An ambitious plan to set up an Indian Ocean tsunami warning system is expected to dominate an upcoming gathering of leaders from stricken nations and world donors seeking to prevent a repeat of last week's carnage.
Asian leaders including Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi -- whose nation's US$500 million pledge makes it the biggest contributor so far -- are to attend Thursday's summit, along with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and top EU officials.
PHOTO: AP
Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the US president's brother, and World Bank President James Wolfensohn also will attend the summit in Jakarta, being organized by the 10-country ASEAN in the wake of the Dec. 26 disaster.
"Indonesia and other neighboring countries plan to set up an early warning to prevent natural disasters, including earthquake and tsunamis," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Monday. His country suffered more than 90,000 of the estimated 150,000 deaths from the earthquake and killer waves.
Governments and global organizations have already pledged US$2 billion in disaster relief, according to the UN. With aid and relief workers pouring into devastated nations, the focus of Thursday's summit will be on rebuilding communities and ensuring that coastal communities will be warned the next time an earthquake unleashes tsunamis.
A current tsunami warning system links 26 Pacific Ocean nations. If it had been expanded to the Indian Ocean coastal countries, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration might have been able to warn them, the agency's chief, Conrad C. Lautenbacher, said last week.
Among the 11 nations affected by the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami, only Indonesia received any warning from NOAA, and then only indirectly through Australia.
Thailand is pushing hard for the system, which it believes will offer peace of mind to the millions of foreign tourists its economy depends on. Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai suggested that a part of the money pledged to the relief effort from around the world should go to setting up a warning system.
"One of the topics Thailand would like to emphasize is how countries in the area and countries that have been affected can work together to set up a mechanism for an early warning system and monitoring system," Surakiart said.
"As a famous tourist resort of the world, we will have to increase the awareness of the tourists and also the security of the tourists," he said.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said her country, which was spared by the disaster but was still recovering from recent deadly storms and typhoons, will declare Friday a national day of prayer and mourning for the tsunami victims.
She said the regional summit and donors' conference "is urgent and significant not only to step up the international humanitarian response to the multinational disaster, but to enhance regional disaster preparedness through a consolidated information sharing and early warning system."
The Philippines operates its own early warning system, but Arroyo said it needs to be updated and linked to similar systems in Hawaii, Japan and China.
Tunisian President Kais Saied yesterday condemned a European Parliament resolution on human rights calling for the release of his critics as “blatant interference.” The EU Parliament resolution, voted by an overwhelming majority the day before, called for the release of lawyer Sonia Dahmani, a popular critic of Saied, who was freed from prison on Thursday, but remained under judicial supervision. “The European Parliament [resolution] is a blatant interference in our affairs,” Saied said. “They can learn lessons from us on rights and freedoms.” Saied’s condemnation also came two days after he summoned the EU’s ambassador for “failing to respect diplomatic rules.” He also
Tropical Storm Koto killed three people and left another missing as it approached Vietnam, authorities said yesterday, as strong winds and high seas buffeted vessels off the country’s flood-hit central coast. Heavy rains have lashed Vietnam’s middle belt in recent weeks, flooding historic sites and popular holiday destinations, and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Authorities ordered boats to shore and diverted dozens of flights as Koto whipped up huge waves and dangerous winds, state media reported. Two vessels sank in the rough seas, a fishing boat in Khanh Hoa province and a smaller raft in Lam Dong, according to the
Sri Lanka made an appeal for international assistance yesterday as the death toll from heavy rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 123, with another 130 reported missing. The extreme weather system has destroyed nearly 15,000 homes, sending almost 44,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. DMC Director-General Sampath Kotuwegoda said relief operations had been strengthened with the deployment of thousands of troops from the country’s army, navy and air force. “We have 123 confirmed dead and another 130 missing,” Kotuwegoda told reporters in Colombo. Cyclone Ditwah was moving away from the island yesterday and
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
RSS