VZCZCXRO0270
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #2625 2610938
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 180938Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6323
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY

UNCLAS JAKARTA 002625 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/OA, INR/B, EAP/MTS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TPHY EAID KSCA PINR PREL ID
SUBJECT: RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY MINISTER WELCOMES 
CONTINUED U.S. ENGAGEMENT ON TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Minister of Research and Technology Kadiman told the 
Ambassador during a September 17 courtesy call that he 
welcomed continued U.S. involvement on Indonesia's efforts to 
build a national tsunami warning system.  He expressed 
particular appreciation for Embassy efforts towards 
developing a public-private partnership involving 
corporations based in Indonesia. The Minister also described 
the dual challenge of planning both the structural 
engineering system elements and the community training 
requirements for an end-to-end tsunami warning system. 
Alarms and sirens add little value without community 
awareness and training on appropriate emergency response. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Acknowledging the September 12 earthquake/tsunami 
off of the southwest coast of Sumatra, the Ambassador 
stressed the importance of continuing U.S. collaboration on 
the Indonesian Tsunami Warning System. The Ambassador also 
applauded Indonesia's efforts in building up its primary and 
secondary school system but stressed the importance of also 
developing sufficient advanced technical education at the 
university level to help address Indonesia's science and 
technology challenges.  The Ambassador noted that an expert 
from the U.S. Geological Survey had arrived in Indonesia for 
mudflow consultation and could also meet with Research and 
Technology Ministry agencies if appropriate. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Biographical note: Minister Kadiman has been a 
respected member of President Yudhoyono's cabinet since 
October 2004. He came under criticism in July 2006 when a 
local tsunami hit Java, killing approximately 600 people. 
Kadiman was criticized for his Ministry's failure to have 
built up sufficient early warning system technology for 
creating a tsunami alert.  Kadiman was born in Bandung, West 
Java in 1954.  He earned a doctoral degree in engineering 
from the Australian National University in 1988.  He has been 
a rector at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) since 
October 2001. 
HUME