Problems remain as aid flows in for Java quake vic

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By Lewa Pardomuan
1 hour, 52 minutes ago

BANTUL, Indonesia (Reuters) - International relief efforts picked up on Tuesday for survivors of an earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people on Indonesia's Java island, but many victims complained vital aid was not reaching them.
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Planes carrying supplies from abroad reached the stricken region, while the airport at the ancient royal capital of Yogyakarta, the main city in the affected area, re-opened to commercial traffic despite a heavily damaged terminal.
U.N. officials say more than 22 countries have responded to Indonesia's call for help with aid or pledges of assistance.
But help was still a long way off for some.
In the hard hit rural area on the way to Bantul town, Jumadi and his two barefoot teenage boys begged motorists for money.
"Our village has many victims, houses are all destroyed and we have not received aid from the government. This is (all) we can do. What else can we do," he said as his sons held up carton boxes containing some rupiah notes.
The quake's official death toll had reached 5,428 as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the government's Social Affairs Department, and it had left more than 130,000 homeless by one estimate, many without shelter and short of food.
Speaking inside a makeshift tent by a main road on the outskirts of Yogyakarta, Siwo Sudarmo said: "I'm very sad ... we haven't received any assistance. We have to make our own tents and I also learned that if you want to get a tent you have to fill out a form.
"Every day trucks with signs 'aid for quake' pass by but we can't stop them," he said.
Sudarmo said he was relying on donations from passers-by for money to get clean water and instant noodles.
Government and aid groups say clean water and shelter are the immediate needs, as well as medical care.
The     United Nations is shipping three 100-bed field hospitals, tents, medical supplies and generators this week.
In one example of the effort to deal with the crisis, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday it had delivered 35 tonnes of relief materials to four locations, including Bantul, the district that suffered the most.
Bantul town itself was not as damaged as the immediate area around it, and Muhadi, 55, wearing a black Muslim cap, said he had been back in business since Monday selling rice in his 4-square-metre kiosk.
"Yesterday I opened the shop. It's better than staying at home doing nothing (though) there were only a few buyers."
The tremor early on Saturday was centred just off the Indian Ocean coast near Yogyakarta, the former Javanese royal capital.
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Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who moved his office temporarily to Yogyakarta, vowed late on Monday all relief funds would be spent on quake victims.
"I have asked (officials), and this has been implemented, that we must maintain transparency and accountability. Don't misappropriate one dollar ..." he told reporters in Yogyakarta.
Indonesia is notorious for endemic corruption. The government has set aside relief funds of 100 billion rupiah ($10.86 million) from now till August. A year of reconstruction and rehabilitation will begin after August, costing the government 1.1 trillion rupiah, he added.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla has said survivors would be given 200,000 rupiah ($21) each for clothes and household items, while families would get 12 kg (26.4 lb) of rice. People will also be compensated for damaged homes.
Yogyakarta's airport was re-opened to commercial traffic despite a heavily damaged terminal. The passenger terminal was blocked off with big sheets of tin and the roof had caved in. The airport was relatively quiet early on Tuesday.
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Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari said doctors and medicines were being sent to affected areas to prevent outbreaks of diseases such as measles and malaria.
Saturday's quake was the latest misfortune to hit the world's fourth-most populated country after Islamic militant bombings, bird flu outbreaks and the massive 2004 quake and tsunami.
The quake initially heightened activity at nearby Mount Merapi -- a volcano rumbling for weeks and sporadically emitting hot lava and highly toxic hot gas -- sparking fear of an imminent massive eruption.
But on Tuesday the Merapi section head at Yogyakarta's volcanic research center, Subandrio, said: "Today's activities are relatively lower compared to yesterday. The maximum range of the hot ashes today is 3 km (2 miles)."
He cautioned that it was still uncertain how the quake affected volcano.
Indonesia sits on the Asia-Pacific's so-called "Ring of Fire," which is marked by heavy volcanic and tectonic activity. The December 26, 2004, quake and its resulting tsunami, left some 170,000 people dead or missing around Aceh.
(Additional reporting by Achmad Sukarsono, Michelle Nichols, Tomi Soetjipto and Harry Suhartono)
($1=9,208 rupiah)


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