[Kabar-indonesia] 7 JP Tsunami Updates: Govt Not Taking Disasters Seriously: NGOs

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

7 JP Tsunami Articles (+AP; Hailstones shower central Bandung):

- Government not taking disasters 
  seriously: NGOs
- Tsunami survivors starting over
- Coastal communities told to face 
  up to seismic dangers
- Pangandaran's fishermen count 
  the cost of tsunami
- Resort's destruction proves 
  a macabre spectacle
- Locals hail prison island as 
  their savior
- Surfers brave waters off devastated 
  coast to defy fear of the sea 
- Annan send condolences 
  to tsunami victims
- Hailstones shower central 
  Bandung 

The Jakarta Post
Friday, July 21, 2006

Government not taking disasters seriously: NGOs

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Non-governmental organizations slammed the government Thursday for
what they said was a lack of seriousness in handling the procession of
disasters the country has experienced.

This has resulted in a failure to protect citizens, they charged.

"The fact that the government did not speed up the deliberation of the
disaster management bill and has yet to carry out comprehensive
mapping of disaster-prone areas shows that it is not serious about
managing the calamities that can occur at any moment across the
archipelago," Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) executive
director Chalid Muhammad told journalists.

Chalid said the government should have taken strategic and concrete
steps to protect its citizens after a tsunami ravaged Aceh and Nias in
2004.

Besides failing to map disaster-prone areas, the activists said, the
government has not disseminated information about the threats these
areas face, and has not strengthened the capacity of people and
institutions to deal with emergencies.

The inadequate response has increased the risks for Indonesians, who
could face 60 or more disasters this year alone, Chalid said. He added
that the costs would be counted in thousands of deaths and
displacements, and billions of rupiah in losses.

"As part of the plan to face and mitigate disasters, we demand the
government carry out such basic steps quickly, including allocating
sufficient funds for disaster management," Chalid said.

On Tuesday, the government said it was running out of money for
disaster-related emergency response, with less than Rp 100 billion
left out of the Rp 500 billion set aside for the whole year.

Data from the Anti-Debt Coalition showed that the government allocated
Rp 1.8 trillion for all disaster-related expenses this year, far lower
than Rp 128.2 trillion earmarked to pay foreign debts.

"Indonesia has the option of asking creditor countries for a
moratorium on debt due to force majeur (events beyond the government's
control). The government should do that and use the money to help its
citizens," said Binny Buchori of the Prakarsa Group, which researches
civil society and globalization issues.

Rafendi Djamin of the Human Rights Working Group urged the government
to immediately set up an independent body similar to the U.S. Federal
Emergency Management Agency to deploy people, equipment and money in
the event of a disaster.

"It is the right of all Indonesians to have proper protection from
disasters, and of the victims to get immediate and effective emergency
aid," he said, adding that these prerogatives were guaranteed in the
International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

"Since the government ratified the covenant last year, it's their
obligation to fulfill it," Rafendi added.

----------------------------------

The Jakarta Post
Friday, July 21, 2006

Tsunami survivors starting over

Suherdjoko and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Cilacap, Bandung

Thousands of people displaced by Monday's tsunami are beginning the
painstaking process of starting anew, but many remained in overcrowded
hillside camps Thursday.

In the beach resort of Pangandaran, West Java, fishermen combed
through debris that washed ashore in the hope of finding nets and
equipment lost when the tsunami struck. Brightly painted fishing
boats, ripped from their moorings by the force of the waves, peaked
out from damaged houses.

At least 588 people were killed in communities along the southern coast.

Along Pangandaran's tourist belt, businesspeople began cleaning their
souvenir shops and hotels to prepare for new guests.

The operator of a guest house on the outskirts of the area said he
never closed during the disaster and its aftermath. "I stayed open
right through," Agus, 40, told Reuters. "I think tourists will come
back."

Hope of a quick recovery also was seen in Cilacap, Central Java, where
hundreds of fishing vessels were damaged or destroyed.

Although trading has yet to resume at nine fish markets, a few large
fishing vessels docked Thursday at Samodra Cilacap fishing port.

Mina Saroyo village cooperative unit manager, Rosikin, said each fish
auction site usually recorded transactions ranging from Rp 75 million
(US$8,152) to Rp 300 million a day. The tsunami struck during the
month when fishermen usually are able to enjoy their best catches
before the coming of the monsoon season in October.

