PACIFIC DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION NETWORK (PDMIN)
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Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami Emergency Update

 

February 14, 2005

 

Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.

 

 

Table of Contents:

 

Overview......................................page 2-7

Indonesia.....................................page 8-22

Sri Lanka......................................page 23-30

Thailand.......................................page 31-38

Overview

 

·      Search and rescue operations for the December 26 tsunami are largely over. The overall focus of attention is relief, recovery, and rehabilitation. The death toll from tsunamis triggered by an undersea earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale off the west coast of Indonesia’s northern Sumatra Island, is now some 295,000 people along the coastal areas of 11 countries in the Indian Ocean.

 

·      Tsunami-related deaths were recorded in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Maldives, Bangladesh, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya. The loss of life is particularly severe in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. The toll for the dead and missing in Indonesia climbed to more than 233,680, with tens of thousands still unaccounted for. The death toll in Sri Lanka climbed to 30,000 and is expected to go higher. In India, at least 10,672 died in Tamil Nadu State and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The death toll on Thailand’s west coast climbed to 5,400, including some 1,765 foreigners from at least 36 countries. More than 400 combined deaths have been reported in the other countries.

 

·      Preliminary costs are: Indonesia – US$4.5 billion, Sri Lanka - US$3.5 billion, India - US$2 billion, Thailand - US$235 million and Maldives - US$1.3 billion. The world’s largest reinsurer, Munich Re, estimates the total cost of the disaster will exceed US$13.6 billion. In the four worst-affected countries, namely Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, the economic impact is expected to be manageable. The GDP growth for India is expected to be unaffected. The 2005 projected GDP growth rate now stands at 5.4% for Indonesia; 4.2% for Sri Lanka; and 4.3% for Thailand. According to a joint assessment carried out by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the World Bank (WB), reconstruction cost for areas affected by the disaster is likely to exceed well over the preliminary estimates of US$7 billion. World Bank estimates cost of damage to Indonesia at more than US$5 billion, Sri Lanka around US$1 billion or some 4.4 percent of the country’s GDP and as much as US$510 million for the Maldives, accounting for some 50-80 percent of its GDP. (Feb-3, AFP, Reuters, WB)

 

·      Coordination: The United States and a number of other militaries and agencies are operating out of and coordinating at Thailand’s Utapao Royal Thai Air Force Base, about 100 miles (161 km) south of Bangkok. The US Combined Support Force 536 (CSF 536), Combined Coordination Center (CCC), which is comprised of liaison officers from Australia, UK, Japan, Thailand and Singapore, and a Civil-Military Coordination Cell, are operating. USAID DART representatives are present, as is the UNOCHA coordinator in Thailand. 1,600 US troops are on the ground. Additionally, the US and others are using the base for transshipment of relief supplies. CSF 536 may stand down by mid-February. (Jan-28, Anonymous)

 

o      Combined Support Force (CSF 536) subordinate for Thailand, Combined Support Group-Thailand (CSG-T), was stood down on January 22. The Sri Lanka subordinate, CSG-Sri Lanka (CSG-SL), will be phased out by February 15. As of 0800 today (February 10), CSG-Indonesia (CSG-I) has been disestablished. CSG-I continues to coordinate with CSF 536 for redeployment of forces. On Saturday (February 12), the overall Combined Support Force-536 (CSF-536) headquarters (the U.S. tsunami task force) at the Royal Thai Naval Air Base in Utapao, Thailand, was disestablished. (Feb-10, CSF536)

 

·       Logistics: The overall flow of humanitarian relief is smooth. In Sri Lanka, transport capacity to move relief supplies is good and improving, as are distribution mechanisms. The need for helicopters diminished as more areas became accessible by road. In Indonesia the distribution of aid continues uninterrupted with some delays on particular routes and bottlenecks at some air and sea ports. UNOCHA says although relief items continue to reach all populations in Indonesia’s Aceh, the targeted assistance is proving to be challenging due to frequent movements of displaced populations between spontaneous sites, host communities and their places of origin. Tracking and prioritization systems for humanitarian cargo and military airlift are being refined. Indonesian military (TNI) control of Banda Aceh and Medan airports and control of humanitarian and military access have been challenges. UNJLC has teams in Banda Aceh, Medan, Jakarta, and Colombo as well as liaison officers to work with the US military. Roads are open to Meulaboh on the west coast of Aceh, but the road south from Banda Aceh to Meulaboh remains impassable, although TNI has begun repairs on various sections. In Sri Lanka, road transportation (trucks) appears to be in short supply in Trincomalee. However, sufficient trucking capacity is available in Galle, due to its close proximity to the capital Colombo. A comprehensive logistics assessment by UNJLC in the three Sri Lankan districts of Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Jaffna did not reveal a shortage of transport. (Feb-11. OCHA)

