải và luật pháp quốc tế.Về quan hệ song phương Pháp và Singapore, hai nước đã tăng cường quan hệ trong những năm gần đây, qua các cuộc trao đổi cấp cao, bao gồm cả chuyến thăm Pháp của thủ tướng Singapore vào năm 2024. Trên bình diện quân sự, Pháp cũng có mặt, bởi vì nước này là nhà cung cấp vũ khí lớn thứ hai cho Singapore và cả hai nước hợp tác chặt chẽ trong các lĩnh vực công nghệ và quốc phòng. Nhìn chung, điều không thể phủ nhận là Singapore, với tư cách là trung tâm tài chính và công nghệ lớn ở châu Á, được coi là một đối tác chiến lược quan trọng đối với Pháp.Cuối cùng, liên quan đến Indonesia, chúng ta nên nhớ rằng đây còn là quốc gia Đông Nam Á lớn nhất, một thành viên có ảnh hưởng của ASEAN và là quốc gia nắm giữ vai trò trung tâm trong chiến lược Ấn Độ - Thái Bình Dương. Hẳn quý vị còn nhớ là gần đây, vào ngày 226/03/2025, Jean-Noël Barrot ngoại trưởng Pháp đã đến thăm Jakarta trong khuôn khổ vòng công du châu Á bốn ngày đưa ông đến cả Trung Quốc và Singapore.Nhân dịp này, hai nước đã ký một thỏa thuận nhằm cải thiện an ninh hàng hải trong khu vực có tên là « Dự án An ninh Cảng biển Ấn Độ - Thái Bình Dương » (Indo-Pacifc Port Security Project), tập trung vào việc bảo đảm an ninh cho các cảng Jakarta và Surabaya.Rồi còn có mối hợp tác quân sự giữa Pháp và Indonesia đã được tăng cường trong những năm gần đây, chúng ta có thể nghĩ ngay đến việc Indonesia đặt mua 42 chiến đấu cơ Rafale vào năm 2024 cũng như mua hai tầu ngầm Scorpène Evolved của Pháp.Nếu nhìn một cách tổng quát, cả ba nước này đều giáp Biển Đông và thêm vào đó, Singapore và Indonesia còn giáp với eo biển Malacca, do vậy ở đây còn có giá trị chiến lược của eo biển Malacca. Trong cả ba trường hợp, chúng ta thấy rằng Pháp đang phát triển mối quan hệ kinh tế và quân sự với các đối tác của mình và điều này chắc chắn sẽ củng cố năng lực gây ảnh hưởng gián tiếp của Paris trong khu vực.Tuy nhiên, điều cần nhấn mạnh là Biển Đông không phải là trung tâm không gian Ấn Độ - Thái Bình Dương của Pháp, mà là nằm rìa « chân trời địa chiến lược » của Pháp. Bởi vì lợi ích của Pháp tập trung xa hơn về phía tây nam, xung quanh các vùng lãnh thổ thuộc chính quốc Pháp như Nouvelle Calédonie, Polynesie thuộc Pháp, đảo Réunion…).Do vậy, tôi nghĩ rằng trong hợp tác quân sự giữa Pháp và ba nước này, rất khó phân biệt điều gì mang tính đơn thuần kinh tế, như bán vũ khí và điều gì là một phần trong tầm nhìn địa chính trị của Paris. Đây là một vấn đề cần theo dõi, nhất là khi xét đến sự biến đổi vị thế trong mối liên hệ với Bắc Kinh và cuộc cạnh tranh Mỹ - Trung.Dù vậy, Pháp cũng nhìn nhận vai trò chủ chốt của ASEAN trong chiến lược Ấn Độ - Thái Bình Dương của mình. Paris trông đợi điều gì từ Đông Nam Á ?GV. Laurent Gédéon : Như chúng ta đã thấy, Pháp tự coi mình là một cường quốc ở Ấn Độ - Thái Bình Dương với những vùng lãnh thổ nằm rải rác trên một phần khu vực này. Trong mọi trường hợp, Paris tìm cách khẳng định sự hiện diện ở đó theo hướng cân bằng và mang tính xây dựng theo các nguyên tắc của chiến lược Ấn Độ - Thái Bình Dương mà Pháp công bố năm 2018.Trong bối cảnh này, Đông Nam Á mặc dù không phải là trung tâm đối với Paris nhưng vẫn được xem là một khu vực quan trọng cho vùng Ấn Độ - Thái Bình Dương, bởi vì nơi đây đang là đối tượng cạnh tranh gay gắt giữa một số cường quốc trong và ngoài khu vực, tất nhiên là giữa Mỹ và Trung Quốc, nhưng còn có cả Ấn Độ, Nhật Bản, Úc và thậm chí cả Nga.Pháp chăm chút duy trì các mối quan hệ tốt đẹp với ASEAN và đã trở thành đối tác phát triển chính thức từ năm 2020. Một quy chế hữu ích cho phép đối thoại thường xuyên về mọi chủ đề. Paris xem ASEAN như là một đối tác thiết yếu trong việc thúc đẩy cách tiếp cận đa phương và toàn diện trong bối cảnh khu vực có nhiều căng thẳng gay gắt, đặc biệt là ở Biển Đông.Đối với Paris, tầm nhìn chung với ASEAN được thể hiện qua sự tôn trọng luật pháp quốc tế, mong muốn thúc đẩy đối thoại đa phương và từ chối tham gia vào lô-gic đối đầu giữa các khối. Rõ ràng sự hội tụ quan điểm này đang tạo thuận lợi cho hợp tác giữa hai bên và mang đến cho Pháp cơ hội phát triển ảnh hưởng của mình trong khu vực một cách kín đáo, tránh đưa ra một lập trường có thể bị coi là quá đột ngột trong cuộc cạnh tranh đang diễn ra. Chính trong lô-gic này mà Paris thúc đẩy tự do hàng hải và ủng hộ vai trò trung gian của ASEAN trong xung đột ở Biển Đông.Cuối cùng, ngoài khía cạnh an ninh và địa chiến lược, cần lưu ý rằng ASEAN còn là một thị trường tiềm năng quan trọng đối với Paris do tính năng động về kinh tế và tổng GDP vượt quá 3.500 tỷ đô la. Để phát triển quan hệ kinh tế, Pháp có thể dựa vào các Hiệp định Tự do Mậu dịch được ký giữa Liên Hiệp Châu Âu với một số nước trong vùng, chẳng hạn như giữa EU với Việt Nam hồi năm 2020.Tại một khu vực đang bị giằng xé giữa hai cường quốc Hoa Kỳ và Trung Quốc, một cường quốc bậc trung như Pháp sẽ khẳng định vị thế của mình bằng cách nào ? Pháp có thể mang lại điều gì cho Đông Nam Á trong bối cảnh căng thẳng Mỹ - Trung ?GV. Laurent Gédéon : Theo tôi, Pháp có nhiều điểm mạnh có thể giúp củng cố uy tín và tầm ảnh hưởng của mình trong khu vực.Trước hết, trên bình diện ngoại giao, Pháp thể hiện như là một cường quốc độc lập, cả với Trung Quốc lẫn Hoa Kỳ, ngay cả khi có sự hội tụ địa chính trị thực sự giữa Paris và Washington. Đó còn là một cường quốc thúc đẩy đối thoại và cân bằng, đồng thời muốn tỏ ra thực tiễn và không áp đảo. Việc Paris từ chối lô-gic khối liên minh giúp Pháp thúc đẩy một trật tự quốc tế đa phương, dựa trên sự tôn trọng các quy tắc của luật quốc tế thay vì là một trật tự dựa trên thế tương quan lực lượng.Tiếp đến, về mặt an ninh, Pháp muốn chứng tỏ là một cường quốc đáng tin cậy mà các nước trong khu vực có thể dựa vào để củng cố quyền chủ quyền mà không lo lắng bị thao túng theo cách này hay cách khác. Để đạt được điều dó, Paris phát triển chương trình hợp tác quân sự như đề cập ở trên với các nước thành viên của ASEAN, như thao dợt quân sự chung, chống khủng bố và cướp biển, an ninh mạng v.v…. Pháp còn thường xuyên nhấn mạnh đến sự tối thượng của luật quốc tế, nhất là về hàng hải, như được quy định bởi Công ước Liên Hiệp Quốc về Luật Biển.Trong bối cảnh này, ASEAN là một tác nhân chủ chốt cho Paris, vốn dĩ cũng đang làm nổi bật tầm quan trọng của minh trong kiến trúc khu vực. Về mặt lô-gic, Pháp ủng hộ tất cả các cơ chế khu vực theo sáng kiến của tổ chức, như Diễn đàn Khu vực ASEAN (ASEAN Regional Forum – ARF) hay Thượng đỉnh Đông Á (East Asia Summit – EAS). Nhìn chung, lập trường của Pháp có vẻ quan trọng cho Đông Nam Á, bởi vì điều đó góp phần củng cố vị thế của ASEAN như là một tác nhân ngoại giao khu vực đáng tin cậy và thiết yếu trước những tham vọng của các đại cường.Tuy nhiên, ở đây có một điểm đáng chú ý : Lập trường của Paris, kiên quyết theo quan điểm của Mỹ ngay từ đầu cuộc xung đột Ukraina trong bối cảnh vẫn còn nhiều cơ hội ngoại giao và địa chính trị song hành, có thể đã làm dấy lên nhiều nghi vấn ở Đông Nam Á và hạn chế các nỗ lực của Pháp để khẳng định mình là một cường quốc cân bằng trong khu vực. Rủi ro có khả năng sẽ xuất hiện, đặc biệt trong trường hợp căng thẳng Mỹ - Trung trở nên nghiêm trọng, khi mà đối với một số nước, Pháp cuối cùng rồi cũng sẽ ngả theo Mỹ.Bất chấp các nỗ lực ngoại giao được triển khai, mức trao đổi thương mại giữa Pháp và các nước Đông Nam Á vẫn khá khiêm tốn. Nhiều nguyên nhân được nêu ra, chẳng hạn như Pháp thiếu hoặc có nguồn lực hạn chế để hỗ trợ tài chính cho cơ sở hạ tầng quy mô lớn hay cung cấp thiết bị quân sự. Ông có đồng tình với nhận định này ? Liệu chuyến đi Đông Nam Á của tổng thống Macron có thể bù đắp sự chậm trễ này, bất chấp những khó khăn nội tại về kinh tế và chính trị ?GV. Laurent Gédéon : Tôi cho rằng chúng ta có lẽ nên tìm hiểu nguyên nhân khiến sự hiện diện của Pháp ở khu vực này còn khá khiêm tốn, đúng là có thực và khá tương đối trong việc thiếu ý chí chính trị mạnh mẽ và theo cách tương ứng, là thiếu tầm nhìn toàn diện rõ ràng, cũng như một chiến lược dài hạn của Paris tại Đông Nam Á.Tuy nhiên, quan sát này cần phải được xem xét kỹ bởi lẽ sự hiện diện và ảnh hưởng của Pháp thay đổi tùy theo quốc gia và lĩnh vực, nhưng có một cảm giác chung là Pháp không có tầm nhìn địa chiến lược tập trung vào vùng Đông Nam Á và có thể hội nhập vào tầm nhìn rộng lớn hơn.Chuyến thăm của tổng thống Macron quả thực có thể là cơ hội để tái thúc đẩy động lực ngoại giao và kinh tế của Pháp trong vùng, bởi vì Paris có nhiều lợi thế để quảng bá bên cạnh các đối tác châu Á.Ví dụ, các doanh nghiệp Pháp chuyên về cơ sở hạ tầng, không gian, vận tải, nông nghiệp bền vững, môi trường, y tế và sức khỏe, chuyển đổi năng lượng … nhìn chung tất cả những tác nhân có liên quan đến công nghệ cao và đổi mới sáng tạo đều hiện có những cơ hội thực sự.Đây chính là những gì tổng thống Pháp có thể nỗ lực đưa ra để làm nổi bật các lợi ích của mối hợp tác song phương dài hạn theo lô-gic đôi bên cùng có lợi, chứ không nhằm mục đích thuần túy khai thác tài nguyên.Chúng ta cũng có thể nhắc đến lĩnh vực giáo dục mà Pháp có một thế mạnh thực sự và sở hữu nhiều lá chủ bài đáng kể, qua việc quảng bá văn hóa Pháp thông qua Cộng đồng Pháp ngữ, tiếp nhận sinh viên Đông Nam Á và hợp tác trong lĩnh vực nghiên cứu khoa học.Từ vài năm gần đây, Pháp tìm cách xích lại gần các cơ chế quân sự của ASEAN, nhất là ADMM+. Hiện tại, Pháp tham dự với tư cách là quan sát viên. Pháp được lợi gì khi tham gia vào cơ chế quân sự này ? Và điều gì còn cản trở Paris trở thành thành viên chính thức của nhóm ? Liệu chuyến công du này của ông Macron có thể mở ra một cơ hội cho Pháp gia nhập ADMM+ ?GV. Laurent Gédéon : Pháp thực sự đang tìm cách tăng cường tham gia vào các diễn đàn an ninh khu vực ở châu Á, nhưng nước này vẫn chưa là thành viên chính thức của ADMM+, Hội nghị Bộ trưởng Quốc phòng ASEAN Mở rộng (ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus). ADMM+ tập hợp 10 nước thành viên ASEAN cùng với 8 đối tác đối thoại toàn diện bao gồm các nước Ấn Độ, Hàn Quốc, Nhật Bản, Trung Quốc, Úc, New Zealand, Nga và Hoa Kỳ.Lý do vì sao Pháp chưa phải là thành viên của ADMM+ có liên quan đến thực tế là cơ chế này ngay từ đầu đã giới hạn ở 18 thành viên. Trên thực tế, ADMM+ được thiết kế ngay từ lúc đầu chỉ bao gồm 10 nước thành viên ASEAN và 8 « đối tác đối thoại chiến lược toàn diện » với mục tiêu duy trì sự cân bằng địa chính trị mong manh, nhất là giữa các đại cường Mỹ, Trung Quốc, Nga… Những quy chế hiện nay không dự trù một sự mở rộng nào trừ khi có sự đồng thuận rõ ràng của tất cả các thành viên ASEAN. Nói cách khác, việc mở rộng như vậy đòi hỏi sự nhất trí của 10 thành viên ASEAN.Hiện tại, trong bối cảnh căng thẳng khu vực, một số quốc gia thành viên, đặc biệt là những nước thân cận với Bắc Kinh, không ủng hộ việc đưa thêm một cường quốc mới vào diễn đàn này, nhất là một thế lực châu Âu, gần gũi với khối phương Tây, vì họ cho rằng động thái này sẽ làm thay đổi thế cân bằng cần thiết cho cuộc đối thoại đang diễn ra.Thêm vào đó, Pháp không phải là đối tác đối thoại chính thức của ASEAN, mà là Đối tác Phát triển Bền vững kể từ năm 2020, một vị thế quan trọng nhưng khác với « Đối tác đối thoại toàn diện ». Điều cần lưu ý là tất cả các thành viên hiện tại của ADMM+ đều là « Đối tác đối thoại toàn diện ».Nhưng nhờ vào các hoạt động quân sự và ngoại giao trong khu vực, Pháp không hoàn toàn vắng bóng trong định chế này, ngay cả khi không có ghế chính thức ở đó. Ví dụ, Pháp tham gia vào nhiều nhóm làm việc chuyên gia phụ thuộc vào ADMM+ với tư cách là quan sát viên hay khách mời tùy từng trường hợp. Pháp cũng tiến hành các cuộc tập trận chung với nhiều nước thành viên ASEAN và phát triển nhiều thỏa thuận quốc phòng song phương với một số nước trong vùng như Indonesia, Singapore hay Việt Nam.Để tiến xa hơn, Paris chắc chắn sẽ phải tăng cường và mở rộng hợp tác quân sự với các nước thành viên ASEAN để tạo hiệu ứng lan tỏa trong khi vẫn nhấn mạnh đến lập trường hợp tác và không xâm phạm của Paris. Chiến lược này có thể sẽ dẫn đến việc, trong dài hạn,  ASEAN xem xét lại lập trường của họ hiện nay và trao cho Pháp quy chế đối tác đối thoại đầy đủ của ASEAN, cho phép nước này có thể nộp đơn xin gia nhập ADMM+.Singapore sẽ là điểm nhấn của vòng công du Đông Nam Á của tổng thống Macron. Tại đây, ông được mời tham dự và có bài phát biểu khai mạc Diễn đàn An ninh Shangri-La. Tổng thống Pháp sẽ đưa ra thông điệp gì cho các nước Đông Nam Á ?GV. Laurent Gédéon : Theo tôi, Emmanuel Macron có thể nhấn mạnh một số điểm trong bài phát biểu này. Ông sẽ có thể trình bày quan điểm của Pháp về các cuộc xung đột toàn cầu và nhấn mạnh cam kết của Pháp đối với hợp tác quốc tế và một nền thương mại quốc tế dựa trên các quy tắc chứ không phải dựa trên sự cân bằng quyền lực.Ông ấy cũng có thể làm nổi bật độ độ tin cậy và sự ôn hòa của Pháp và Liên minh châu Âu, trái ngược với những quốc gia sử dụng ngôn từ đe dọa hoặc tấn công nhiều hơn, chẳng hạn như Hoa Kỳ trong cuộc chiến thuế quan, hoặc Trung Quốc với những phát biểu có liên quan đến Biển Đông. Do đó, việc Pháp gắn bó với một hệ thống quan hệ quốc tế dựa trên chủ nghĩa đa phương, hợp tác và tuân thủ các quy tắc có thể được coi là một mô hình đối trọng hấp dẫn và là giải pháp thay thế cho logic của những người thúc đẩy chính sách ngoại giao mang tính cưỡng chế và trừng phạt hơn.RFI Tiếng Việt xin cảm ơn nhà nghiên cứu Laurent Gédéon, giảng viên trường Sư phạm Lyon. 

