Residents wish to stay put despite volcanic hazards

Residents wish to stay put despite volcanic hazards

MAGELANG, Central Java (JP): The government will not insist
that residents living on the slopes of Mount Merapi leave their
homes and relocate to another area despite the mountain's
frequent volcanic activity.

Speaking during a brief visit on Wednesday to the Babadan
Observation Post, Minister of Resettlement and Infrastructure
Erna Witoelar maintained that inhabitants around the active
volcano had chosen to reside there by choice.

"Moreover we can't guarantee that they will find a better
place (if they moved)," she said.

"I'm not sure that the government can build new houses for
those thousands of families, just trying to relocate a million
refugees has already confused the government."

She said that the best form of assistance that the government
could provide was to ensure that information concerning the
volcano's activity was readily available and that preparations
for a possible emergency were well in place.

She also said that the residents of Merapi had a mystical
belief that inspired them to remain beside one of the most active
volcanos in the world.

"It is also their right to take the risk of living beside the
volcano. And they have learnt to live in this area which they
love dearly," she said.

The 2,968-meter volcano, which is located between Yogyakarta
and Magelang, has shown an increasing level of activity in the
past few weeks.

During an eruption in the 1930s it claimed more than 1,300
lives, 28 lives in a 1976 eruption, and 60 lives during a 1994
eruption.

Despite its frequent activity, thousands live around the
volcano and have refused to move to safer ground.

There are 32 villages within a seven kilometer radius where
close to 80,000 people reside most of whom are farmers. (44)