| Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, March 14 (ANTARA) - Indonesia began on Monday evacuating its nationals from disaster-stricken areas in Japan with some 104 evacuees expected to arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday. They arrived in Tokyo from Sendai on Monday. More than 400 Indonesians living in different parts of earthquake and tsunami-stricken regions in Japan are going to be evacuated to Tokyo and eventually sent home, Indonesian ambassador to Japan Muhammad Lutfi said. According to data of the Foreign Ministry, 31,517 Indonesians are at present living in Japan, mostly or around 24,000 in Tokyo and around 6,700 in Osaka. However, evacuation will be carried out for those living in three most affected areas, namely in Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi and Fukushima. There were 496 Indonesian citizens who were spread in the three areas located near the epicenter of the earthquake. They were 140 people in Iwate Prefecture, 274 people in Miyagi and 82 people in Fukushima City. Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Sunday 121 Indonesians would be relocated from Sendai on Monday, who consisted of 60 percent men and 40 percent women. "The 121 Indonesians are expected to leave from Sendai and arrive in Tokyo on Monday evening," the minister said, adding that most of the evacuees are students comprising 60 percent of men and 40 percent of women. On Friday, Japan was hit by an earthquake measuring 8.9 on Richter scale that triggered a towering tsunami which crippled the north-eastern region of Japan, killing at least 1,000 people. Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa immediately reported the disaster to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who ordered immediate safety efforts. "We will collect information as fast as possible. Certainly this news is shocking. We hope the situation will not deteriorate and our people could all be protected," the foreign minister said. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday asked the foreign affairs ministry and Indonesia's diplomatic mission in Japan to locate all Indonesians following last Friday (March 11)'s natural disaster. In the meantime, Indonesian Minister for Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar asked the Indonesian embassy in Japan to prioritize women and children in its efforts to help Indonesians affected by Friday's earthquake and tsunami disaster. "We have contacted the Indonesian Embassy in Japan and discussed the fate of women and children affected by the earthquake and tsunami," said Linda Gumelar Monday. Linda said her ministry has contacted the Indonesian Embassy in Japan to ensure that Indonesian citizens there remained in good condition, especially women and children. "I am really concerned about the disaster, and I want to make sure that children and women residing in that country are safe," she said. In order to provide assistance, the embassy has set up and sent teams to the affected regions to provide help for Indonesian nationals. "The Indonesian Embassy has set up a team for rescuing our people in Japan, especially those who are staying in Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi and Fukushima. An airplane has been sent to evacuate them to Tokyo," said Ambassador Lutfi. The Indonesian embassy has rescue teams Miyagi and Iwate prefectures who arrived on Saturday. "The Indonesian embassy in Tokyo sent two evacuation teams to Miyagi and Iwate on Saturday," the embassy said. Yet some Indonesians are running short of logistics in Sendai for example. Tens of Indonesian nationals sheltered at Sendai are in dire need of food and drink, according to the embassy in Tokyo. Right now priority in the distribution of food is gaven to senior citizens and children while the supply of drinking water is also limited. But a team of embassy employees had arrived at Sanjo junior high school building where the Indonesian nationals were being sheltered. They later set up a public kitchen to provide food to the Indonesian nationals. Yet a shortage of foodstuff posed an obstacle. They were all in good health, though some of them began to complain about poor facilities at the evacuee camp. In Sendai, capital of Miyagi prefecture, the relief team evacuated on Monday ten Indonesians. Head of the National Workers Placement and Protection Agency (BNP2TKI) Jumhur Hidayat said the ten evacuees consisted of seven nurses and three students. The seven nurses were Mugiyati, Desi Subarkan, Jajang Rahmat, Emey Wahyudi, Siti Nur Lailiay, Wihel Maridadewi and Wisita Permanasari while the three students who were also evacuated to Tokyo were Robert Dwipura,Tahta Erlangga and Achmad Faisal Dwiputra. "They are expected to arrive in Tokyo at midnight today." Jumhur said on Monday. Jumhur also pointed out that there were four Indonesian nurses in Fukushima prefecture who survived the earthquake and tsunami. The whereabouts of the four Indonesian nurses were previously not known but later it was reported that they were safe and had been evacuated to a Tokyo military hospital. They were taken to the hospital to be examined whether or not they were exposed to radiation following the explosion of a nuclear power plant (PLTN) in Fukushima as a result of the quake and its subsequent tsunami. The four Indonesian workers were Dwi Astuti from Klaten district, Central Java; Puspawati from Mimika Baru, West Papua; Harlina Semi from Panakkukang, Makassar; and Yulianti from Senapelan, Pekanbaru, Riu province. |
Senin, 14 Maret 2011
RI BEGINS EVACUATING ITS NATIONALS FROM JAPAN
Jumat, 11 Maret 2011
RI SURVIVES JAPAN'S TSUNAMI THREAT
