Obama says US to help victims of natural disasters

Jakarta, November 10 (ANTARA) - Visiting US President Barack Obama expressed sympathy for Indonesia on Tuesday and pledged to send humanitarian aid to victims of Merapi eruptions in Yogyakarta and Central Java and tsunami in Mentawai.

"We will keep supporting. The United States of America would continue to collect humanitarian aid in everyway possible ," he said at a joint press conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here Tuesday evening.

Obama said Indonesia was facing difficult times recently due to a number of natural disasters that came one after the other.

He praised President Yudhoyono that had worked hard to help his people that had become victims of the natural disasters.

To all the victims he expressed deep sympathy and condolences. "Please accept my sympathy," he said.

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Canada offers $100,000 in aid to victims of Indonesian disasters

OTTAWA—Ottawa says it will provide humanitarian support to those affected by the recent natural disasters in Indonesia.

International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda announced today the government would offer $100,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies.

The money will go to providing non-food emergency supplies to some of those affected by the recent volcanic eruptions and earthquake.

Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano began erupting October 25, killing 138 people and displacing more than 100,000.

On the same day, a strong earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra island, triggering a tsunami and killing no less than 449 people and displacing some 15,000.

Indonesia is one of Canada’s countries of focus in Asia and in 2008-2009, the Canadian International Development Agency contributed $79.32 million in development assistance to Indonesia.

Indonesia Disaster Survivors Get Aid as Planes, Vessels Arrive

October 28 (Bloomberg) -- Tsunami survivors in Indonesia’s remote west will receive tents, medicine and other supplies today, and aid workers are feeding and providing necessities to evacuees from a volcanic eruption on another island.

The number of missing after the October 25 tsunami that hit the Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra fell to 378 from 400 as rescuers found people alive, Harmensyah, head of the West Sumatra Regional Disaster Management Agency, said by telephone today. The death toll remained at 311, he said.

“Today we will send food and supplies to the areas by Hercules,” Ferry Faisal, an official at the Sumatra agency, said by phone, referring to the Lockheed Martin Corp. C-130 transport plane. “We will drop them from the air as this is the fastest way to reach them while we’re also preparing to send clothes, medicines and tents by vessel.”

In Central Java, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Jakarta, Red Cross Indonesia workers are treating people who were burned or otherwise injured after the Mount Merapi volcano erupted three times October 26, spewing superheated ash.

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