Di era digital saat ini, membangun kredibilitas tidak lagi cukup hanya lewat prestasi di dunia nyata. LinkedIn hadir sebagai panggung profesional tempat Anda bisa menunjukkan keahlian, pengalaman, dan nilai diri dengan cara yang terstruktur dan strategis. Dalam episode ini, kami menghadirkan Armando Wonua, Founder & CEO Sparklinkin Indonesia, yang membagikan kisah nyata bagaimana LinkedIn mengubah jalur kariernya, dari Surabaya ke Singapura, dan kembali ke Indonesia untuk membangun bisnis personal branding digital.Armando tidak hanya berbicara teori. Ia adalah contoh nyata bagaimana LinkedIn bukan sekadar media sosial, melainkan alat karier yang powerful. Mulai dari bagaimana ia direkrut oleh perusahaan internasional melalui LinkedIn, hingga akhirnya membantu ratusan profesional membentuk citra digital yang kuat dan kredibel. Episode ini akan membahas rahasia membuat profil LinkedIn yang menarik perhatian HR dan investor.Pembahasan semakin dalam saat Armando mengupas tiga pilar utama dalam membangun kredibilitas di LinkedIn: Profile Optimization, Strategic Networking, dan Thought Leadership. Anda akan menemukan insight praktis, kesalahan umum yang sering terjadi, dan strategi yang bisa langsung Anda terapkan. Episode ini juga akan membuka mata kita bahwa personal branding bukan soal pencitraan semu, tetapi tentang menyusun fakta karier menjadi narasi yang relevan dan berdampak. Dan kabar baiknya, semua orang bisa memulainya dari sekarang.

Diese Folge ist die Fortsetzung von [Folge 14](https://indonesien-podcast.de/episode-14/). In dieser Folge unseres Indonesien-Podcasts dreht sich alles um eine wichtige Frage: Wo kannst du in Indonesien gut leben? Wir stellen euch sechs Städte und Regionen vor – diesmal mit Fokus auf harten Fakten wie Einwohnerzahlen, Lebenshaltungskosten, Gesundheitsversorgung, Businessmöglichkeiten und Familienfreundlichkeit. Gunda und Katha nehmen euch mit auf eine Reise durch Jakarta, Bali, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Bandung und Medan und geben dabei nicht nur recherchierte Daten weiter, sondern auch persönliche Einschätzungen und Tipps. Außerdem erfahrt ihr, welche Orte sich besonders für Familien eignen und wo Expats die besten Voraussetzungen finden. Zum Abschluss gibt's wie immer unseren Business-Quick-Tipp, diesmal von Katha. Sie erklärt, warum ein strukturierter Onboarding-Prozess für neue Kunden so wichtig ist – und wie er euch von Anfang an Zeit und Nerven spart. Schickt uns gerne eure Fragen rund ums Leben und Arbeiten in Indonesien per Mail oder Instagram – wir sammeln diese und beantworten sie in einer kommenden Q&A-Folge. Alle Folgen findet ihr auf unserer [Website](https://indonesien-podcast.de/) und auf [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@indonesienPodcast). Schickt eure Fragen, Anregungen oder Wünsche gerne an hallo@indonesien-podcast.de. Folgt Katha auf [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/katha.mahayani/) und [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahayani-assistance/) Folgt Gunda auf [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/aranyani_experience/) und [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gunda-woerlein/) Folgt unserem Podcast auf [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/indonesienpodcast/) & [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@indonesienpodcast) Erhalte mit dem Code SAMBAL 20 Euro Rabatt auf deinen Antrag für ein B211A-Visum bei [bali-visum.de](https://bali-visum.de/ref/Gunda/)! Mit dem Code INDO10 bekommst du 10 % Rabatt auf unseren [Auswanderguide für Indonesien](https://gunda-shop.tentary.com/p/fNeLBp)! Mit dem Code SAMBAL10 bekommst du 10 % Rabatt auf den [Indonesisch-Crashkurs](https://indojunkie.com/indonesisch-kurs/) von Indojunkie! Hol dir außerdem den [Bali-Reiseführer als Buch](https://faszination-suedostasien.de/produkt/122-things-to-do-in-bali/?wpam_id=57) oder [E-Book-Variante](https://faszination-suedostasien.de/produkt/122-things-to-do-in-bali-e-book/?wpam_id=57)!

Delivered by Bella from the Parish of Kristus Raja in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 15: 7-21; Rs psalm 96: 1-2a.2b-3.10; John 15: 9-11.STAY ALWAYS IN MY LOVE Our meditation today is entitled: StayAlways in My Love. This is the sentence that comes from Jesus Himself when He presentsto us His real identity as the true vine. The purpose of staying with Him is tohave a life that can produce abundant fruits of joy, happiness and salvation. Perhaps it is not about motivation ofthe invitaton of Jesus and the promises he gives us. It is not a question ofwhether the invitation and assurance true or fake. It is irrelevant for exampleto question whether God will save us or not. It may not be the opportunity todecide not to fulfill the invitation, because we have been baptized and havepromised to follow Him for the rest of our lives. Instead of having many questions ordoubts, more precisely let be our duty to respond to His invitation and the promiseHe had laid on us with stedfastness of our faith that shows our acceptance. We showwillingness and interest to always being with our Lord. We long all the moreHis invitation when our way of life seems lost in the midst of the busy worldthat surrounds us. For those people who practice the true love of God, thisinvitation should be a very special bonus. For example, when a peaceful,harmonius and lovely family welcomes this invitation and the promise of truehappiness that is from the Lord, it certainly experiences the growth of truefaith in the Lord Jesus. On the other hand when a family or person who have notexperienced the true love that it should have, or perhaps they really have losthope for the absence of love at all, this invitation of Jesus must be a sign ofGod's initiative to bring them back to that love. They must not feel ashame, afraid or unworthybecause the One who invites and gives assurance is God himself. They must admitand believe that love is much stronger and it definitely overcomes shame, fear,unworthiness and lack of trust. The Love of the Lord can overcome prejudices,suspicions and discrimination based on the fact that each person or group isdifferent from one to another. On the basis of that love andespecially in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for example, the apostles heldthe council in Jerusalem to strengthen the vision and mission of the one Churchthat originates and aims at Jesus Christ alone. They discussed, debated anddisputed on the differences laid among them and Gentiles. In the name of love,they made a reflection under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, then they came upto a decision that benefited the whole Church. The invitation of Jesus will continueto knock at our hearts: Stay in my love. We must not reject it! Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... Our good and loving God, may Your love guide our lives, and wehappily welcome the invitation of Jesus Your Son to always abide in His love.Amen. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit … In the nameof the Father ...

Delivered by Nia from the Parish of the Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 15: 1-6; Rs psalm 122: 1-2.3-4a.4b-5; John 15: 1-8.ABUNDANCE FRUITS IN JESUS The title for our meditation today is:Abundance Fruits in Jesus. The weeks after Easter Sunday or the day of Resurrectionnourish us with spirituality that is rich with great themes such as the breadof life, good shepherd, the house of the Father. Especially this week, we aretaught to love one another. These are wonderful spiritual experiences that weall treasure. In essence, God is always with Hispeople and endows every believer with all gifts, so that as individuals and asGod's people, we can live in this world to do His will dan plan. The appropriatesymbol to teach us this unity is the true vine. Jesus is the true vine, we areits branches, and the Father in heaven is the owner or the vine grower. The reality in the Church that showsdifferences in understanding and practice of faith, should be seen as part ofthe dynamic in the community of believers, as the branches often shaken againstthe wind and rainwater overflowing. These differences should not become thecause to damage life, for the vine, namely Jesus Christ, is the only Power thatprotects and sustains life. All misunderstandings and problems that arise fromthe the life of the Church will surely find their solutions in Jesus Christ. So our focus of attention on theabuncande fruits in Jesus Christ benefits us in our living together with Jesus asour head and we all pattern our lives after Him. These fruits are certainlyvery useful for the growth of our faith. The first fruit is holiness andevangelization. We as individuals and people of God recognize that holiness isour ideal, which is strongly supported by the works of evangelization. The second fruit is courage andwillingness to cut down the dry and useless parts of life, gather and burn themout. This is made through correction, reparation and repentance. The third isopportunity to grow and become a new person or community, to be more open aftercorrection and renewal. Fourth, we are therefore very happy to always beconnected with Jesus as the true vine. Fifth, if we are always with Jesus, wewill bear abundant fruits. Sixth, we indeed have a basic intention to alwayspraise and glorify our God and Father. Seventh, our dignity as followers ofChrist and the children of the Father is a very special and honorable position.Eighth, then we are sent by God to go and produce more good fruits, and ninth,not only to bear fruits but we must be able to survive in all forms of difficultiesand sufferings.Let's pray. In the name of theFather … O most loving Father, look at us with Your power and love, so that weare always related to the true vine, our Lord Jesus Christ. Without being withHim, we will lose direction towards You. Bless us always for the intention ofthis unity. Hail Mary full of grace … In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Ellyane from the Parish of Saint James in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 1: 15-17.20-26; Rs psalm 113: 1-2.3-4.5-6.7-8; John 15: 9-17.MATIAS SOLUTION The title for our meditation today is:Matias Solution. It is said in the Acts of the Apostle, the first reading oftoday, Matthias is the chosen apostle to complete the 11 existing apostles, toreplace Judas Iscariot. According to St. Peter, Judas the traitor was theleader of those who arrested Jesus. With this complementary act, the number ofleaders of the early Church was back to perfect with number 12. The task to complete is the solution.It is not just a supplement or just a spare part and a backup section. It hasthe quality to be a determine factor. Peter says about this quality, that the12 qualified apostles were the witnesses in all of Jesus' events, from John'sbaptism until Jesus ascended into heaven. The complementary role here is veryimportant. He was the key point. He became the determinant of an incompletestructure of the community. If without him, the structure was limp, defective,and useless. His role was as important as the other apostles, namely, being thewitness of the resurrection of Christ. A concrete comparison would be thestructure of the 12 apostles and the Pope with the colleage of bishops of theChurch. Their common duty is to be the sign of communion in the Church. ThePope takes the position of the apostle Peter and the bishops who lead thedioceses are the apostles. They are leaders who are the first to give usexample of fellowship and being in the community. God wants and providesfullness and completeness as an absolute condition for all our hopes. If thereis still a hole or deficiency, it means it is not complete, still lacking,imperfect, and not yet meet the will of God. The Lord Jesus wants to share theriches of heavenly gifts with the apostles and all those who believe in Him, sothat all of them would obtain the fullness of joy. As Jesus left the apostlesand the Church to go up to heaven, that fullness of joy was manifested in theexperience of peace, certainty and being courageous to live in the midst of theworld while not having Jesus' presence physically. The principal condition isto stay in His love. The word "do not be afraid" means to live in Hislove and be always with Him. The Holy Spirit is sent from Heaven tomake life full of joy and love. Love and joy surely overcome fear, worry,anxiety and prejudicial. They were strengthened, like when we received theSacrament of Confirmation! In the same way, as Jesus makes every one of us Histrully friends, He certainly makes us full and complete with joy. We need tothank Saint Matias for inspiring us on this day of his feast. Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O dear and loving God, may we do an active role in completing whatis lacking or missing in our journey of faith. Hail Mary full of grace ... Inthe name of the Father ...

Publik kembali dihebohkan dengan kasus penahanan ijazah oleh perusahaan. Kasus penahanan ijazah ini pertama kali viral melalui unggahan video Wakil Wali Kota Surabaya, Armuji, saat melakukan sidak ke CV Sentosa Seal di kawasan Margomulyo, Surabaya. Selain melakukan penahanan ijazah mantan karyawan, perusahaan tersebut diduga melakukan pelanggaran lain, termasuk pemotongan gaji karyawan serta dokumen izin usaha yang tidak lengkap. Kasus penahanan ijazah oleh perusahaan menjadi cerminan nyata dari pelanggaran terhadap hak pekerja di Indonesia.Mengapa sampai saat ini urusan ijazah sebagai jaminan hanya berdasarkan kontrak antara perusahaan dan pegawai? Mengapa tidak diatur dalam undang-undang ketenagakerjaan?

Delivered by Ellyane Theresia from the Parish of Saint James in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 5: 34-42; Rs psalm 27: 1.4.13-14; John 6: 1-15.BECOMETHE INSTRUMENT OF GOD Ourmeditation today is entitled: Become the Instrument of God. Our Christian lifeas expected to be in the spirit of Easter is not only a true practice duringthis Easter season but also during our life time on earth. The resurrection ofJesus Christ should animate our entire lives. The period after resurrection isa period when Jesus Christ is not physically present in the midst of all Hisfollowers, unlike when He was still living and walking with His disciples andpeople of His time. After resurrection, He went up to heaven and seated at theright hand of the Father. But as He had promised, He is forever with us at alltimes, because His Spirit lives with us in the world. Whatmust we do to make our faith strong and active in daily life by keeping alwaysthe spirit of Easter? The inspiration from our readings today can give us theanswer. God has chosen and made us his instruments. The Holy Church as thePeople of God carries out the ministry of Jesus Christ as her main mission toserve the humanity and the world. This has been the duty entrusted by Jesussince the foundation of the Church in Jerusalem. Who are those people to beministered by the Church? It maybe each one of us, our brothers or sisters andfriends. It maybe people we don't know who they are or where they are from. Itmaybe persons God has entrusted to us to be educated and cared for. Becomingthe instrument God is a basic calling for us Christians, as the Psalmist saysof the following: Here I am Lord, to do Your will (Ps. 40). The goal of thisvocation is to make the Lord truly present in a real and a personal way throughthe ministry of Jesus Christ that saves, heals, teaches, speaks of truth,comforts, and forgives. The Lord bestows to every person this vocation andleads every person the way of life as priest, religious and lay person. Whenevery person can carry out well his or her own vocation, it means that he orshe acts in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and fulfils the works of the Lord. Wehave an example about the apostles who bravely defended the truth of the Gospelthey preached, however, the Jewish Religious Court falsely tried and imprisonedthem. There was a famous Jewish priest, Gamaliel, also spoke in the name oftruth and at the same time defended what the apostles fearlessly did. Both theapostles and Gamaliel had proved to be the real instruments of God in preachingand teaching the true faith. Then on another occasion we can see also thepractice of this truth. The apostles became the instruments for the feeding ofthousands of people who were hungry after a full day following and listening toJesus away from the city. A child who provided a small portion of bread andfish also proved to be the instrument of God for the miracle of multiplicationof bread and fish. They were the instruments of God's mercy for the urgentneeds of people at that moment. Wecan be the instruments of God in any given condition in our lives today,especially the conditions that really needs urgent solution or treatment. Itall depends on our willingness and commitment to do. Let's pray. In thename of the Father ... O generous and merciful Lord, strengthen us in everystep and work that we take, so that we can be your true and useful instruments,especially for the benefit of our needy brothers and sisters. Hail Mary full ofgrace ... In the name of the Father ...

