Indonesia toll nears 6,000; China offers aid worth $1.25m
(Xinhua/AP)
Updated: 2006-05-30 21:04
BACK IN BUSINESS
In Bantul town, Muhadi, 55, wearing a black Muslim cap, said he had been back
in business since Monday selling rice in his 4-square-metre kiosk.
"Yesterday I opened the shop. It's better than staying at home doing nothing,
(though) there were only a few buyers."
The tremor early on Saturday was centred just off the Indian Ocean coast near
Yogyakarta, the former Javanese royal capital.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who moved his office
temporarily to Yogyakarta, vowed late on Monday all relief funds would be spent
on quake victims.
Indonesia is notorious for endemic corruption. The government has set aside
relief funds of 100 billion rupiah ($10.86 million) from now till August. A year
of reconstruction and rehabilitation will begin after August, costing the
government 1.1 trillion rupiah, he added.
The quake was the latest misfortune to hit the world's fourth-most populated
country after Islamic militant bombings, bird flu outbreaks and the massive 2004
quake and tsunami.
The quake initially heightened activity at nearby Mount Merapi volcano --
already sporadically spouting for weeks -- sparking fear of an imminent massive
eruption.
But vulcanologist Subandrio, a Merapi expert, told Reuters: "Today's
activities are relatively lower compared to yesterday. The maximum range of the
hot ashes today is 3 km (2 miles)."
He cautioned that it was still uncertain how the quake affected volcano.
Indonesia sits on the Asia-Pacific's so-called "Ring of Fire," which is
marked by heavy volcanic and tectonic activity. The December 26, 2004, quake and
its resulting tsunami, left some 170,000 people dead or missing around
Aceh.
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