Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 10/01/2009 11:42 PM
Soldiers and volunteers carry an earthquake victim from a collapsed hotel in Padang on Indonesia's Sumatra island October 1, 2009. (REUTERS/Muhammad Fitrah/Singgalang Newspaper)
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Thursday Indonesia would welcome foreign aid for disaster relief efforts after a 7.6-magnitude quake jolted Padang on Wednesday, causing large-scale damage and thousands of casualties.
Yudhoyono said the scale of the damage and number of casualties were larger than those produced by the 6.3-magnitude quake that struck southern West Java in September.
“Indeed, when asked whether we need foreign assistance after the West Java quake, we [said] it wasn't necessary because it was of a scale we could still handle,” Yudhoyono said as quoted presidensby.info after a coordination meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla and several Cabinet ministers at Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base in East Jakarta.
“However, in this kind of situation we need to act quickly. If anybody can get [to Padang] first, and if there are countries in the ASEAN bloc willing to cooperate, then please do so.
“The control remains in our hands and that [foreign assistance] should come second. First we must mobilize our own resources,” Yudhoyono said.
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