Tuesday, 7 October 1997
391 Inhabitants Of Jayawijaya Died Due To Dry Season
Wamena, Kompas Online
The number of victims who died due to the long dry season and the hail which hit the Regency of Jayawijaya, Irian Jaya became 391
persons while thousands of other inhabitants suffer shortage of nutrients and have various kinds of ailments. The Regent of Jayawijaya, JB
Wenas brought this forward on Monday (6/10). He said that besides the inhabitants from Jayawijaya, 22 inhabitants from the village
Siru-siru, the Regency of Merauke were also reported dead for the same reasons. Siru-siru is located at the boundary of Jayawijaya so that
the inhabitants in said village reported to the local coordinating unit to overcome natural disasters (Satkorlak PBA) for aid. Based on the
report from the inhabitants from Siru-siru, Satkorlak PBA Jayawijaya dropped food and medicines in that region.
The number of victims of the drought was known at the meeting with a number of international organizations, coordinated by the UNDP on
Sunday (5/10) at Wamena. The international organization which arrived at Wamena consisted of Aussaid (Australia), USAID (America),
Swedish Rescue (Swedia) and the Australian Embassy. They came to check the kind of medicines suitable for the inhabitants of Jayawijaya.
According to Wenas, the number of victims was a result of direct checking in the field and the location of the calamity by seven doctors who
were dropped by the Satkorlak PBA Jayawijaya. The doctors team recorded the mortal cases due to the draught in August and September
1997 in 17 villages spread over four subdistricts.
The number of deads by location is; Subdistrict Kurima (222), Subdistrict Anggruk (77), Subdistrict Tiom (22), Subdistrict Mapenduma
(70) and the village Siru-siru, Regency of Merauke (22).
Quoting the doctor's team, Regent Wenas stated that the mortal cases in Jayawijaya were caused by the weak condition of the body,
shortage of nutrients and water, so that they were attacked by illnesses. In order to prevent more victims, supply of food and medicines are
needed in big amounts to the location of the disaster. Planes are needed to drop the food.
At the moment people are much relying on helicopter assistance from PT Freeport Indonesia, besides Cessna planes from the MAF. The
Satkorlak PBA Jayawijaya also got support of one Cessna from the Advent flights. "Starting this day that Advent plane is transporting food
and medicines," said Wenas.
Accurate
The Head of the Health Service of Jayawijaya dr Zulfian Muslim stated that a victim of the draught named Habulahe who last Saturday was
evacuated from the village of Pontenikma presently starts to recover. The woman who is 30 years old got difficulties in giving birth due to
lack of nutrients. She was found by dr Karel Kailuhu at the village of Pontenikma and immediately evacuated by Cessna plane to Wamena.
About the number of 391 victims, Zulfian stated that the figure was accurate. "The disaster area of the villages is indeed very wide with a
very rough topography, with steep hills and deep ravines," he said. In one village there can be 10 to 20 campongs which are far from each
other on the spine of the hills.
He added that the doctors team sent to help the people had to fight hard to climb the mountains and descend the chasms, not to speak about
the threat of cold air which the doctors team experienced when they had to spend the night in the forest when they tried to reach the village
of Korupun from the village of Selavale.
Demonstration against the Agency for Logistics
In Jakarta 30 students from the Indonesian Moslem Students (HMI) demonstrated at the Office of the Agency for Logistics (Bulog) in
Jakarta on Monday. Besides demanding that Bulog will neutralize the price increase of the nine basic requirements, they also demanded the
Bulog Chairman to step down.
A number of demands were put in a number of posters and black streetbanners, placed exactly in front of the Bulog Office at Jalan Gatot
Subroto. In the streetbanner they demanded that the Bulog had to acount for the shortage of food and the death of 300 inhabitants of
Wamena, due to hunger.
After waiting for about one hour, the students were finally received by the Deputy for Procurement Muhammad Amin and the Deputy for
Supply Mulyono. In the statement of the stand HMI Jakarta Branch asked Bulog to neutralize the price increase in the market and to press
the prices by subsidizing the market, to decrease the price of the nine basic requirements and to supply immediately the daily requirements
for certain regions which very needed it or are in shortage. (*) |
