President Soeharto visits disaster stricken village

President Soeharto visits disaster stricken village

JAKARTA (JP): Another powerful earthquake rocked the
southeastern tip of Java yesterday only hours before President
Soeharto flew to Banyuwangi, which was severely devastated by
massive tidal waves early this month.

There were no reports of new casualties nor any indication
that the quake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, had caused
tidal waves similar to the ones that killed more than 200 people
on June 3.

The Meteorology and Geophysics agency said the quake had its
epicenter in the Indian Ocean about 137 kilometer southeast from
the coastline.

One official in Pesanggrahan, a subdistrict in Banyuwangi,
however reported that some corpses from the previous disaster had
been unearthed by the powerful tremor.

Soeharto flew in a helicopter to Pancer, a village in the
Banyuwangi regency which was the worst affected by the calamity.

Local officials informed him that a total of 223 people were
killed in the June 3 disaster, with 204 in Banyuwangi regency
alone. Some 22 people are still listed as missing.

Hundreds of houses were also destroyed and more than 1,000
fishing boats, the main means for villagers to earn their
livelihoods, had either been destroyed or gone astray.

The president yesterday toured the devastated area and spoke
with the survivors, providing them with words of comfort and
encouragement that they should rebuild their lives quickly.

He also offered to provide some 1,000 boats, fitted with
engines, on loan, so that they can resume earning their income
soon.

"How soon can you repay the loans?" he asked the fishermen at
Pancer.

The boats offered range in price from Rp 250,000 to 750,000
while the engines cost Rp 1.5 million a piece. The loans will be
repayable within three years.

Worst disaster

Soeharto was accompanied by Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono
and Minister of Trade Satrio Boediardjo Joedono during the brief
visit to the area, the Antara news agency reported.

It was the worst natural disaster to hit Indonesia since tidal
waves, combined with a powerful earthquake, killed over 2,000
people in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, in December of 1992.

Soeharto urged the survivors of the disaster in Banyuwangi to
follow the government's instructions when rebuilding their homes
as certain areas might be declared too dangerous following the
tidal waves.

He said some of the victims must be prepared to be relocated
for their own safety.

"Why are you so reluctant to move?" he asked one villager who
had told him that he and his family would rather stay put because
the coastline has plenty of fish.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta Minister of Social Services Endang
Kusuma Inten Suweno admitted yesterday that there were some
problems with the distribution of the relief aid that is now
pouring into Banyuwangi.

Inten told a hearing with the House of Representatives that
there bound to be obstacles to the relief operation, especially
because of the shortage of skilled and trained manpower to handle
such a huge task.

She assured the House that the government is doing its utmost
to ensure that the aid reach the intended recipients on time.

There had been reports earlier that despite the massive amount
of aid going to Banyuwangi, many survivors were only getting fed
once a day because of poor distribution.

Inten said yesterday that she was impressed with the
Indonesian and international publics extension of aid to the
victims of the disaster.

So much so that the absence of the funds from the government's
SDSB lottery, which was scrapped last November because of strong
opposition from religious leaders, was not felt.

The SDSB had been the prime source of Ministry of Social
Service funding, which finances relief operations in the wake of
natural disasters. (prs/05)