VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A screenshot of the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Major General Suharyanto, addressing a press conference on the Mount Semeru eruption on Saturday (December 4, 2021). (ANTARA/Andi Firdaus/uyu) - 

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) responded quickly to the eruption of Mount Semeru in Lumajang district, East Java province, by evacuating residents and sending humanitarian aid for them.

"The Lumajang District Regional Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) has urged the community and miners to avoid the area around the Mujur and Curah Kobokan Rivers,” BNPB head Major General Suharyanto informed at a press conference that was broadcast on BNPB’s YouTube channel here on Saturday.

As soon as the eruption was reported, a team from Lumajang district's BPBD along with other joint rescue teams headed to the disaster location in Candipuro and Pronojiwo sub-districts to monitor the situation, collect data, take quick action, and evacuate residents, he said.

Furthermore, it established a number of evacuation sites for victims, he added.

Currently, the evacuation sites are located in Supiturang village and Curah Kobokan village in Pronojiwo sub-district and Sumberwuluh village in Candipuro sub-district.

The BNPB head said that on Saturday night, the agency dispatched a Quick Response Team along with a Health Crisis Center team from the Health Ministry to assist the Lumajang district BPBD and East Java provincial BPBD.

The teams were dispatched at 9 p.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB) by land to deliver logistics assistance consisting of tents, cloth masks, medical masks, N95 masks, and hand sanitizers, he said.

"We ask the public, especially in affected areas, to remain calm, stay alert, and continue to follow the instructions from the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG), BNPB, and other government officials," Suharyanto added.A Mount Semeru Observation Post officer in Poncokusumo hamlet reported pyroclastic flow emanating from the volcano at 2:47 p.m. WIB, with a maximum amplitude of 20 mm.

"At 3.10 p.m. WIB, the Gunung Sawur Post reported that volcanic ash from the pyroclastic flow was clearly observed flowing towards Besuk Kobokan village, which smelled of sulfur," the BNPB head noted.

According to the PVMBG, lava avalanches were observed sliding 500 to 800 meters, with the center of the avalanches lying approximately 500 meters below the crater, he said//ANT

Officials from the Indonesian National Police's Cyber Crime Directorate and the FBI's Cyber Division in Washington D.C. on November 30, 2021. (ANTARA/HO-Dittipidsiber Bareskrim Polri) - 

The Cyber Crime Directorate of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Cyber Division have agreed to cooperate in investigating international cybercriminal networks.

The Police's Cyber Crime Director Brigadier General Asep Edi Suheri led the police delegation at the meeting with officials from the FBI's Cyber Division and Washington D.C.'s FBI local office on November 30, 2021. Officials from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights accompanied the Indonesian police delegation.  

"We discussed the arrangement for investigating international cybercrime networks that involve criminal actors from multiple countries," Suheri informed in a written statement here on Saturday.

Besides sharing information regarding each division's role in investigating hacking cases, the officials also discussed cyber threats encountered in their countries, the brigadier general informed.

He said that the discussion was aimed at exploring new opportunities for collaboration in handling cybercrimes in Indonesia, the United States, or other countries whose nationals are implicated in the crimes, either as suspects or victims.

"We also discussed the successful cybercrime investigation that led to arrest of suspects implicated in trading hacking tools used to bypass and hack international start-up application user accounts," Suheri added.

The investigation revealed that the hacking tools had been used to target around 70 thousand user accounts in 43 countries, with the total losses pegged at Rp27 billion (around US$1.863 million), he noted.

"The ongoing investigation could unravel more victims and financial losses from the cybercrime scheme," he said.

Suheri confirmed that the Cyber Crime Directorate has summoned several cybercrime victims from New York, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles for questioning with regard to the ongoing cybercrime investigation.

Several parties, including the FBI and Indonesia's Consulate General, have assisted in the cybercrime investigation, he said.

"We have been assisted by local FBI forces and the Indonesian Consulate General in coordinating the Cyber Crime Directorate investigation," Suheri added//ANT

Volcanic ash spewing from Mount Semeru on Saturday afternoon (December 4, 2021), as viewed from Oro-oro Ombo village, Pronojiwo sub-district, Lumajang district, East Java. (ANTARA/HO-Oro-oro Ombo resident) - 

Dozens of residents of Sumberwuluh village, Candipuro sub-district, Lumajang District, East Java, were shifted to safe areas after Mount Semeru erupted and spewed volcanic ash on Saturday afternoon.

"We got information that some 65 residents of Sumberwuluh village have sought shelter in safe locations. We have also mobilized the entire Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) officers to evacuate other residents to safe locations," the deputy head of Lumajang District Indah Amperawati said here.

Some officers of Lumajang BPBD and the Social Office have been dispatched to the affected areas to pick up residents confined by the thick volcanic ash in their homes, she informed.

"No casualty reported due to the eruption, and we hope there will be no fatalities. To prevent the casualties, we have swiftly evacuated residents to safe locations as other residents have sought shelter at the local mosque," Amperawati stated.

The volcanic ash of Mount Semeru has blackened the sky in affected areas, including Pronojiwo and Candipuro sub-districts, she added.

"We have received a report that three hamlets in Pronojiwo and Candipuro sub-districts covered in thick volcanic ash from the eruption. Kajar Kuning and Curah Kobokan are among the affected hamlets," she informed.

She confirmed the Lumajang BPBD and Social Office to set up evacuation centers and public kitchens for residents affected by the eruption. 

Meanwhile, Kristianto, an officer of Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre (PVMBG), said the 3,676-meter Mount Semeru began erupting around 1.30 p.m. local time (UTC +7).

The eruption occurred with pyroclastic flow and volcanic mudflow, he added. 

"The visual of Mount Semeru indicates the volcano covered with thick volcanic ash, and the pyroclastic flow is streaming down to Besuk Kobokan river. The eruption is ongoing as we report this situation," Kristianto said//ANT

A TransJakarta bus passes through Sudirman Street, Jakarta, on Saturday (December 4, 2021). (ANTARA/Dewa Ketut Sudiarta Wiguna/KT) - 

City-owned bus operator TransJakarta will increase the number of CCTVs monitoring traffic and passengers' activities by 10 percent at 222 bus stops as a measure to address five accidents in the last 40 days.

Currently, four to eight CCTVs are installed at every bus stop, TransJakarta President Director Mochammad Yana Aditya stated at a press conference here on Saturday.

"We plan to increase the number of CCTVs by 10 percent in 2022," Aditya remarked.

Aditya explained that the numbers of CCTV at bus stops do not include the surveillance cameras installed inside the bus cabin to monitor the driver's performance and passengers' activities.

All CCTVs at the transit stop (BRT) and in the bus cabin are directly connected to the TransJakarta Operating Command Center (TJOCC), according to Aditya.

Through the command center, Aditya's team will be able to keep track of whether a driver is driving carelessly or exceeding the speed limit.

"There will be a reminder on not to surpass the speed limit. The drivers need to be disciplined and our monitoring to watch over many buses," he explained.

Aditya noted that around 3,500 buses were operated by eight thousand TransJakarta drivers on a daily basis.

While driving the bus, a driver must not exceed the maximum speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour. However, he admitted to the presence of some drivers that continued to cross the maximum speed.

"We will conduct some enforcement on the speeding," Aditya stated.

However, his side had yet to divulge the results of the findings related to recent accidents, as they were currently handled by the police that are more authorized to make announcements on the investigations.

Nevertheless, TransJakarta has apologized for the accidents that took place on Thursday, Dec 2, and Friday, Dec 3. The company will conduct an audit to revamp its system of safety management and healthy working//ANT