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, March 11 (ANTARA) - After having about eight hours of panic and tense, villagers in the coastal areas of North Sulawesi, North Maluku and Papua provinces, took a deep breath of relief as the devastating tsunami in Japan did not reach their areas. The towering tsunami which crippled north-east of Japan, did not reach their areas until the deadline set by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) at 6 pm western Indonesia Time (WIB) had passed on Friday evening. "Based on procedures, the tsunami warning is lifted if one hour after the deadline is passed. Now that we have passed one hour of the deadline, the BMKG is now withdrawing its tsunami warning and declared that all areas in Indonesia are secure from the threat," BMKG Chief Sri Woro B Harijono said in an interview with TVone station Saturday evening. The BMKG has earlier issued a warning that Japan's tsunami may reach the eastern part of Indonesia, particularly North Sulawesi, North Maluku and Papua provinces following a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 8.9 on the Richter scale which took place about 373 km from the national capital of Tokyo and triggered a giant tsunami. "The tsunami was first expected to reach Indonesia at 6 pm WIB or 8 pm Central Indonesia Time (WIT)," BMKG head Sri Woro B Harijono told ANTARA on Friday noon. She said it would likely hit Papua, North Maluku and North Sulawesi. Following the warning, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono called for the evacuation of people living in the coastal areas in Indonesia's northeast. He said a tsunami would possibly sweep West Papua, Papua, North Maluku and North Sulawesi provinces and areas around them. People in the regions have to be on heightened alert. "They must all be prepared, especially those living in Indonesia's eastern regions," he said. Agung therefore called for the evacuation of people living in coastal areas in Indonesia's northeast. "If necessary, we will evacuate people in coastal areas to higher ground immediately." he said. The minister also asked the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) in the regions concerned to be ready for eventualities. He called on the people to remain calm and not to panic but to be ready for eventualities. Chairman of the BNPB's Data and Information Center Sutopo Purwo Nugroho also believed that waves from the tsunami in Japan may reach West Papua, Papua, North Maluku, and North Sulawesi on Friday at around 6 pm Western Indonesian Standard Time. "BNPB has asked for assistance from the regional authorities, the Indonesian military (TNI) and the Police to inform the public living in coastal areas so they can be on alert," he said. An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours. Reports put the territories of Guam, the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Micronesia and Hawaii under a lower tsunami watch. In the meantime, reports of Japan's earthquake with its subsequent tsunami which until Friday had killed at least 23 people, caused panic among people living in North Maluku, North Sulawesi and Papua. Residents of Tobelo city, North Halmahera district, North Maluku province, rushed to higher areas upon hearing the information on possible tsunami to hit the province. "We fled to Kupa Kupa which is higher than our area. We live in a coastal area so that we rushed to a higher land area when we heard the BMKG warning through television," Jopi Soselissa of Tobelo said. BMKG chief for Ambon, capital of Maluku, Irwan Slamet said his side gave priority to residents living in areas that sit on a fault in North Maluku, which was a meeting point of the Euroasia and Pacific plates. "We are intensively monitoring the impact of Japan's quake and its subsequent tsunami though we predict that Maluku would not be affected by the tsunami waves," he said. In North Sulawesi, local residents were also panicked to hear the news that a tsunami due to an earthquake in Japan could sweep their areas. Civil servants at the North Sulawesi regional government office burst out of their office as soon as they learned the news. Some of them contacted their families at home and asked them to avoid Manado (capital of North Sulawesi)'s coastal areas. Some others came to pick their family members to evacuate. "My family live in the coastal area so that I go home to pick them up and ask them to evacuate to a safer place," said Steven, a civil servant working at the North Sulawesi regional government office. Star Wowor, who is North Sulawesi regional government secretary, also contacted his family soon to avoid staying in the coastal areas. The same is also true to those in the shopping centers. They burst out of the shops and sought for higher fields as soon as they heard the news about tsunami. In Papua, most of people living around the Wafnor beach, Biak Kota, in Biak Numfor district, also fled their homes to seek secure places. Some residents admitted they were panicked when they heard the BMKG tsunami warning that the waves would likely reach their village at 8 pm WIT. "My family members were evacuated to higher places to avoid the tsunami waves as warned by the BMKG," Launsi, who lived in Wafnor coastal area, said. |
Senin, 07 Maret 2011
CABINET SHAKE-UP SEEN IMMINENT