 

o      UN is transitioning its air logistics needs from almost total reliance on military aircraft to almost total self-reliance on chartered aircraft, under direct tasking of the UNHAS. Military aircraft are gradually being phased out, subject to operational requirements under UNHAS civilian operations. UNJLC is also working with GoI for greater IO/UN vehicular access to remote areas affected by the tsunami disaster. UNJLC has a detailed list of civilian/commercial transportation assets available on its website www.unjlc.org (Feb-3, UNJLC)

 

o      The UNJLC is using Malaysia’s Subang Airport as its regional Humanitarian Air Hub (SHAH). Cargo is airlifted to either Banda Aceh or Medan, or transported for dispatch by ship. UNJLC recommends all international relief flights land in Subang, and then further dispatch the cargo by smaller aircraft. UNJLC encourages other agencies and humanitarian organizations to use the two IL76 and three Hercules aircraft on the Subang-Medan and Subang-Banda Aceh routes. (Jan-21, UNJLC) UNJLC is expected to decide this week whether the hub should be kept longer.

 

o      UNHAS does not anticipate an increase in helicopter capacity. It plans to reduce air assets in the absence of additional requests over the next 2-3 weeks. More goods are now being transported via roads and sea. (Feb-4, UNJLC)

 

o      UNJLC civil engineers are currently assessing roads and seaports for serviceability and reliability keeping in mind the seasonal changes (next three months) in sea conditions along the western coast of Sumatra, as well as the questionable sustainability of some road routes. UNJLC thinks it is prudent to retain some excess air capacity in Medan, Meulaboh and Banda Aceh, should circumstances dictate a ramping up of air support. (Feb-9, UNJLC)

 

o      Significant decrease in the movement of humanitarian relief supplies has been observed by UNJLC, IOM and UNHAS. NGOs that have reported that their warehouses in Indonesia’s Medan and Banda Aceh were overloaded, are encouraged to contact UNJLC and IOM to reduce warehouse bottlenecks. (Feb-4, UNJLC)

 

o      United Nations High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) says three Swiss Super Puma helicopters put at its disposal by the Swiss Government would wind up their mission by the end of this month. UNHCR says these helicopter were vital during the emergency phase of the crisis, however, as relief efforts enter from the emergency phase to the rehabilitation phase, it expects to use road transport and boats to move heavier relief supplies. (Feb-11, UNHCR)

 

·      Food: Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, estimates 2 million people are in need of food aid. WFP is currently assisting 1,100,000 people. For February, WFP estimates it will feed 850,000 in Sri Lanka—up from 750,000 in January and 500,000 to 800,000 in Indonesia—up from 340,000. In Indonesia, UNJLC plans to be able to move food and other items for 750,000. UN’s World Food Program (WFP) has already delivered some 10,000 metric tons of food. WFP has received US$81.9 million or one-third of its US$256 million emergency appeal. FAO says overall food availability in the region is adequate to cover needs. The agency is working to rehabilitate fisheries and agriculture.

 

o      WFP says as of January 31, it was helping 379,000 people in Indonesia with their food needs. WFP expects the number of relief recipients to reach 528,000 by the end of this month (February). WFP estimates the number of aid recipients to climb to 790,000 over the next six months, as GoI completes its IDP registration process. (Feb-9, UNJLC)

 

·      Health/Medical: World Health Organization (WHO) officials estimate up to five million people displaced and at risk, with 750,000 estimated as displaced in Indonesia. WHO estimates 500,000 people were injured. There are scattered reports of diarrhea, malaria, dengue, measles, pneumonia and skin infections, but no disease outbreaks. WHO priorities are prevention of diarrhoeal diseases, particularly cholera and typhoid. WHO seeks US$76 million for the next six months to combat mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever, which are endemic across South Asian countries, except the Maldives. (Jan-27, UNNC)