Hello Listeners!Di episode kali ini Wulan ngobrol-ngobrol dengan penyanyi asal Surabaya, Jawa Timur yang kembali dengan lagu pop-ballad terbarunya dengan menawarkan nuansa baru yaitu kesedihan yang tenang, dewasa, dan penuh penerimaan. Episode kali ini kita ditemani AwdellaAwdella kali ini mencoba menyampaikan rasa sedih yang tidak meledak-ledak, tapi lebih ke ikhlas dan menerima. Awdella melantunkannya lebih simple tapi tetap sampai ke hati_._ Dalam Single terbarunya yang berjudul ‘Sia-Sia' Awdella menawarkan rasa yang berbeda dari lagu-lagu sebelumnya yang menunjukan vokal yang powerful, penuh tangis dan rasa sakit, “Sia-Sia” justru menawarkan nuansa baru kesedihan yang tenang, dewasa, dan penuh penerimaan. Awdella menceritakan bahwa lagu “Sia-Sia” hadir sebagai teman bagi mereka dengan aransemen yang dibuat se-easy listening mungkin yang membuat lagu ini cocok didengarkan kapan saja dan oleh siapa saja—baik yang pernah di ghosting, menjalani hubungan lama yang tak ke mana-mana, ataupun yang sedang belajar melepaskan.Untuk Cerita lebih lengkapnya yuk dengarkan obrolan Langsung di Channel Podcast Bingkai Suara Season 6 di Spotify, Apple Podcast, Youtube atau kunjungi website kita di ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bingkaikarya.com

MANA YANG LEBIH BAIK? Hari Kelahiran, Hari Kematian, Rumah Duka, Rumah Pesta, Akhir, dan Awal Senin, 21 Apr 2025 Kebaktian Penghiburan Alm. Edy Sutikno (Njoo Tek Liem) Rumah Duka Adijasa, Surabaya

Delivered by Nita Marcelia from the Parish of Saint James in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 3: 1-10; Rs psalm 105: 1-2.3-4.6-7.8-9; Luke 24: 13-35RECOGNIZINGGOD THROUGH HIS WORD Ourmeditation today is entitled: Recognizing God Through His Word. The celebrationof the Lord's resurrection on Easter Sunday is the most special opportunity torecognize our true Lord Jesus Christ. We know that after the resurrection,Jesus will remain in our midst but not in the form of a body of this world, butas a Spirit that accompanies and animates our lives. The Spirit of God revealsitself in the form of the word of God that is conveyed to those who believe.The Word of God is expressed in written, oral and symbolic forms. Therisen Jesus ensures that His word remains an indisputable proof of God's powerand mercy for mankind. God's Word is manifested in every form of communicationin our lives. Language and words become the most fundamental tool for us toconvey the message and its meaning to others. In all religions, and especiallyin Christianity, the Word of God is a person who communicates and revealshimself to be known by others. That person is Jesus Christ. Until now, the fundamentaltruth that has been preserved in the Church is our confession of faith that Godis present through His word. Thepower of God's word is the power of God Himself. The power of resurrection andlife must rule over our lives. Those who go against this power because of theirevil, ignorance, and sins must not be given opportunity to control our lives.Together with the members of the Early Church, mainly the apostles anddisciples of Jesus, we in this Easter season are again encouraged to strengthenour belief that through the word of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, the renewal ofthe quality of our faith is made possible. Theword of the risen Jesus comes to console those who are sad, grieving, and losthope. There are so many people around us who have the same difficulties likethe two disciples of Emmaus. They will be happy in recognizing God when theirsorrow, sickness and despair are overcome. The Word of God is also a divinepower of compassion for those who are uninformed, not updated, ignorant, anduneducated. They have rights to have truth, virtues and goodness, becausethrough all these they can truly recognize God. TheWord of God also plays a basic role in strengthening the faith of those who arein crisis, especially those who are less grateful and doubtful about God'sprovidential care of their lives. Many people doubt in their faith whensuffering and pain come along their lives. Like the paralyzed and sick personwho got healed through the word and prayers of the two apostles of Jesus, theWord of God really works to heal and save us. We only need to depend ourselveson the Word of the risen Lord, Jesus Christ.Let's pray. In thename of the Father ... O Lord Jesus Christ, help us that we may always able torecognize You in every moment of our lives. Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father …

Sidang tuntutan terhadap tiga hakim yang memvonis bebas Ronald Tanur dalam kasus pembunuhan Dini Sera ditunda. Jaksa Penuntut Umum meminta waktu satu minggu untuk menyempurnakan berkas tuntutan.

Delivered by Bella from the Parish of Kristus Raja in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Exodus 12: 1-8.11-14; Rs psalm 116: 12-13.15-16bc.17-18; 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26; John 13: 1-15MEANINGFUL HOLY THURSDAY Our meditation today is entitled: Meaningful HolyThursday. The Thursday in the Holy Week is called also “White Thursday” becauseobviously white is the color of the liturgical tools and clothing in today'scelebration. This color symbolizes joy and celebration. Today's celebrationcenters on Jesus Christ with its emphasis on Jesus' actions that manifestglory, joy, power and feast.  In this celebration there is a ceremony where Jesuswashes the feet of His apostles. This act of Jesus teaches us to serve oneanother with humility. This is a great joy. The atmosphere of joy and glory oflove among us can be revealed through mutual services. So Jesus says that weshould love one another as He Himself has loved us. He teaches us that Hisgreatest commandment is to love our neighbors. The Lord exists in our neigboursand fellow brothers and sisters.  The celebration of the evening reminds us of theEucharist, the great sacrifice of the holy Mass ordained by Jesus Christ. Wordsand deeds of love are indeed the manifestation of joy and the presence of theglory of God. The celebration of the Eucharist is definitely the joy of theincarnation of God's word to become His own body that we share together as one holyChurch. Along with the Eucharist, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of thePriesthood. This is an important joy for the entire Church because this Priesthoodis to minister the Eucharistic celebration in the Church. The priesthood is toexercise the power of the Lord to lead the Church and bring her members to thelight and truth of the Lord Himself.  In this celebration we also remember the criticalmoments of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where the sweat of His blood are flowingand dripping to bring Him to the glory of the cross that is already soon to becelebrated. The atmosphere of Gethsemane describes the trials and difficultiesthat make this life uncomfortable and insecure. But like God Himself, we mustpass through it with confidence. Between Gethsemane and Golgotha are the crucialmoments called the threshold of sufferings. Usually temptation always comeswith the intention of leading us away from bitter reality, as shown in Jesus'own expression: Father, let this cup be taken away from me. But we must followour Master Jesus Christ to overcome that temptation, and to be willing to drinkthe cup of suffering. This is truly our joy. On this morning in general, the Diocesan Bishoptogether with his priests celebrate the Chrism Mass. In this feast, the Bishopblesses the holy oils, namely oil for chrism, oil for catechuments, and oil foranointing the sick. These three kinds of oil are the tools in the priesthood orderto minister the sacraments to God's people. Let us pray. In the name of the Father... Lord Jesus Christ,strengthen our faith to remain faithful to the Eucharist as the means of oursalvation. Our Father who art in heaven... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Eliana from the Parish of Saint James in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Isaiah 42: 1-7; Rs psalm 27: 1.2.3.13-14; John 12: 1-11UNCONDITIONAL LOVE Our meditation today is entitled: Unconditional Love.What does it mean to have unconditional love? When Jesus was dining with Hisclose friends, Mary, who is known as a dear friend to Jesus according to theGospel of John, did something that only love can do. She took the most precioustreasure she had and used it only for Jesus Christ, the true Master.  Her attention did not compromise calculations. Herlove was unbounded. Her actions were based on her love and gratitude to Jesuswho had bestowed unconditional love on her and her family. God mercifullyforgave her, restoring her from humiliation as a sinner.  She performed an act of love that a Jewish womanshould not do in public. She uncovered her long unraveled hair. She drenchedJesus' feet with her tears. According to customary rules, a woman on herwedding day must tie and cover her hair. Meanwhile, for those who are married, showingunraveled hair in public is a very impolite sign.  Mary's actions certainly irritated everyone aroundher, except Jesus. But she didn't care about the reaction of those people. Shejust wanted to express her genuine love for the Lord. In her humility she boweddown to anoint Jesus' feet and wiped them with her long hair. Mary's actionsgive us a message, namely when and how many times have we shown our deepestgratitude and love to God? Because of the precious perfume, the whole householdwas full of fragrance (Jn 12:3). Fragrance and beauty fill the entire houseboth physically and spiritually. Only unconditional love can do this. This isenough to describe that a human person like Mary can do the same love to theLord Jesus Christ. We can do the same as Mary did. Jesus Christ always gives us an example of sharing theunconditional love. In this holy week we remember all His acts of love. Todaywe are given the image of Jesus, the servant of God, who is willing to sufferlike “a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall notquench”. The Lord will not fail and become a useless power. He will stillenforce the law on this earth. His love endures forever on this earth. Jesuswill not disappear or stop with His suffering and death. He goes through all ofthis and lives on in us His followers. Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord JesusChrist, teach and strengthen us to always be able to endure when difficultiesand sufferings confront us, even threaten our lives. Our Father who art inheaven... In the name of the Father ...

Selama 22 hari beroperasi, tercatat ratusan ribu penumpang dilayani dengan tingkat pergerakan yang relatif stabil dibandingkan tahun lalu.Penutupan Posko Angkutan Lebaran di Bandara Internasional Sultan Hasanuddin menandai berakhirnya masa layanan intensif selama arus mudik dan arus balik Idulfitri 1446 Hijriah.Pada periode tersebut, tercatat lebih dari 635 ribu penumpang dilayani. Jumlah ini hampir sama dengan periode yang sama tahun lalu.General Manager Angkasa Pura Indonesia Bandara Sultan Hasanuddin, Minggus Gandeguai, menyatakan tren pergerakan penumpang relatif stagnan karena sebagian masyarakat memilih mudik lebih awal dan kembali lebih akhir dari biasanya.Jakarta, Surabaya, dan Kendari menjadi tiga tujuan favorit para pemudik. Sementara itu, total penerbangan tambahan atau extra flight selama posko berlangsung mencapai 112 penerbangan. Penerbangan tambahan ini didominasi oleh maskapai dari Lion Group dan Garuda Indonesia.

Meski digempur kritik publik, DPR tetap tancap gas mengesahkan revisi Undang-Undang Tentara Nasional Indonesia menjadi undang-undang pada Kamis (20/03). Penolakan gencar disuarakan lewat unjuk rasa oleh kalangan mahasiswa, aktivis kemanusiaan, hingga masyarakat sipil. Massa tumpah ruah ke jalanan di Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, dan Makassar. Sementara, di dunia maya #TolakRevisiUUTNI, #TolakDwifungsiABRI, hingga #PeringatanDarurat kembali memuncaki trending topic.Ada 3 pasal dalam perubahan UU TNI yang kontroversial yaitu pasal tentang tambahan tugas Operasi Militer Selain Perang (OMSP), pasal penambahan posisi jabatan publik yang bisa diisi TNI aktif dari menjadi 14, dan pasal terkait perpanjangan batas usia pensiun prajurit.Langkah apa yang bakal diambil masyarakat sipil menyikapi pengesahan UU TNI? Bagaimana dampak UU tersebut pada wajah demokrasi? Apakah berarti supremasi militer bakal menguat?Kita akan bincangkan hal ini bersama Gubernur Lembaga Pertahanan Nasional (Lemhanas) RI Gubernur Lembaga Pertahanan Nasional (Lemhanas) RI Periode 2016-2022, Agus Widjojo dan Pakar Hukum Tata Negara Sekolah Tinggi Hukum (STH) Indonesia Jentera, Bivitri Susanti.*Kami ingin mendengar saran dan komentar kamu terkait podcast yang baru saja kamu simak, melalui surel ke podcast@kbrprime.id

Kapolri Jenderal Pol Listyo Sigit Prabowo memimpin apel gelar pasukan Operasi Ketupat 2025. Apel gelar pasukan ini dilaksanakan di Lapangan Gedung Negara Grahadi, Surabaya, Jawa Timur, pada hari Kamis.Dalam apel gelar pasukan tersebut, Kapolri menyalami pasukan dan memeriksa peralatan petugas yang akan turun ke lapangan untuk pengamanan mudik 2025.

Dalam episode kali ini, kami menghadirkan Wilson David, seorang generasi muda inspiratif yang berbagi cerita tentang bagaimana ia membangun Ahmad Candi Production di Surabaya dan misi merevolusi industri kreatif lokal. Kreativitas tanpa batas bukan sekadar jargon, Wilson mengajak kita memahami filosofi mendengar, belajar, dan menciptakan dalam setiap karya video produksinya. Bagaimana caranya seorang mahasiswa semester 8 mampu memimpin bisnis startup dan berkolaborasi dengan klien-klien besar dari Jakarta? Semua ini dibahas dengan penuh insight dalam episode ini.Wilson juga mengupas tuntas tantangan yang dihadapi Gen Z, mulai dari masalah mental health hingga kemampuan beradaptasi di dunia kerja. Kamu akan mendapat perspektif baru tentang bagaimana generasi muda ini mengatasi stigma generasi yang “kurang tangguh” dan justru menciptakan peluang dari setiap tantangan. Episode ini juga memberikan banyak pelajaran tentang pentingnya kolaborasi dan bagaimana industri kreatif di Surabaya punya potensi besar untuk berkembang.

Animation students from Surabaya have won a film competition held by the Transport Accident Commission (TAC). - Mahasiswa animasi asal Surabaya berhasil memenangkan kompetisi film yang diadakan oleh Transport Accident Commision (TAC) Victoria.

Craig and Gaurav go over the early naval engagements between the Dutch and Japanese during the Pacific War.   Two weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan accelerated its plans to invade the Dutch East Indies for vital oil resources, essential for its war efforts. As Japanese forces swiftly advanced in the Philippines, they captured strategic locations, including Mindanao and Davao, while Allied defenses crumbled. In late December 1941, Japan launched further assaults in Malaya, isolating Singapore and diminishing Allied naval power. By January 1942, Japanese forces targeted Balikpapan, a crucial oil hub in Borneo. The Dutch, determined to defend their territory, prepared for a guerrilla campaign and attempted to sabotage oil facilities. However, the Japanese invasion fleet approached Balikpapan on January 21, 1942. Despite Allied air attacks and submarine efforts, the Japanese landed on January 24, marking a significant step in their campaign to secure the East Indies, while the Allies faced overwhelming challenges and dwindling resources.   In the early hours of January 24, 1942, Talbot's destroyers stealthily approached the anchored Japanese fleet, illuminated by burning oil facilities. Utilizing torpedoes for surprise attacks, they struck swiftly, sinking several transports, including Sumanoura Maru. Despite their efforts, many torpedoes missed, and the Japanese fleet sustained fewer losses than expected. By dawn, the Allies had achieved a tactical victory, but nine of twelve transports survived, allowing the Japanese advance into the Dutch East Indies to continue. In February, an Allied strike force was formed, but they faced devastating air assaults, retreating to Surabaya after suffering heavy damage without losing ships.                                                                  

Komposer asal Surabaya, Laurentia Editha di California belum lama ini terlibat dalam sebuah penggarapan lagu berjudul "See the World" bersama kelompok K-pop SEVENTEEN. Lulusan Berklee College of Music di Boston Massachusetts ini juga pernah meraih nominasi Daytime Emmy 2024 di Amerika atas karyanya.

