JAKARTA MAY 28 EMBASSY MEETING RE EARTHQUAKE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 006653 SIPDIS AIDAC SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/28/2016 TAGS: AEMR ASEC CASC SOCI PREF PGOV SENV ID SUBJECT: JAKARTA MAY 28 EMBASSY MEETING RE EARTHQUAKE Classified By: Ambassador B. Lynn Pascoe, Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador chaired a Sunday, May 28 meeting to discuss the Embassy's posture and reaction to the May 27 earthquake in Central Java, southwest of the city of Yogyakarta. Participants (DCM, POL, ECON, AID, CONS, DAO, ODC, PAS) examined the initial situation reporting, the safety of American citizens, and humanitarian assistance that Indonesia might need to respond to the disaster. They reviewed USG humanitarian assistance commitments totaling $2.5 million and determined that there is an urgent need for medical assistance and shelter. USAID representatives from Embassy Jakarta are co-located with Australian AID (AUSAID) in Yogyakarta to work directly with Indonesian authorities and other foreign assistance agencies. Consular personnel from CG Surabaya are on the scene, have visited local hospitals and morgues but not located any American citizens injured or killed in the quake. Activity has increased on the Mt. Merapi volcano, located 30 miles north of the earthquake's epicenter. Vulcanologists say the increased activity has not changed the threat level. Ambassador spoke with PACOM Commander Admiral Fallon. The Mission is working with PACOM to identify possible additional assistance. Embassy requests (SEE PARA 4) that State ask DSCA to release OHDACA funds in anticipation of possible US military relief operations. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Embassy personnel reviewed the current situation in the wake of the 6.2 earthquake on May 27, approximately 15 miles southwest of the Central Java city of Yogyakarta. USAID personnel lead USG assistance efforts from the Environmental Support Program (ESP) offices in Yogyakarta, and are co-located with Australian AID (AUSAID) personnel. They confirmed press reports that deaths number in excess of 3,000 and that thousands were injured, many of whom still await medical treatment. An estimated 200,000 persons have been left homeless. USAID reported that medical assistance and shelter are the most urgent needs: - USAID personnel visited the village of Bantul, closest to the quake's epicenter, and reported that the hospital there was unable to cope with the number of dead and injured; other hospitals in the area already face limited medical supplies and resources. - USAID reported that two local water supply utility companies were damaged in the quake, meaning that water could become a serious issue. - The airport in Yogyakarta, damaged by yesterday's quake, has reopened a section of its airfield to receive GOI C-130 assistance flights. USAID personnel say the roads from Yogyakarta to Bantul were passable. ¶3. (C) As of 28 May, the Embassy has not seen any detailed requests for assistance from the GOI, but following up the conversation between Presidents Bush and Yudhoyono, Presidential Advisor Dino Djalal told us the morning of May 28 that the GOI was in urgent need of medical doctors, but explicitly said that it did not desire U.S. military troops on the ground. In a subsequent conversation with the Ambassador, he repeated the need for doctors and expressed a preference that any military personnel not be in uniform. The Mission is in discussions to determine the most appropriate method of providing immediate medical assistance, including through the U.S. military. Ambassador Pascoe spoke with PACOM Commander Admiral Fallon on what might be offered to the GOI. We intend to revisit the question of U.S. military uniforms when there is a specific aid proposal ready to be made. ¶4. (SBU) USAID requested a U.S. military liaison officer be sent to Yogyakarta to assist in working with the Indonesian military, who has a large presence in the disaster area. DAO Jakarta and NAMRU are sending appropriate personnel on May ¶28. So far, the Mission has or plans to provide the following assistance to Indonesia in response to the quake: - USAID reported that they will transport a mobile field hospital stored in Medan for post-tsunami disaster relief to JAKARTA 00006653 002 OF 003 Yogyakarta on 29 or 30 May. The mobile unit has approximately 75 medical personnel supporting it, staffed by USAID partner International Medical Corps. - USAID helped mobilize ambulances, some of which are already deployed in Yogyakarta due to the recent threat of an eruption from the nearby Merapi volcano. - USAID provided financial assistance to the Red Cross to mobilize medical units from Aceh, Medan, and Jakarta to provide on-site medical assistance. Red Cross assistance has also provided 150,000 rolls of plastic, 10,000 jerry cans, and 5,000 hygiene kits. - USAID provided financial assistance to the World Health Organization to provide medical kits for approximately 20,000 people for three months. --$1 Million of the $2.5 million already approved is being provided to the local Indonesian Red Cross. ¶5. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Embassy Jakarta requests that the the Department ask the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) to release OHDACA funds for possible assistance operations by the U.S. military. ¶6. (SBU) A Consular officer from CG Surabaya is on the scene, has visited all hospitals and morgues, and reported no known injuries or deaths of American citizens. Since the quake, activity has increased on the Mt. Merapi volcano, located approximately 30 miles north of the earthquake's epicenter. Vulcanologists report approximately 20 avalanches and several aftershocks at the 3-5 level, but say the increased activity has not changed the threat level. We decided to issue a message using the warden system discouraging non-relief mission related travel to the Yogyakarta area. The Ambassador directed PAS to prepare a May 28 press release to affirm the U.S. commitment to provide assistance to Indonesia and identify the assistance already provided and/or committed. ¶7. (U) We have issued the following warden message: ---BEGIN TEXT--- U.S. Embassy Jakarta U.S. Consulate General Surabaya Warden Message May 28, 2006 The U.S. Embassy informs Americans in Indonesia that an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter Scale struck near Yogyakarta on Saturday, May 27, 2006, at 5:54 am. The center of the earthquake was located 15 miles SSW from Yogyakarta. As of May 28, Indonesian authorities report more than 3,000 dead and thousands injured from the earthquake. The Embassy urges Americans to defer all non-essential travel to Yogyakarta and the surrounding area. The Yogyakarta Airport runway was damaged in the earthquake and airline service remains limited until further notice. The Embassy has reports that bus and train service from Yogyakarta to Solo and Jakarta are still available. Taxi service from Yogyakarta to Solo, the nearest operating airport, is available but limited. Americans in the city of Yogyakarta should consider leaving. Although the city center was not heavily damaged, health facilities are overwhelmed with casualties from the earthquake. Water and electricity services have been interrupted. Cellular telephone networks are operating but may experience periods of overload or outage. Americans who decide to remain in Yogyakarta are encouraged to contact their families in the U.S. by e-mail or cell phone. Mt. Merapi volcano, located 15 miles from Yogyakarta, remains at the highest alert status. Indonesian vulcanology experts have not yet determined what the effect of the earthquake will be on the likelihood of additional lava flows and eruptions from Mt. Merapi, though Merapi has shown increased activity since the earthquake. The Embassy strongly urges JAKARTA 00006653 003 OF 003 all American citizens to avoid the area around Mt. Merapi and to obey all instructions from Indonesian police and civil authorities. The Embassy reminds all Americans of the need to avoid crowds, to maintain a low profile, and to be vigilant about security at all times. The information in the November 18, 2005 Travel Warning for Indonesia remains valid. All security-related Travel Warnings and Public Announcements, recent Embassy warden messages, and registration information are posted on the Embassy,s website at http://jakarta.usembassy.gov. The Embassy is located at Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, No. 4-5, Jakarta; the 24-hour telephone number is 021-3435-9000. The telephone number of the Consulate General in Surabaya is 031-295-6400; the telephone number of the U.S. Consular Agency in Bali is 0361-233-605. ---END TEXT--- PASCOE