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
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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
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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
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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


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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