Indonesia, where the Dec. 26 tsunami took its greatest toll with a confirmed
death toll of over 90,000 so far, is mobilizing the nation to deal with the
aftermathof the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Security forces on Wednesday massed in front of the Jakarta convention center
which will on Thursday host an international emergency summit meeting to discuss
relief and reconstruction efforts in the wake of the Dec. 26 earthquake-tsunami
disaster, which has claimed the lives of over 145,000 in Asia and Africa so far.
The leaders or their representatives of 26 countries and international
organizations are due to meet here for the Special ASEAN Leaders' Meeting on
Aftermath of Earthquake and Tsunami, being held under the auspices of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan.
The Jakarta convention center is attached to the Hilton hotel which is part
of an Indonesian chain of hotels which Australia warned late last year could be
targeted by terror attacks over theChristmas period.
Security is also extremely tight in Jakarta with over 14,000 officers fanned
across the capital city to watch out for any trouble-makers although the sense
of business-as-usual can be felthere in Jakarta.
Heavily-armed soldiers, security personnel and policemen are guarding the
entrance to an expressway from the Jakarta international airport to downtown.
Security personnel are checking cars entering government buildings, public
facilities and five-star hotels with metal detectors, trying their best not to
leave any stone unturned.
As Indonesia's Health Ministry has raised the country's confirmed death toll
to more than 94,000, the House of Representatives leaders decided on Tuesday to
form a team of 20 legislators with the task of supervising the distribution of
humanitarian aid to tsunami-hit areas in Aceh and North Sumatra inorder to
prevent misuse of funds.
The lawmakers also suggested that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono assign
the Ministry of Finance to be the sole institution channeling donations
contributed from foreign countries.
Quakes and tidal waves hit large areas of northern Sumatra on Dec. 26,
killing more than 90,000 people, thus, making Indonesia the worst-hit country in
the natural disaster.
Jakarta hospitals are offering free medical treatment for Acehnese children
wounded in the catastrophic tsunami triggered byan 8.7-magnitude undersea
earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra island.
As international aid continues to pour in, the Indonesian people from all
walks of life are also mobilizing to show solidarity with their fellows in the
disaster-stricken areas.
Cellular operators have been opening special numbers for contributions for
Aceh since last Thursday after receiving requests from customers to do so.
As of Tuesday morning, some 238,523 messages had come through to the nation's
biggest cellular operator Telkomsel, which has collected 477 million Indonesian
rupiah (51,200 US dollars).
Publicly listed PT Indosat, through its products IM3, Matrix, and Mentari,
has also seen messages pouring in and funds of some 460 million Indonesian
rupiah (50,000 US dollars).
The company plans to keep the service open for as long as it isneeded, at
least until the end of the month.
The donation mechanism is easy. Customers only need to type a message and
send to the special numbers. The money will be deducted from their prepaid card
or charged in next month's bill. Operators in other countries, including
Germany, Singapore and France, have also set up similar services.
The Indonesian government expects to secure pledges from international donors
at Thursday's summit for the rehabilitation of Aceh and North Sumatra. It has
said that it was likely to spendat least 10 trillion rupiah (1.07 billion US
dollars) for reconstruction in the disaster-devastated provinces over the next
five years.