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode One Hundred and Two!  And while we're at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there, including all the folks who are recovering in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton. Well my summer hiatus is over and it's time to start cranking out the content once again. I really needed a break, not only to get the creative juices flowing again, but to also build a little backlog of recorded episodes and to solve some technical issues.  Many technical issues actually, but it's good to be back in the chair and talking with you all. As always, I am grateful to all the show's patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you're out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, it's easy to do, you simply go to the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee!  PLEASE NOTE:  Starting in November 2024, Apple will be charging a 30% fee for any Patreon transactions made through an iPhone or iPad using the Patreon app.  To get around this, go directly to Patreon.com, or use an Android device. If you already contribute to So Much Pingle, nothing changes, unless you decide to change how much you contribute.  In that case use an Android device or a computer to access the Patreon web site to make your changes, and avoid the ridiculous 30% fee. You can also support the show via one-time contributions via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). And thank you! In late August and early September I spent three weeks in Indonesia, starting with Bali, and then moving east to Flores and Komodo and Rincha in the Lesser Sundas chain, and then finishing up the trip with some days in southwestern Borneo.  The trip was organized by Dr. Andrew Durso, who you may remember from season 3 episode 65, and Dave Davenport of EcoQuest Travel.  The trip was built around the World Congress of Herpetology, held in Borneo this year, and so we had some herpetologists on the tour, including Rory Telemeco and Dan Warner. I recorded an interview with Dan and Rory at a hotel layover in Surabaya, Java, they were gracious enough to give me a chunk of their time.  We talked about some of our experiences on the trip and then we got into some of the herp research projects that these gentlemen are working on. Thanks for talking with me, Rory and Dan! And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there's also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc. -Mike    

Gue pertama kali pindah ke Jakarta tahun 2019. Sebagai pendatang dari Surabaya, hanya satu pikiran gue soal Jakarta waktu itu. Macet dan semrawut. I'm not saying Surabaya is a better city. Surabaya juga jadi kota metropolitan dengan persoalan-persoalannya sendiri. Tapi beban Jakarta bisa dibilang lebih besar ketimbang Surabaya. At least, dari sisi beban jumlah penduduknya dan mereka yang tinggal di sekitarnya. I mean, total populasi Gerbangkertasusila paling cuman 10 juta orang. Sementara, Jabodetabek bisa sampai tiga kali lipatnya, yakni sekitar 30 juta orang. Bayangin tiap hari orang-orang ini berlalu-lalang di jalan buat pergi bekerja dan sekolah.

In this episode, I sit down with Tito, one of my dear friends in Bali. His journey from a conservative upbringing to embracing his true self is nothing short of inspiring. This episode dives deep into his struggles, his lowest points, and his transformation into a person who lives bravely, kindly, and authentically. If you've ever felt trapped by expectations, cultural norms, or your own fears, this conversation will resonate deeply.We covered:growing up in Surabaya, Indonesia in a Muslim culturetransforming family disappointment to deep love and lessonsthe journey of coming out, the struggle of hiding his sexuality, and the pivotal moment that gave him the courage to be authentichitting his biggest rock bottom which led to his spiritual awakeningwhy it's so important to share your story, healing yourself and othersallowing yourself to feel all emotions without judgment, and how this helps build inner strengthwhy it's so important to speak kindly and with so many different peopleConnect with Tito on Instagram

It's Friday, September 6th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Indonesian pastor dragged out of church, building closed by government On August 18th, 50 officials from Jombang Regency in Indonesia dragged a pastor from his worship site and sealed the shop where his church met, reports Morning Star News. Pastor Herri Soesanto described the government seizure of the two-story shop used by his Good God Church, 50 miles west of Surabaya, as “violent and anarchic.” The pastor said, “I never imagined the violence that government officials made, causing upset among the congregation,” adding that he was threatened with jail. According to Open Doors, Indonesia is the 42nd most dangerous country worldwide to be a Christian. Matthew 5:10 says, “"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." Chinese spy embedded in New York Governor's office New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul's former deputy chief of staff, Linda Sun, has been arrested on suspicion of being a Chinese spy along with her husband, Chris Hu, reports The Epoch Times. Sun faces charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, visa fraud, and alien smuggling. Hu is also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, as well as bank fraud, and misuse of identification.  Sun previously worked in the office of former N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, including as his deputy chief diversity officer for two years.  She is also alleged to have forged invitation letters from the N.Y. governor's office for Chinese Communist Party officials to illegally come to the U.S. and meet with American government officials.  U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said, “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant's family to the tune of millions of dollars.” Governor Hochul expressed her outrage. HOCHUL: “These actions taken by Linda Sun were an absolute betrayal of the trust of two administrations in state government, breaking our ethics rules, and even forging my signature on documents. “But more importantly than that, this is a betrayal of New Yorkers and of the American people. Public service is a calling. It should be revered, highly respected. I am furious. I am outraged by this behavior.” Kamala's VP pick, Tim Walz, subpoenaed over $250M COVID fraud scheme House Republicans are demanding answers from Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, regarding a $250 million COVID-19 fraud scheme, viewed as one of the worst relief scams during the pandemic, reports The Christian Post. GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina issued a subpoena Wednesday to Walz's administration and officials within the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Office of Inspector General. The subpoena concerns an investigation that goes back to 2022 regarding a $250 million fraud scheme by a Minnesota-based nonprofit called Feeding Our Future. The program was intended to help feed hungry children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding Our Future reportedly created fake attendance rosters with the names and ages of nonexistent children and falsified invoices to create a facade of providing food to the pretend children.  The subpoena cover letter addressed to Tim Walz said, "As the chief executive and the highest ranking official in the state of Minnesota, you are responsible for the Minnesota Department of Education and its administration of Foster Care Navigator Programs. Statements in the press by you, [Governor Walz] and your representatives indicate that you and other executive officers were involved, or had knowledge of … [this] massive fraud." Pastor: Jesus would've blessed mothers who abort for “loving kindness” And finally, Rebecca Todd Peters is a professor, author, and a Presbyterian Church (USA) ‘pastor.'   A lover of all things baby-killing, she also serves on the Clergy Advocacy Board of Planned Parenthood. In a July 9, 2023 sermon, she lauded the positives of abortion as she preached to The Community Unitarian Universalist Church of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, reported Protestia.com. As she wore a pink stole, or priestly vestment, emblazoned with the Planned Parenthood logo, Peters lamented that pro-life Christians have gained ground in the culture war in the language around abortion so that even unbelievers view it as a bad thing or “difficult choice.” She cited Psalm 139:13-14 in which David said to God, “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Incredibly, Peters said this. PETERS: “I can certainly appreciate the lyrical beauty of this text, as well as the descriptions in Jeremiah and Job of their certain knowledge that God was with them in the womb. “I, too, feel that I am known by God in these ways. As a woman who has born two children, I can affirm that I felt something sacred happening in my gestating body during those pregnancies. “I can also attest that I felt God's presence with me as I made the decision to end two pregnancies, and I felt no guilt, no shame, no sin.” Shockingly, on a separate occasion, Peters also made this blasphemous claim. PETERS:  “If Jesus were here today, He would be an [abortion] clinic escort, distracting women from the hatred of the protesters, or an abortion doula, holding women's hands and offering support and love as they end their pregnancies. “If Jesus were giving His sermon today, He might also have said, ‘Blessed are those who end pregnancies for they will be known for their loving kindness.'” No doubt your heart is as grieved as mine over her evil remarks, spoken from a pulpit no less, as she claims to represent God Himself. Please, pray that Rebecca Todd Peters, this Presbyterian Church USA so-called pastor, would repent of her unbiblical worldview that celebrates the murder of a mother's pre-born baby in her womb. Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, September 6th, in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Indonesia's president-elect set a distinctive tone by making visits to France, Serbia, Turkey and Russia.  Kevin and Erin examine some takeaways (more on the Kremlin call in the next pod.)  Meanwhile, President Widodo breaks in the Nusantara Palace and hosts influencers.  Also: the Asean foreign ministers' retreat in Laos and a grotesque verdict for a grotesque crime in Surabaya.For a free trial of Reformasi newsletter, go to reformasi.infoRead Erin's newsletter Dari Mulut Ke Mulut here: https://darimulut.beehiiv.com/

