DNA Hunt in MH17 Victim Identification

Police in Indonesia are collecting DNA samples from relatives of those killed in the Malaysia Airlines tragedy

Jakarta Globe, Ari Susanto, Jul 20, 2014

Ida Mardiyati, right, sister of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 plane crash victim
 Yuli Hastini, gets her blood drawn at her parents’ house in Kebonan, Solo, Central
 Java, on July 19, 2014, by the Central Java Police for DNA samples. (Antara Photo/
Hafidz Novalsyah)

Solo. Police have begun taking DNA samples from family members of some of the 12 Indonesians believed to have been on board the Malaysia Airlines flight that was shot down over Ukraine on Thursday.

Police are also questioning the relatives about any identifiable physical characteristics as they seek to provide details to the investigators trying to identify the remains scattered over a field in rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine, according to Adj. Comr. Aris Prasetyo, a spokesman for the National Police’s Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team.

Aris told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday that police had already taken a DNA sample from relatives of Yuli Hastini, 44, an Indonesian woman who was on board Flight MH17 with her Dutch husband, Johnny Paulisen, and their two children, Arjuna Paulisen and Sri Paulisen.

The family were said to be on an annual trip to visit Yuli’s family in Solo, Central Java. It was the first time they had flown Malaysia Airlines, having previously taken Singapore Airlines, relatives said.

In neighboring Karanganyar district, police took DNA samples from the parents of Supartini, 39, who was employed as a domestic worker in The Hague with her two sisters.

Aris said the family had also submitted a copy of a picture that Supartini had taken of herself at Amsterdam’s Schipol airport and sent to one of her sisters before boarding the flight.

The three sisters had all planned to return to Indonesia for a month before going back to the Netherlands. Paryati and Murtini, though, flew out a day earlier, on Emirates and Singapore Airlines flights, respectively.

Aris said the DVI team would submit all the DNA samples and descriptions of the victims to the National Police headquarters in Jakarta for use in aiding investigators identify the bodies at the crash site.

The plane was carrying 298 passengers and crew when it was shot down over territory controlled by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine’s east. The separatist, the Ukrainian military and the Russian military have all denied responsibility for the incident.

Yuli and Supartini were among 12 Indonesians listed on the passenger manifest. The others were identified as Hadiono Gunawan, Hendry, Clarice Yelena Huizen, Vickiline Kurniati Kardia, Gerda Leliana Laherda, Jane M. Adi Soetjipto, Wayan Sujana, Yodricunda Theistiasih, Ketut Wiartini and Ninik Yuriani.

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Heartache for Survivors in Tsunami-Hit Indonesia

Jakarta Globe, Supri Lindra | October 28, 2010

Muntei Baru Baru, Indonesia. Exhausted, confused and hungry, 20-year-old Indonesian housewife Chandra trudged barefoot through her tsunami-wrecked village in a desperate search for her missing baby.

Villagers wrapping bodies in plastic in the
tsunami-hit village of Muntei Baru Baru village
on the Mentawai Islands. (Reuters Photo)

“I sifted through rubble, looked in collapsed houses and in the temporary shelters but there’s no sign of him,” she said, tears welling up. “I know he’s dead but I keep praying he’s still alive. I’m so tired. I’ve not eaten for two days ... I have no appetite.”

Chandra was one of the survivors after a huge wave triggered by a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake Monday ravaged the remote Mentawai islands off the west coast of Sumatra, killing 343 people and leaving 338 missing.

Disaster response officials said bodies were being found on beaches and coastal areas in the Mentawai island chain, which took the full force as the tsunami washed away entire villages.

Chandra said she was separated from her husband and six-month-old son as they were trying to flee the tsunami when it hit their coastal village in North Pagai island, one of the two worst-hit in the Mentawai group.

“I survived because a coconut tree fell and kept me from being swept away. My survival was a miracle from God,” she said.

Her husband’s body was found by locals and buried along with dozens of other villagers in a mass grave on Wednesday.

The tsunami had flattened their village of Muntei Baru Baru, destroying more than 70 mostly wooden houses, a school and a church. Left behind were skeletons of houses, fallen trees and a fetid mud pool.

Survivors said they had almost no warning that the three-meter wall of water was bearing down on them, raising questions about whether an early alert system laid down after the 2004 Asian tsunami had failed.

