1,600 dead, 70,000 homeless. Why wouldn’t tsunami-hit Indonesia want aid?
In Indonesia, where earthquakes and a tsunami have left more than 1,600 dead in Sulawesi, relief efforts often face an added obstacle: the politics of accepting foreign aid
Roads, bridges, homes, schools and places of worship were all destroyed by the catastrophe, leaving survivors cut off or without shelter.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has predicted the death toll in Sulawesi will rise as not all areas in the regions of Palu, Donggala and Mamuju have yet been reached, and many people are still missing.
As if the devastation wrought by the tremors and three-metre-high tidal waves was not enough, problems such as soil liquefaction, mudslides, power blackouts and even volcanic eruptions in the aftermath of the quakes have hampered relief efforts – as well as malicious hoaxes and “fake news” reports that have distracted officials from those really in need.
Given its position on the tectonic “Ring of Fire”, Indonesia endures frequent seismic activity – between 4,500 to 6,000 earthquakes every year across its large territory. Tsunami and volcanic eruptions present associated and obvious risks.