Thailand donates US$100,000 for Mentawai tsunami victims

Antara News, Wednesday, December 1, 2010 16:59 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Thai government here Wednesday presented Indonesia with a cash donation of US$100,000 meant to help the victims of the tsunami that hit the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, last Oct 25.

According to a press release received here on Wednesday Thai Ambassador to Indonesia Thanatip Upatising symbolically handed over the funds to Indonesian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Triyono Wibowo on Wednesday.

A two-meter tsunami triggered by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the islands off the western coast of Sumatra on October 25.

Recent research conducted by Indonesian and Japanese tsunami experts had concluded that the tsunami in Mentawai Islands had moved at a speed of 800 km per hour at sea.

"Based on the results of research conducted by tsunami experts from LIPI, Tokyo University and Hokkaido University, the tsunami at Maonai, Sabeuguggung, Purorougat, North Pagai, had moved at a speed of 800 kilometers per hour at sea and at 30-40 kilometers per hour after land fall ," an earthquake specialist of LIPI`s geotechnology division, , Eko Yulianto, said.

The tsunami surged over a distance of 100-250 meters inland , depending on the height of the tidal wave, he said.

"The height of the tidal wave that hit North Pagai was around six to seven meters," he said.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) stated the big earthquake followed by a tsunami in Mentawai Islands had affected a large number of villages and caused 408 deaths, 303 people to go missing and 270 others to sustain severe injuries.

The affected population was initially estimated at 33,817 persons. However, many islands had become inaccessible and the number of potentially affected people could be over 65,000.

Meanwhile, the government said it would provide temporary shelters for the tsunami victims while waiting for the reconstruction of the Mentawai islands area. The construction of the temporary shelters was expected to be finished next December.

"The shelters are located around 30-40 meters from the coastline. So, if a tsunami occurs again, people will be safe," Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al-Jufri said.