An AFP photographer who came to North Pagai aboard an aid ship saw hundreds of villagers being treated at a medical clinic, many requiring stitches to open cuts suffered as they were tossed around in the roiling sea.

Like Chandra, dozens of villagers are still trying to come to terms with the tragedy.

Many scrabbled through rubble to look for missing relatives while others, dazed by the disaster, sat under coconut trees awaiting news from rescuers.

Chandra said she did not know what the future holds.

“I’ve no intention to rebuild my house. I now live alone, I don’t know what to do,” she said.

“Whatever happens, I’m not going to leave this village. This place is the burial place for my husband and baby.”

Agence France-Presse

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Swedish Tourist Falls Into Bali's Mount Batur Crater

Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana, March 31, 2010

Rescue teams on Wednesday were racing to the scene of an accident after a Swedish tourist reportedly fell into the active crater of Mount Batur in Bangli district.

Daniel Petersen, 25, remains missing after he climbed the 1717-meter-high Mount Batur with two friends at 4 a.m. on Wednesday.

Bali's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said they received report at 7:25 a.m from a guide identified as Komang that Petersen had fallen into the mountain's crater.

“We are still climbing to the crater,” Basarnas official Ketut Parwa said.

Basarnas was being assisted by police, paramedics and local volunteers.

Parwa said Petersen's friends survived and were waiting for the rescue team though evacuation efforts were being hampered by bad weather.

Mount Batur is about 90 minutes drive from the provincial capital, Denpasar. According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, it has erupted 26 times since 1840

Indonesian Workers Deliver Relief Aid but Unable to Enter Haiti

Jakarta Globe, Nurfika Osman, January 22, 2010

A team of Indonesian medical workers, search-and-rescue experts and engineers sent to help the relief effort in quake-devastated Haiti has been turned away by the United Nations.

Syamsul Ma’arif, head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), told the Jakarta Globe on Friday that the team, which had been waiting in neighboring Dominican Republic for approval to enter Haiti, had been forced to return to Indonesia after permission was denied to land its chartered airplane in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.

“The humanitarian personnel could not enter Port-au-Prince because they already had enough medical staff and paramedics,” he said. “The United Nations, which is organizing the distribution of the relief aid, said they had enough personnel to help the earthquake victims.”

Syamsul said a field hospital that the team had brought from Indonesia was also rejected by the UN on the grounds that there was an oversupply.

The humanitarian team, which arrived in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, handed over its 50 tons of aid — including three tons of medicine, five tons of dry rations, five tons of baby food, tents, blankets, an ambulance, truck and water purifiers — to the World Food Program instead of delivering it personally.

The Indonesian volunteers included 30 medical workers, a 10-member search-and-rescue team, 10 electrical engineers and journalists.

However, Teuku Faizasyah, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, denied that the team had been “rejected.”

“The team decided not to proceed to Haiti in view of the unavailability of transportation from the Dominican Republic to Haiti,” he said. “But the team has ensured, with the help of the WFP, that the relief aid will be safely transferred to Haiti.”

Although he did not know when the aid would arrive, Teuku said Indonesian representatives would monitor its distribution.

Of the five Indonesian nationals stranded in Haiti after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, Teuku said the ministry was still coordinating with local authorities to arrange their repatriation.

Yogi Satriyani and Endang Anggoro, both UN workers, will stay on to help the relief effort, he said. Ni Luh Made Juini, Ni Ketut Yasri Astiti and I Gusti Ayu Putu Sukerti, who were all working at a hotel in Port-au-Prince before the quake, are scheduled to be evacuated to Hawaii.

Missing doctor`s body found in S Kalimantan

Antara News, Tuesday, January 19, 2010 19:37 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The body of doctor Urigenes SpA who has been missing since Monday (Jan 18) during a boat journey from Batulicin port to his work in Kotabaru, Pulau Laut, South Kalimantan, was found on Tuesday.

"His corpse was found at a spot between Batulicin and Kotabaru, and he died on duty," the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) South Kalimantan chapter chairman, dr Muhammad Isa, SpP said when contacted from Jakarta on Tuesday.

A Search and Rescue or SAR team along with local health personnel found the body on Tuesday afternoon, dr Isa said.

According to Isa, on Sunday (Jan 17) dr Urigenes attended a workshop about milk allergy in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan and was returning home in the afternoon to Kotabaru as he would handle patients in a hospital on Monday (Jan 18) morning.