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, March 8 (ANTARA) - Observers called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to reshuffle his cabinet ministers immediately amid a discourse on the stance of two government coalition members, the Golkar Party and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). Golkar and PKS supported a recent tax mafia inquiry motion which was rejected by the alliance under the leadership of the ruling Democrat Party (PD). President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last week that political parties in the government coalition that had not met their commitments could no longer remain in the alliance, a clear reference to the Golkar and PKS parties which were viewed to have taken steps violating their commitments. Observers are of the opinion that if the president intends to revamp his cabinet, he had better carry it out immediately in order not to miss the momentum. After all, the president now only has 3.5 years left to carry out his mandate. "If he is willing to reshuffle his cabinet, now is the time because it only has 3.5 years left. It will be too late if he waits for one or two more years," political observer Katjung Marijan of the Airlangga University (Unair) said on Monday. He said if the president did not carry out a cabinet revamp he would continue to face the same problem which so far had been created by his coalition partners. Moreover, the idea of a cabinet reshuffle existed for a long time and if it continued to be raised it would disturb the government in carrying out its development programs optimally. Secretary General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Tjahjo Kumolo said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had better reshuffle his cabinet ministers soon. "PDIP only reminds (the president of the cabinet revamp) because if it is delayed it will miss the momentum," he said at the parliament building on Monday. Katjung Marijan concurred with Tjahjo's opinion saying that a cabinet shake-up followed by the coalition's restructuring is needed to ensure the government stability so that it would work more effectively. According to Katjung, a cabinet reshuffle should be made a momentum to renew its commitment and improve coordination among political parties supporting the alliance, two things which so far were proven to be weak. "Ideally, a coalition must be in one home, under one roof and have one door. What happens so far is that each of the coalition members has its own home and door so that a common policy is not created," Katjung said. He said it should be acknowledged that Yudhoyono's coalition now was still confined to power-sharing, not a coalition built to achieve a common goal. Fragmentation within the coalition, where each political party has its own interest, could not be avoided, much more coordination was weak. "Commitment and coordination must be improved which could be done by excluding political parties which so far did not fulfill their commitments," he said. Political observer Yunarto Wijaya of Charta Politika said now is the correct momentum for Yudhoyono to reduce the number of parties in the government coalition so that his administration would run effectively. "The large size of the coalition has proven to be ineffective and put shackles on the government so that the administration over the past one and a half years was not effective as it was shackled by the interest of political parties," Yunarto said. Yunarto said he hoped Yudhoyono would use the momentum to down size the cabinet posture so that it would become more professional by including elements which were free from interests that shackle the cabinet. He said the change in the composition of the coalition by excluding those considered to have violated their commitment and include others in the cabinet would not have a significant impact on the government's performance. "Letting one party go but asking another one to come in to replace it to maintain the coalition strength is only a mirage," he said. He said that by asking other political parties like the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) and Gerindra (the Greater Indonesia Movement Party ) to replace the Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) the president would face difficulties in giving incentives to a loyal party or in taking ministers from the professional circle. "The president has the logic that if A is excluded from the coalition, B must be included in the alliance to maintain strength. But this will automatically reduce the room for him to provide reward for loyal parties or to take ministers from professionals to support his government," he said. PDIP and Gerindra are so far not included in the government coalition. According to Yudhoyono, the political parties who have joined the coalition are the Golkar Party, PKS, National Mandate Party (PAN), United Development Party (PPP), National Awakening Party (PKB) and the (ruling) Democrat Party (PD). These parties have signed 11-point agreements which would serve as rules of the game in the coalition. Owing to the fact that certain coalition members are viewed to have violated their commitments, while calls and discourse on possible reshuffle, the president is now about to revamp his cabinet. However, analyst believed that a reshuffle should not be based on a political reason but on the performance of a minister. "A reshuffle should be carried out if the president considers the performance of his ministers to be bad. This is very important. If the cabinet is reshuffled for political reasons, I think it is not appropriate," Maswadi Rauf of the University of Indonsia (UI) said. He said if the cabinet was revamped because of political reasons, it would affect the government's performance. It would likely disturb and reduce the performance of ministers. A presidential aide said a cabinet reshuffle would be based on performance consideration. "It is not a discourse. It is real and is going to be discussed soon. So if a reshuffle really happens later, the basis for it will be an evaluation of ministers' performance," Heru Lelono, the president's special aide for information, said. |
