VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that four people died in the 5.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted Jayapura city, Papua, on Thursday.

Chief executive of Jayapura city’s Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), Asep Khalid, informed that the four victims were found in the debris of a cafeteria that collapsed in the earthquake.

The cafeteria was located above water in Jayapura city area, so the evacuation process was carried out by a team of diving experts, he said.

"The cafe collapsed due to the earthquake and we found four people in the debris. The building immediately fell into the sea," Khalid said in a statement received here on Thursday.

When the earthquake, which was felt strongly for two to three seconds, struck, people panicked and ran out of their homes, he said.

“The earthquake was felt for two to three seconds. Now, it feels like the earthquake shaking is going on," he said.

A number of buildings, including houses, public facilities, and health facilities, were damaged in the quake. Several patients at the Jayapura City Hospital were also evacuated to the courtyard of the building, he informed.

The Jayapura city BPBD team and the relevant agencies are still in the process of collecting data on damage and casualties. The joint team has also set up tent posts and emergency tents for temporary evacuation.

"The quick reaction team (TRC) is monitoring the location. We also built tent posts and the rest of the Jayapura province BPBD team also helped (set up) tents at the hospital," Khalid said.

Based on the monitoring of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the earthquake, which was in the shallow category and occurred at 3:28 p.m. local time, was centered at 2.60 degrees south latitude and 140.66 degrees east longitude at a depth of 10 kilometers.

The epicenter of the earthquake was only around 1 km southwest of Jayapura and 6 km southeast of Jayapura city.

Based on the BMKG’s data, Jayapura city and its surrounding areas have been rocked by earthquakes up to 1,055 times since January 2, 2023, with 120 earthquakes felt by the community.

Earlier, the Center for Control and Operations (Pusdalops) of the BNPB also received reports of an earthquake measuring 4.7 in magnitude at 10:35 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

According to the latest data, Thursday's earthquake caused the ceiling of Nurul Amin Dok V Mosque to collapse and damaged several other buildings as well.

As a form of anticipation against potential disasters that can be caused by the quake, the BNPB has reminded people not to panic and increase their preparedness and vigilance against potential aftershocks.

Earthquake early warning can be determined using items from home, for instance, by stacking tin cans. They can serve as an alarm in the event of an earthquake.

BNPB also appealed to the public to ensure that the evacuation routes out of their homes are not obstructed by large objects such as cupboards, tables, refrigerators, and others.

People who live in coastal areas have also been asked to remain alert for quakes lasting longer than 30 seconds and immediately move to higher ground to avoid a tsunami if such quakes occur. (anraeanews)

The Kremlin dismissed on Thursday the findings of international prosecutors investigating the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) who said they had found "strong indications" of Russian President Vladimir Putin's involvement in the incident.

The prosecutors said on Wednesday at The Hague they had found "strong indications" that Putin had approved the use of Russian BUK missile systems that were used to shoot down the plane over eastern Ukraine in 2014.

In Moscow's first reaction to their claim, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia "could not accept" the results of the investigation since it took no part in the process. He also said the investigators had not publicly presented supported evidence.

MH17 was shot down by a Russian BUK missile system as it flew over eastern Ukraine from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew, including 196 Dutch citizens.

At the time, Russian-backed separatists were fighting Ukrainian forces for control of the eastern Donbas region.

PHONE CALLS

Prosecutors cited intercepted phone calls for their findings, but said evidence of the direct involvement of Putin - or other Russian officials - was not conclusive enough to pursue a criminal conviction, and halted their probe.

Russia has repeatedly denied state involvement in the downing of MH17. Peskov on Thursday dismissed the evidence which had been presented by investigators.

"We know that a recording of a supposed phone call was published ... in which not a single word is said about weapons. Even assuming that this conversation is real ... there is not one word about weapons. Nobody has published anything else, so it's impossible to say anything," Peskov told reporters.

Asked specifically about the claim that Putin approved the delivery of BUK missile systems to pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine, Peskov said: "Russia did not take part in this investigation, so we cannot accept these results - especially since no basis for these statements has been made public."

Following the plane's destruction, the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Ukraine and Malaysia set up a joint investigation team to establish who was responsible and to assemble evidence for criminal prosecutions.

In November, a Dutch court convicted two former Russian intelligence agents and a Ukrainian separatist leader of murder for helping arrange the missile system used to shoot the plane down. The men, who were tried in absentia, remain at large. (Reuters)

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pledged to "do whatever is required" to facilitate a peaceful solution to a long-simmering insurgency in southern Thailand, during an official visit to Bangkok on Thursday.

More than 7,300 people have been killed since 2004 in fighting between Thai forces and shadowy groups seeking independence for the predominantly Muslim and ethnically Malay provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani and parts of Songkhla, which border Malaysia.

The area was part of the Patani sultanate that Thailand annexed in a 1909 treaty with Britain.

Anwar stressed the insurgency is an internal issue for Thailand but said Malaysia will do whatever it can to help find a peaceful solution to the conflict, starting with appointing Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, 65, a former head of Malaysia's armed forces as facilitator to the process.

"It is our duty as a good neighbour and family to do whatever is required and necessary to facilitate the process," Anwar said.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said cooperation will help address the problems in the restive provinces, specifically greater economic development and improved connectivity between the two countries.

The Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the main insurgent group involved in talks with the Thai government did not comment when contacted by Reuters.

Since 2013 Malaysia has helped facilitate peace talks between the separatists groups and Thai government but the process been disrupted disrupted. The latest round of talks resumed last year after a two-year suspension due to the pandemic. (Reuters)

Sharing drinks, watching missile parades and dining with senior army commanders, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter was centre stage with her father and mother at major military events this week.

Her presence has added to speculation that she could be in line for a leadership position - maybe even the top job itself - in the nuclear-armed country's hereditary dictatorship.

She appeared on Wednesday alongside Kim at a massive military parade, where state media showed her marching with him and her mother, Ri Sol Ju, at the head of military commanders, sharing juice drinks and speaking in each other's ears as they observed the events.

A day earlier, Ri and the daughter were once again with Kim as he wined, dined and flattered military commanders at a lavish banquet commemorating this week's army foundation anniversary.

"For all we know this is just him doting on a favourite child, but the more that she shows up, the more it seems that she's either being fully groomed for leadership or at least floated as a possibility," said Mason Richey, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.

What is more clear is a message that the country's nuclear weapons are for posterity, and she's a part of that, he added.

"So another way of signalling that denuclearisation is totally off the table," Richey said.

The girl has not been named in state media since she was first shown attending a missile launch with Kim last year, but South Korean intelligence officials believe she is the daughter identified as Ju Ae by former American basketball player Dennis Rodman, who spent time with Kim's family in 2013.

Rachel Minyoung Lee, a North Korea expert with the Vienna-based Open Nuclear Network, said it is premature to conclude that Ju Ae is being prepared for leadership, but agreed that her presence at exclusively military events suggests the main purpose is to underscore the importance of continued weapons development for the security of future generations.

"The North Korean leadership probably has to make the case for why the country has to keep investing in national defence in spite of the deteriorating economic conditions," Lee said. "And no propaganda can be more potent than the leader’s young daughter to convey that message." (Reuters)