 

o      WHO reports no disease outbreaks in the region. However, Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs warns there is no room for complacency. WHO says malnutrition is emerging as a concern in Indonesia. Government of Indonesia (GoI) is leading a Nutrition Surveillance Task Force in cooperation with international NGO partners and UN agencies. The task force will be established in Banda Aceh and training of enumerators is expected to start by mid-February. Ministry of Health and provincial health department in Aceh are GoI’s lead agencies to oversee the task force (Feb-4, OCHA)

 

o      International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) says sanitation continues to be growing concern in Indonesia and Sri Lanka with latrine construction hampered by high ground water levels. (Feb-1, IFRC). Provision of water and sanitation for relocated families is becoming a major problem in all tsunami-affected districts in Sri Lanka. The unplanned and uncoordinated movement of people is making the provision of these services challenging. (Feb-9, UNJLC)

 

o      WHO estimates some 40,000 pregnant women in tsunami-affected regions across the Indian Ocean were left homeless. WHO says it is concerned over the lack of midwives on hand in IDP camps, adding that lack of qualified childbirth personnel could lead to hemorrhaging and asphyxiation. WHO says timely access to health facilities and services for mothers and babies, particularly in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, must be a top priority. (Feb-14, UNNC)

 

·      Security: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says his government would accept a Finnish invitation for a second round of peace talks with Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels aimed at ending nearly a three-decades long separatist conflict in Aceh. The first round of talks, mediated by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, ended in the Finnish capital Helsinki without a clear resolution. The second round of peace talks is expected to take place by the end of February, although no date has been set. Despite a unilateral ceasefire announced by the GAM rebels in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami disaster on December 26, TNI has killed more than 200 rebels in the area. (Feb-5, AFP)

 

o      UN is considering relocating its relief headquarters in Indonesia’s tsunami-stricken Aceh province due to security reasons. Joel Boutroue, UN deputy humanitarian coordinator stressed that decision was not based on any direct threats against UN interests, but was an effort to relocate the staff to a new compound that was structurally more secure. (Feb-8, AP) UN activities outside the UN compound in Banda Aceh are under curfew from midnight to 6 AM. WFP security assessments in Meulaboh and Calang and on roads from Banda Aceh-Medan and Singkil-Meulaboh find the situation acceptable. TNI requirements for military escorts for humanitarian aid missions beyond Medan remain in place. The Posko (Coordination Center of the GoI) in Medan continues to discourage foreign aid workers from traveling on some routes. (Jan-31, UNJLC)

 

o      US-based human rights group, Human Rights Watch (HRW), says the killings of a senior leader of Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group and five of his associates earlier this week (Monday, February 7), underscore the fragile nature of a ceasefire between the government and the rebels. Brad Adams, HRW’s director for Asia says, “This kind of violence and intimidation undermines the ceasefire and hinders the post-tsunami relief and rehabilitation work going on right now.” Adams says The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission should urgently investigate these killings and strengthen its human rights-monitoring capability warning that failure to do so could affect its credibility and endanger its public trust. Earlier this week, HRW and Human Rights First also expressed concern over relocation camps in Indonesia’s tsunami-stricken Aceh and the Indonesian military’s potential role in the relocation process. (Feb-11, HRW)

 

o      A medivac procedure for UN and NGO staff is implemented; a charter medivac plane is in Banda Aceh for evacuation to Singapore. (Jan-26, UNJLC)

 

·      Political-Military: Joel Boutroue, head of United Nations relief efforts in Aceh, calls for Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) to hand over post-tsunami humanitarian relief operations to civilian authorities at the earliest opportunity, now that the emergency phase is past. Boutroue endorses peace talks between the government and separatist GAM rebels to stabilize the situation. (Jan-24, DPA)

 

o      Foreign military aid operations are winding down and most foreign militaries are scheduled to depart Sri Lanka by early to mid-February. Australia, Britain, and Russia are expected to begin withdrawing their troops from tsunami-affected areas in Indonesia’s Aceh over the next week or so. US military is ending its tsunami relief efforts in Sri Lanka and Maldives, and moving its support into civilian-driven reconstruction programs with virtually all US military presence gone by March. Some 950 troops from Japan’s Self Defense Forces (SDF) will reportedly end their major relief operation in tsunami-affected Indonesia by the end of next month (March). Some 360 German troops are also expected to leave Indonesia’s Aceh next month. (Feb-12, JP)

