Indonesia Readies Aid for Landslide-Stricken Papua New Guinea

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government is preparing aid for Papua New Guinea after the Pacific country was hit by a landslide that killed thousands of people, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.

A fault in the Maip-Mulitaka area of Enga province in northern Papua New Guinea collapsed in the early hours of Friday, May 24, 2024. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said more than estimated 2,000 have died, out of 70,000 people living in areas affected by the disaster. 

“Indonesia is indeed planning to deliver aid. After all, Papua New Guinea is a close neighboring country. However, preparations for this are currently being finalized by several ministries and other related agencies," said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iqbal during a press conference in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.

The Ministry has previously confirmed that no Indonesian citizens in the region have become victims thus far. 

The Indonesian Embassy in Port Moresby has coordinated with local authorities and the Indonesian community and will continue to monitor the situation on the ground, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "So far, there is no information about any Indonesian victims in this disaster," said the Director for Citizen Protection Judha Nugraha in a short message to journalists on Sunday, May 26, 2024.

According to ministry data, there are 1,317 Indonesian citizens living in Papua New Guinea. Of this number, it is known that no one lives in Yambali Village, Enga province, where the landslide occurred. "There used to be citizens of our country who resided at that location, working at a company there, but the company had closed," said Judha.

He said that the Indonesian Embassy in Port Moresby would continue to monitor the situation, and Indonesian citizens could contact the hotline at +67573963011 in case of emergency.

Australia, also neighboring Papua New Guinea, has provided assistance in the form of food, water, blankets, and tents. Australia's High Commissioner John Feakes said in Enga more plane loads, with supplies and Australian rescue personnel and technical teams would arrive in the coming days, the PNG Post-Courier reported.

The United States has pledged 2 million kina (US$506,800) for emergency shelter and logistics support, its embassy said.

NABIILA AZZAHRA | REUTERS

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