Press Statement of President of the Republic of Indonesia after Inspecting Locations Affected by Landslides and Cold Lava Flow, in Agam Regency, West Sumatra Province, May 21, 2024
President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Yes, I see that the handling of disasters in Agam and in Tanah Datar is good, starting from the evacuation of victims to the handling of evacuees. I’ve asked the evacuees here about that earlier. Then, emergency roads and emergency bridges have all been built although there are still one or two that are still in process. This is what we are pursuing so that everything can return to normal as soon as possible. Then, there are also 625 houses which are either heavily, moderately, or slightly damaged. The number of heavily damaged houses is 159, all of them have been recorded. Those who must be relocated will be relocated. Mr. Regent and Mr. Governor have previously prepared the land, and the location [for the relocation site] will be determined soon. If it concerns the central government, I will instruct the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing to immediately start building [the relocation site] because the materials for building it are already prepared.
Journalists
How many households will be relocated, sir? How many residents or families will be relocated?
President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Those whose houses were heavily damaged, those who previously lived on the dangerous route, we certainly cannot allow them to build again in that place, it is very dangerous, so they must be relocated. Of the 159 households, there are about a hundred who have agreed to relocate, the rest are still in the process.
Journalists
Sir, did you give any special directives on disaster management? You have held a meeting previously, haven’t you?
President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Yes, I have mentioned the points earlier, regarding the evacuation and the efforts that must be continuously made to find victims who have not been found. I see that the daily logistics for the refugees is also still good and so is the logistics for the next three weeks. I think that’s the condition I’ve learned from my inspection.
Journalists
Sir, do you have any messages for the affected residents?
President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Yes, I’ve told you earlier, families whose members died of the disasters will immediately be provided with financial aid, then to reassure those whose houses were damaged, they will also be immediately provided with aid and the relocation site will be built, provided once again that the land for the relocation site has been determined by the Regent.
Journalists
(question inaudible)
President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
To mitigate cold lava, that’s right, after the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing made the calculations, 56 check dams are needed, of which there are only two now, so many more are needed. And I’ve instructed that this year the construction of the dams must be started, especially in very critical places. There are six dams whose construction must be started immediately. I’ve earlier instructed the Director General, later I will instruct the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing.
Journalists
About something else, sir. With regard to the recent death of the President of Iran due to an accident, sir, will this event influence geopolitical conditions or what impact will this event bring about in the future?
President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Yes, first of all, the Indonesian Government and its people expressed their deep condolences over the death of President Raisi in the helicopter crash he was traveling in. And we hope that it will not have any impacts on the global economy, especially those related to oil prices, because if oil prices rise as a result of this incident, it will have an impact everywhere, on increasing prices of goods and so on. We hope no such impacts will arise.
(TM/MMB)