Makassar, CNN Indonesia —
Indonesian Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin open his voice regarding the steps taken by Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf alias Mualem to open himself up to international assistance in handling sporadic hydrometeorological disasters in three provinces d.
Previously, Mualem admitted that he would not complicate international assistance for disaster management at the end of last November. He even said that there were already volunteers and logistical assistance from Malaysia, and asked for help from Chinese experts to search for victims.
According to Sjafrie, the assistance from China that Mualem meant was a personal helping hand to assist in the search for victims who were still declared missing or buried by landslide material. So, he said, it was not assistance from other countries or foreigners.
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“Actually what is meant is personal (assistance) from China, it is to find (victims), it is not foreign aid,” said Sjafrie on the Hasanuddin University campus, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Tuesday (9/12).
“This is personal assistance to Mualem who wants to look for the bodies of disaster victims,” he continued.
However, said the Minister of Defense, the Indonesian government has mobilized all its personnel to search for victims who are currently reported to be missing due to floods and landslides. All of this, he continued, was done independently without involving foreign parties.
“But overall, disaster management in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh is handled independently,” explained the recipient of the honorary four-star general title from Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Previously, a corpse tracking team in the mud from China was brought in to look for flood and landslide victims in Aceh because it was suspected that many victims were still buried in the mud.
Mualem, as Governor of Aceh, confirmed the presence of a team from China which landed at the Veranda of Mecca to assist in the process of searching for victims.
The number of them, he said, was five people. They also carry sophisticated tools to help search for victims.
“Today a team of five people came from China to detect bodies in the mud and they have tools to retrieve the bodies,” said Mualem, Saturday (6/12).
According to Mualem, there are still many bodies that have not been found, especially in the areas of East Aceh, North Aceh and Aceh Tamiang. Even the depth of the mud there, said Mualem, was as deep as an adult’s waist.
This situation made it difficult for volunteers to search for victims who were thought to be still buried in mud.
“Many corpses in East Aceh, North Aceh and Aceh Tamiang are still in the mud, so the mud is up to their waists. So they have tools to help us,” he said.
So far the foreign aid that has landed in Aceh is from Malaysia in the form of medicines and doctors. Then from China there were five volunteers to help search for bodies in the mud.
(me/kid)
[Gambas:Video CNN]