23/06/2006 13:33 – (SA)
Jakarta – More survivors were found on Friday after a ferry sank in heavy seas off Indonesia's Sumatra island, but 23 were still missing, according to an official.
Frits Agamsyah, the port administrator in Sibolga, North Sumatra province, said a vessel operated by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) plucked 11 people from waters between the islands of Bintana and Mursala just after midnight. Full story …
[SIBOLGA] Thirty nine passengers of the sunk ferry Surya Makmur Indah are still missing. The other 94 passengers have been rescued. Seven were admitted to Sibolga public hospital due to weak conditions. The rescue opration is still ongoing. At least 5 ships have been assgined to search for the people still missing.
The following are the names of passengers of sunk ship “Surya Makmur Indah” received from Sibolga seaport authority by a Medan based newspaper (Harian SIB): Lena, Alex Harefa, Rusdini, Ahmad, Azul, Gedi, Rina, Imuzniar, I Zulaeni, Rosnimar, Yardina, Sr. Fedelia, Sr. Evelly, A Firman, A Fendi, A Faris, Tiardin, Edward, Tjuk fuk, Hemo, I Nota, akiluddin, Irwansyah, Ismail, Mince, Silalahi, Silalahi, Aini, Jeni, Siong, Rudy, Alex, Agustinus, Samaari, Butet, Dere, Yuni, T Lase, Ami Hutagalung, Taliaro, Aswanto, Arislina, A Apri, Naga, Apek, Emi, Smaban, Yarnus, Baharlin, Upik, P Sabastian, P Tarsis, Br Elias, Br Cyprianus, Br Hezekiel, Keluarga Pandiangan, A Jari, Punk, Melnian, Seru, Plapius, A Saham, Aris, Askar, Rajagukguk, Sulaiman, Ruri, Wenni, Marni, Yus, Hendra, Asa, Periaman, Fatur, lukman, Bahri, Abas, Amang, Yeremia, Edison, Irawati, Yuleus, Roiman, Roni Laia, Jolo, Aron, A Fee, Lase, Ika, Irma, Liria, S Laia, Mikti, Ika, Yusni, Tini, Ferry.
The newspaper source said that the three foreign (US and Australian) nationalities: Trover Righter (24), Tome Gilnert (21) dan David Andrew (25), and two Nias police personnels were also on board. They are still among the missing. (Source: Harian SIB Online, Friday 23 June 2006).
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A ship carrying more than 100 passengers and crew sunk off Indonesia's Sumatra island on Thursday in bad weather, a naval spokesman said. More …
BRR truck-buying plan criticized
Saturday, June 17, 2006BANDA ACEH, Aceh: The Aceh and Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) is back in the spotlight with a plan to purchase a four-wheel drive pickup truck as an official vehicle for agency head Kuntoro Mangkusubroto.
Activists immediately criticized the plan to purchase a Toyota Hilux, which a source estimated would cost Rp 486 million (US$51.157).
"The plan seems inefficient and a waste of money," said the head of the Aceh-based Anti Corruption Movement, Akhiruddin Mahjudin.
He said the plan showed the agency's insensitivity toward tsunami survivors, many of whom are still living in makeshift tents. "Besides, common cars can now handle roads in the western area, so the plan is difficult to accept," he said.
The agency's spokesman, Mirza Keumala, said the vehicle would make it easier for Kuntoro to travel to places where the roads are still in bad shape. — JP
Saturday, June 10, 2006
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
House of Representatives lawmakers are unhappy with the performance of the Aceh-Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR).
In its single year of existence the BRR had done little to build much-needed infrastructure in Aceh and Nias, House Speaker Agung Laksono said.
"We are very disappointed (with the BRR) as we had imagined that brand-new cities would rise from the debris of regions hit by the tsunami. But this has not materialized," Agung said.
Agung said that in the two hardest-hit areas in Banda Aceh, Lampase and Uleuleu, conditions were virtually the same as they were days after the tidal wave struck on Dec 26, 2004.
