Yogyakarta hosts geoscience meeting

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