Last time we spoke about the Japanese defeats at Imphal and Kohima. General Mutaguchi's Operation U-Go was gradually falling apart. General Yamauchi faced defeat afte defeat and was forced to dig in around Sendgmai and Kanglatongbi. The allies then began tossing large counteroffensives while Mutaguchi was forced to change targets for Bishenpur, only to be repelled again. The allies' anvil-hammer strategy proved very effective, the Japanese lost their momentum and now the allies were seizing it. The battle for Kohima was fierce, seeing the Japanese struggle to seize key features upon it. Despite many victories in Kohima, it did not seem like the Japanese would be able to seize the entire area. Within the China theater, Operation Kogo saw the Japanese push into Luoyang, earning enormous victories over the Chinese forces. Out in the Pacific, the British eastern fleet launched a successful airstrike against Surabaya, gaining valuable experience despite minimal Japanese response. This episode is the Battle of Wakde Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.    A new mission was afoot, Operation Tornado, the amphibious assault of Wakde Island. The nucleus of the force that would hit Wakde was to be General Doe's 163rd regiment of the 41st division. The war planners devoted a lot of time to the selection of a landing beach for Tornado. However the island was too small and her beaches were too limited to permit the landing of a reinforced regiment. Furthermore a landing on Wake would most likely be met by hidden Japanese artillery on the mainland. Thus to stop such a thing from occurring they would have to perform a landing against the mainland to eliminate artillery positions.  It was decided that a landing at Toem, on the mainland directly opposite Wakde, would not be sensible. There the landing craft and cargo ships would be subjected to small-caliber fire from Wakde. In such restricted waters the enemy could place enfilade fire on the ships, but in more open waters to the west naval fire support ships and amphibious vessels would have freedom of movement and could maneuver to neutralize both Wakde and the Toem area while the TORNADO Task Force moved ashore and set up its artillery. After consideration of all these factors, it was finally decided that the initial beachhead would be at Arare, a native settlement on the coast about three miles west of Toem and four and one-half miles southwest of Wakde Island. Additionally, the Allied Air Forces desired that radar warning stations be established in the Wakde area. For this purpose, Liki and Niroemoar Islands, about fifteen miles off Sarmi, were to be seized. As such the Tornado Task Force was going to begin landing on the mainland opposite of Wakde island at Arare on May 17th. The next day the 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry would assault Wakde island, covered not only by the task force artillery but also by the Provisional Groupment on Insoemanai and by naval fire support ships. After all of that, on the 19th, Liki and Niroemoar islands would be captured where radar stations would be constructed. Furthermore, in reserve would be the 128th and 158th Regiments, ready to reinforce Doe's troops if needed.  Admiral Fechteler's Task Force 77 was going to take charge of the operations against Wakde and Biak, with Captain Noble's Eastern Attack Group providing fire support for Operation Tornado. Captain Noble divided his fire support ships into three groups: Fire Support Group A two heavy cruisers and four destroyers, Fire Support Group B three light cruisers and six destroyers, and Fire Support Group C, ten destroyers. These ships would  begin firing on assigned targets at H minus 45 minutes and would continue bombardment until H minus 3. The bulk of the D Day fire was to be aimed at Sawar and Maffin Dromes, west of the landing beach. No resistance was expected at the beach and a light bombardment to be directed on it was purely precautionary. Some fire support ships were assigned counterbattery missions and others were to aim their shells at Wakde and Insoemanai Islands. Other ships assigned to participate in the landing phase were 3 submarine chasers, 2 destroyer-escorts, 4 minesweepers, 2 rocket-equipped submarine chasers, and 3 rocket-equipped LCIs. Rocket fire was to begin at H minus 3 minutes and was to be directed principally against the beachhead area. At H minus 1, all fire on the beach was to cease and the landing craft were to make their final dash to the shore. After the landing, the fire support ships were to shift bombardment to targets on the beach flanks and were to be prepared to deliver call fire upon request from the troops ashore. The landing on Insoemanai was to be supported by two LCI”G”s and two destroyers. Throughout the night of 17-18 May, cruisers and destroyers were to bombard Wakde and on the morning of the 18th they and the rocket-equipped vessels were to support the assault on that island. On the 19th a few destroyers were to support the landings on Liki and Niroemoar Islands. Admiral Crutchley's cruisers would shell the mainland around Sarmi and Sawar, while Admiral Berkey's cruisers would hit Wakde Island. On top of that, General Kenney's 5th Air Force would hit the Wakde-Sarmi area alongside other targets along New Guinea's northern coast. Special attention was given to enemy fields east of the Vogelkop Peninsula and on Biak Island. Japanese waterborne supply and reinforcement movements in the Geelvink Bay area were to be stopped insofar as weather, time, and the availability of aircraft permitted it. Insofar as range, weather, and time permitted, Australian bombers, aided by a Dutch squadron of B-25s, were to neutralize enemy air bases on the Arafura Sea islands and on other islands of the Indies southwest of the Vogelkop. On D minus 1 Fifth Air Force bombers were to attempt detonation of possible land mines on the mainland beach and subsurfaces mines in the waters surrounding Wakde. On the morning of D Day there was to be additional bombing west of the landing area, but there was to be no bombing or strafing of the beach immediately before the assault. Fighters were to be on air alert, weather permitting, over the Wakde area from first light to dusk on D Day. During part of the day A-20s would also be on alert over the area and were to strike Wakde. Such daily cover was to continue until aircraft could use the Wakde strip. To face this onslaught was a signal IJA company, the Japanese 9th Company of the 224th Infantry Regiment, reinforced with a mountain artillery platoon and a few mortar and both light and heavy machine-gun squads from other 224th Regiment units. The strength of this combat force was about 280 men. They would be assisted by the IJN's 91st Guard Unit of about 150 men and a battery of the 53rd Field Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, most of whose weapons had long since been demolished by the air attacks. Alongside miscellaneous airdrome engineers and other service personnel, both Army and Navy over on Insoemoear Island, this brought the total of Japanese strength on the island to nearly 800 troops. This was all the result of General Tagami's decision to concentrate the bulk of his division in the Maffin Bay-Sawar sector, leaving the coastal stretch east of the Tor River and opposite of Wakde pretty much unguarded. A series of untoward circumstances emerged which hampered the loading process. LSTs on which the Task Force units at Aitape were to be loaded were some eight hours late reaching the staging point. When these vessels finally reached Aitape, adverse surf conditions and congestion on the shore prevented their beaching until late in the afternoon of May 13th, and loading was delayed another twelve hours. There was also some trouble about units scheduled to take part in the Wakde operation. The Shore Battalion, 533rd EBSR, an important element of the Task Force, did not arrive at Aitape until the afternoon of May 12th. The battalion and its equipment could not be unloaded from the ships which had brought it to BLUE Beach from eastern New Guinea and be reloaded on LSTs of the Wakde convoy in time for the departure of the task force from Aitape, scheduled for no later than midnight on May 14th. In view of these logistic difficulties, General Doe was therefore forced to drive his troops to the limit of their endurance in order to get the loading finished on time. He solved the problem of the Shore Battalion, 533rd EBSR by substituting for that unit the Shore Battalion, 593rd EBSR, which was already stationed at Aitape. Finally at 1am on the 15th, Noble's ships departed Aitape, stopping at Hollandia to load the remainder of the task force, before assembling off Arare and Wakde by dawn of the 17th. The fire support ships successfully bombarded the Japanese targets against little resistance while as Troops aboard the assault ships arose early, ate the breakfast quickly, and by 5:30 began loading on their assigned landing craft. The sea remained calm and the rain gave way to the sun shortly after dawn. Men of the 3d Battalion, 163d Infantry, transferred from the APA's which had brought them from Aitape to the eight LCVP's of the first wave. The beach was clearly visible and its limits had been marked by colored smoke grenades dropped by cruiser-based seaplanes of the fire support units. Meeting zero opposition, the first American troops would hit the shore at 7:15, with succeeding waves rapidly arriving behind them. The 3rd Battalion then fanned out along the shore and quickly secured the Arare beachhead area, just as the remaining units were being brought to shore. Upon landing, Doe's 2nd Battalion passed through the 3rd and immediately moved eastward towards Tementoe Creek, successfully securing Toem against no opposition by 9:30.  There, the 1st Battalion assembled for the assault on Wakde while Company E was transported from the mainland to Insoemanai Island, where the Americans would successfully establish a Provisional Groupment of heavy weapons to support the next day's assault. Within a few hours after the mainland beachhead had been secured, the Tornado Task Force was ready to execute the second phase of the D Day plan, the capture of Insoemanai Island, a little over 3,500 yards offshore. At about 10:45, under cover of fire from two destroyers and two rocket-equipped LCIs, a platoon of Company E, 163rd Infantry, was transported from the mainland to Insoemanai. There was no opposition to this maneuver and the islet proved to be unoccupied. Four LCMs, an LCVP, and two LCSs immediately took the rest of the company and the Provisional Groupment of heavy weapons to Insoemanai. The landing of the force was rendered difficult only by the fact that a coral fringing reef made it necessary for the troops to wade ashore from about seventy-five yards out. The mortars and machine guns of the Provisional Groupment were quickly set up and began firing on Wakde. The Japanese at Wakde responding to their first bombardments with machine-gun and mortar fire, which was the only noticeable resistance of this day. At the same time, elements of the 3rd Battalion had moved west to the Tor River, successfully reaching it during the afternoon. Thus, by the end of the day, the Americans had landed a total of 7000 men and had successfully secured a firm beachhead between the Tementoe and Tor Rivers at the cost of only 2 killed and 11 wounded.  Once he received news of the landings, General Tagami ordered all his forces to prepare a counterattack to try and destroy the allied beachhead. He also ordered the Matsuyama Detachment, who were advancing towards Hollandia, to turn back to Toem as quickly as possible so they could launch and attack against the enemy from the east. Yet before the Japanese could begin their advances, General Doe's amphibious assault began. Shore-based artillery, the Provisional Groupment on Insoemanai, and some of the naval fire support ships unleashed harassing fire on Wakde throughout the night. 36 A-20s of General Kenney's Fifth Air Force bombed and strafed the Japanese defenses beginning at 7:15am on the 15th. Naval bombardment lasted until 8:57 when the gunfire was aimed at the proposed landing beach on the southern shore of Wakde, and was then to be lifted to the northern side of the island. The 191st Field Artillery Group fired for twenty-three minutes on Wakde, and this bombardment was supplemented by 20-mm. and 40-mm. weapons aboard naval support vessels upon completion of the latters' fire from heavier weapons. The Provisional Groupment on Insoemanai joined in. In addition, rocket-equipped LCIs threw 850 4.5-inch rockets on the island. Noble's warships expending a total of 400 rounds of 6-inch and 1950 rounds of 5-inch ammunition against Wakde's defenses.  The Japanese had constructed many defensive positions on Wakde. There were about a hundred bunkers of various sizes and constructions. Some were made of coconut logs and dirt, others utilized cement in sacks, and a few contained concrete or lumps of coarse coral. There were many foxholes and slit trenches, and the Japanese had improved some of the bomb craters to make defensive positions. There were at least two well-constructed concrete air raid shelters and the Japanese were prepared to use the few coral caves on the eastern shore for both defense and storage. Many of the defensive positions were well camouflaged, and some were dug deep into the ground to present a low silhouette. Coconut trees toppled by pre-assault bombardments added more natural camouflage and protection to the enemy's defensive positions. The majority of the many bunkers were mutually supporting, but, on the other hand, some had been built with no apparent relationship to others. Some of the bunkers, most of the field and anti-aircraft gun positions, the airstrip, and many buildings had been severely damaged or destroyed by carrier-based aircraft during their attacks on the Wakde-Sarmi area in support of the Hollandia operation. By 9am, the first wave of LCVPS were surging forward under Japanese rifle and machine gun fire at around 300 yards range. They hit the beaches at Wakde at 9:10am. For the next 15 minutes, three rifle companies and two Sherman tanks landed against increasing fire from Japanese machine-guns and rifles in hidden positions on the flanks of the beachhead. Despite the resistance, the beachhead was quickly organized and the Americans soon began to expand the perimeter in all directions. The two tanks, with Companies B and F, started moving west to widen the initial hold. Company C struck north toward the airstrip and Company A pushed to the southeast along the small peninsula to destroy a troublesome machine gun nest on the little knoll. After destroying an enemy bunker, Company A cleared the eastern peninsula by 10:45 while Companies B and F, after meeting initial heavy resistance on the west flank, found that most opposition collapsed once the ruins of prewar plantation houses had been cleared by hand grenades and rifle fire. The two companies thereupon left the beach and swung north toward the airfield. Company C then encountered strong resistance in its drive up the center of the island, laboriously clearing a group of bunkers by 10:15 but then calling for tank support to destroy a second group in front of the airfield. At the same time, Companies B and F swung north towards the airfield, reaching its southern edge at 10:30 and then pushing eastwards. Just before 11:30  the tanks joined the infantry unit, which had now pushed halfway from the beach to the airstrip. With this added strength Company C reduced each bunker in a series of separate actions which included 75-mm. fire from the tanks, lobbing hand grenades into the bunkers' fire ports, and killing with rifle fire all Japanese who showed themselves. With Company B's aid and the continued support of the two tanks, Company C was able to push on to the airstrip. In the northeast corner of the island the Japanese forces maintained a fierce defense, and Companies B, C, and F were subjected to considerable small arms, machine gun, and mortar fire originating from positions at the eastern end of the airstrip. Movement eastward along the south side of the strip was slow, even though Companies B and F had been reinforced by Company D's heavy machine guns, which had arrived on Wakde from Insoemanai late in the morning. In the meantime, Company A was sent to aid in the mop up of the plantation houses, before turning northwest to clear the western end of Wakde. Company A pushed along the beach road and down a dispersal lane running off the southwest side of the strip. About 1245 the advance was held up by three Japanese bunkers on the right flank. Tank 75-mm. fire, delivered from as close as 20 yards, soon eliminated the Japanese defenders. Small groups of Japanese, originally hiding in foxholes behind the three pillboxes, attempted to assault the tanks with hand grenades and bayonets. Company A's automatic riflemen quickly dispersed or killed these men, and the unit pushed on around the west end of the airstrip. Little opposition was encountered in this movement and the company reached the north shore of Wakde Island about 1:30pm. Major Wing of the 1st battalion, decided to await the arrival of two more tanks from the mainland and the redisposition of Company D's weapons before attacking what promised to be the strongest Japanese defenses on Wakde. The two additional tanks were to be used wherever opposition proved heaviest, while the heavy weapons of Company D were to be equally divided between Companies B and F. Meanwhile Company C attempted to advance across the strip in support of Company A, but their movement would be delayed due to the ferocious enemy resistance. At 3:45, Company A finally restarted the drive eastwards while Companies B and F kept pushing along the airfield. Company A rapidly moved forward from the western end of the strip, passed through Company C at the halfway point, and pushed cautiously eastward. Movement after passing Company C was slowed by increasingly heavy machine gun and mortar fire from the northeast section of the island. At 6:00, when Major Wing ordered his men to dig in for the night, Company A had not quite reached the northeastern corner of the airfield. Meanwhile, south of the strip Company B had scarcely started its attack when fire from hidden Japanese machine guns held up the advance. Company F was immediately pulled out of its reserve role and committed to action on B's right flank. Two tanks were moved forward to Company B's front at the same time. Despite their best efforts and even with the tank support, Companies B and F were unable to progress more than 300 yards east of the lines of departure. Major Wing decided that since dusk was approaching it would be useless to continue the attack. The two companies were therefore halted and instructed to take up night defensive positions. Company A had set up its night perimeter about 100 yards short of the northeast corner of the airdrome. Company B was on the south side of the strip about 450 yards from the eastern end, and Company F was on B's right. Company C was pulled back to the southern side of the field and extended Company F's line to the southeast beach at the base of the small peninsula. The battalion command post was about 400 yards behind the lines of Company F. There was no connection across the strip between Companies A and B. The former was in a dangerously exposed position. However, Japanese fire against the company perimeter ceased before dark, and the Japanese did not attack. The night was fairly uneventful except at around 2:30 am on the 19th a small group of Japanese attacked a command post, defended by elements of Company D, and a half-hour fire fight raged in the darkness. Twelve Japanese were killed while three Americans, all of D Company, were wounded. This night battle did not delay the next day's attack which started, after an artillery and mortar preparation of one hour's duration, at 9:15am. Company C was the first unit under way on the 19th. Two tanks were assigned to the 3rd Platoon and one to the 2nd. The 3rd Platoon was on the left, the 2nd on the right, and the 1st and Weapons Platoons were in support. The 3rd Platoon pushed eastward up a slight rise, harassed by light rifle fire from the front and left flank. Once on top of the rise the platoon met heavy Japanese fire from behind fallen coconut trees and from a number of bunkers, bomb craters, and demolished buildings to the east. The 75-mm. guns of the tanks methodically destroyed each enemy position, and the few enemy that escaped from the bunkers were cut down by 3rd Platoon riflemen. The 2nd Platoon, followed by the rest of C Company, moved on toward the eastern beaches, and was slowed only by heavy brush near the shore. Upon turning north at the beach the company found that the Japanese had converted a number of small coral caves into minor strong points. These were slowly cleared by riflemen, tank fire, and flame throwers as the company pushed on. Meanwhile, Company B, moving east along the south edge of the airstrip, had also encountered many Japanese defensive positions. Progress was at a snail's pace. Company F, in reserve during the early part of the drive, was thrown into the fight on B's right flank about 11:30 and two tanks were sent from Company C's front to support Company B. The latter, with its zone of responsibility now nearly halved, was able to concentrate its forces for more effective operations. A rifle platoon was assigned to each tank and the remaining rifle platoon was in support. Some Japanese were found hidden in wrecks of aircraft, some of which covered bunkers, and others were in foxholes in heavy brush. This brush was difficult for soldiers afoot to penetrate but the tanks, spraying every likely hiding place with machine gun fire, rapidly broke paths through it. The advance, even with the tank support, was slow, because it was necessary to comb every square foot of ground for Japanese riflemen. It was not until 1400 that Company B reached the southeast corner of the strip. On B's right, Company F and one tank encountered similar opposition but managed to keep abreast of Companies B and C. During the late afternoon, Companies C and F turned north, while Company A advanced northeast to join up with Company B. At this point the eastern end of the field had been cleared out, the Japanese resistance began to collapse as remaining defenders formed a small triangle perimeter by 6pm. Meanwhile Liki and Niroemoar were captured by Companies E and I on the 19th. The two companies had been transported to the objectives by two APD's and two LCT's, protected by DD's. The islands proved to be unoccupied by the Japanese and the Fifth Air Force radar detachments were immediately set up. The only casualty was the native chieftain of Liki, who was wounded by the pre assault naval bombardment. Detachments of the 163d Infantry were left on both islands to protect the radar installations. The morning of the 20th, suddenly opened up with a banzai charge performed by 37 Japanese, who had slipped through Company C's lines during the night against engineer units at the beachhead. The attack began at7:30, leaving36 dead and 1 wounded Japanese, the latter was taken prisoner. At 9:00 Companies A, C, and F started patrolling in the northeast pocket. A few Japanese were killed, others were buried by demolition charges in coral caves along the northeast shore, and many committed suicide. During the afternoon Major Wing's men moved back to the mainland and turned over control of Wakde Island to the Allied Air Forces. The 836th Engineer Aviation Battalion began repairing the western end of the Wakde airdrome, with the strip being declared operational on May 21st. The first planes landed on the island that afternoon, two days ahead of schedule. Within a few more days the Wakde strip was sufficiently repaired and enlarged to furnish the needed base from which bombers could support the Biak operation on May 27 and Admiral Nimitz' advance to the Marianas in mid-June. The final count of Japanese casualties on Wakde was 759 killed and 4 captured, with an additional 50 being killed on the mainland. In turn, the Americans only lost 43 killed and 139 wounded. That is all for today on this front as we now need to cross over to the India-Burma front. Last time, we saw the forces of General Stopford managed to retake Kohima Ridge in mid May, tossing General Sato's 31st Division onto the defense. Stopford reorganized his forces for a final push. The 5th brigade led by Brigadier Michael West prepared to launch  coordinated set-piece attacks against the remaining Japanese positions atop Naga Hill. An attack was made by the Cameron Highlanders on Hunter's Hill on the night of May 15th, but it was hurled back. After this bulldozers were sent to cut a track up Naga Hill to allow tanks to support an infantry assault. On the 19th, Brigadier West launched another attack, but this time terrible weather hindered them, allowing the Worcesters to only seize 9 bunkers before being halted by enemy fire, coming from a group of bunkers on the reverse slope. After this, General Messervy of the 7th division was given responsibility for taking Naga Hill. On May 23rd, he brought with him Brigadier Loftus-Tottenham's 33rd brigade. This switch allowed General Grover to concentrate the remainder of his tired division for an attack on the Japanese positions on Aradura Spur. On the other side, Sato was exhorting his men to “You will fight to the death. When you are killed you will fight on with your spirit.” Yet Sato knew full well he lacked the ammunition and provisions necesary to hold Kohima, he would have to withdraw in short order.  