VZCZCXRO2830
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #6813/01 1511028
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 311028Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5017
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA IMMEDIATE 9531
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON IMMEDIATE 0863
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY IMMEDIATE 3098
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 0727
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS IMMEDIATE 0883
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE IMMEDIATE 3221
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE 9833
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA IMMEDIATE 0187
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RUHPSAA/SOCPAC HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 006813 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AEMR ASEC CASC ECON EAID PREF PREL PGOV SENV
SOCI, ID 
SUBJECT: INDONESIA: MAY 31 EARTHQUAKE SITREP 
 
REF: A. JAKARTA 6772 (SITREP 2) 
     ¶B. JAKARTA 6658 (SITREP 1) 
     ¶C. JAKARTA 6653 (EMBASSY MEETING ON EARTHQUAKE) 
 
JAKARTA 00006813  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (U) The GOI has raised its count of victims from the May 
27 earthquake to 5,846 dead and 22,731 injured.  No Americans 
appear among the dead or wounded.  USAID partners provide 
medical treatment and supplies to afflicted areas. 
Approximately 75 U.S. military personnel have arrived, and we 
expect several more KC-130 flights in the evening of May 31. 
The U.S. military field hospital began treating patients May 
31, and should become fully operational June 1.  The 
Ambassador has visited the quake affected areas and met 
President Yudhoyono and the Sultan of Yogyakarta.  They 
thanked him for U.S. assistance.  He also visited 
USAID-funded assistance activities and the field hospital. 
Destruction in Bantul and Klaten will require major 
reconstruction support. Media coverage has focused on 
frustration with the slow pace of the relief effort, but also 
includes positive coverage of U.S. assistance, although 
numerous summaries of aid omit private donations and 
therefore understate U.S. contributions.  End Summary. 
 
CASUALTIES 
---------- 
 
¶2. (U) The GOI, on May 31, revised its official count of 
earthquake victims to 5,846 dead, 17,515 seriously injured, 
and 5,216 lightly injured.  We know of no Amcits injured or 
killed in the earthquake, and have resolved the two open 
welfare/whereabouts cases from May 30 (Laurie Cohen and 
spouse Eric Suhr, and Brian Wayne Smith.)  In both cases 
travelers contacted family members by e-mail.  Embassy 
Jakarta received two new inquiries May 31: one for a family 
visiting relatives in Sumatra and the other for a man named 
Pete Parker with no date of birth or other identifying 
information.  Consular staff will contact the inquirer to 
obtain additional information.  Repeated visits by RSO and 
other USG personnel to hospitals and other emergency 
facilities have found no foreigners among the injured. 
 
CIVILIAN RELIEF EFFORTS 
----------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) 
Regional Advisor has arrived on site.  We expect a 
nine-person Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), 
including technical experts in health, shelter, water, 
sanitation, and military relations, to arrive in Yogyakarta 
by June 1. 
 
¶4. (U) USAID has provided funding to the International 
Medical Corps (IMC) and local NGO "Ambulan 118" for 24-hour 
medical services.  Forty-seven paramedics and 18 surgical 
staff will supplement Sardjito General Hospital at Gadja 
Mahda University and operating theatres in Yogyakarta and 
Bantul. 
 
¶5. (U) USAID partner Environment Services Program (ESP) has 
begun a review of the water supply and sanitation situation 
in area hospitals.  Through Aman Tirtra (Safe Water System), 
USAID has begun providing 20,000 bottles of water treatment 
product.  (One bottle covers the water purification needs for 
a family of five for one month.) 
 
¶6. (U) The International Organization for Migration and the 
Indonesian Red Cross Relief have begun distributing World 
Health Organization-approved medical kits (serving the basic 
first-aid needs of 210,000 people for one month), 150 rolls 
of plastic sheeting for temporary shelter, 10,000 jerrycans 
for purified water delivery, and 5,000 hygiene kits. 
 
