MT MERAPI BECOMING MORE DANGEROUS

By  Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 5 (ANTARA) - Mount Merapi, one of the world's most active volcano near Yoyakarta in Central Java, has since its eruption last week continued to show its 'anger', with another eruption on Friday, spewing hot clouds and killing again at least 64 residents.          The increased activities of Mt Merapi prompted the authorities to extend the danger zones from a radius of 15 to 20 km from its crater. It has forced about 40,000 people living near the mountain  to flee to the nearest safer place, Yoyakarta.        Up to 64 people had been found dead after the eruption at 00.40 hours on Friday, consisting of 34 males and 30 females.           With the latest developments on Friday,  President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono decided to directly monitor the volcano's conditions and emergency response efforts. He moved his office  temporarily to the Presidential Palace in Yogyakarta.           "I will depart (for Yogyakarta) soon because I have to join the people there to ensure that I am together with them," he told a press conference at the Presidential Office. The President said the presence of temporary office in Yogyakarta would speed up the decision-making process in a state of disaster crisis.           "I plan to stay at Gedung Negara building. I hope both central and regional officials will carry out all the tasks I have instructed," he said.             He instructed the Indonesian military (TNI) to form a special brigade and the Indonesian police (Polri) to form a special task force under the command of the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Board (BNPB).            The BNPB will soon hold a coordination meeting to follow up President Yudhoyono's instruction regarding control of emergency response operations in areas affected by the Mt Merapi eruptions.          "BNPB will soon hold a meeting with the local governments, the regional police and military command chiefs," Wisnu Wijaya, director for disaster alertness affairs of the BNPB, told ANTARA from Sleman through the phone.           He said the president had instructed that the emergency response operations should be under one command,  BNPB head Syamsul Maarif said. BNPB would be assisted by the governors of Yogyakarta, Central Java, chief of the Diponegoro Military Command, the chiefs of Central Java and Yogyakarta Regional Police.          "To follow up the instruction we will hold a coordination meeting soon," he said. Representatives from the central government would also be involved in the emergency response operations.  The agenda of the meeting would among others include a review of the needs of refugees, possible new sites for refugees and others.           But Wisnu could not yet ascertain the places that would possibly be made new refugee centers. "We should discuss it first in a meeting so that we can  not yet ascertain it," he said.           In the meantime, the military (TNI) will set up field hospitals and public kitchens in several places to serve evacuees from the Mount Merapi eruptions,  Wisnu Wijaya said.          In line with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's instruction TNI would field a brigade to help in the Merapi disaster mitigation efforts. The brigade consists of medical, engineering, marine and transport battalions.          He said the military brigade would set up field hospitals, activate all hospitals in the region and set up a public kitchen.          It would also mobilize transport means to move people from one place to another, he said. The brigade would be under the coordination of BNPB chief, Syamsul Maarif. President Yudhoyono has named BNPB as the chief coordinator of the Merapi disaster mitigation efforts.          "We will set up field hospitals and public kitchens in several locations," he said.     The TNI has also made ready six Hercules C-130 and three C-212 Cassa aircraft in Abdurahman Saleh airbase in Malang, East Java, in case they are needed for mass evacuation of Merapi eruption victims.           The airbase's commander, Air Commodore Agus Dwi Putranto, said to reporters in Malang on Friday the aircraft had been used to carry aid to Wasior, Papua, which was recently hit by flash floods.          Mount Merapi first erupted on Tuesday last week, killing 23 people, including Mbah Maridjan, the volcano's `spiritual' caretaker, and forced 20,000 others to evacuate.           Now, around 40,000 evacuees are staying in Yogyakarta, following its huge eruption   on Friday, Yogyakarta governor Sri Sultan Hamgengku Buwono X said.          "The number is still being recorded but for the time being it has reached 40,000 or rising almost 100 percent after the danger zone is expanded to a radius of 20 kilometers away from the crater," he said.           He said the evacuees were only the ones accommodated at Maguwoharjo Stadium and Youth Center in Sleman. "We do not know the number of evacuees in the other parts of the province or the city. It is still being recorded," he said.          He said the government of  Yogyakarta province,  where a part of the volcano is located, had asked for centralizing the evacuation to Maguwoharho Stadium and the Youth Center to ease coordination and services.           The two places are located around 30 kilometers from the mountain's peak and so are quite safe. "We are very concerned over the number of deaths due to the eruption early on Friday. Many people staying within a radius of 10 to 20 kilometers were not ready and therefore many had fallen victims," he said. (T.A014/A/HAJM/00:35/a014) 06-11-2010 00:34:5