Two Climbers Dead From Cold On Indonesia's Mt. Lawu

The Jakarta Globe

Search and Rescue team members carry the body of a victim from Mt. Lawu on Monday. A coordinated effort saved many other hikers. (JG Photo/Ali Lutfi).

Karanganyar, Central Java. A major tragedy was averted on Monday evening, with all but two of a group of 125 inexperienced mountain climbers making it off the treacherous Mount Lawu alive.

Emergency services at the scene of the major rescue operation told the Jakarta Globe that the deceased had been identified as Jumain, 32, from Demak and Muji Rohman, 18, from Blora. Both victims had been part of a 125-strong party from the Condro Mowo Muslim boarding school in Blora, Central Java, who early on Saturday began climbing the 3,265-meter-tall mountain to celebrate Javanese New Year.

An additional six climbers had gone missing in the same area as the deceased, but they were found alive and evacuated from the mountain.

Aji Pratama Heru Kristanto, head of the natural disaster mitigation task force based in Karanganyar, said reports about the deceased climbers came in on Sunday evening. “Dozens of climbers are also in a weak condition. But the rescue team could only leave at dawn on Monday because of the harsh weather,” Aji said.

The remainder of the group, many likely suffering from hypothermia, had been evacuated by early Monday evening. Conditions near the peak were described as being just 4 degrees Celsius, with heavy winds and rain.

The inexperienced and ill-prepared group were reportedly taking a forbidden and unmonitored route in their attempt to reach the summit of the mountain, approaching from Ngawi in East Java.

The party had split into three groups that were scheduled to meet up in Argo Dalem, a sacred site some 200 meters from the peak, to perform traditional Javanese New Year rites there.

“We dispatched hundreds of personnel to comb the Argo Dalem area, at a height of 3,000 [meters] above sea level to search for the lost climbers and evacuate the two dead climbers,” Aji said.

The task force included an evacuation team, searchers, miners, and health and logistics personnel. They were also backed up by volunteers from the Anak Gunung Lawu search-and-rescue team as well as the local police.

Adj. Chief Comr. Edi Suroso, head of the Karanganyar Police, said the number of climbers on the mountain always increased markedly during the Islamic month of Muharram or the Javanese month of Suro. The top of Mount Lawu is considered to be very sacred according to traditional Javanese beliefs.

“Besides in Argo Dalem, victim evacuation was also conducted in the Bulak Peperangan area. There was also another group which planned to hold a ritual at the top of the mountain.”

The climbers are usually ill-prepared logistically, and many climb the mountain while fasting as part of the Javanese rituals. The climb to the top usually takes between five and six hours.

Two die, six missing in Mt. Lawu

The Jakarta Post | Mon, 12/28/2009 10:46 AM

Two people died and six others were still missing during a weekend climbing activity in Mount Lawu, Central Java.

The dead were identified as 23-year-old Jumain from Demak, Central Java, and 18-year-old Muji Rachman from Blora, Central Java.

Search and rescue team coordinator Aji Pratama Heru said Monday his team was still searching for the missing climbers who are mostly from Central Java such as Nur Achmad from Kudus, Fauji (Cilacap), Puji (Pati), Arif (Blora), and Muchlis (Bojonegoro), Antara news agency reported.

One missing person, known as Eko Supriyanto, was from Jambi, Heru added.

The victims were among 125 Blora's Condromowo Association members, who climbed Mount Lawu on Saturday morning in sunny weather. However, the rain poured the mountain on the afternoon and only stopped on Sunday.

River trip

The Jakarta Post, Antara | Sat, 12/05/2009 1:48 PM | Jakarta

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono (second left), Jakarta Governor (third left) and Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al Jufrie wave to local residents living on the sides of Ciliwung River during a visit on Saturday. The government is planning to construct an integrated place to repair the to the murky, garbage-ridden, river and to relocate the residents. Antara/Salis Akbar

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One Reported Dead as Ferry Sinks off Indonesia's Sumatra Island; Rescue Underway

The Jakarta Globe

Ferry accidents are common in Indonesian waters. The 'Senopati Nusantara', above, sank off the coast of Java in late 2006 with some 500 people aboard. (Photo: EPA)

A ferry carrying 213 has sunk in rough seas near Indonesia's Riau islands, killing at least one person, police said.

Search teams are looking for survivors from the Dumai Express 10 which was sailing from Batam near Singapore to Dumai island in Riau when it ran into massive waves, Riau police chief Puji Hartanto told Metro TV.

