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Seven Killed, Nine Injured as Strong Winds Hit Regions

Strong winds continued to batter Central and East Java on Thursday, leaving seven people dead. In Banyumas regency, Central Java, nine people were injured by falling trees and branches due to the strong wind and rain. Hundreds of houses were also damaged. Four of the dead lived in Central Java; three came from Serang, Sirandu and Mekarjaya villages, all in Purbalingga regency, while the other was from Cilongok village in Banyumas.

“We have prepared everything in case there are more victims. The three people who died lived in villages located at the edge of the forest. We have provided cash assistance to their families,” Purbalingga regency administration spokesman Prayitno told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The worst-hit areas in Banyumas were Cilongok, Ajibarang, Wangon and Baturraden districts. The strong winds caused electricity blackouts in some areas.

“Power has not yet been restored. We are scared of the dark and the sound of the wind. Everyone prayed to God very loudly,” said Indah from Ajibarang village on Thursday.

In East Java, three people — two in Malang regency and one in Jember regency — were killed by falling trees, while hundreds of homes in Situbondo regency suffered slight to medium damage. In Situbondo regency, strong winds destroyed hundreds of houses across 10 districts.

In West Nusa Tenggara, around 200 people from 75 fishing families in Kombal Bay, Pemenang district, North Lombok, were forced to flee to higher ground due to high tides. Residents expressed their hopes that the North Lombok administration would build a wave barrier as such bad weather conditions recur annually.


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Democratic Party Wants Swift KPK Decision on Anas

Leaders of the President’s Democratic Party have urged the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to decide the fate of party chairman Anas Urbaningrum to bring stability to the embattled political organization.

“People have continued to make judgments about us based on the [graft] cases, even though [Anas] has yet to be declared a suspect. Millions of our members nationwide have felt the effects. This is unfortunate for us,” party deputy secretary-general Saan Mustofa said in a discussion on Saturday. Saan said that the KPK should promptly decide if Anas would be a suspect.

Some members reportedly wanted Yudhoyono to approve a proposal to suspend Anas from his position in order to salvage the party’s image. Others wanted Anas to be considered innocent until proven guilty, based on a party statute stating that suspension or dismissal from the party was only possible if the member has been named a suspect.

Anas has been accused of benefiting from many state-funded projects, including the Rp 191 billion (US$18.03 million) construction of an athletes’ village for the 2011 Southeast Asian Games and the establishment of a sports complex in Hambalang, West Java, worth more than Rp 1.5 trillion.

His alleged role in the scandal came to light after former lawmaker and Democratic Party treasurer M. Nazaruddin, currently on trial for graft, began to make accusations of corruption. Anas has been accused of using the money to fund his campaign for the party’s leadership, which he won at the 2010 congress in Bandung, West Java.

During its investigation into Nazaruddin, the KPK allegedly found evidence of dozens of corrupt deals, involving trillions of rupiah, implicating others within the party, including Anas, Angelina Sondakh, Mirwan Amir and Sutan Bhatoegana, as well as politicians from other parties. The KPK has named a number of business leaders and state officials suspects, but most of those Democratic Party politicians allegedly implicated in the cases have remained free.