Two sets of attacks were unleashed upon the Japanse, first on Japanese defences around Point 5120, known also as Church Knoll and Hunter's Hill by Messervy's 7th Indian Division on the left of the battlefield, and then of Aradura Spur by Grover's 2nd Division on the right. The 4/15th Punjab suffered a bloody reverse in these assaults, losing 18 officers and 443 casualties for not a single metre of ground in return. No combination of attacks from the air, artillery strikes, tanks, flame-throwers, infantry or mortars could dislodge Sato's men. On the Aradura Spur, Grover ordered simultaneous assaults to take place on 27th and 28th of May. On the right the Royal Scots and Norfolks were to attack the north-east end of Aradura Spur, while 6th Brigade were to take the south-west, where their objectives were named 'Matthew', 'Mark', 'Luke' and 'John'. When launched, however, 6th Brigade's attack on the 28th failed miserably. The weather was poor, the terrain atrocious and the morale of the exhausted 2nd Division the lowest it had been since its arrival. The attack by the Norfolks and the Royal Scots on the north-west spur met the same fate as the luckless 6th Brigade. The Norfolks were now down to 14 officers and 366 men, many exhausted and ill and, despite the remarkable leadership of Lt. Col. Robert Scott and above-average morale, the Japanese positions looked typically impervious to anything other than a direct tank round into each bunker, which of course was not possible in the steep, jungle-matted hillsides. Along with the intantry attacks, Naga Hill was heavily attacked by Hurricane bombers during the 24th and 25th, but the Japanese remained firmly entrenched and resolutely immovable.  The only major result of these attacks would be more casualties and a further drop in morale for the British-Indian troops. Sato's was alianted from the HQ of 15th Army, but had no doubt that it was Mutaguchi's abject failure to send supplies through the mountains that had forced him to undertake the kind of passive defense in which his division was now engaged. On May 29th, Sato thus reported that his position was hopeless, and that he reserved the right to act on his own initiative and withdraw when he felt that it was necessary to do so, in order to save what remained of his battered division from inevitable destruction. Later that day he signaled Mutaguchi: “We have fought for two months with the utmost courage, and have reached the limits of human fortitude. Our swords are broken and our arrows spent. Shedding bitter tears, I now leave Kohima.” Apoplectic with rage and astonished at his subordinate's blatant disobedience, Mutaguchi ordered Sato to stay where he was. Sato ignored him and on receipt of Mutaguchi's threat to court-martial him, replied defiantly: “Do as you please. I will bring you down with me.” The angry exchange continued, with Sato the following day sending a final angry message to Mutaguchi in which he declared: “The tactical ability of the 15th Army staff lies below that of cadets.” Sato then ordered his staff to close down the radio sets, in a final act of defiance. During the back and forth screamfest, Sato had requested Mutaguchi permis him to withdraw to a position that would allowed the 31st division to finally receive supplies, Mutaguchi simply refused and demanded he hold on another 10 days. Sato could simply not keep letting his men down, he made plans to withdraw for May 31st. The Miyazaki detachment was given the task of covering the retreat for the 31st division. On May 27th, the 4/1st Gurkhas under the newly appointed 27-year-old Lieutenant-Colonel Derek Horsford, managed to capture the Gun Spur at the extreme eastern edge of Naga Hill via a night infiltration that took the Japanese entirely by surprise. This further allowed tanks to approach the Japanese positions and, by June 1st, an attack by the Queen's discovered that the Japanese were withdrawing. Grover then thrusted his troops from the newly captured Naga Hill south-east across a valley to cut off General Miyazuki's rearguard and the 124th regiment around the Aradura Spur from the road to Imphal just behind it. Recognizing the inevitable, Miyazaki then had to withdraw from Aradura on the night of June 4, planning to conduct further delaying actions at Viswema in protection of Sato's withdrawal. Yet that is it for the battle of Kohima as we now need to travel north to see how General Vinegar Joe's offensive is going. Last time we saw General Merrill's Marauders take the Myitkyina airstrip and prepare for a siege of Myitkyina. The Chinese forces of Generals Sun and Liao were pushing the 18th division towards the Kamaing area. As for the Chindits, Major Master's 111th Brigade contuined to repel numerous Japanese attacks against the Blackpool Stronghold, without the assistance of his floater Brigades. The Japanese artillery continued to take a killing toll on the camp with their near continuous fire. They had been reinforced with even heavier 155mm guns, which together with enemy mortars positions on a ridge 1,000 yards ahead, began to pummel them. Meanwhile allied aircraft were unable to supply them adequately because of the monsoons, and General Takeda's 53rd Division was furiously approaching to crush them. On May 16th Japanese troops penetrated the defenses and a counter-attack failed to eject them. Now many positions within the perimeter came under persistent sniper fire. Shelling that evening heralded another attack. It was beaten back, leaving 50 Japanese dead. This was followed by a night attack involving two companies. This was repulsed, the enemy losing another 70 men. Master's estimated his Brigade had killed about 800 Japanese, they had also suffered 200 casualties during the last few days. Luckily for them, however, the impending threat to Myitkyina and Kamaing, forced General Honda to redirect the 3rd Battalion, 114th Regiment to reinforce the Myitkyina garrison while the 2nd Battalion, 146th Regiment continued north to reinforce General Tanaka.  At this point Masters wanted to withdraw deeper into the jungle, from where they could ambush the advancing Japanese and set up a new stronghold with the help of 14th Brigade and West Africans, who were probing the jungle ridges east of them. He signaled Lentaigne asking for permission to abandon the block at his discretion. But Lentaigne's authority had become reduced. He was forced to take the message to Stilwell, who having been thwarted at Myitkyina, had allowed the Hyde to his Jekyll to emerge. In scathing language, he called the British “a bunch of lily-livered Limey popinjays.” Lentaigne then let his Irish temper get the better of him, and a fierce argument erupted at Stilwell's headquarters. Then on May 22nd, General Takeda's 53rd Division reached the stronghold. They unleashed an all-out assault, the Cameronians of 90th Column, who held the southern perimeter, were being forced back, inch by inch, as the Chindit artillery engaged the Japanese assaulters over open sights. Soon the airstrip was in enemy hands, prompting the Bofors 40mm AA gunners to lower their quadruple barrels and blaze away at the enemy troops. The pyrotechnics took on a fantastic quality as night fell. At dawn on the 23rd, the Japanese withdrew to just beyond the airstrip, as 10 Japanese fighters swept in to strafe and bomb the British. Their attack proved almost leisurely compared to the artillery and infantry strikes. When the fighters departed, the Japanese artillery and machineguns resumed. Masters called for a supply drop of ammunition as the previous night's expenditure had been massive, but necessary. Eight RAF Dakotas appeared that afternoon, in light rain, low, just over the hills, twisting and turning over the forested peaks. Nearing Blackpool, they straightened out and flew level. Doors opened, parachutes streamed and crates of supplies came from the sky. A storm of fire erupted from the Japanese positions. The heavy AA guns joined in, the boom-boom-booms of their heavy fire becoming rhythmic in the distance. The wing of a Dakota vanished and plane fell like a twirling leaf, crashing into the jungle across from the “Deep.” Two other planes in their haste to evade fire nearly crossed streams; their payloads hurled far and wide, most of falling into Japanese hands. In all, four Dakotas were shot down. The defenders only managed to get a half an aircraft's load of ammunition. Despite this the Chindits continued to resist the furious Japanese assaults; but before dawn on May 24th, the Japanese would finally overrun a hillock known as the Pimple, held by Harper's 3/9th Gurkhas. Harper mounted an immediate counterattack. Harper's Gurkhas struggled to dislodge the Japanese from the “pimple,” but failed. The defenders threw machine-gun fire and hurled mortar bombs towards the hillock with little apparent effect. The failed counterattack would only see the Japanese secure the Silly Point positions and advance rapidly east and south as the defenses progressively collapsed before them.  By May 25, Masters was forced to withdraw while his forces still had enough ammunition to defend themselves. There were 90 men that could not walk without help and another 30-40 that could not walk at all. A doctor summoned Masters to a group of 40-50 disheveled men, many wounded, but still standing, carrying stretchers from the Main Dressing Station. They were now on the evacuation path, now largely devoid of fighting troops. None of the walking wounded would look Masters in the eye. The stretchers and litters were also full of men with horrific wounds; 19 in all. To Masters' distress, the doctor said there were another 30 such cases ahead who could be saved if they were evacuated. He had given the 19 here full doses of morphine and said, under the thundering noise of the rain, that the men had no chance. It dawned on Masters that the doctor was suggesting that these men be put out of their misery. Master's said “Very well. I don't want them to see any Japanese,” The dotor cried “Do you think I want to do it?” But Masters was already seeking a way out. “Get the stretcher bearers on at once” he snapped. As he went back up the ridge towards what was left of the camp, he heard the carbine shots going off one by one along the line of casualties. He pressed his hands on his ears to blot out the sound, but couldn't. Masters and his subordinate commanders decided to withdraw in stages, with the forward line of defenders leapfrogging over a second line of the defenders covering them from a defensive position, known as a layback. This second line, were in turn, then to be covered by the troops now behind them, allowing them to leapfrog to the next covering position, a formula which could be repeated for as long as possible, and as long as the ground permitted it. The Chindits would have to begin a long and difficult hill climb away from Blackpool,  towards the rallying point of Mokso Sakan. Luckily for them, Takeda decided not to pursue them, as he had been redirected to reinforce Myitkyina instead. The victory was very costly, however, as the 128th Regiment lost about 400 men; but at last the Mogaung-Indaw route had been reopened after a three month's blockade. On May 29th, the survivors of the 111th Brigade would finally reach Mokso Sakan, bringing with them 2000 men whom required immediate hospitalization. In the end, the Blackpool Stronghold, desired by Lentaigne and Stilwell, had been a costly endeavor for the Chindits. Meanwhile, over with the 22nd Division, a failed envelopment maneuver by Task Force Purple, consisting of elements of the 149th regiment and former Galahad evacess, prompting Liao on the 19th to send the 65th regiment to aid the 64th regiments right flank and cut a trail south towards the Mogaung valley. The chinese hastily advanced to Chishidu, pushing the Japanese 1st company, 56th regiment over to Nanyaseik. Further east, Tanaka's right flank in the Mogaung valley was beginning to crumble against the 38th divisions offensive. This prompted Tanaka to reinforce the 1st battalion, 55th regiment with the 146 regiment. Tanaka ordered Major General Aida Shunji, commander of the 18th infantry group to block the Chinese advance in the mountainous region north of Kamaing. Despite this, General Sun had sent his 114th regiment hooking west behind the Japanese strongpoints, soon they would link up with the 113th to clear the Japanese from West Wala, Maran and Sharaw. Simultaneously, the 112th regiment managed to secure Warang on the 20th. Thus despite all his efforts, Tanaka's right flank was going to collapse. At this point, the 18th Division's daily ration of staple food was only 100 grams of rice the regular quantity being 860 grams and there was no supply of auxiliary rations. Moreover, as the supply of ammunition was cut off, the use of ammunition was limited to only four rounds per day and, as there was no gasoline, vehicles could not be used. Cases of malaria and malnutrition occurred successively and the number of men to one company dropped to about 30. As an extreme case, there was even a company of about 15 men led by a sergeant. About this time, the officers of the 18th Division also learned that there was no chance of the Japanese counter offensive in the Hukawng Valley on which so many hopes had been staked, for the U operation was failing "miserably." Their morale began to sag, and in Tanaka's later opinion this realization marked the "turning point" for his division.  In order to deliver a killing blow, Sun elected to dispatch the 112th regiment wide around the Japanse eastern flank to cut the Kamain Road south of Seton, while the 114th regiment advanced down the Kumon Range towards Tumbonghka and Mogaung. The 112th managed to slip past the Aida Detachment whom were holding a position at the village of Lawa and would emerge out of the jungle in the rear of Tanaka's lines on the 25th. The Chinese crossed the Mogaung river by the 26th and captured a supply center at Seton. The Chinese captured 35 Japanese trucks, a jeep, a sedan, 8 warehouses of food and ammunition, 100 horses, 4 pieces of artillery, a workshop, and a motor pool. They then set up a roadblock, prompting Tanaka to strip his divisional HQ and other servicable units to get a force together to hit the 112th as quickly as possible. At the same time Tanaka ordered the 4th regiment to hit the roadblock from the north while the recently arrived 2nd battalion, 146th regiment would hit them from the south. Tanaka also ordered his engineers to cut a secret escape route running from the Noidaw Bum to the Bumrawng Bum via Noidawyang. Takeda's 53rd division had just reached Mogaung as they dispatched a depleted 3rd battalion, 128th regiment towards Seton to relive Myitkyina. Seeing the enemy positions emerge at Chishidu and Seton, Tanaka finally decided to withdraw his division to the Kamaing area on the 28th, while his engineers vigerously were constructing fortifications. The Aida detachment would secure Lawa on the right flank, while the 55th and 56th regiments concentrated in the vicinity of Nanyaseik to cover the withdrawal of rear echlon units to Kamaing. Over at the Seton roadblock, the 112th regiment repeled relentless Japanese attacks, throuhg flood weather.  Meanwhile, Myitkyina was seeing its first two days of siege. The 150th regiment were halted by heavy enemy fire at the railroad yards, suffering 671 casualties on May 20th. K Force took the suburban village of Charpate, north-northwest of Myitkyina, and the 88th Regiment extended its lines south to the railway tracks, which in this area run northwest before turning south to Mogaung. Unfortunately, K Force did not occupy a small height which dominated Charpate. M Force took the little settlement of Namkwi without opposition, in order to shield the Allies against any Japanese attempt to relieve Myitkyina by an attack from Mogaung. General Merrill's forces were now so placed that Japanese reinforcements could reach Myitkyina only from across the Irrawaddy River to the east or along the Myitkyina-Mankrin or Myltkyina-Radhapur roads from the north. The Allied troops were disposed in a semicircle covering all approaches from the northwest, west, southwest, and south. So far, enemy activity was slight in this area. Even at the airfield the continual sniping did not prevent the planes from landing with an ever increasing amount of supplies. If General Merrill retained these positions, he could make a coordinated attack on Myitkyina. For this purpose he was forming a Myitkyina Task Force, which involved reshuffling of all the units under his command. H and K Forces were dissolved; the Marauder battalions were once more combined under Colonel Hunter; and the Chinese regiments operated as separate units.The opportunity to swiftly overrung Myitkyina emerged, as many troops under Major General Minakami Genzo were rushing through enemy gaps during the night to reinforce the battered 114th regiment. On May 30th, Minakami took command over the 3000 man garrison and ordered Myitkyina be held for atleast 3 months to keep the allies from advancing south into central Burma. On the allied side, Merrill suffered a heart attack and had to be evacuated. Colonel John McCammon assumed commander of the Myitkyina Task Force. McCammon immediately ordered Colonel Hunter's 3rd battalion to seize the auxiliary airstrip north of Myitkyina, but the Marauders would be halted by stiff Japanese defenses. Gaps were numerous through which the Japanese could work their way into Myitkyina, and Minakami set up a regular ferry service across the Irrawaddy by which supplies and individual replacements could be brought in. The terrain was excellent for defense. The roads lay high above the surrounding rice paddies, and each was therefore an earthwall making a first-rate obstacle. Clumps of trees were all about, and there were plenty of houses on the outskirts of town which the Japanese used to advantage. The northern part of the Japanese perimeter was well shielded by a crescent-shaped depression which the monsoon rains quickly turned into a swamp. In effect, the Allies and the Japanese were committed to position warfare. Though the operation was called a siege, the Japanese received a steady trickle of supplies and replacements until Mogaung fell. Colonel Hunter and his men would be forced to withdraw back to Charpate the following day. At 10pm on the night of May 23rd a battalion of Japanese launched an attack on Charpate from the rise northeast of the town. Beach's force had been depleted by sickness, and some of his men were out on patrol. The Japanese attack penetrated the 3rd Battalion's position early in the action. From the south 75-mm artillery supported the battalion's defense. The Marauders, fighting stubbornly, repelled the attack, but they suffered severe casualties. On the morning of May 24th at 9:335, the 3rd Battalion had to face still another attack. The fight was going badly when Hunter ordered Beach to break contact with the enemy and move to the railroad, 22 miles to the south. The Japanese occupied Charpate and held it in force as soon as the 3rd Battalion withdrew. McCammon had also ordered the 88th and 89th regiments to attack Myitkyina, but the Chinese barely advanced that day. Two days later the Japanese, supported by mortar fire, attacked Namkwi heavily, and the 2nd Battalion pulled back to a ridge about halfway to Myitkyina. The Japanese then occupied Namkwi and fortified it strongly. They had now taken over two of the towns on the main approaches to Myitkyina. Depressed by these defeats, McCammon was relieved of his command and Stilwell replaced him with General Boatner on May 30. Stilwell was becoming desperate, resorting to sending reinforcements of any kind, with two engineer battalions and a group of replacements and evacuees of Galahad arriving between May 26 and June 1.  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The landings against Wakde, while perhaps a bit overkill, saw the allies yet again showcase the prowess in amphibious assaults. Over in the Burma-India theater, the battle for Kohima was gradually becoming an allied victory and Vinegar Joe's first big foray against Myitkyina was painful but looked promising.

