INDONESIA: MAY 31 EARTHQUAKE SITREP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 006813 SIPDIS AIDAC SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR ASEC CASC ECON EAID PREF PREL PGOV SENV SOCI, ID SUBJECT: INDONESIA: MAY 31 EARTHQUAKE SITREP REF: A. JAKARTA 6772 (SITREP 2) ¶B. JAKARTA 6658 (SITREP 1) ¶C. JAKARTA 6653 (EMBASSY MEETING ON EARTHQUAKE) JAKARTA 00006813 001.2 OF 003 SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) The GOI has raised its count of victims from the May 27 earthquake to 5,846 dead and 22,731 injured. No Americans appear among the dead or wounded. USAID partners provide medical treatment and supplies to afflicted areas. Approximately 75 U.S. military personnel have arrived, and we expect several more KC-130 flights in the evening of May 31. The U.S. military field hospital began treating patients May 31, and should become fully operational June 1. The Ambassador has visited the quake affected areas and met President Yudhoyono and the Sultan of Yogyakarta. They thanked him for U.S. assistance. He also visited USAID-funded assistance activities and the field hospital. Destruction in Bantul and Klaten will require major reconstruction support. Media coverage has focused on frustration with the slow pace of the relief effort, but also includes positive coverage of U.S. assistance, although numerous summaries of aid omit private donations and therefore understate U.S. contributions. End Summary. CASUALTIES -------------- ¶2. (U) The GOI, on May 31, revised its official count of earthquake victims to 5,846 dead, 17,515 seriously injured, and 5,216 lightly injured. We know of no Amcits injured or killed in the earthquake, and have resolved the two open welfare/whereabouts cases from May 30 (Laurie Cohen and spouse Eric Suhr, and Brian Wayne Smith.) In both cases travelers contacted family members by e-mail. Embassy Jakarta received two new inquiries May 31: one for a family visiting relatives in Sumatra and the other for a man named Pete Parker with no date of birth or other identifying information. Consular staff will contact the inquirer to obtain additional information. Repeated visits by RSO and other USG personnel to hospitals and other emergency facilities have found no foreigners among the injured. CIVILIAN RELIEF EFFORTS -------------- ¶3. (U) USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Regional Advisor has arrived on site. We expect a nine-person Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), including technical experts in health, shelter, water, sanitation, and military relations, to arrive in Yogyakarta by June 1. ¶4. (U) USAID has provided funding to the International Medical Corps (IMC) and local NGO "Ambulan 118" for 24-hour medical services. Forty-seven paramedics and 18 surgical staff will supplement Sardjito General Hospital at Gadja Mahda University and operating theatres in Yogyakarta and Bantul. ¶5. (U) USAID partner Environment Services Program (ESP) has begun a review of the water supply and sanitation situation in area hospitals. Through Aman Tirtra (Safe Water System), USAID has begun providing 20,000 bottles of water treatment product. (One bottle covers the water purification needs for a family of five for one month.) ¶6. (U) The International Organization for Migration and the Indonesian Red Cross Relief have begun distributing World Health Organization-approved medical kits (serving the basic first-aid needs of 210,000 people for one month),150 rolls of plastic sheeting for temporary shelter, 10,000 jerrycans for purified water delivery, and 5,000 hygiene kits. JAKARTA 00006813 002.2 OF 003 U.S. MILITARY ACTIVITY IN EARTHQUAKE AREA -------------- ¶7. (U) Since the earthquake, six KC-130 aircraft have landed in Yogyakarta with approximately 75 U.S. military personnel now in the area. With 4-5 more flights expected to bring medical personnel and supplies on May 31, we expect a total of approximately 100 U.S. military personnel in the area. The primary effort involves establishment of a U.S. medical treatment facility, with expected staffing of approximately 15 doctors, approximately 20-25 beds, and two operating units. An Embassy medical team, including four Naval Medical Research Unit-2 (NAMRU-2) doctors and the Embassy's Regional Medical Officer will coordinate with them. USAID has provided logistical support to the field hospital, notably in helping organize the flow of patients. ¶8. (U) The offloading of equipment at the airfield has gone well; the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) remains cooperative but challenged by limited assets. TNI in cooperation with U.S. military personnel have begun moving equipment to the hospital site and establishment of the medical treatment facility. The facility began treating patients May 31 and should become fully operational June 1. ¶9. (U) The Embassy Country Team continues to work with PACOM, GOI civilian officials, and the TNI to examine additional capabilities the U.S. military might provide in support of relief efforts. ¶10. (U) The Embassy's Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) has established a 24-hour logistic-focused operational cell, tel: (62)(21) 3435-9623. AMBASSADOR IN YOGYAKARTA -------------- ¶11. (SBU) The Ambassador, USAID director and other emboffs met President Yudhoyono (SBY) at Yogyakarta's airport for about twenty minutes just before he returned to Jakarta. SBY, accompanied by several ministers, made a strong statement of appreciation for American efforts. The Ambassador replied that Indonesia could count on continued American support and briefed SBY on ongoing American aid activities. ¶12. (SBU) The Ambassador subsequently met the Sultan of Yogyakarta and briefed him on American assistance efforts. The Sultan expressed appreciation for the aid and told the Ambassador that he would personally engage in ensuring that reconstruction efforts proceed apace. He said that he would use his own established channels to push things forward. ¶13. (U) The Ambassador visited the Marine Corps field hospital (para seven),and the USAID-funded assistance activities at the Sardjito General Hospital (para four). The hospital administration had an overflow of some 400 patients placed in makeshift arrangements in the garage. Despite such problems, Indonesian hospital administrators have shown strong leadership in dealing with the crush of patients. Medical and assistance personnel remain optimistic about resolving problems. ¶14. (U) The Ambassador visited a Red Cross feeding station handing out U.S.-funded hygiene kits and food. This aid primarily helps victims in the devastated Bantul region. The U.S. Marine Corps hospital will treat many patients from there. Authorities have found more corpses and 700 untreated injured victims in Klaten. The U.S. hospital has begun helping some of those victims as well. The devastation in those areas will require long-term water, shelter and reconstruction assistance, which we recommend that the USG plan to support. MEDIA COVERAGE JAKARTA 00006813 003.2 OF 003 -------------- ¶15. (U) Indonesian papers today reflected a sense of frustration at the pace of the relief effort. Headlines included: "Refugees Angry at Being treated Like Ping-Pong Balls" (Koran Tempo),and "Coordination Woes Hold Up Quake Aid" (Jakarta Post). The front-page photo in leading daily Kompas provided a classic scene of refugees fighting and shoving to get food aid distributed by a helicopter crew in the disaster area. Most papers carried stories reflecting the hardships of the refugees, the difficulties encountered in getting relief to those who need it most, and the problems of coordination in distribution. The U.S. effort received wide coverage including photos/stories about the arrival of U.S. military personnel in Yogyakarta and updates of the current U.S. assistance effort. As with last year's tsunami, contribution charts and summaries included in the day's reporting only include governmental donations. By omitting private sector and individual contributions, these graphics seriously understate total U.S. donations. (For example, we have heard that the American Chamber of Commerce has reportedly donated 20 million Rupiah - slightly over $2,000 - for medical supplies; we understand other AmCham members are making significantly larger donations in their individual capacities.) PASCOE