 

o      UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is urging sanctions against Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels and 40 other groups accused of using children in war. In his latest report on “Children and Armed Conflict” to the UN Security Council, to be debated on February 23, Annan is urging sanctions against rebel groups and some governments in nearly a dozen countries, including Sri Lanka, that have been using children as soldiers. The proposed sanctions include arms embargoes, economic, as well as travel embargoes against the offending parties. An estimated 300,000 child soldiers are involved in more than 30 conflicts around the globe. (Feb-10, AFP, BBC)

 

o      Starting tomorrow (Tuesday, February 15), the Government of Indonesia (GoI) is will begin moving the first of tens of thousands of tsunami survivors now living in tents to temporary wooden barracks, where they will be housed for up to two years. GoI plans to relocate survivors to temporary centers that are equipped with better water, sanitation and kitchen facilities. The UN has welcomed the government’s plan, which would make it easier for the relief agencies to assess the needs of IDPs. (Feb-14, JP, Reuters)

 

o      Malaysia has given illegal migrant workers two more weeks to leave the country. As many as some 400,000 illegal migrants, mostly Indonesians, are believed to be in Malaysia. Malaysia, which had initially set a deadline of November 14, 2004, later extended it through December 31. However, following the tsunami on December 26 that ravaged Indonesia’s Aceh province, Malaysian authorities deferred the deadline for a second time on humanitarian grounds. (Feb-14, Reuters)

 

·      International Assistance: UNOCHA estimates over US$5.3 billion pledged as grant aid for tsunami-affected nations. The multinational development banks, namely the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), are also providing US$412 million, US$675 million and US$500 million respectively.

 

o      US President George W Bush is seeking to boost US contribution to support the rehabilitation and reconstruction of areas devastated by the tsunami to US$950 million. The additional US$600 million would include US$346 million to cover the costs of the US government’s relief efforts to date. Once approved by the Congress, the new contribution would place the US at the top of the tsunami donor’s list. (Feb-9, US GOV, VOA)

 

o      ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda says the bank will host a high-level meeting on March 18 at its headquarters in Manila (Philippines) aimed at coordinating assistance to tsunami-affected countries. Kuroda, who assumed his position earlier this month (February 1) said, “Coordination among the many governments and bilateral and multilateral donors involved in the rebuilding process will be a crucial component of success.” He said the ADB had US$600 million in readily available funding and another US$175 million in reprogrammed funding for tsunami efforts in Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and India. (Feb-8, ADB, JP)

 

o      UN head of tsunami coordination, Margareta Walhstrom, says donor countries were failing to provide sufficient funds for temporary housing and job creation for hundreds of thousands of people affected by the tsunami. She says donor pledges in response to a UN flash appeal of US$977 million cover less than half the money needed for temporary housing and job creation. Walhstrom said the UN had so far received only US$360 million of the US$977 million that were pledged. She is urging donors to quickly turn their aid pledges into cash. (Feb-7, Reuters)

 

·       International Development & Relief Organizations: International development and relief organization Oxfam, like MSF, IFRC, and UNICEF, received all the funding it needed for tsunami relief and ended its fund drive. (Jan-28, Oxfam)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indonesia

 

Organization

 

Overview …………………………………………………………page 9

 

Sectors……………………………………………………………page 11

 

Domestic Response……………………………………………page 17

            Government                                                             

            Local Humanitarian Organizations

 