The victim was a small child, according to kompas.com.

Survivors were spotted floating at sea, Hartanto said.

Separately, another ferry, the Dumai Express 15 with 278 people on board, ran aground after it was hit by large waves, said Riau police spokesman Yasin Kosasih.

All passengers and crew survived, he added. The ferry was travelling between Batam and Moro island.

Indonesia relies heavily on ferry services to connect the many islands in the sprawling archipelago, but accidents are common, largely due to years of under-investment in infrastructure and a tendency to overload ferries.

Reuters JG

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Rescue team finds 50 survivors four days after W. Sumatra earthquake

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 10/04/2009 10:09 PM

The West Sumatera natural disaster mitigation board (Satkorlak) found 50 survivors who managed to stay alive amidst the rubbles on Sunday, four days after the 7.6-magnitude earthquake devastated much of the province.

Tempointeraktif.com reported that the rescue team from Satkorlak discovered the victims at Patamuan district, Agam regency.

Satkorlak coordinator Ade Edward said his team would dispatch a helicopter to evacuate the victims to nearby hospitals in Bukit Tinggi and Padang Panjang.

He added that most victims were suffering from major injuries such as broken bones.

“We will bring them to the hospitals to undergo operations as soon as possible,” he said. (ewd)

100 still missing in Situ Gintung dam burst tragedy

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 03/29/2009 2:29 PM

Recovering remains: Indonesian soldiers search for victims after a dam burst in Jakarta on Sunday. Attention shifted to caring for homeless and hungry survivors after a dam burst outside the Indonesian capital, sending a wall of water crashing into homes and killing at least 91 people. More than 100 others are still missing, but hope dimmed Sunday of finding them alive. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

An emergency search and rescue team (UMJ) combing the Situ Gintung area has so far found 96 fatalities, while 100 residents remain missing, tempointeraktif.com reported on Sunday.

"The count is based on the reports of local residents and also neighborhood coordination. Many of the bodies are not clear which neighborhood unit they belong to," UMJ coordinator Rahmat Salam said.

More than 500 people have volunteered to help evacuate victims in the aftermath of the deadly collapse of the Situ Gintung sluice gate and embankment in Cireundeu, Tangerang.

The team comprises members of the national Search and Rescue (SAR), BNPN, Gegana bomb squad, the Health Agency, the Indonesian Red Cross, the police, college students and other members of the public.

The dam burst, which was triggered by heavy torrential rains on Friday evening, had flatted 319 homes, schools and a university campus.

More than 500 residents became homeless and were staying at temporary shelters erected at several locations around the disaster area. (amr)

Situ Gintung search drags on as death toll reaches 91

Multa Fidrus and Irawaty Wardany , THE JAKARTA POST , TANGERANG | Sun, 03/29/2009 11:20 AM

In the aftermath of the deadly collapse of the Situ Gintung sluice gate and embankment in Cireundeu, Tangerang, a joint search and rescue team scoured the area devastated by the dam burst on Saturday, recovering more bodies and bringing the death toll to 91.

Coordinator of the police post at STIE Ahmad Dahlan, Comr. Dahlan said that the teams had found 33 bodies as of Saturday evening.

Dahlan, however, said that the team found it difficult to identify the bodies recovered from the thick mud and building rubble.

“Many victims are not registered by our neighborhood unit because they were university students who rented rooms in the neighborhood,” Bejo, an official of the severely-damaged neighborhood unit (RT) 04, said.

The police said they were still searching for 73 people reportedly missing from the 15-minute disaster.

More than 1,000 search and rescue team members would keep searching for victims every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a week.

“Then, we will use backhoes and bulldozers to clean up the rubble,” Tangerang military commander Lt. Col. Joni Abdi said, as quoted by Vivanews.com.

The dam burst, triggered by torrential rains on Friday evening, had flatted 319 homes, schools and a university campus. More than 500 residents became homeless and were staying at temporary shelters erected at several locations around the disaster area.

“So far, we’ve got enough food. But, we don’t have clothes to change into or clean water to take a shower,” said Sarminah, a resident of RT 01, who has been residing in the area for eight years.

But, another victim, Supriyati, a mother of two, said what she wants most is a new house.

“What we are thinking right now is about our house. The walls are all crushed although my house still has the pillars,” she said.

Most residents whose homes were swamped with water during the flash flood were seen cleaning up debris and mud from their homes on Saturday.

