VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The death toll of tsunami and high waves that hit some coasts in Sunda Strait, particularly in South Lampung, as well as Pandenglang and Serang in Banten has reached 43 people, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

The Head of Information Data Center of the Agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement here on Sunday, data collected until 7.00 a.m. local time showed that the tsunamis and high waves killed 43 people, injured 584 people, and two people are missing.
Antara News Agency reported, the natural disasters also heavily damaged 430 houses, nine hotels, and dozens of boats. The number of refugees is still calculated.

Pandeglang is the most severely affected area. Data collected from Pandeglang District show that 33 people died and 491 people are injured.

The areas affected by the disaster are settlements and tourist areas along some beaches of Tanjung Lesung, Sumur, Teluk Lada, Penimbang and Carita.

There were many tourists on the beach along Pandeglang when the high waves hit the areas.
Whereas in South Lampung there are seven people died, 89 people are injured and 30 houses are severely damaged. Meanwhile, in Serang there are three people died, four people are injured and two people are missing.

According to Sutopo, information and data is still being collected. It is possible that the number of victims and damage will continue to increase.

He said the emergency actions will be continued. The emergency response status and emergency response organizational structure, establishment of emergency posts, public kitchens and other facilities are being prepared.

Heavy equipment has also been mobilized for evacuation and emergency actions.
The Agency urges people not to do activities around coasts and beaches at the moment.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency and the Geological Agency are still conducting studies to find out the exact causes of the tsunamis and high waves, and the aftershocks possibility.(ant)

At least 20 people died when a tsunami wave hit the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra on late Saturday, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said here on Sunday.
"The tsunami has claimed lives and caused damages. A preliminary data as of Sunday at 4.30 a.m. showed that 20 people died, 165 were injured, two people were missing, and dozens of buildings were damaged," a spokesman of the agency, Sutopo Purwonugroho, said in a statement.
The number of casualties might increase as the agency has yet to reach other regions affected by the tsunami.
The 20 victims were found in the districts of Pandeglang, Serang, and South Lampung.
In Pandeglang district of Banten, 14 people had been killed and 150 others were injured, 43 houses and nine hotels were severely damaged.
In Serang district, Banten, three people were killed, four were injured and two others were missing.
The worst hit areas are Tanjung Lesung beach, Sumur beach, Teluk Lada beach, Panimabng beach, and Carita beach, all are popular beaches among domestic tourists.
In South Lampung district, three people were killed and 11 others were injured by the tidal waves.
"We have distributed logistical aid. The main road that connects Serang and Pandeglang was cut by the tsunami," Sutopo said, adding that BNPB has called on the public to stay calm.
The tsunami was allegedly sparked by volcanic activities of Mount Anak Krakatau, and there was no tectonic earthquake detected in the Sunda Strait.
The Geological Agency of the Ministry has recorded a volcanic activity at 09.03 p.m., before the tsunami struck the region. (antara)

The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto stressed that the Indonesian government had never compromised in tackling the armed criminal group in Papua that had killed citizens.Wiranto noted at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday that this was related to the case of the deaths of 31 workers in the Nduga area of Papua on Dec 2. According to Wiranto, the government’s view was to not be equal to the groups that opposed the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and viewed them as having committed a mistake and had got lost. He remarked that Indonesia, as a democratic country, will accept them again if they had realized and admitted to have been lost. Wiranto said the Indonesian government had an opportunity to apply a military approach in combating the armed group in Papua. He remarked that the international law allowed the use of weapons if there are groups that oppose the government by using weapons. He viewed that the armed groups that killed innocent people could not be resisted only through a persuasive step by using words. He noted that human rights activists must be fair to view and assess the problems in Papua lest the incident of the armed group involving the killing of construction workers in Papua was not said to be a violation of human rights. Since he viewed that after the incident in Nduga there were no human rights activists who condemned the incident, he called on the nation to jointly defend the country from the armed groups trying to undermine national peace. (ANTARA)