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View all search resultsSBY welcomes aid for victims
On Thursday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia would welcome foreign aid for disaster relief efforts after a 7
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O
n Thursday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia would welcome foreign aid for disaster relief efforts after a 7.6-magnitude quake jolted Padang on Wednesday, causing large-scale damage and thousands of casualties.
As of Thursday evening, the death toll from the quake had exceeded 500.
Yudhoyono said the scale of the damage and number of casualties were larger than those produced by the 7.5-magnitude quake that struck southern West Java in September.
“When asked whether we need foreign assistance after the West Java quake ... it wasn't necessary because it was of a scale we could still handle,” Yudhoyono said as quoted presidensby.info after meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla and several Cabinet ministers at Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base in East Jakarta.
“However, in this kind of situation we need to act quickly. If anybody can get [to Padang] first, and if there are countries in the ASEAN bloc willing to cooperate, then please do so,” Yudhoyono said
“The control remains in our hands ... First we must mobilize our own resources.”
The President had just returned to Jakarta after a week-long visit to the US, where he attended the G20 leaders summit. The airplane that had taken him from Boston to Jakarta flew him to Padang shortly after the meeting.
In Padang, Yudhoyono held another meeting with local officials, during which he ordered rescue teams to continue searching for thousands of victims feared trapped under destroyed buildings.
A number of countries have moved to send aid to assist in the quake relief efforts.
Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Zhang Qiyue said China had pledged US$500,000 for quake victims, while the Singaporean Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement it would provide $50,000 worth of emergency relief supplies including temporary shelters, blankets and medicine.
The Swiss government is sending an advanced group of seven Swiss Rescue members who will be soon joined by around 120 specialists who will bring with them aid materials such as plastic covers.
Turkey has said it will send two planes carrying loads of relief aid while the United Arab Emirates will send one aid airplane.
The ASEAN Secretariat has set up an emergency humanitarian relief fund following the Tropical Storm Ondoy that recently struck Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam; and for the earthquakes in Indonesia.
The ASEAN has opened a special account at HSBC, under the name ASEAN Cooperation Fund for Emergency Relief. The USD account number is 001-382019-120.
The Japanese Embassy in Jakarta said a contingent of 83 people would arrive in Padang early on Friday carrying relief aid including blankets and mattresses.