International Response……………………………………….page 18

            Foreign Governments

            United Nations

            International Humanitarian Organizations

Overview: The Government of Indonesia (GoI) said today(February 14) that it was ready to begin a mass relocation of up to 150,000 people displaced by the tsunami, but promised that it would not force anyone to move. Starting tomorrow (Tuesday, February 15), thousands of displaced would be moved from tents into semi-permanent barracks. Totok Pri, the public work ministry’s director for west Indonesia, said 273 barracks capable of housing 48,650 people in 10 districts and towns in Aceh were now ready, Agence France-Presse reports. GoI is building some 803 semi-permanent barracks to accommodate the displaced for up to two years. Pri says that the relocations would continue until March 15. He says that the 803 units can accommodate some 9,703 families. The GoI stressed the movement is voluntary, but added that those staying in government or other public buildings could not remain. In comments to the media today, Mawardi Nurdin, mayor of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, said that “moving to the barracks is only an option…we will not force them.” The UN and the GoI have expressed that they hope the survivors would return to their old homes to rebuild, however the GoI has said it would not let people rebuild close to the shoreline again. There are a total of some 425,000 IDPs. Indonesian officials expect about a third of the IDPs to move into temporary housing, while the rest will likely stay with relatives. An estimated 260,000 IDPs are already staying with extended families. Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First have expressed concerns that some Acehnese might be forcibly relocated or prevented from returning home. The groups also expressed concerns over the involvement of the military (TNI) in the relocation. (Feb-8, Reuters) Survivors have also expressed concerns.

 

While visiting Malaysia today, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the GoI is in the midst of completing its master plan for the reconstruction of Aceh. “Hopefully by the middle or end of March, the work could be completed and we would inform Malaysia,” he said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. A group of Malaysian town planners are in Banda Aceh to help the GoI plan for reconstruction.

 

According to Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab late last week, more foreign troops are expected to be withdrawn from Indonesia sometime this week. British troops prepared to withdraw its small contingent of some 36 British pilots and other personnel assisting with relief operations in Aceh yesterday (Sunday, February 13). The British have been in the region since January 2. A Royal Navy ship, the HMS Scott, is off the coast of Sumatra, where a team of British scientists and Indonesian naval officers are conducting a survey of the ocean floor. Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, David Ritchie, said that the some 1,046 Australian troops in Aceh would begin pulling out. Additionally, the Russian military is expected to withdraw from Aceh on February 18, Shihab said, while the Japanese and German militaries are expected to withdraw sometime in March.

 

Indonesia’s National Disaster Relief Coordination Agency (Bakornas) said today that the number of confirmed dead and buried had increased by 546 to 118,639, while the missing remained at 114,904. AFP reported that the Indonesian Health Ministry said yesterday (Sunday, February 13) that it had stopped issuing death tolls and had begun to direct all inquiries to Bakornas as part of a move to end confusion over different statistics being issued by different government agencies. The Associated Press reported that most of the missing are feared dead, but cannot be legally declared so for a year. Officials also say that the figure might mistakenly include people who have fled the area.

 

The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) special envoy to Aceh, Eigil Sorensen, said that the main focus now was on rebuilding destroyed facilities and training new staff. “We need mainly commitment in terms of both human resource organization, gradually getting local doctors back to work and at the same time trying to train people. I expect that some kind of assistance will be required, working with local partners, cooperating in the initial phase,” he said.

 

GOI put tsunami/earthquake losses at US$4.5 billion. The Consultative Group on Indonesia, made up of 30 international lenders, pledged US$1.7 billion in tsunami aid for 2005, consisting of US$1.2 billion in grants and US$500 million in soft loans. The aid is in addition to US$3.4 billion donors pledged that will mostly go towards reducing the national deficit. During the international ministerial tsunami meeting in Geneva on January 11, several countries pledged US$900 million for a six-month period to Indonesia. Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab this week said that it was important that the international community keep tabs on donor money pledged to tsunami victims in Aceh province to ensure that rampant corruption does not eat away at pledges. The GoI has so far announced a series of checks and balances to assuage fears of graft.

 

Banda Aceh vicinity: The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, did an aerial survey of tsunami-affected areas along the east and west coast. Along the eastern side, the team flew from Medan to Banda Aceh. Lhokseumawe was identified as the start of the affected areas. On average, about 1 km (.62 mile) inland was affected along the Eastern coast. The survey revealed that a lot of brackish water aquaculture was damaged, and paddy fields have been covered with saline water. Fishing boats were destroyed along with the port. (Feb-14, FAO) Malaysian town planners, engineers, architects and surveyors arrived in Banda Aceh to help with master plan for rebuilding Banda Aceh. (Feb-8, AFP) The UN Development Program (UNDP) said it would employ up to 30,000 survivors for cleanup efforts across Aceh province. (Feb-4, AP) Government is aiming to remove all bodies and complete the clean up of the provincial capital by the end of February. The World Health Organization (WHO) says Aceh’s health care system was relatively good before the disaster, with an extensive network of local health clinics. WHO says it will take months or years to rebuild. (Jan-30, AP) More than 130 schools reopened in late January throughout Aceh province. WFP says most people around Banda Aceh provisioned with one-month of rations. Some semblance of normalcy is returning to the city. Fifty percent of electrical power in Banda Aceh and 30 percent in Meulaboh has been restored. (Feb-1, UNOCHA) The National Coordination Board for Natural Disaster Management (BAKORNAS) reports the rehabilitation of the telephone system in Banda Aceh. Around 380 government officials were imported from Jakarta to get local government affairs restarted. Hundreds of police and thousands of TNI have been brought in.

