Indonesia Highlights: President Jokowi Gives Cash to Indonesian Terror Suspect’s Wife Who Faces Financial Hardship | Heavy Machinery Needed to Evacuate Landslide Victims in Indonesia’s East Flores | I

KOMPAS.com – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo gave his money to the wife of a terror suspect who was recently arrested in Jakarta.

The woman who is identified as S previously told online news that following the arrest of her husband, she is facing financial difficulties as she has to raise a three-month-old baby on her own and has debts to pay.

Dozens of people were killed in the Indonesian region of East Nusa Tenggara after a landslide struck their homes in Nelelamadike village in the early hours of Sunday, April 4.

Below are excerpts from the stories in Indonesia, curated by Kompas.com editors:

President Jokowi Gives Cash to Indonesian Terror Suspect’s Wife Who Faces Financial Hardship

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo gave his money to the wife of a terror suspect who was recently arrested in Jakarta after last week's suicide bomb attack outside a cathedral in the Indonesian city of Makassar.

The woman who is identified as S previously told online news that following the arrest of her husband, she is facing financial difficulties as she has to raise a three-month-old baby on her own and has debts to pay.

The money was handed over by Senior Adjunct Police Commissioner (AKBP) Lukman Syarif, Sukabumi Police chief, at her rented house in West Java's Sukabumi regency on Saturday, April 3.

"The online news was read by President Jokowi," said Lukman, adding that he also passed the president's messages on to her.

"This has no other purpose than purely for helping her," Lukman added.
Lukman went on to say that S looked happy when receiving the money from President Jokowi as her voice was heard.

"The terror suspect's wife was delighted as President Jokowi immediately responded to her plight, reducing her financial burden," he said.

Previously, the National Police counter-terrorism squad, or also known as Densus 88, arrested a terrorist suspect identified by the initials BS on March 29 in Jakarta after the suicide bombing at the catholic church in Makassar.

Later in the day, the police went to BS' house in Sukabumi Regency, West Java. Upon arrival at the house, the police found S who married BS for one and a half years.

"I'm looking for a job because I have a debt to pay in the bank. If my husband doesn't work, who pays for it?" she said.

Source: https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/04/04/154926674/president-jokowi-gives-cash-to-indonesian-terror-suspect-wife-who-faces-financial

Heavy Machinery Needed to Evacuate Landslide Victims in Indonesia’s East Flores

Antara A flood destroys houses and inundated streets in Waiwerang, East Flores regency in the Indonesian region of East Nusa Tenggara on Sunday, April 4, 2021.

Dozens of people were killed in the Indonesian region of East Nusa Tenggara after a landslide struck their homes in Nelelamadike village in the early hours of Sunday, April 4, an official confirmed.

East Flores deputy regent Agustinus Boli said survivors were trying to search the villagers who were buried in their homes. However, they were facing difficulty as no heavy equipment was available.

“We were informed by Nelelamadike village head Pius Sword Melai that dozens of residents were dead after their houses were buried [under dirt] but the villagers struggled to dig out as no heavy machinery was available,” Agus told Kompas.com on Sunday.

Agus has contacted the East Flores Mitigation Agency (BPBD) to evacuate the victims. He also called on other parties to help with heavy equipment.

The landslide was caused by heavy rains that began on Saturday. Besides the landslide, some areas were affected by a flood. At the time of publication, heavy rains and strong winds are still raging.

Source: https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/04/04/110438178/wabup-flores-timur-puluhan-warga-meninggal-tertimbun-belum-bisa-digali.

Indonesian Minister Urges Investigation into Balongan Refinery

KOMPAS.com/ALWI A fire engulfed part of the Balongan refinery in West Java in the wee hours of Monday, March 29, forcing state oil company Pertamina to shut the refinery and evacuate hundreds of affected residents living in the area.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif said that the cause of fires at four tanks of Balongan refinery operated by state oil company Pertamina in West Java is still under investigation.

"The cause of the fires is still under investigation by Pertamina and external parties," said Arifin Tasrif as quoted by Antara State News Agency on Sunday, April 4.

"We also want to get a review from relevant international agencies that handle such an incident," said Arifin.

He said that Pertamina must evaluate the work system currently applied to all of its oil refineries. The evaluation is needed by Pertamina to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.

Arifin also confirmed that the fire has been extinguished.

"Alhamdulillah [praise be to God], the fire had been put out," he said.

The fire engulfed part of the Balongan refinery in West Java in the wee hours of Monday, March 29, forcing the company to shut the refinery and evacuate hundreds of affected residents living in the area.

Source: https://money.kompas.com/read/2021/04/04/005100726/menteri-esdm-minta-investigasi-kilang-balongan-libatkan-pihak-asing?page=1.