 
JAKARTA 00006813  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
U.S. MILITARY ACTIVITY IN EARTHQUAKE AREA 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) Since the earthquake, six KC-130 aircraft have landed 
in Yogyakarta with approximately 75 U.S. military personnel 
now in the area.  With 4-5 more flights expected to bring 
medical personnel and supplies on May 31, we expect a total 
of approximately 100 U.S. military personnel in the area. 
The primary effort involves establishment of a U.S. medical 
treatment facility, with expected staffing of approximately 
15 doctors, approximately 20-25 beds, and two operating 
units.  An Embassy medical team, including four Naval Medical 
Research Unit-2 (NAMRU-2) doctors and the Embassy's Regional 
Medical Officer will coordinate with them.  USAID has 
provided logistical support to the field hospital, notably in 
helping organize the flow of patients. 
 
¶8. (U) The offloading of equipment at the airfield has gone 
well; the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) remains cooperative 
but challenged by limited assets.  TNI in cooperation with 
U.S. military personnel have begun moving equipment to the 
hospital site and establishment of the medical treatment 
facility.  The facility began treating patients May 31 and 
should become fully operational June 1. 
 
¶9. (U) The Embassy Country Team continues to work with PACOM, 
GOI civilian officials, and the TNI to examine additional 
capabilities the U.S. military might provide in support of 
relief efforts. 
 
¶10. (U) The Embassy's Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) has 
established a 24-hour logistic-focused operational cell, tel: 
(62)(21) 3435-9623. 
 
AMBASSADOR IN YOGYAKARTA 
------------------------ 
 
¶11. (SBU) The Ambassador, USAID director and other emboffs 
met President Yudhoyono (SBY) at Yogyakarta's airport for 
about twenty minutes just before he returned to Jakarta. 
SBY, accompanied by several ministers, made a strong 
statement of appreciation for American efforts.  The 
Ambassador replied that Indonesia could count on continued 
American support and briefed SBY on ongoing American aid 
activities. 
 
¶12. (SBU) The Ambassador subsequently met the Sultan of 
Yogyakarta and briefed him on American assistance efforts. 
The Sultan expressed appreciation for the aid and told the 
Ambassador that he would personally engage in ensuring that 
reconstruction efforts proceed apace.  He said that he would 
use his own established channels to push things forward. 
 
¶13. (U) The Ambassador visited the Marine Corps field 
hospital (para seven), and the USAID-funded assistance 
activities at the Sardjito General Hospital (para four).  The 
hospital administration had an overflow of some 400 patients 
placed in makeshift arrangements in the garage. Despite such 
problems, Indonesian hospital administrators have shown 
strong leadership in dealing with the crush of patients. 
Medical and assistance personnel remain optimistic about 
resolving problems. 
 
¶14. (U) The Ambassador visited a Red Cross feeding station 
handing out U.S.-funded hygiene kits and food.  This aid 
primarily helps victims in the devastated Bantul region. The 
U.S. Marine Corps hospital will treat many patients from 
there. Authorities have found more corpses and 700 untreated 
injured victims in Klaten.  The U.S. hospital has begun 
helping some of those victims as well.  The devastation in 
those areas will require long-term water, shelter and 
reconstruction assistance, which we recommend that the USG 
plan to support. 
 
MEDIA COVERAGE 
 
JAKARTA 00006813  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
-------------- 
 
¶15. (U) Indonesian papers today reflected a sense of 
frustration at the pace of the relief effort.  Headlines 
included: "Refugees Angry at Being treated Like Ping-Pong 
Balls" (Koran Tempo), and "Coordination Woes Hold Up Quake 
Aid" (Jakarta Post).  The front-page photo in leading daily 
Kompas provided a classic scene of refugees fighting and 
shoving to get food aid distributed by a helicopter crew in 
the disaster area.   Most papers carried stories reflecting 
the hardships of the refugees, the difficulties encountered 
in getting relief to those who need it most, and the problems 
of coordination in distribution.  The U.S. effort received 
wide coverage including photos/stories about the arrival of 
U.S. military personnel in Yogyakarta and updates of the 
current U.S. assistance effort.  As with last year's tsunami, 
contribution charts and summaries included in the day's 
reporting only include governmental donations.  By omitting 
private sector and individual contributions, these graphics 
seriously understate total U.S. donations.  (For example, we 
have heard that the American Chamber of Commerce has 
reportedly donated 20 million Rupiah - slightly over $2,000 - 
for medical supplies; we understand other AmCham members are 
making significantly larger donations in their individual 
capacities.) 
 
PASCOE