On Thursday, many traumatized people from coastal villages continued
to camp out on higher ground, with officials baffled about ways to
entice them to return to their homes.

"Sir, where will I sleep? Who will rebuild my house?" 66-year-old
Rodiyah asked village chief Sirun Priyadi in Binangun district,
Cilacap.

She ran a food stall from her home, but it was badly damaged in the disaster.

At Mt. Selok in Adipala district, some 5,000 displaced people remained
in makeshift camps without sanitary facilities. Clean water has been
supplied by a water company but most of it is used for cooking.

"We're still in need of tents, because one tent is provided for 20
displaced people. We can't provide a tent for a family," said the head
of Adipala district social services office, Adipala Mumfasil.

Two phone companies have also opened up emergency posts allowing free
calls for the survivors.

West Java's disaster mitigation unit said Thursday the combined death
toll from three regencies -- Ciamis, Tasikmalaya and Garut -- was 436,
with 242 others missing. Pangandaran was worst hit, with 367
fatalities.

In the Central Java towns of Kebumen and Cilacap, the number of
fatalities was 10 and 138 respectively. Four deaths were recorded in
Yogyakarta.

In Bandung, the bodies of two of three foreigners killed in the
tsunami and brought to Hasan Sadikin Hospital had yet to be claimed by
their next of kin.

Hospital spokeswoman Mimin Sumulawati identified one Dutch national
Fritz Leon Eelman, 58, but the other man was not named. Their remains
arrived after midnight Wednesday. The body of another foreigner,
Swedish national Kent Syhlen, arrived at the hospital at night.

"In compliance with procedures, and because they are foreigners, an
autopsy must be conducted. Of the three foreigners, only the remains
of the Dutchman have been claimed by his wife for burial in their
hometown in Ciamis."

The hospital's medical coordinator for the tsunami, Tri Wahyu, said
five foreigners were killed and three were undergoing treatment.

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The Jakarta Post
Friday, July 21, 2006

Coastal communities told to face up to seismic dangers

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Photo: Word of warning: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono briefs
residents of Anyer, Banten, on Thursday about the natural disaster
early warning system. JP/Abror Rizki

Scientists have warned residents of the country's southern coasts to
be alert to the danger of earthquakes and ensuing tsunamis due to
seismic activity from ocean faults and plates.

A senior scientist with the Assessment and Application of Technology
(BPPT), Yusuf S. Jayadiharja, said: "We believe that faults along the
line are 'queuing' to release their seismic power. We must anticipate
the phenomenon."

He identified Padang in West Sumatra, Bengkulu, the Sunda Strait
between Lampung and Banten, the southern part of West Nusa Tenggara,
Banda Island in Maluku, Sorong in Papua, Palu and Manado in Sulawesi
as prone to quakes.

"However, we, as well as not even one scientist around the globe,
cannot predict where and when it would happen," he told reporters
after a discussion on earthquakes.

Java, as well as part of Sumatra, have been rocked by a series of
earthquakes following Monday's deadly tsunami that devastated the
southern coast. Local scientists measured the quake at 6.8 on the
Richter scale, although the U.S. Geological Survey put it at 7.2.

The most recent earthquake hit Wednesday evening, with its epicenter
in the Sunda Strait between Lampung on Sumatra's southern tip and
Banten in western Java. The 6.2-magnitude quake was felt in Jakarta.

Yusuf, who heads the agency's natural resources technology inventories
department, said the phenomenon was normal because the country was
located at the complex convergence of the Eurasian and Indo-Australian
sea plates, where subduction zones emerged and thrust faults exist.

In the case of the Sunda Strait, he said people should continue to be
alert because although Wednesday's quake did not cause any damage or
tsunamis, the areas were near the Sunda subduction zones, site of a
convergence between a sinking plate and an overriding plate.

"Moreover, regions near the Sunda Strait face two possibilities of
strong tremors. First, coming from tectonic movements of ocean floors
under the strait and, second, from increasing activity of Mount
Krakatau."

Yusuf said the country would not have its huge deposits of minerals
and other natural resources without its unique geological composition.

"We're rich in natural resources because we're situated in such a
distinctive region."

Cecep Surbaya of the Coordination Agency for Survey and National
Mapping (Bakorsutanal) said tectonic movements might follow a 30-year
cycle, occurring in almost the same place as years previously.

He cited the examples of the 2004 quake in Aceh and 2005 temblor in
Nias, North Sumatra, and believed they would likely experience similar
activity in the next three decades.