 

West Coast of Aceh Province/Western Islands: The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry did an aerial survey of tsunami-affected areas. The aerial survey showed that the western coast had been seriously damaged and would take a long time for recovery. Some strips of agriculture land have disappeared and paddy fields are covered in mud, while their boundaries no longer exist. Irrigation and drainage facilities were also damaged. The survey length was some 280 km (174 miles) up to Kuala Tripa in Nagan Raya district. FAO concluded that some lands are no longer usable for agriculture; some lands no longer have owners; and boundaries of field properties have disappeared. (Feb-14, FAO) The west coast of Aceh had a population of about one million in its six regencies, with about 500,000 in the heavily damaged northern three and 500,000 in the southern three. A January UN, GOI and US military report says the tsunami destroyed virtually every village, town and roads and bridges along a 170-kilometer (105-mile) stretch of coast that was not more than 10 meters (33 feet) above sea level. The report cites the complete lack of sanitation along the coast as the main risk facing some 125,000 IDPs. Increasing numbers of IDPs are gathering in the major towns of Meulaboh and Calang, which increased the chances of a disease outbreak. An assessment of the western islands off the coast of Sumatra found considerable damage to housing and livelihoods. However, fewer deaths than areas along the west coast. Simeulue Island, off the west coast and closest to the epicenter, has about 18,000 IDPs.

 

 

Domestic Response

 

Local Government

 

·       The TNI says that it will deploy some 6,000 troops in Aceh to open up transportation routes and distribute assistance to isolated areas under the program, “TNI Building Villages.” (Feb-4, Tempointeractive) Total of TNI troops is around 50,000; 38,000 troops were already in Aceh for military operations against the GAM. TNI said 517 soldiers were killed in the tsunami.

 

·       GOI intends to create 50,000 jobs with manpower-intensive projects in 100 locations. (Feb-02, Terrawire)

 

·       As of January 22, 54 out of 241 subdistrict administrations and 647 out of 5,958 village administrations were not functioning. (Jan-23, Jakarta Post)

 

• Information Minister Sofyan Djalil says the GOI will set up a “credible” oversight scheme for international aid. (Jan-17, Reuters) American accounting firm of Ernst &Young to audit foreign aid. (Jan-14, IHT) Welfare Minister Shihab says the government would make official monthly announcements of the amount of aid received and spent. (Jan-23, Jakarta Post)

 

·       Indonesian police deployed around 800 officers to Aceh Province to fill the posts of 450 killed in the disaster.

 

Local Organizations

 

• The Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) criticized Finnish mediator Martti Ahtisaari for allegedly supporting the GoI and its proposal to end the Free Aceh Movement’s (GAM) independence movement. (Feb-4, AP)

 

• Aceh Working Group, a coalition of local NGOs, expressed concerns over the monopoly of the TNI over aid distribution. (Feb-1, Aceh Kita)

 

• Indonesia Corruption Watch has sent a team of 10 observers to Aceh.

 

• The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) sent over 800 trained volunteers to Aceh. PMI has disaster response team in Meulaboh. PMI is sending two five-ton trucks with relief items to Meulaboh. (Jan-29, Reuters)

• Indonesian Midwives Association says 30 percent of its 1,650 members in Aceh died in the disaster. (Jan-21, AP) UNOCHA reports that the Ministry of Health has sent some 300 midwives to Banda Aceh to provide support. (Feb-1, UNOCHA)

 

• Walhi has approximately 200 volunteers in Aceh providing emergency medical supplies, sanitation, food and water. (Jan-27, EWC)

 

International Response

 

Foreign Governments

 

·       Afghanistan’s medical team began wo