“We have decided to move to a safer location. For the time being, we will rent a house ,” said children’s rights activist Seto Mulyadi.

The flash flood, called by residents a ‘mini-tsunami’, had swept through Seto’s house and damaged five cars and one motorcycle, along with important documents.

Saturday’s massive clean-up and search, however, was slowed by an influx of unwanted visitors as thousands of people who came to see the area.

“We had to ask the people that came for ID. We didn’t want any thieves coming to loot valuables from abandoned houses,” said Denny, one of the locals who asked every visitor to show their ID.

“We have seen the disaster on TV, but we want to see it directly with our own eyes,” Tajudin, a resident of Palmerah, West Jakarta, said. Tajudin and some of his neighbors came to the site on motorcycles and said they also wanted to see the rescue team searching for victims.

An official with the Public Affairs Ministry, Widagdo, said that the ministry would not immediately rebuild the collapsed embankment.

“We will instead make a temporary 2-kilometer canal to let the Situ Gintung lake water flow into the Pesanggrahan River below, to ease the pressure on the lake and prevent any further collapses,” Widagdo said.

Separately, Golkar Party chairman Jusuf Kalla handed down some Rp 1 billion (US$60,846) in donations for the victims through Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah at the party’s campaign in Jakarta. (iwp)

Indonesian Red Cross provides clean water for Situ Gintung flood victims

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 03/29/2009 9:51 AM

The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) has since Saturday provided Situ Gintung flash flood victims with clean water, setting up eight makeshift faucets with access to 10,000 liters of water in Cireundeu, South Tangerang, kompas.com reported on Sunday.

"The water container and faucets are placed at a basketball court near the entrance of the Ahmad Dahlan School of Economics. This is to support residents and volunteers alike in sanitation measures," PMI's Water and Sanitation (Watsan) team coordinator Ersan said.

Ersan said 13 Watsan volunteers were able to mobilize water from the State Islamic Institute.

"To anticipate the scarcity of clean water, we've also cooperated with the Pondok Indah drinking water company (PAM) to provide assistance in providing clean water," PMI field coordinator Kristiansyah said.

Meanwhile, PMI continues to help residents rehabilitate the scene.

"A mini truck and excavator arrived Friday evening to help us rehabilitate the disaster area and clean up the flood remains," Kristiansyah said.

Early Friday morning an inland tsunami caused by a wall of water gushing from a collapsed sluice gate at the 21-hectare Situ Gintung Lake had caused the death of no less than 70 residents, many of whom were children.

The sluice gate reportedly collapsed after it failed to contained water from incessant downpour that occurred throughout the day. (amr)

One hundred Red Cross workers help dam collapse victims

The Jakarta Post | Sat, 03/28/2009 5:28 PM

The Banten branch of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) said it had deployed 100 rescue workers to help victims of the Situ Gintung Dam tragedy which killed about 50 people early Friday as reported by Antara state news agency.

"We have deployed some 100 PMI workers to help the dam burst victims," vice head of PMI's Banten office Airin Rachmi Diany said here early Saturday morning.

She said that PMI offices for Jakarta, Cilegon and the headquarters had also sent rescuers who coordinated in providing help for the victims.

Airin said that for the time being the evacuation of the victims was halted Friday night due to the power outage around the area. For this purpose, PMI Banten sent a number of power generator sets to the location.

In the meantime, the rescue workers at the Ahmad Dahlan High School for Economics were channeling assistance from the public in the form of food, blankets, children dresses and mineral water.

At least 62 institutions, mass organizations and state companies have provided contributions to the victims.

The Lake Gintung disaster in Ciputat area, which is on the southeastern outskirts of Jakarta, had caused great worry of the Jakarta provincial administration that a similar disaster may hit its area.

To prevent such an disaster from happening, Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo has ordered the Jakarta Public Works Agency to immediately inspect all the flood prevention means and infrastructure throughout the capital city.

"I have ordered the relevant authorities to check and recheck all the flood prevention infrastructure," he said at his City Hall office in Jakarta Friday.

However, he said in Jakarta there was no embankment as big as that of Lake Gintung.

The Lake Gintung embankment burst in the small hours of Friday, and caused a flash flood killing 46 people, while many others were still missing.

Tangerang Dam Burst Kills at Least 28

The Jakarta Globe, March 27, 2009

A rescuer searches for flood victims. (Dadang Tri, Reuters)

In pictures: Jakarta dam burst (BBC)

Special Section (JG)

A dam on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, burst on Friday, killing 28 people and flooding hundreds of houses nearby, officials said.