"The day after the quake is when the countdown starts at zero," he
said, adding that his record said major quakes as powerful as 9 on the
Richter scale had occurred in 1833 and 1861 near Aceh and Nias, with
epicenters near the one in 2004 and 2005.

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The Jakarta Post
Friday, July 21, 2006

Pangandaran's fishermen count the cost of tsunami

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Pangandaran, Ciamis

Even in dangerous times, fishermen find the sea to be their sanctuary,
the place they understand best. As a torrent of water built ominously
off Pangandaran beach Monday, many fishermen rushed to their boats and
headed out to sea.

"I knew that the tsunami would break onshore, so I hurried to sea.
Nothing happened in the middle of the sea, except for slightly higher
waves than usual," Ateng said as he untangled nets on the western
shore, the center of the tourism in the resort.

The 35-year-old's family was safe, but one of his two boats was
destroyed. His livelihood, and of many other fishermen along the
southwestern coast, is threatened.

It was cruel timing, because the fishermen were enjoying good catches
after a long period of scarcity. It struck during the dry season, one
of the most productive periods for fishermen, who save up for the
inevitable leaner times ahead.

Memed, who sets sail from the eastern stretch of shore, said the last
five months were tough for fishermen.

"But this month had been good. There were signs of shrimp everywhere,
and plenty of fish," he said.

The sad, exhausted-looking 47-year-old stood by his ruined boat air
with the air reeking from the destroyed fish auction center nearby.

Shortly before the tsunami, he withdrew some of his savings to pay for
gas and the boat service. Now he is counting his losses, after a boat
and 10 nets were destroyed.

A boat costs at least Rp 18 million (US$1,900), with the vessel itself
accounting for Rp 8 million, and the machine Rp 10 million.

Dadang fared even worse; he lost two boats and 35 nets, each of which
costs Rp 700,000. He is thankful that his family and their home was
safe, although he suffered a slight foot injury carrying a friend to
receive medical attention.

"They had been good days for fishing. A few months ago, we were lucky
to get Rp 100,000, which was barely enough because we need at least Rp
50,000 to go fishing. But these past few weeks, we could earn Rp
300,000 to Rp 500,000 a day."

The 26-year-old's three siblings also lost their kiosks by the beach.
Luckily, the kiosks were closed that Monday as they wanted to take a
break after the busy school holiday that ended Sunday.

The fishermen's families are now living in tents in the hills of
nearby villages. The fishermen come down during the day to scour the
shore for anything that is salvageable.

"Aid? We've just got food, because my family lives near an aid post.
But I haven't eaten since this morning," Dadang said.

Many fishing villages were destroyed, he said, like Batu Hiu, Bojong
Salawe, Batu Karas, Legok Jawa and Cipatujah.

"I hope the government will help us so that we could go back to sea
again," he said.

Memed noted that catches were most abundant from August to September.

"It's then that we need to save up our money for the long term. That's
how fishermen do things. We can earn more than a civil servant in one
period, but get nothing in another," he said, adding that he would
immediately go back to sea after the situation was declared safe.

Meanwhile, Ateng plans to spend three months at his parents' home in
nearby Kalipucang.

"Even if I fished, who would buy them?" he said.

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The Jakarta Post
Friday, July 21, 2006

Resort's destruction proves a macabre spectacle

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Pangandaran, Ciamis

Photo: Back to the beach: Residents of Pangandaran, Ciamis regency,
West Java, return to their beach-front homes Thursday after fleeing to
higher ground following Monday's tsunami. JP/P.J. Leo

Wearing pale blue rubber gloves, a group of military personnel stood
by a hole about 20 meters long, handing down corpses shrouded in white
cloth to their colleagues.

"Where's number 67? Where's 59?" shouted the commander, walking around
with a small notebook in his hand. "Remember, don't touch your face
with the gloves!".

As a crane filled up the hole with earth, the officers stepped aside,
tossed off the gloves and drank from coconuts they found washed up
around the site.

For the second time, the officers dug a mass grave Thursday for 11
victims of Monday's tsunami. The day before, the number of buried was
25. The mass grave is located on a cleared field off Pangandaran's
western shore.

This section of coast, the center of tourism for the area, was busy
Thursday. Bulldozers cleared away debris after people sifted through
it to take what they could. Workers from the state electricity company
fixed downed power lines, as boats that survived the waves lined the
beach and also street.

