Yogya safe from Merapi eruption

Yogya safe from Merapi eruption

Situated almost in the center of the island of Java, Mt.
Merapi erupted again on July 11 and July 19. Hot clouds known as
pyroclastic flows slid down the western slopes of Merapi to a
distance of six kilometers from its crater. This area is
unpopulated and, therefore, Merapi's eruption this time has not
affected any villages. During the height of the eruption, some
villages situated further down the mountain were asked to
evacuate but most people have now returned.

However, volcanic ash has fallen on several towns, including
Muntilan, and on the Buddhist temple, Borobudur. Archeologists
are now busy cleaning up the temple from its cover of ash as its
residue may cause irreparable damage.

"The Prambanan-Yogyakarta-Borobudur tourist corridor lies far
from the volcanic threat," affirmed Dr. A. Ratdomopurbo, head of
the Office of the Development of Methods and Volcanic Technology
in Yogyakarta. Borobudur lies about 20 km from Merapi. In fact,
Dr. Ratdomopurbo invites tours to be held now to his post because
the eruption provides spectacular views rarely seen anywhere
else. There is certainly no reason for tourists to delay any
plans to visit this area.

Mt. Merapi has an almost perfect conical shape, not unlike Mt.
Fuji in Japan, but with a flat crater. For the population of
Java, Mt. Merapi is held sacred as it provides continuous fertile
land after every ash fall and therefore, provides food for the
teeming inhabitants of this area.

Separately, in order to assuage the population of Yogyakarta
and to avoid violence in this province, the Sultan of Yogyakarta,
Hamengkubuwono X and Governor Paku Alam VIII, appealed to the
people on May 20, 1998, to refrain from violence in their
aspirations for more democracy and political reform. They asked
that the people guard national unity and pray for peace according
to their respective religions. As an immediate reaction to the
appeal from their charismatic leaders, the population has ensured
that the province of Yogyakarta remained calm during the past
turbulent months.

To obtain more information on Mt. Merapi's activities, Balai
Penyelidikan dan Pengembangan Teknologi Kegunungapian can be
contacted at Jl. Cendana 15, Yogyakarta, 55166, Telp (62-274)
514192 and 514180 or Fax (62-274) 563630.

INDONESIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD

Jakarta