Last time we spoke about the remarkable success of Operation Reckless and Persecution.  Colonel Oliver Newman led the drive towards Hollandia's airfields, encountering scattered opposition and discovering large undefended Japanese supply dumps. General MacArthur was forced to postpone future plans until May 21st. Meanwhile, Allied submarine interceptions disrupted IJN troop movements, and Task Force 58's airstrikes neutralized Truk. Within Burma, General Stilwell's offensive faced challenges from Japanese resistance and heavy monsoon rains. Despite setbacks, the 22nd Division aimed to capture Inkangahtawng while Chinese forces engaged the enemy along various fronts. Chindits continued Operation Thursday, facing logistical hurdles and Japanese attacks. Colonel Kinnison's Marauders encountered strong resistance near Tingkrukawng, while Colonel Hunter's force successfully surprised the Japanese at Myitkyina.  This episode is the Japanese Defeat at Imphal and Kohima Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  We are jumping right back into the heat of General Mutaguchi's insane Operation U-Go. Poor General Yamauchi after suffering a devastating defeat at Nungshigum, was now facing allied tanks he simply had no answer for. Yamauchi ordered his men to dig in around Sendgmai and Kanglatongbi, basically so they would at least be hung around the Kohima-Imphal road. The allies answer to this was 6000 sorties, dropping 1000 bombs in the sector. It was a tremendous amount of damage, but the Japanese did benefit from bunkers. Yamauchi's 15th Division due north of Imphal were now being contained successfully, allowing General Briggs and Roberts to initiate their own counter offensives by the end of April. Simultaneously the 33rd Division was struggling to advance upon Bishenpur and the Shenam Saddle; over at Kohima, General Sato's 31st Division was reluctantly falling onto the defensive as the looming threat of a full British-Indian counteroffensive was dawning upon them. Imphal was still facing a grave threat from the Japanese along the Tiddim Road. Mutaguchi was personally directing the 33rd Divisions actions around Bishenpur at this time. Mutaguchi planned a three-pronged attack, one prong along the Tiddim Road, another down south from the Silchar Track by the 215th Regiment and a lastly from the north by the 214th Regiment. For the assault the 33rd Division received reinforcements in the form of the 14th Tank Regiment; the 2nd Battalion, 18th Heavy Field Artillery Regiment; and the 1st Anti-Tank Battalion from the Yamamoto Detachment. In late May they would also be receiving the 151st regiment and the 14th Tank regiment, amongst other units. This of course meant other units like the Yamamoto Detachment were being deprived of men, thus they in turn would be reinforced. The Yamamoto Detachment received the 2nd battalion, 51st regiment who were previously engaged with the Chindits at Indaw. They would arrive at Kampang after the fall of Crete West. Now in preparation for Mutaguchis renewed offensive the IJA would be tossing aircraft against the Gun Box in Bsihenpur. The Japanese Army Air Force made four air raids on the Gun Box position in Bishenpur in the first ten days of May. There was good reason for this, for at Gun Box the 32nd Indian Brigade had concentrated its artillery support. This included four 3.7in. howitzers, eight 25-pdrs, six 6-pdrs and three A/A guns. From here the guns were able to support the infantry's actions both on and around the Silchar Track, as well as the villages on the Tiddim Road such as Potsangbam. The Japanese heavy field artillery was at Khoirentak. The 215th regiment meanwhile performed some preliminary attacks against the positions at Ngarangial. Attacks began in early May against positions between Wireless Hill and Ngarangial, with two battalions attacking from the north and one from the south. The enemy, in strong positions, withstood a series of attacks which continued until the middle of May. While Mutaguchi waited for reinforcements to arrive so he could renew his southern offensive, Generals Yamamoto and Gracey were slugging it out for control over Crete West. The extremely exhausted 3rd battalion, 213 Regiment finally made a break through against the Lynch Pimple on the 8th,  forcing the 80th Brigade to evacuate Crete West two days later. On the night of the 10th, Yamamoto launched his first attacks against Scraggy Hill, which was extensively shelled, followed by a massive infantry assault: in classic style, wave upon wave of Japanese soldiers crashed on Scraggy, overwhelming its forward defenses. A point was finally reached in the night when the British battalion commander on Scraggy felt that the hill would fall unless supporting artillery fire was directed on his own positions. This was called in and the Japanese advance finally halted on the morning of 11th. But parts of Scraggy were now under the control of Yamamoto Force, which dug in. General Scoones reacted by relieving the exhausted 20th Division with the fresher 23rd Division of General Roberts. The new arrivals were shocked to see the conditions on the forward positions of the Shenam Saddle. Scraggy stood out. The Japanese were on part of the hill, while the rest of it was under British control. Trenches and bunkers covered the feature; in places, mere meters separated the two sides' front trenches. Bits of body parts of soldiers lay everywhere and a terrible stench covered the hillside. Now Cowan was planning a counter to Mutaguchis incoming offensive. He planned for an anvil and hammer maneuver; the hammer would be the 63rd Indian Brigade recently relieved from Sekmai in the first week of May by the 89th Indian Brigade. They would push down from Bishenpur towards Potsangbam, Ningthoukhong and even further south while the 48th Brigade established a roadblock on the Tiddim Road around Torbung, deep behind enemy lines. Cowan hoped to crush the 33rd Division along the road between his hammer and anvil while also cutting off the incoming Japanese reinforcements. Thus Brigadier Ronald Cameron's 48th Brigade stealthily advanced south along the eastern shore of Lake Loktak, crossed the Manipur River at Shuganu. It was a long grueling march. Simultaneously, Brigadier Guy Burton's 63rd Brigade advanced south against Potsangbam on the 10th. In their frustrated push southwards on the Tiddim Road, Burton's men had to deal first with the determined Japanese defense of Potsangbam. Burton took over on the 9th from Mackenzie's 32nd Indian Brigade, which had gained a foothold in the village the day before and was now to give its full attention to the Silchar Track. The 63rd Indian Brigade put in a first attack on Potsangbam on 10th. This involved two Gurkha battalions, each supported by a troop of tanks from the 3rd Carabiniers. The area they targeted was the main part of the village east of the Tiddim Road. The initial full frontal attacks failed to make much progress. Burton then changed tack against the Japanese, who had withdrawn to their main defenses south of the Potsangbam turel. He called for a heavy artillery bombardment from the same direction as before in the northern half of Potsangbam to make it appear that he was repeating the previous line of attack. Except this time he instructed one of his battalions to pass secretly behind the other and make for the area to the immediate east of the road. The move worked and the road through the village and its immediate vicinity were captured by the 15th. The Tiddim Road through Potsangbam was now open, although the Japanese still held on in parts of the village. But it had all taken much longer than expected. While the anvil at Torbung was about to be put in place, the hammer had only inched forward. After a long and difficult march, the brigade arrived near Torbung in mid-May. The roadblock was set up on 17th where three nullahs crossed the road near Milestone 33. To the east were several low-lying hills where brigade headquarters was established, centered on one called Point 3404. The sluggish Khuga River flowed between the hills and the road. In the Torbung sector, the Americas surprised Lt. Colonel Matsuki of the 33rd Supply Regiment, who was given the mission of reopening the line of communications using whatever troops were available in the immediate area. A composite company from the 33rd Supply Regiment, which had been deployed in the Mountainous area west of Churachandpur, held Hill 4358 against several enemy attacks. On the night of 17th, approximately 100 men of the 33rd Supply Regiment were gathered from rear elements to make the first attack on the roadblock. The attacking group was mounted on trucks and the leaders miscalculating the location of the enemy position drove squarely up to the roadblock and the entire attacking unit was virtually annihilated. Mutaguchi reacted furiously to this by unleashing artillery fire upon Point 3404 and the roadblock from the surrounding hills. Cameron's guns responded with retaliatory fire. Simultaneously Mutaguchi tossed his 1st battalion, 67th regiment against the Torbung roadblock, but Cameron's men held on inflicting tremendous casualties against the Japanese. Meanwhile Burton unleashed an attack against the hills immediately west of the road in the hopes of cutting off the supply line of the 214th and 215th Regiments. The 63rd rigade set off on 18th; the next day it had captured the villages of Tokpa Khul and Kha Aimol, and near them Three Pimple Hill and OP Hill respectively. This directly threatened the 33rd Divisions HQ at Laimanai. Mutaguchi reacted by abandoning the assaults from the west and south, and redirected the 215th Regiment to deal with Burton's 63rd division. All three of Sasahara's battalions were thrown into the counterattack, the first of which went in on the 20th. Another major assault was made two days later; both were driven off. The Japanese lost over 110 men. But they persisted and put in further attacks over the next week, frustrating any further movement southwards for the 63rd Indian Brigade. The Japanese failed to clear Burton's position, their relentless attacks would completely pin down the 63rd Brigade, thus preventing any further movement southwards.  Now at this point the 32nd Brigade had managed to recapture Wireless Hill, prompting Mutaguchi to abandon Potsangbam by the 24th. The 4th Independent Engineer Regiment and 2nd battalion, 213th Regiment fell back to Ningthoukhong. Mutaguchi then tossed another battalion to help out in the attack against Burton's 63rd division. Without further support of the hammer, Cameron's anvil force had to repel a coordinated tank-infantry attack on the 21st and again on the 23rd. The 2nd Battalion, 154th Infantry Regiment and a composite company from the 14th Tank Regiment attacked on the 21st and again on the 23rd but were not only unsuccessful in dislodging the enemy, but also suffered extremely heavy losses. Two tanks were destroyed during these attacks. Though the anvil held firm, Burton's failed attempts to continue the push south would ultimately force Cameron to abandon the roadblock and head back.  On May 24th, the 48th Brigade was fighting through Bishenpur heading up the road finally linking up with the other brigade around Potsangbam. Thus the Torbung roadblock was an enormous success for Cowan, his men had inflicted 500 casualties and disrupted Mutaguchi's plan completely. Now Mutaguchi chose to go ahead with only part of his original plan, the attack from the north that would be carried out by Colonel Sakuma Takayoshi's 214th regiment. To oversee the Bishenpur offensive,  Major-General Tanaka Nobuo was appointed in command of the 33rd Division. Leaving Bungte on the night of the 19th, Sakuma's 1st battalion advanced south to attack Bishenpur from the north, while the 2nd battalion moved north from Wainen and attacked Hill 2926. Yet as they tried to storm Point 2926, they were beaten off by a platoon of the 7/10th Baluchs. Failing to take the peak, they captured the southern part of the feature and parts of the adjacent Maibam village. The 1st battalion proceeded with their assault against Bishenpur targeting the area at the northern end of the village, near the junction between the Tiddim Road and the Silchar Track. This is also the area where the Gun Box was. Once they had managed to infiltrate the road junction area, however, the Japanese were repeatedly counter-attacked in the next few days, British tanks firing on their positions at close range. Without any anti-tank guns and the British tanks firing on their positions at close range, they were ultimately wiped out.  Back over with the 2nd Battalion, they had successfully captured Maibam village and Hill 2926, very close to Cowan's headquarters, so the British would have to direct several reinforcements to lay siege on these enemy positions. Early on the 26th, Sakuma directed a composite company to launch a last charge on Bishenpur from the north, but this attack would also end in failure. Cowan then directed the brigade-strength Woodforce to evict the Japanese from Hill 2926.  Woodforce consisted of the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade's HQ, commanded by Brigadier Woods and was a composite force of tanks, artillery, sappers and infantry. Taking over the front on the 26th, Woodforce mounted robust counter-attacks over the next two days, finally overcoming all opposition and recapturing the hill and Maibam by the 29th. With most of the 33rd Division fighting to reopen the Tiddim road at Torbung, Sakuma's 214th Regiment was left to extricate itself as best it could. But the fall of the Torbung roadblock on the 24th also allowed Mutaguchi's reinforcements to finally reinforce Ningthoukong in preparation for an attack on Potsangbam.  At this point, the balance of power had shifted very definitely to the allies. Sakuma's early success at Hill 2926 was the closest any Japanese would get to Imphal from the south. Meanwhile General Yamamoto's attacks against the Shenam Saddle resumed on the 20th, with his men rushing the crest of Scraggy in waves throwing gelignite bombs and grenades, but ultimately getting pushed back each time. Meanwhile the 2nd battalion, 51st regiment and 1st battalion, 60th regiment began an attack against Gibraltar, a very steep hill along the saddle. Their initial attacks were repelled easily, but on the night of the 23rd they managed to gain a foothold on Gibraltar's crest and this in effect cut off the 37th Indian brigade at Malta and Scraggy. With the Fourteenth Army units on Malta and Scraggy cut off, the fate of the entire Shenam Saddle now hung in the balance, but the very next day the hill was recovered by a counter-attack led by the 5/6th Rajputana Rifles and 3/10th Gurkha Rifles. Gibraltar would be the farthest the Japanese would be able to advance on the Shenam Saddle and the closest they came to breaking through; and from then on, a stalemate developed with neither side making any important moves. After the Japanese had been evicted from Gibraltar on the 24th, they did not follow up with another major attempt to push through the Shenam Saddle for a fortnight. But there was never really a quiet moment on these heights. Sniper fire was ever-present, as was the booming of artillery guns. The situation was the worst on Scraggy, where both sides continued to maintain their respective positions. The British and Indian units here would be fired on from Nippon Hill, besides being subjected to rifle fire, mortaring and grenade attacks from Scraggy itself. To the north, General Brigg's resumed his counteroffensive against Molvom, tossing his 9th Brigade into a series of attacks against the Japanese held Hump. The infantry put in several attacks against the Hump, suffering increasing casualties. The men of the 3/14th Punjabis attacked Hump at least half a dozen times that month. Despite it all, the Japanese were still found in their bunkers at the end of May. Sited on the reverse slopes of Hump, their bunkers were difficult to target by guns firing from the other side. Even when they were hit, they were so solidly built that they suffered little damage. The defenders of Hump would wait until the 3/14th Punjabis neared the crest; they would then let loose a barrage of machine-gun fire and grenade attacks. Attack after attack had to be called off in the face of such furious resistance. Though heavy artillery and mortar fire and repeated air strikes were called in on it, the tenacious Japanese defenders would successfully repel all British-Indian attacks throughout early May.  On the other side, realizing the vital need for artillery support, General Yamauchi decided to bring to the front the field guns that had been left east of the Chindwin River. He also was reinforced with the 2nd Battalion, 67th Regiment, which would seize Lamu on May 10th, securing the rear of the 15th Division. On the 15th, thanks to the timely arrival of the 89th and 123rd Brigades, Briggs was able to renew his assaults in front of Sekmai with greater intensity, finally clearing Kanglatongbi and the hills to the immediate east six days later.  Colonel Matsumura responded by creating new defensive positions around Modbung. As the month came to a close, Briggs decided to concentrate both his division's brigades on the Imphal–Kohima Road. The 9th Indian Brigade was to be brought on to the road, swapping places with the 89th Indian Brigade, which would move to the Iril River Valley. The opening of the Imphal–Kohima Road was a far greater priority than clearing the Mapao– Molvom Range. The Japanese defenders of the latter would be left where they had hung on for weeks. In any case, the opening of the road was likely to encourage them much more to leave than any direct attacks on their positions.  On May 15th Yamauchi was relieved of his command. Yamauchi had really drawn the short end of the straw. As he admitted at the time, his men simply had no answer to the British tanks. His men had thrown themselves into the jungle as lightly as possible in order to strike Imphal quickly, so they did not have effective anti-tank weapons. Ymauchi's division was always the Japanese weak spot, but they valiantly had refused to lift their roadblock at Kanglatongbi. As a last desperate throw, Yamauchi had ordered the use of poison gas. Yamauchi was also a man who understood how strong the allies were, especially America. Unlike the xenophobic and ignorant Tojo and Mutaguchi, Yamauchi had spent time in the USA and this led him to be quite pessimistic. Regardless, without anti-tank weapons it was quite hopeless. Yamauchi was carried from the battlefield on a litter and would later die in a hospital in Maymyo. Back over at Kohima, Generals Stopford and Grover were continuing their counteroffensive. Brigadiers 4th Brigade were occupying Oaks Hill when on May 1st, they began to descend during  The Royal Scots stopped their advance and reoccupied Oaks Hill, the brigade artillery back in Jotsoma was on standby to pound any Japanese positions the Norfolks, who were pressing on down the ridge, encountered. The Japanese, alert now to the dangerous presence of enemy troops above them, moved up against Oaks Hill and fought hard to expel the Royal Scots during that first night, with no success. The morning that followed a night of screaming, fear-inducing attacks found the jungle undergrowth littered with Japanese bodies. It was usual practice for the Japanese to take away their dead and wounded, but on this occasion there were too few Japanese survivors for the task. As the Royal Scots repelled numerous enemy counterattacks, the Norfolks were continuing their descent towards the GPT ridge. On May 4th, the Norfolks found themselves in a good position to assault the crests of the ridge. They stormed up catching the Japanese by surprise, managing to seize numerous bunkers. At the same time, the 161st Brigade was able to seize the area southeast of Two Tree Hill, but the Japanese had a complex bunker system there preventing them from linking Jotsoma with Pulebadze. The bunker complex on GPT Ridge was much more substantial than the British had expected, with literally dozens of small, carefully sited bunkers littering the entire area with interlocking arcs of fire, while the entire position was also covered by Japanese machine guns further to the east on the Aradura Spur. No sooner would one be discovered and attacked, than another would open up against the attackers from somewhere else. Until the entirety of GPT Ridge was cleared, Goschen's brigade could not enjoy the shortcut through to Jotsoma via Two Tree Hill; the road to Imphal remained in Japanese hands and their machine guns continued to spray fire on 6th Brigade's exposed right flank. Within the center the 6th Brigade was attacking Kuki Piquet and FSD Hill. While the attack against Kuki Piquet was not seeing much progress, they did gain a toehold atop FSD Hill. Further north, the 5th Brigade were able to bypass the 138th regiments position on Merema Ridge. They managed to secure a small part of Naga Village by the end of the day. Being close in proximity to General Sato's HQ, the response from the Japanese was a series of fierce counterattacks. THe 33rd battalion, 14th regiment stormed the Cameron Highlanders who did not have time to consolidate their success by digging in, and heavy Japanese mortar fire at daylight forced the Jocks back to the western edge of the hill. Here Hawkins had them dig to secure the ground that had been seized and the Worcesters, who had protected the flanks of the night advance, were called up to help build a defensive position able to resist counterattack. The rain was by now constant. Everyone was drenched to the skin. The next morning the Japanese Air Force made one of their occasional forays into the deep valley that flowed out of the Kohima Ridge westward, but to limited effect.  