Kamis, 03 Maret 2011
GOVT STILL UNDECIDED ON FUEL CONSUMPTION CUTS
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, March 3 (ANTARA) - The government is still undecided on whether to go ahead with its plan to limit subsidized fuel consumption as of April or postpone it until July 2011. If the government goes ahead with its April plan amid world crude price increases, now reaching over US$100 per barrel, it will boost inflation. On the other hand, it has to increase additional funds amounting to between Rp3 trillion and Rp6 trillion if it postpones the plan. "Looking at the price progress (of crude oil) which is now skyrocketing and triggering inflation on foodstuff, and the readiness of the Jakarta and its surrounding areas (to accept the limitation), it would be better if we postpone it," said Chief Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said. Although the implementation of the limitation of subsidized fuels needed to be postponed, yet the government has yet to make a decision as the plan still has to be consulted with the House of Representatives (DPR). Legislator M Romahurmuziy of the DPR's Commission VII on energy affairs suggested that the government postpone the implementation of the plan so that it could make preparations. "The plan will most likely be put on hold in view of the current situation," Hatta Rajasa said on Thursday. He said the global oil prices which recently reached a level of US$100 a barrel due to the Middle East crisis might raise the price of non-subsidized fuel Pertamax and if the use of subsidized fuel was limited many motorists would fearfully be reluctant to switch to Pertamax. For its part, the government was waiting for the results of a study conducted by a team of officers on the impact of limited use of subsidized fuels, he said. "The high oil prices may increase spending on Pertamax. The other assumptions will later be adjusted to the results of the study to see if there is distortion," he said. After all, he said, the imminent postponement of the plan to limit the use of subsidized fuels was an option the government still had to discuss with the House of Representatives (DPR). Therefore, the government has not made a final decision with regard to the implementation of the plan and a study is still being made to see the readiness and effectiveness of the plan in Greater Jakarta. Finance minister Agus Martowardojo said the postponement could make the volume of subsidized oil consumption to reach above 40 million kiloliters to surpass the quota of 38.6 million kiloliters set in the 2011 budget. State oil company PT Pertamina has earlier planned to implement limited sales of subsidized fuels (gasoline and diesel) in Jakarta and its surrounding towns in March 2011. This policy is also to be implemented nationwide in 2013. The curb on subsidized fuel consumption may help Indonesia cut its subsidy spending in the state budget by 8.9 percent to 184.8 trillion rupiah for 2011. The program will help the government cut subsidized fuel quotas in the 2011 budget by 40 percent to 22.16 million kiloliters, according to Karen Agustiawan, president director of the PT Pertamina in December 2010. Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo said "if the plan cannot be implemented effectively in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, Depok and Bekasi it would possibly be postponed. And if is decided to be postponed the message from the finance ministry is that consumption must not surpass 38.6 million kiloliters." "If it surpasses the quota I have already taken measures to provide an additional subsidy of Rp3 trillion to Rp6 trillion," he said. He said that the figure was based on the world's oil price assumption at US$80 per barrel. "In general, we have the budget reference of the Indonesian Crude Price (ICP) at US$80 per barrel. Now the world crude price has reached over US$100 per barrel. However, we still have no plan to revise the assumption," the minister said. The minister said his ministry still hoped that the government would go ahead to cut subsidized consumption in order not to increase consumption of subsidized fuel oil that exceeded 38.5 million kiloliters. "If it is postponed it must be because the government is not yet convinced with the effectiveness and feasibility of the study. But we in the finance ministry have made a schedule for the subsidy cuts. The cuts in the sense that the limitation program should not exceed 38 million kiloliters," he said. The chief of the team charged with studying the impact of the limitation on socio-economic conditions, Anggito Abimanyu, said he hoped the government would stick to the plan because based on the results of study it was feasible. "They had better accept it because it is done in April which is a deflation month. I think it is already due and I can give the testimony because I have studied it myself and seen the readiness at policy-making and ground levels. But for sure let us just wait for the options that we are going to give," he said. Yet, legislator Romahurmuziy is of the view that the government had better postpone the implementation of its plan from April 2011 to September 2011, to have a chance of making preparations. "It had better be postponed until September so that the government would have six months to make more comprehensive preparations," he said on Thursday. He said that by making comprehensive preparations the government could apply the consumption cuts not only in Jakarta and its buffer towns but also in Java and Bali. |