[Sigiii-l] news from ASIST member from Indonesia

[Sue Johnson]

Mr Widharto Widharto is Librarian of the SEAMEO BIOTROP (biological 
sciences) library in Bogor, Indonesia. He is a past winner of the SIG III 
International Paper Contest, and his paper from the Contest was published.in 
the Bulletin. He is not near the zone of terrible devistation in Indonesia, 
but gives us a view of the disaster from his country, and ideas on what 
information professionals can do. You can reach him at widharto at biotrop.org

> some of us in Indonesia, especially people of the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam 
> (NAD),
> the most eastern part of Indonesia have suffered a very powerful earth
> quake that destroyed plenty of buildings and most infrastructures. This
> earthquake then followed by the colossal tsunami wave, and has taken more
> than eighty thousand lives. The death toll jumped again when Indonesian
> authorities reported an additional 14,000 dead, bringing the   garbage and
> ruins, as well as thousand of  death bodies are still common in this
> areas, and they have to be cleaned up.  Government officials, armies,
> foreign aid workers, were dispatched to the areas to help clean and
> evacuate the survivors the areas. From day to day, all TV stations
> broadcast victims who  desperately battling the destruction of the Indian
> Ocean tsunami, they  are searching and hoping. Some will find their
> missing members of their families.  You can follow current news about the
> disaster at the CNN or other international broadcasters.
>
> Indonesia is the biggest archipelago in the world, and NAD in the most
> tsunami-stricken regions,  is in the most western part of the country. It
> is about three thousand KMs  away  from my hometown, Bogor. However, as a
> nation, we have to concern about what people in the other area of our
> country. People are hands in hands to help the victims, some are collected
> relief funds and some donate their clothes, and food stuff. Emergencies
> hospitals have been built to cure the sick people. Though at the beginning
> their work were slow, but then  they are  becoming more organized.  With
> more armed forces,  foreign and local volunteers or  aid workers making
> their way to the capital, Banda Aceh, they are able to intensify their
> works to identify and recovering bodies still buried beneath tonness of
> rubble, as well as to clean the debrises. If the dead bodies won't be
> taken out or recovered, then it's going to be disaster for those people
> living there and struggling for life. It probably take more one month to
> find all those killed in Banda Aceh, and to city start to alive  again.
> Should you pray that God lays His hands upon those who lost their loved
> ones, and    He give comfort and strength to overcome those burdens.
>
> For us in Indonesia, the special evening of New Year's Eve was
> really cloudy as some of our country men are suffering the disaster.
> Plenty of gala dinners or costly special events  to be organized  in five
> stars  hotels or other sophisticated venue  have been cancelled,  instead
> they have donated the allocated funds as relief funds for people in  Aceh.
> The impact of such situation, Bogor  which is usually visited by plenty of
> people to spend their New Year's eve around the Bogor  Botanical Garden,
> was unusual at this time.>
>>
> Well, as you understand that Indonesia's strategy for
> long-term economic development is founded on the principle of conserving
> natural resources, including the sustainable management of natural
> resources, therefore,  the maintenance of ecosystem is very important.
> Ensuring food and nutrition security for more than two millions  mouths
> for people in Aceh, and other areas of NAD is a great challenge for
> Indonesia today.
> To be consistent with the US Government  commitment to help the countries
> devastated by the tsunami, you may help us by helping to develop
> information center in a specific field for Aceh.  I am sure both the SLA
> and ASIS have plenty of resources to carry out such programs. You could
> contact the the US funding agencies to propose a program for library
> development ofr areas hit by Tsunami, including us in Indonesia. I will be
> more than happy if I could share my knowlege with your team.
>
Thank you very much for your
> attention and kind cooperation.  I am looking forward to hearing from you
> again. Happy New Year, all the best for the 2005 for all of us.
>
> Sincerly yours,
>
> Widharto
> Librarian SEAMEO BIOTROP
> Jl. Raya tajur KM 6
> P.O. Box 116
> Bogor 16001, Indonesia
> tel. (62-251)-323848; fax (62-251)-326851
> e-mail: widharto at biotro.org
> http://www.biotrop.org
>