Police said that they were still searching the area for more casualties. Metro TV showed rescuers wading up to their chests in floodwater.

"The break down of Situ Gintung dam has claimed 28 lives, and seven houses were swept away," Chrysnanda Dwilaksana, a spokesman for the Jakarta police, said in a telephone text message.

The dam, which was used to retain water in Lake Situ Gintung in Tangerang District, southwest of Jakarta, broke early on Friday morning. There had been heavy rain in the area but so far the cause of the accident is not known.

"Hundreds of houses are flooded, tens of houses damaged, it was like a small tsunami," said Rustam Pakaya, an official at the health ministry.

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A women safe his child from floods in Pondok Pinang, Tangerang, Banten province, Friday (Mar 27). Dike of Gintung reservoir was broken down cause some citizen settlements inundated and 18 peoples death. (ANTARA photo/Paramayuda)

A rescuer searches for flood victims after a dam burst on the outskirts of Jakarta in Indonesia. (Reuters/Dadang Tri)

Dam burst death toll raises to 20

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 03/27/2009 10:16 AM

A dam burst in Cirendeu, Ciputat, South Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, before dawn Friday, sending a flash flood into a crowded residential neighborhood, submerging hundreds of houses and killing at least 20 people, officials said.

A wave of water crashed into around 400 homes in the industrial area of Tangerang at around 2.00 a.m., said Health Ministry Crisis Center chief Rustam Pakaya. Floodwaters were up to 2.5 meters deep is some areas, police and witnesses said.

Pakaya said 20 bodies had been recovered by rescue teams, but that he expected the death toll to climb because residents were sleeping when the disaster happened. At least a dozen others were reportedly missing.

Antara news agency reporte that search and rescue officers were still working to rescue residents being trapped in their submerged houses. The survivors were evacuated to higher grounds at the nearby Muhammadiyah University of Jakarta.

It was unclear what caused the failure of the 10-meter-high dam, which was holding back around 2 million cubic meters of water at the Pesanggrahan river, according to South Jakarta Police chief Makmur Simbolon.

A rescue worker identified only as Toni, told El Shinta radio another 19 people were being treated at nearby hospitals.

"A flash flood came suddenly and was horrifying," said Seto Mulyadi, whose car was washed nearly 300 feet (100 meters) from his driveway into a public park, as quoted by The Associated Press. "My house in a dreadful mess ... Thank God my family is safe."

Mulyadi said he heard a siren sound at the dam before the water smashed out all the windows and doors and inundated his home in 2.5 meters of water. He said his wife and four children were all sleep upstairs and were unharmed. (dre)

3 doctors missing after ferry capsizesd in Arafura waters

Markus Markur, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 01/15/2009 11:51 AM  

An official search and rescue team is on the lookout for three doctors who were not among the rescued after their ferry bound for Asmat, Papua, capsized Wednesday evening. 

According to Asmat Police chief, Korwa, the three doctors -- Wendi Sitompul, Boyke Mowoka and Hendi Prakoso -- were on board the ferry Risma Jaya, when it capsized in Arafura waters due to heavy weather and high waves. 

The search and rescue crew is a joint effort of military personnel and police officers from the area. 

The ferry was carrying 27 passengers in all of whom 19 were medical practitioners; all have been rescued except the three physicians.

The medical team was on temporary assignment to Asmat regency, a remote region in Papua province. (amr) 

Lessons shared on disaster recovery at int'l workshop

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Three years after the Boxing Day tsunami, experts from Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka met on Monday to share lessons learned from recovery efforts in post-disaster areas.

C.V. Sankar, the officer on special duty from the government of Tamil Nadu in India, said the country should learn more from Indonesia's State Ministry for Women's Empowerment in addressing the "women-centric" issues of disaster recovery.

"For example, we distributed saris to women in Tamil Nadu, but they stepped forward and asked for curides, a more modern outfit that they preferred to wear," Sankar said.

He was speaking on the first day of a two-day workshop, which has been organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare.

Sankar said the government incorporated recommendations from the community and non-governmental organizations in reconstructing damaged and poorly constructed houses using disaster resistant features.

When the tsunami hit Tamil Nadu in 2004, affecting 238 villages in 13 districts, almost 8,000 people were killed and 223 children were orphaned.

