Yogyakarta hosts geoscience meeting

YOGYAKARTA: The Coordinating Committee For Geoscience Programs For East And Southeast Asia (CCOP) is going ahead with a meeting in Jakarta despite international perceptions of deteriorating security conditions in Indonesia following the Bali bombing on Oct. 12.

Held at the Hyatt Regency, the week-long CCOP conference kicked off on Tuesday. More than 60 participants from 21 countries are attending the event, including from the United States, France and Germany.

"We as the hosts thank God as we can proceed with the conference. Some of us were afraid of last minute changes in the wake of the bomb attack in Bali," A. Ratdomopurbo, an organizing committee member, said.

He was referring to the Consultative Group on Indonesia who delayed its meeting, which should have taken place in Yogyakarta this week, to January next year.

Ratdomopurbo, who heads the Volcanology Technology Research and Development Agency, said there had been a plan to delay the event but Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X provided a security guarantee. -- JP