RI sends condolences to China and India

Abdul Khalik ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 05/16/2008 12:50 PM  |  National

Indonesia has sent its condolences and expressed sympathy for the victims of China's earthquake and India's bombing attacks.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has written a letter to China's President Hu Jintao, extending his condolences to victims of the country's earthquake that killed over 40,000 people earlier this week.

"In his letter, the president also offers Indonesia's help if it is needed by the Chinese government," presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal told The Jakarta Post here on Thursday.

He said the president would continue to monitor the situation in China.

On Monday, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck China's Sichuan province. More than 40,000 people were reported dead or missing, many under collapsed buildings or landslides.

Rescuers are still trying to recover bodies and find survivors buried under the debris more than 72 hours after the calamity.

The president also expressed sympathy for the victims of eight bombings that ripped through bustling streets in India's historic western city of Jaipur on Wednesday, killing around 60 people and injuring 150.

The Indian authorities quickly imposed a curfew in parts of the city, raising speculation that Pakistani and Bangladeshi Islamic militant groups were trying to undermine a fragile peace process between India and Pakistan.

While condemning the attacks, the Indonesian foreign ministry hoped that Indian authorities could quickly arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Lawmaker Mutammimul Ula of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) also condemned the attacks, saying any violence would not resolve problems.

"We must condemn any form of bombing attack and violence. But I hope that the Indian government will not quickly blame certain Islamic groups for the attacks before a thorough investigation takes place," Mutammimul, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission I on defense, security and foreign affairs, told the Post.

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