Archive for April, 2005

Thursday, April 28, 2005 DENPASAR: The Bali Hotels Association (BHA) this week disbursed the final portion of US$41,000 in cash donations to earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Aceh and Nias island. The final $28,000 in funds will be divided equally between three foundations currently providing direct relief in the affected areas. These foundations... »

Tourism on Nias island is in a state of ruin as the monster earthquake of March 28 damaged almost 90 percent of tourism infrastructure in the area, a senior government official said on Thursday. »

Thursday, April 21, 2005 The Jakarta Post, Gunung Sitoli, Medan An official announced on Wednesday that the death toll from the earthquake on Nias island in North Sumatra was now at 839. Of the victims, 682 were residents of Nias regency and the rest were from South Nias regency, Nias Regent Binahati Baeha said... »

Thursday, May 19, 2005 Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta With Jakarta kids now firmly belonging to the MTV generation, many fear they will grow up to be indifferent to others around them. These fears, however, would seem to be little more than fears, as shown by 17 elementary school students who still dearly... »

Monday, April 18, 2005 The Jakarta Post, Medan/Padang/Yogyakarta A major earthquake shook Nias island late on Saturday, causing panic among residents, an official said on Sunday. No fatalities were reported, but the undersea quake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale added to the trauma of residents following the massive quake on March 28 that... »

Saturday, April 16, 2005 Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post/Medan The North Sumatra provincial administration, which is in charge of disaster mitigation on Nias island, on Thursday announced that it would give ample time for the foreign relief workers involved in humanitarian relief efforts to stay in the area, and gave assurances as regards their... »

Thursday, April 14, 2005 The Cahaya Abadi (Endless Sun), a private relief boat carrying aid to Aceh and Nias from a Bali-based non-governmental organization (NGO) sunk off the coast of Nias on April 11 at 2 p.m. The 700-ton vessel had just finished offloading a cargo of rice and aid to the village of... »

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Nias Island Father Johannes Hammerle stared silently at the fragments of traditional clay pots scattered on the floor of the Nias Heritage Museum, which houses more than 6,000 artifacts from the megalithic island. »

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan At least 42 quake victims in South Nias regency reportedly died in emergency shelters due to a lack of medical attention and food aid, an official claimed on Monday. Secretary of the South Nias earthquake disaster coordination post, Herman Laiya, said most of the... »

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan After his hometown on Nias island was shattered by an earthquake, life is no longer the same for seven-year-old Alui Zalukhu. He has been at the Pirngadi hospital in Medan for over a week, all alone. He was separated from his family when the... »

Saturday, April 09, 2005 JAKARTA: Vice President Jusuf Kalla told Nias and North Sumatra people to remain calm despite rumors that a tsunami was imminent in the area. "Rumors are everywhere … in Nias, Padang and along the west coast of Sumatra. The government always advises the people not to panic," he said on... »

Saturday, April 09, 2005 Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post/Teluk Dalam, Nias Sorake beach in Southern Nias is like heaven for surfers due to its waves that characteristically break from right to left, creating a long tube. However, since the March 28 earthquake, nobody but a few local boys has ridden the waves. Most of... »

Saturday, April 09, 2005 Today, just under two weeks after a huge earthquake demolished their homes, burying hundreds of men, women and children in their sleep, the people of Nias are still struggling to rebuild their lives. As of this weekend, many bodies were still under the rubble, unrecovered due to a lack of... »

Friday, April 08, 2005 Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Gunung Sitoli On a day when she was supposed to tap latex on her five-hectare rubber plantation, Ameria Hura, 32, was instead sitting and chatting with her relatives in Hiligodu village, 12 kilometers from the town of Gunung Sitoli in north Nias. It's been eight... »

Friday, April 08, 2005 Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Gunung Sitoli Yeniria Telemanua, 12, and her brother Natalius, 9, started off on the two-hour, 10-kilometer journey from the hilly area where their parents grow water spinach and cassava leaves to Beringin market in Gunung Sitoli. The elementary school students have not been in school... »