M`sian PM donates aid worth Rp1 bln for Merapi evacuees

Antara News, Thursday, November 11, 2010 20:30 WIB

Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has donated relief aid worth Rp1 billion to evacuees of the Mt Merapi eruptions in Sleman district, Yogykarta province.

Visiting Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi symbolically handed the aid consisting of food, clothes and blankets to Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X here on Thursday.

"We bring with us the relief aid from the Malaysian prime minister for Mt Merapi evacuees. The aid is a manifestation of our concern about the disaster befalling residents living around Mt Merapi," Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

"We hope the aid will be useful for the evacuees. We are also ready to give another aid that is still needed, of course, with prior consent from the Indonesian government," he said.

Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X meanwhile expressed gratitude to the Malaysian prime minister for the relief aid. The aid would certainly be valuable for evacuees sheltered at post commands to meet their needs.

"The aid will later be handed to the Sleman district administration for further distribution to evacuee post commands," he said.

Mt Merapi again spewed hot clouds and lava on Wednesday morning. Ash rained down on Magelang district after the volcano recorded two days of decreasing intensity in its volcanic activities.

Surono, the head of the Volcanology and Disaster Mitigation Office, said on Wednesday although the intensity of Mt Merapi eruptions had started to drop the volcano`s activity remained high and therefore the highest alert status was still in place.

He warned people to stay away from Mt Merapi danger zones as the threat of hot clouds from the volcano had not diminished.