Posted on 12/30/2004 10:01:15 AM PST by Keith Burwell
Indonesia Needs Help, Death Toll Expected To Exceed 400,000 Thu Dec 30 2004 12:52:01 ET
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The death toll in Acheh, the region worst hit by last Sunday's tsunami, may exceed 400,000 as many affected areas could still not be reached for search and rescue operations, Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia Drs H. Rusdihardjo said Thursday.
He said the estimate was based on air surveillance by Indonesian authorities who found no signs of life in places like Meulaboh, Pulau Simeulue and Tapak Tuan while several islands off the west coast of Sumatera had "disappeared".
He said the latest death toll of more than 40,000 in Acheh and northern Sumatera did not take into account the figures from the other areas, especially in the west of the region.
"Aerial surveillance found the town of Meulaboh completely destroyed with only one buiding standing. The building, which belonged to the military, happens to be on a hill," he told reporters after receiving RM1 million in aid for Indonesia's Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund here Thursday.
Rusdihardjo said there were about 150,000 residents in Meulaboh, which was located 150km from the epicentre of the earthquake while Pulau Simeuleu had a population of 76,000.
The contributions were from several corporate giants.
Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), represented by Chairman Tan Sri Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, gave RM200,000; Guthrie, represented by Chief Executive Officer Datuk Abdul Wahab Maskan, gave RM200,000; Golden Hope Plantations Berhad, represented by Group Director for Corporate, Legal and Public Affairs Norlin Abdul Samad, gave RM200,000; Maybank, represented by Head of Public Affairs Wan Norhiyati Ibrahim, gave RM200,000 and Sime Darby Group's Motor Division, represented by Director Yip Jon Khiam, also gave RM200,000.
Ahmad Sarji also handed over a PNB contribution to Utusan's Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund, which was received by Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Executive Chairman Tan Sri Hashim Makarudin to help Malaysian tsunami victims.
Ambassador Rusdihardjo said a combination of earthquake and tsunami had left 80 to 100 per cent of infrastructure in Acheh province, such as hospitals, health centres, transport and communication networks and homes, destroyed.
"Looking at the scale of destruction, it's difficult to say when the search and rescue operations can be mounted in all affected areas," he said.
He said rescue efforts were hampered by transportation difficulties and lack of fuel.
Rusdihardjo said that at this time international help, especially in the form of medicines, clean water, food and clothing, were desperately needed by Indonesia to aid survivors in Acheh.
"Now we are worried about the outbreak of diseases such as cholera, the work of disposing corpses and the absence of clean water following the contamination of water sources," he said.
You do seem to be miserable. Why is that? Because you lost the election again? Or is it that you can't tell fact from fiction?
We must remember this happened in countries where the govts don't bother to count their peoples numbers while alive let alone when they die.
While you can use capitalization, punctuation and paragraphs, perhaps you should think before you post.
(I really do find being snarky distasteful but sometimes it just can't be helped.)
Prayers lifted here as well. May God comfort and ease the suffering of all those who our suffering.
iretractthatpunctuationstatement
"I know what the answer is. George Bush knows what the answer is."
charybdis:
George Bush read an upside-down children's book to a class of five-year-olds while people in my city burned and jumped out of windows to save their lives, 1 block away from where i'm sitting right now. So anything he knows both he and you can kindly choke on.
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Viking Kitty/ZOT ping list!. . .don't be shy.
You are really really done
Wow. That has to be one of the most hateful things ever written here on FR.
Vile little creature aren't you?
That was quick!
How long before the muslims in Indonesia blame the CIA for the tsunami?
Just a thought, but why don't you channel all of that hate toward the "people", and the religion of hate that attacked your country? I'll never understand that, nor do I want to.
Another exploding troll. Poof
Don't you know not to pass gas near an open flame. Poooooof you're gone.
Oh please! You people lost the election already. Don't wave that bloody shirt here! If it wasn't for "Your Guy" (Clinton) 9/11 wouldn't have happened. How many times did he fail to get Osama (when offered!)? George Bush's response to 9/11 has been masterful. It's all IMAGE with you people, isn't it? So all you can come up with regarding the President and 9/11 is that 6 minutes he read to the children? Not the megaphone on the rubble pile? Not Afghanistan?
He be gone.
Why not go back and look again at what I first said? You didn't get the point the first time around so maybe the second time will do the trick?
So, I presume your parents taught you about caring for others, right from wrong, love one another, etc. Where do you think that came from? The same place I was pointing to in my original post. Do you give your parents the same grief you gave me?
And you are right, you are lazy. The book thing is as absurd as the binoculars with the caps on thing (if you have not heard that one try mustering the energy to look it up).
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