"What was most difficult was addressing the psychological trauma of the victims," Sankur said.

"We trained teachers and community workers to better conduct the consultations needed to resolve their traumas."

Tamil Nadu lies on the eastern coast at the tip of the Indian sub-continent.

It is the sixth most populous state in India.

Ananda Mallawatantri, the assistant resident representative for UNDP in Sri Lanka, said too much consultation with international donors and other parties was leading to an unhealthy dependence on foreign aid.

"After the tsunami, we prepared the Disaster Management Act in 2005, followed by the establishment of the Disaster Management Centre and the Ministry," Ananda said.

He said procedural issues, including customs and duty, were causing delays in the recovery process.

"We conducted rapid assessments, but decided to take our time in the recovery process," Ananda said.

"Putting everything into practice was the most difficult aspect."

He said the country's preparedness for natural disasters had improved significantly after the 2004 tsunami.

Budhy Andono, assistant deputy for natural disasters at the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare, said there was a complicated line of bureaucracy involved in Indonesia's responses to natural disasters.

"Indonesia is a country prone to many natural disasters, like forest fires, droughts, landslides, earthquakes, floods and tsunamis," Budhy said.

"So we know that the recovery process is not easy."

UNDP identified eight main problems in its preliminary findings on the recovery process in Indonesia, which included weak coordination between the central government and regional administrations, unclear financial mechanisms and weaknesses in collecting and verifying information on victims. (lva)

President orders emergency measure to handle Central Java landslides

The Jakarta Post

BANTEN (Antara): President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered Wednesday Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto to take emergency measure and observe the victims of landslides in Tawangmangu, Central Java.

Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said the president made the instruction after witnessing a tsunami simulation drill on Wednesday.

"The president expressed grief over the disaster and hoped that the task force in the field would be able to restore the condition soon," Andi said.

Andi said the home affairs minister was ordered to visit Tawangmangu as the social affairs minister was still in Aceh on the occasion of the third anniversary of the deadly tsunami which devastated the country's westernmost province on Dec. 26, 2004.

Bantul prepares health centers for seasonal increase

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Bantul

Community Health Centers in Bantul, Yogyakarta, one of Indonesia's major tourist destinations, are ready to serve patients over the Christmas holiday.

The centers will be opened 24-hours-a-day to anticipate an increase in the number of patients.

"We ask all health clinics to expand their services during the holiday season due to an increase in the number of tourists in Yogyakarta. We have to prepare ourselves to anticipate a rising number of patients here," said head of Bantul Health Office Siti Noor Zainab.

She said 16 of the 27 clinics in Bantul had hospital beds and most of them were located along main city roads, as well as on tourist routes.

"So, residents or tourists who need health services can be assisted," she added.

Parangtritis Search and Rescue (SAR) team secretary Taufik F Usman said 50 SAR team members had been assigned to guard beaches to anticipate any incidents over the holiday.

"We predict the number of tourists visiting beaches in the area will increase sharply. Therefore, we have appointed 50 of our 73 SAR team members to safeguard the most popular beaches, including Parangtritis, Depok, Samas and Pandansimo," he said.

According to data from the Yogyakarta Tourism Agency, the number of foreign tourists visiting the province tumbled from around 120,000 in 2005 to only 60,000 in 2006, after a powerful earthquake devastated Yogyakarta and its surroundings.

The number of foreign tourist arrivals to Yogyakarta is projected to rise again to about 70,000 by the end of this year.

Data also shows the number of local tourists to the province dropped to around 1.4 million in 2006 from 2 million in 2005, and is projected to increase to 1.6 million by the year end.

He added all of the SAR members had been equipped with rubber rafts, life vests and communication tools.

He said personnel would set up warning signs at several dangerous beaches to prevent tourists from swimming there.

"Nature-lover organizations from universities in Yogyakarta will also help us safeguard the beaches," he said.

Occupancy rates of hotels in Yogyakarta usually increase sharply during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Public Relations Manager of the Malioboro Ibis Hotel Eunike Martanti said all 148 of the hotel's rooms had been booked from Dec. 21 up to the end of the year.

She predicted the occupancy rate would return back to normal, to around 50 to 60 percent, by the beginning of January.

Public Relations Manager of the Yogyakarta Hyatt Hotel Erika said 80 percent of the 269 rooms at the hotel had been booked for the holidays.

Travel agents in Yogyakarta are also experiencing an increase in the number of ticket and tourism pack