Curious onlookers turned out once again to look at the destruction.
Perhaps some of them came to count their blessings at being spared the
disaster, and were not just voyeurs feasting on the misfortune of
others. But for the latter, a few sharply worded posters have been put
on poles: "We are not here to be ogled, you devils".

A false alarm Wednesday had sent frightened people scurrying to higher
ground, and fears of a second tsunami remain among jittery locals.

"I ran as quickly as I could yesterday when people shouted that there
was another tsunami," said a military officer.

Fisherman Memed said a thief was responsible for the false alarm.

"There was a thief who stole a motorcycle. My son and several other
people saw him and were ready to beat him up. But the thief's friend
shouted, 'the waves are getting higher!' That was when people panicked
and ran, and the sirens wailed."

He complained that looters and opportunists were descending on the
town to take whatever they could, including fishing nets.

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The Jakarta Post
Friday, July 21, 2006

Locals hail prison island as their savior

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Cilacap

Nusakambangan off the southern coast of Java is best known as a
maximum security facility where some of the country's big name
criminals have been sent to do their time.

But the so-called Indonesian Alcatraz is now earning plaudits as a
natural wonder, with its craggy shores shielding the local community
of Cilacap from the brunt of Monday's tsunami.

"If there was no Nusakambangan, I don't know what would have happened
to Cilacap, maybe it would have been swept away. We felt protected
from the tsunami and that's why we should preserve the island,"
tourism industry employee Annas Abdullah told The Jakarta Post.

His office, located about 40 meters from the shore at Teluk Penyu bay,
and other businesses in the area were left untouched by the giant
waves that decimated beach resorts and fishing villages along the
southern coast of Java, killing at least 575 people.

Hardest hit was Pangandaran beach in West Java, as well as other
coastal areas east of Cilacap -- including Bunton, Selok and Widara
Payung. Also affected were Logending and Ayah beaches in Kebumen,
Central Java, extending up to Parangtritis beach in Yogyakarta.

Although those living near Cilacap's popular tourist attraction of
Teluk Penyu, or turtle bay, were spared, others were not as fortunate.
In Cilacap alone, over 90 people were declared dead and at least 50
others remain missing.

But locals are worried about environmental damage to the
12,106-hectare island, which supports populations of animals now rare
on the mainland.

Several environment activists in 2001 protested limestone mining
activities on Nusakambangan because of the potential environmental
degradation.

"Many people and non-governmental organizations are worried that
Nusakambangan will be damaged by the ongoing cement project. We can't
allow it to be harmed by the cement company's business interests. The
lives of tens of thousands of residents should be prioritized," Annas
said.

Mining is not the only threat.

Yogyakarta-based Sylfa Gamma Foundation, which conducted research
about illegal logging on the island in 2002, warned it would be
completely denuded of its forests by 2010 if strict measures were not
taken.

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Surfers brave waters off devastated coast to defy fear of the sea 

PANGANDARAN, West Java, July 21 (AP): With residents across Indonesia's 
tsunami-ravaged coastline gripped with fear of the sea, surfer Kiven Keegen decided 
it was time for a bold statement.He recovered a surfboard from the wreckage 
and hit the beach. 

"I want to set an example, to show people it's OK to be back in the water, 
not to be afraid," he said after riding the surf off Java's southern coast with 
four friends who came from the nearby city of Bandung to distribute aid and 
help treat the wounded.

The tsunami, triggered Monday by a 7.7 magnitude underwater earthquake, 
killed more than 540 people, left 320 missing, and made an estimated 40,000 
homeless.

Hundreds of houses, hotels and restaurants were flattened by two-meter 
(two-yard) high waves, and splintered boats, clothes and rotting corpses of dead 
animals littered the sand Friday.

Keegen, 24, who has lived in Pangandaran for two years and works as a 
volunteer lifeguard, lost several friends to the deadly waves. But he said he was not 
afraid.

"The wind and the water felt great," he said with a broad grin, shouting in 
joy as he walked up the beach with a surfboard under his arm. "This was the 
first time. What a relief!" 

Indonesia has been hit by a series of disasters - natural and man-made - 
since 2002, from terrorist attacks, and earthquakes and tsunami, to volcanic 
eruptions, and the once popular beach resort was struggling to win back tourists 
even before Monday'swave hit.

Yudi, a local surfer who goes by only one name, looked on longingly from the 
beach while the others bobbed in the waves.

