TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo ordered the evacuation process to begin immediately and start an evaluation process at the same time, presidential spokesman said Friday, September 4.
"The president has ordered the need for coordination of relevant ministries and local governments to evaluate and reform so that such events do not happen again,” Head of the Presidential Staff Office Teten Masduki said in a press release.
“Until [Friday] morning, 15 people were found dead, and 19 survived. The search is ongoing. The President sent his sorrow and condolences to families of the victims,” Teten said.
Jokowi admitted that the issues with cross-border citizen mobility, such as documents and transportation modes, had been neglected. Therefore, Jokowi said that investment and job opportunity in border areas must be improved to reduce cross-border mobility.
A boat believed to be carrying dozens of Indonesians capsized off the coast of Selangor, Malaysia on Thursday. The boat left Sabak Bernam in Malaysia's Selangor state and was heading for Sumatra in Indonesia when the accident happened.
It was earlier reported that the boat, later identified as Sabar Berenam, was carrying up to 100 people on board.
FAIZ NASHRILLAH