Meanwhile Brigadier Frederick Loftus-Tottenham's newly arrived 33rd Brigade was in the process of reinforcing the exhausted 6th Brigade at Kohima Ridge, with preparations being made for a renewed general counteroffensive. Meanwhile, over on Pulebadze on the 6th, B Company of the Norfolks, commanded by Captain Jack Randle, was ordered to seize the remaining part of the bunker position at the bottom of GPT Ridge, while the 4/lst Gurkhas of , assisting the breakthrough in the center against Kohima Ridge and Jail Hill, were to attack the lower, western slopes of GPT Ridge. In these attacks the Norfolks were to seize the remaining Japanese bunkers but at high cost, in which Capt. Randle was awarded the posthumous VC.  The Norfolks remained in the positions they had seized and, after a night of heavy rain, a further attempt to attack the remaining Japanese positions was made at first light on the morning of 7 May by the 4/lst Gurkhas and the Royal Scots. It was important that this operation was successful, as at 10.30am an attempt was to be made by the 1st Queen's - part of 33rd Indian Brigade, who had arrived at Kohima exhausted and malaria-ridden from Arakan the day before - on Jail Hill. If the machine-gun nests on GPT Ridge could be wiped out before the Queen's attacked they would enjoy a much higher chance of success. The only result of this failed assault would be the death of Brigadier Goschen, shot by snipers.  The Queen's, aware that 4th Brigade had not managed to secure GPT Ridge, nevertheless went in against Jail Hill as planned and were slaughtered. In retrospect the attack was premature, but Stopford continued to demand speed to remove the Japanese stranglehold on Kohima in order to relieve beleaguered Imphal. There was a belief in some higher quarters - held in particular by those whose only experience of the terrain came from reading a map in the comfort of a headquarters tent in the rear - that 2nd Division's offensive lacked pace. These accusations were preposterous to the hard-pressed men on the ground. It was impossible for commanders and staff officers in the rear who could not see the ground to understand how a small piece of jungle-topped hillside could absorb the best part of a brigade; how a small group of well-sited bunkers could hold up an advance until every single one - together with every single occupant - had been systematically destroyed; how only medium artillery could penetrate the roof of a Japanese trench; how only direct and short-range sniping by Lee/Grant tanks was guaranteed to defeat a Japanese bunker; how the desperate terrain, incessant rain and humidity led even the fittest men to tire quickly and what an extraordinarily determined opponent they faced. With few exceptions, the Japanese gave in only when they were dead. Every conscious man who could lift a weapon fought until he collapsed.  Due to these defeats, the British-Indian morale plummeted, even though Sato's men were also facing a serious supply problem that was further weakening them with each passing day.  Nevertheless, the Japanese continued a brave defense under heavy artillery, mortar and aerial bombardment. Sato's defensive technique, while it was not going to enable him to break through Kohima by dint of offensive action, was designed to do the next best thing: to draw the enemy onto defences of great complexity and depth and to break them there, both physically and morally. In so doing his troops had to withstand the sort of conditions few other soldiers in history could have survived. They did so, and very nearly succeeded in persuading Stopford that battering through Kohima was an impossible task. Between the 4th and the 'Black 7th', for instance, the 38 3.7in. mountain guns dug in around Jotsoma fired over 3,000 rounds, the 48 25-pdrs fired over 7,000 rounds and the big 5.5in. guns of the medium artillery fired more than 1,500 shells at the Japanese positions, not to mention the almost continuous salvoes from the 3in. mortars of the infantry battalions and the constant strafing and bombing by Hurricanes and Vengeance dive-bombers. For the next few days, General Stopford's brigades were slowly reducing the Japanese defenses. British progress, though slow, remained sure, even though it seemed to the troops on the ground as if this battle would go on for ever. 4th Brigade cleared GPT Ridge on 11 May, by which time further costly attacks by the British 6th and 33rd Indian Brigades had finally forced the Japanese to relinquish their hold on Pimple, FSD and Jail hills, the latter of which was captured by the Queen's and C Company, 4/lst Gurkha Rifles. The tide was slowly - and painfully - beginning to turn. On the days that followed, the positions seized on 11 and 12 May were carefully consolidated, the remaining Japanese being exterminated one by one, sniper by sniper and gun by gun. The Berkshires cleared FSD Hill on 12 May, discovering that the Japanese had honeycombed the hill with tunnels, creating an elaborate underground fortress that included a battalion headquarters, repair shop, ammunition storage dump and hospital. Those Japanese bunkers on the western edge of the ridge that remained out of reach of the British artillery could now be engaged directly and at pointblank range by the Lee/Grants, trundling up the road that divides DIS and Jail hills. They did so to the cheers of the British and Indian infantry, who found themselves hugging the ground as the 75mm smashed the enemy foxholes only metres from them, the ground shaking and the shockwave of the blast sucking out their breath and showering them with dirt and debris. The capture of the southern part of Kohima Ridge a full 37 days after the arrival of Sato's units would force the Japanese to retreat to a secondary defensive line north of Aradura. On the 15th, patrols of the 5th Brigade advanced down from Naga Hill, securing Treasury Hill before meeting up with the exhausted victors of Kohima Ridge who were advancing along the Imphal road. Yet that is all for the India front, as we now need to jump back over to check out what is going on with Operation Ichi-Go. After the fall of Xuchang, General Uchiyama dispatched some units south to attack Luohe, while the bulk of his 12th Army advanced north to capture Luoyang and hopefully annihilate General Enbo's 31st Army Group. On May 2nd, General Uchiyama dispatched the 110th Division against Dengfeng, the 62nd Division against Yuzhou and the bulk of his 37th Division, 3rd armored division and 4th cavalry Brigade against Jia and Ruzhou. On 2nd, the 4th Cavalry Brigade defeated the enemy force in the sector southwest of Yingchiaochen and, on the 4th, advanced to the sector northwest of Linju. The 3rd Armored Division routed the retreating enemy heading west and, on the 4th, mopped up the enemy in the vicinity of Linju. Also on the 4th, the 37th Division arrived at Linju. On the same day, the 7th Independent Mixed Brigade occupied Hsiangcheng. on the 3rd the 62nd defeated the 29th Army at Yuzhou while the 3rd Armored Division and the 4th Cavalry Brigade pursued the retreating Chinese towards Ruzhou. On the 4th, Uchiyama's main forces were able to capture Ruzhou and the 110th Division managed to dislodge the 13th Army's position east of Dengfeng. After this Uchiyama's main forces enveloped the area, annihilating the 13th and 29th Armies at Dengfeng while the 62nd and 110th Divisions made a frontal assault of the city. Alongside this the 7th Independent Mixed Brigade attacked the enemy near Likouzhen. Yet before Uchiyama's men could complete the envelopment, General Enbo's men pulled out towards Tangjiezhen and Changshuixiang around midnight on the 5th. On the 7th, the 37th Division and 7th Brigade managed to envelop Tangjiezhen, and with air support inflicted heavy casualties on the outflanked defenders. Simultaneously, the 27th Division captured Luohe and Suipin. General Yokoyama had dispatched the 11th Independent Brigade to aid Uchiyamas men from the south, facing little resistance as they captured Queshan and Zhumadian before linking up with the 27th Division on the 11th.  On the other side, General Jiang Dingwen's 1st War Area Army was regrouping the bulk of its forces along the Luoyang-Yiyang line. General Okamura Ysuji ordered the 12th Army to advance upon Luoyang while Lt General Yoshimoto Teiichi's 1st Army crossed the Yellow River to try and cut off the Chinese retreat at Xin'An and Xiashichiang. Having defeated the enemy in the sector southwest of Dengfeng, the 12th Army continued to keep the enemy in the Loyang area under strict observation while, at the same time, it ordered the 110th Division to pursue the enemy toward Iyang, the 62nd Division to pursue them toward Pingteng, the main force of the 3rd Armored Division toward Iyang and Hsinan and the 4th Cavalry Brigade to the western sector of Pingteng. Okamura dispatched his reserve 63rd Division led by Lt General Nozoe Masanori to try and break through at Sishuizhen so they could join the attack upon Luoyang. They were successful and in the process, defeated the 177th Division and managed to reach the northeastern sector of Luoyang by the 12th. With assistance from the 59th Brigade coming from the west, Nozoe captured Xin'an by the 14th. The 62nd Division and the 4th Cavalry Brigade captured Pingdengxiang on the 13th and part of the 110th Division captured Yiyang on the 14th. Most of the 110th Division, however, moved to Lungmenchieh below Luoyang. The 3rd Armored Division also reached the area southwest of Lungmenchieh at this point. The 37th Division, meanwhile, was directed to move towards Sunghsien. These actions effectively enveloped Luoyang as Uchiyama had his 110th Division advance through the Luohe River Valley; Yoshimoto's men advance to Sanmenxia which would fall by the 18th. The 37th Division captured Song alongside the aidromes at Luoning and Lushi by the 20th. But the main effort would be made by the 63rd Division assisted by elements o the 110th Division who launched the assault against Luoyang, being defended by the 36th Army Group. On the 19th, the 63rd Division initiated its attack against enemy positions on the outskirts of Loyang, however, the enemy positions were so strong that the battle situation did not progress as planned. As a result of this the North China Area Army ordered the 12th Army to place the main force of the 3rd Armored Division and 4th Cavalry Brigade together with part of the 110th Division under the command of the 63rd Division commander. At the same time, the 63rd Division was ordered to defend the railway east of Mienchih. At 1pm on the 23rd, the 12th Army dispatched the 63rd Division to attack Luoyang Castle from the north and northeastern fronts of Luoyang to the northeastern corner of the castle while the 3rd Armored Division was to attack the castle from the western front toward the northwestern corner of the castle. The Army also directed the Cavalry Brigade to capture and destroy the enemy which it was expected would flee to the south at the line of the Lo Ho. On the 24th, the Army-called on the enemy in Luoyang to surrender but they refused. At 1pm, therefore, the Army opened its attack and, on the 25th, completely occupied the castle. During this battle, Lieutenant-General Li Jiayu would heroically die covering the retreat of the remaining troops of his battered 36th Army Group. With the fall of Luoyang and the near destruction of the 1st War Area, Operation Kogo ended in a resounding success for the Japanese, thus securing the South Beijing-Hankou railway. The Japanese estimated over 32000 Chinese casualties and some 7800 troops captured. In turn, they claimed to have lost only 2000 casualties. Interestingly, Operation Kogo also saw the Henan peasants attack the Kuomintang forces in revenge for the Yellow River flood of 1938 and the Henan Famine of 1942. As told to us by General Jiang Dingwen "During the campaign, the unexpected phenomenon was that the people of the mountains in western Henan attacked our troops, taking guns, bullets, and explosives, and even high-powered mortars and radio equipment... They surrounded our troops and killed our officers. We heard this pretty often. The heads of the villages and baojia (village mutual-responsibility groups) just ran away. At the same time, they took away our stored grain, leaving their houses and fields empty, which meant that our officers and soldiers had no food for many days… Actually this is truly painful for me to say: in the end the damages we suffered from the attacks by the people were more serious than the losses from battles with the enemy." In the end, the peasants would be able to disarm over 50000 troops, picking their weapons to defend themselves from the Japanese, but also causing much damage to the Nationalist defense. For their role in this disaster, Generals Dingwen and Enbo would be relieved from their commands, with General Chen Cheng later taking over the 1st War Area in July to oversee its recovery. Meanwhile, the Japanese would continue to prepare for Operation Togo, the Hunan offensive. Yet to finish off this episode we also need to mention some progress in the future plans to invade Wakde. Admiral King had requested support from the British Eastern Fleet. At this time the Eastern Fleet was organized into three forces for Operation Transom, the invasion of Japanese occupied Surabaya. Force 65 consisted of Battleships Queen Elizabeth, Valiant, Renown, the French battleship Richelieu, two cruisers and eight destroyers, under the direct command of Admiral Somerville; Force 66 consisted of aircraft carriers Illustrious, Saratoga, two cruisers and six destroyers, under the command of Rear-Admiral Clement Moody aboard Illustrious. Force 67 was the replenishment group and comprised six tankers, a water distilling ship and the cruisers London and Suffolk. Somerville commanded the entire fleet from Queen Elizabeth. The warships were drawn from six navies, the capital ships being accompanied by three American destroyers, four British cruisers and three destroyers, four Australian destroyers, a Dutch cruiser and destroyer and a New Zealand cruiser. The Australian light cruiser HMAS Adelaide also sailed from Fremantle in Western Australia to protect the tankers while they were at Exmouth Gulf; this allowed their two escorting cruisers to augment Force 66 during the attack. Two squadrons of Supermarine Spitfire fighters were transferred from No. 1 Wing RAAF at Darwin to Exmouth Gulf to protect the Eastern Fleet while it refueled and Australian and American maritime patrol aircraft were assigned to operate offshore. Each carrier had an air group made up of units from their parent navies. Illustrious embarked two squadrons equipped with 14 Vought F4U Corsair fighters each and two squadrons with nine Avengers. Saratoga's air group comprised a squadron with 26 Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters, a squadron with 24 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers and a squadron operating 18 Avenger torpedo bombers, as well as a single Hellcat allocated to the Air Group Leader. As for Surabaya, its defenses against air attack at the time of Operation Transom included a few anti-aircraft guns, whose crews were inadequately trained. Radar stations and a network of observer posts were also sited to detect minelaying aircraft. The Japanese forces stationed in the city included the Imperial Japanese Army's 28th Independent Mixed Brigade and the headquarters of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet under Vice-Admiral Mikawa Gunichi. Because of the distance to be covered from Ceylon and the Royal Navy's lack of experience in underway replenishment, the final plans for the operation involved the Eastern Fleet refueling at Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia before striking Surabaya. Force 67 was the first element of the Eastern Fleet to sail, departing on April 30th. Forces 65 and 66 sailed on May 6th. The Allied ships proceeded to Exmouth Gulf on a course that kept them at least 600 miles from Japanese airfields to avoid being detected or attacked. The carriers air wings practiced the attack they would conduct on Surabaya three times during the voyage. The warships arrived at Exmouth Gulf on 14 and 15th ofMay. The Eastern Fleet departed Exmouth Gulf on the afternoon of the 15th and proceeded north. It arrived at the flying off point at 6:30 am local time on the 17th without being detected by the Japanese. One British and seven American submarines also took up positions near Surabaya, the southern entrance to the Strait of Malacca and the Bali, Lombok and Sunda Straits to support the Eastern Fleet. The submarines were positioned to rescue Allied aircrew that were forced down, attack ships that tried to escape from Surabaya and intercept any Japanese warships that attempted to attack the Allied fleet. Operation Transom opened up with 76 aircraft launched from Illustrious and Saratoga. The aircraft launched by the carriers were organized into two strike forces. Force A was made up of nine Avengers from Illustrious, twelve Dauntless dive bombers and an escort of eight Corsairs. Force A's Avengers were to bomb the Braat Engineering Works and the Dauntlesses the oil refinery. Force B was to attack shipping and dock facilities in Surabaya's port. It comprised twenty-one Avengers and six Dauntlesses escorted by eight Corsairs and twelve Hellcats. The commander of Saratoga's air group, Commander Joseph C. Clifton, led both carriers' air wings during the attack. All of the aircraft were launched and formed up with the rest of their force by 7:20 am. Two British Avengers crashed during takeoff, their crews being rescued. The attack on Surabaya commenced at 8:30 am. The Japanese had not detected the aircraft as they approached, and were taken by surprise. The two forces made a well-synchronized attack, Force A approaching Wonokromo from the south and Force B attacking the port from the north. No Japanese fighter aircraft were encountered, and the anti-aircraft guns were largely ineffective. One of Saratoga's Avengers was shot down, and both members of its crew became prisoners of war. The two forces claimed to have damaged 10 ships, demolished the Wonokromo oil refinery and the Braat Engineering Works, destroyed 16 aircraft and leveled several buildings. Saratoga and her three escorting American destroyers detached from the Eastern Fleet shortly before sunset on the 18th, and proceeded to Fremantle. The remainder of the Eastern Fleet reached Exmouth Gulf the next morning, and sailed for Ceylon before sunset after refueling again. Adelaide and one of the Australian destroyers that had been attached to the Eastern Fleet left Exmouth Gulf bound for Fremantle after the tanker group departed on 19 May. The Eastern Fleet arrived back at Ceylon on the 27th. Saratoga reached Bremerton, Washington, on June 10th and after a refit re-joined the Pacific Fleet in September 1944. Though the Japanese would not really divert any forces from western New Guinea in response to the raid and despite the fact that the Japanese claim that not much damage had been inflicted on their shipping or shore facilities, with only one vessel confirmed sunk, Operation Transom would provide Somerville's Eastern Fleet important experience of carrier strike operations and exposure to superior American carrier tactics.  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Allies were gradually countering Operation U-Go as the intense battles at Kohima Ridge and Pulebadze saw British-Indian forces slowly gaining ground amid heavy casualties. Meanwhile, Operation Ichi-Go saw major Japanese successes in China. Lastly Operation Transom saw British-Dutch-American successful carrier strikes against Surabaya, yielding experience despite limited damage.