"My surfboard was snapped in half. I would join them if I could," said the 
24-year-old wearing flip-flops and Bermuda shorts. He had been preparing to head 
to sea moments before the tsunami struck, then noticed the water receding and 
ran, surviving the crush of water by jumping a wall and climbing a tree. 

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The Jakarta Post
Friday, July 21, 2006

Annan send condolences to tsunami victims

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and several other world leaders joined
the international outpouring of sympathy for victims of Monday's
tsunami along the southern coast of Java.

Annan was "... saddened by the loss of life and damages provoked by
the tsunami ... and the trauma being experienced by the survivors due
to the series of aftershocks, shaking parts of the island," AFP quoted
a statement attributed to his spokesman.

The UN leader "extends his condolences to the victims and their
families and his deepest sympathy to the survivors."

Annan assured the government and people of Indonesia "that the United
Nations stands ready to extend its assistance, both for immediate
humanitarian response and during the reconstruction period".

China's President Hu Jintao also sent a message to President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono to express his deepest condolences to the families
of the tsunami victims.

"I am shocked to learn that strong earthquakes and ensuing tsunami
have taken place near Java island, causing heavy casualties and loss
of property. On behalf of the Chinese Government and people, I wish to
extend...deep sympathy and sincere solitude," he said in a letter to
Yudhoyono.

The letter, which was made available to The Jakarta Post by the
Chinese Embassy in Jakarta, also stated Hu's support of Yudhoyono in
overcoming difficulties and rebuilding the area.

China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing also sent his condolences to
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda.

The French Embassy in Jakarta also announced that French President
Jacques Chirac had sent his condolences to Yudhoyono immediately after
the disaster.

Chirac expressed French support to the Indonesian government in the
reconstruction.

Pope Benedict XVI, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, U.S.
President George W. Bush have also conveyed their condolences.

The Pope said that he was deeply saddened by the disaster, and assured
the victims they were in his prayers, Bush telephoned Yudhoyono on
Tuesday to offer any U.S. assistance that might complement the
Indonesian government's own efforts.

U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia B. Lynn Pascoe announced Wednesday that
the U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), provided US$50,000 to support emergency relief
activities in response to the earthquake and tsunami.

Koizumi pledged to help Indonesia through Japan's embassy here by
immediately donating $111,000 in emergency supplies.

Britain, through its Foreign Minister Lord Triesman, and Singapore,
through its Foreign Minister George Yeo, have also sent their
condolences to the victims, and stated their readiness to help
Indonesian government in rebuilding the tsunami-affected areas.

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The Jakarta Post
Friday, July 21, 2006

Hailstones shower central Bandung 

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Bandung turned on the elements Thursday, with heavy rains, flashing 
lightening, high winds and hail for more than an hour in the afternoon causing trees to 
lose branches and spooking motorists.

No casualties were reported from the weather. 

Heavy rain began falling at around 3 p.m. when traffic was beginning to back 
up during the rush hour home. The deluge and winds caused many large tree 
branches to break in the heart of the city. 

Residents said the hail was worst in the city center and in northern areas. 

A housewife, Linda Damajanti, 34, noticed hailstones falling on her car she 
was driving through Jl. Sumbawa, bringing visibility down to only two to three 
meters. 

"I heard the sound of hailstones hitting my car. I thought real stones were 
falling on it, but it turned out to be ice from above," Linda said. 

Because of the city's poor drainage system, many of the roads were flooded in 
up to 30 centimeters of water. 

At least five cars were damaged by fallen trees or branches at the Yogya 
supermarket parking lot on Jl. Cihampeulas. 

The frequent lightening caused several Internet kiosks to close for fear of 
power surges. 

Head of the Bandung Meteorological and Geophysics Agency (BMG), Hendri 
Subakti, said this kind of extreme weather usually happened in Bandung during the 
dry season, but total rainfall would not be above 100 milliliters a month. The 
temperature in Bandung ranged between 19 to 21.5 degrees Celsius with a 
humidity level of 82.4 percent during the rain. 

"It's typical of Bandung to have brief-but-heavy rains around seven times a 
month," said Hendri. The rain had nothing to do with Monday's tsunami on Java's 
southern coast or the earthquake in the Sunda Strait on Wednesday, he said. 

He said hail occurred when water particles were raised in strong, hot 
updrafts and froze before dropping because of their extra weight. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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