"There is no city planning; everything is in chaos. The results don't match the excessive amounts of foreign aid that has poured in," he said.
Earlier this week during a visit to Aceh, Agung said he was concerned about the poor quality of houses the BRR built for tsunami survivors.
Many did not even have toilets, he said.
Responding to Agung's criticism, BRR chief Kuntoro Mangkusubroto said his agency would improve the quality of more than 41,000 houses scheduled to be built later this year.
The House called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to summon BRR executives to account for their work.
The House, meanwhile, plans to summon 11 Cabinet ministers to question them on the reconstruction's progress.
Muhaimin Iskandar, who chairs the House monitoring team for the Aceh and Nias reconstruction, said a meeting with the ministers was scheduled for next week.
He said BRR executives could not argue that the need for consultation with locals had slowed the rebuilding process down because construction decisions had already been made and the Rp 1.52 trillion fund for the projects had been disbursed.
The BRR was established on April 16, 2005, for a four-year period.
The agency's stated mission is to restore and strengthen communities in Aceh and Nias by designing and overseeing a coordinated, community-driven reconstruction and development program, implemented according to the highest professional standards.
Indonesians raise funds for quake victims
By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
Dubai: For the second year in a row, Indonesians in the UAE have had to turn their recent annual get-together into a charity concert, this time to benefit the victims of the deadly earthquake in Yogyakarta. More …
By Eric UnmachtJakarta/Yogyakarta_(dpa) _ Private cars, ambulances and even buggy-style Indonesian bicycles delivered the sick and injured to overwhelmed hospitals Monday in Yogyakarta. More …
Saturday, May 27, 2006
A look at some deadly earthquakes in Indonesia since 2000:
— May 27, 2006: A magnitude-6.2 quake flattens homes and hotels near the ancient central city of Yogyakarta, killing more than 3,000 and injuring thousands more in the nation’s worst disaster since the 2004 tsunami.
— March 28, 2005: A magnitude-8.7 quake strikes Nias and Simeulue islands off the western coast of Sumatra, killing about 900 people and flattening thousands of houses and bridges.
Tsunami recovery: Taking stock after 12 months
Executive Summary
This report, from the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, former US President Bill Clinton, documents the status of the recovery effort at 12 months. More …
By Anna Stechert
GUNUNGSITOLI, Indonesia, 10 May 2006 — Well over a year since a violent earthquake shook the island of Nias in Indonesia, killing 800 people and destroying 90 per cent of the infrastructure, UNICEF continues to offer vital protection for children. More …
Jakarta, May 9, 2006 — The Agency for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (BRR) of Aceh and Nias today holds the second high-level Coordination Forum for Aceh and Nias (CFAN2) attended by Ministers, BRR, local governments of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatra, Ambassadors, stakeholder representatives and Agency Heads of NGOs and donor agencies including the World Bank, United Nations, local and international NGOs, bilateral and multilateral institutions, and civil society. More …
Bhimanto Suwastoyo
Teluk Dalam, Indonesia, 28 March 2006 12:30
At deserted Sorake Beach on Indonesia's earthquake-devastated island of Nias, a few local surfers paddle out at sea, looking back at a bay blighted by desolate, half-ruined buildings.
After an 8,7-magnitude quake shook the island a year ago, killing more than 850 people and flattening thousands of buildings, they are the only sign that Lagundri Bay was once a thriving destination for international surfers. More …
by Christine McCafferty
Thursday, 4 May, 2006
Humanitarian work has once again drawn Gisborne nurse Margaret Thorpe back to the poverty-stricken islands of Indonesia.
Mrs Thorpe is returning to the isolated islands of Nias and Tello, two of the areas hit hard by the Boxing Day tsunami and another earthquake that struck months later. Full text …
JAKARTA, April 26 (Xinhua) — The European Commission has signed the second commitment agreement to provide Multi Donor Fund with 117.5 million euros to finance post-earthquake and tsunami reconstruction efforts in Nias and Aceh, Indonesia. Full text …
