INDONESIA: UN SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN TALKS ABOUT TSUNAMI DEVASTATION ALONG THE WEST COAST
Record ID:
222795
INDONESIA: UN SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN TALKS ABOUT TSUNAMI DEVASTATION ALONG THE WEST COAST
- Title: INDONESIA: UN SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN TALKS ABOUT TSUNAMI DEVASTATION ALONG THE WEST COAST
- Date: 7th January 2005
- Summary: (W3) BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA (JANUARY 7, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE 0.09 2. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SAYING: "We travelled along the west coast and I must admit I have never seen such utter destruction mile after mile. And you wonder where are the people, what happened to them? We were also able to go to Meulaboh, there we saw people beginning to pick up the pieces and get on with their lives. And of course it taught us something about the resilience of the human spirit" 0.37 3. SCU CAMERAMAN 0.42 4. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SAYING: "I think it is unfair to say that we were tardy. I think we moved as quickly as we can and you also have to understand the U.N. is as strong as its members, we are capable as our members help and allow us to be, we have no assets, we need to rely on governments. Without the support as I said of the U.S. and other people with logistical capability, we will not have been able to move and in fact you would have said we've been very, very late. I think we moved as fast as we can and the governments and the people in the region do agree with me that we are doing everything we can and we have moved fast" 1.23 5. WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE 1.28 6. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SAYING: "I think we are moving ahead, we are establishing a joint command post here and in fact we are working already very well together. Once we have the joint command centre, our co-operation and coordination will be tighter and we have similar arrangements in Jakarta. But on the ground we are working very effectively with government agencies with the NGOs, NGO partners, Red Cross organisations and we are managing to work and coordinate the activities of everyone" 2.04 7. WIDE OF ANNAN LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE 2.10 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 22nd January 2005 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA
- Country: Indonesia
- Reuters ID: LVA1T9M26FP8F7T5435Y3Z74GYMI
- Story Text: U.N.Secretary-General Kofi Annan speaks about
devastation in Indonesia.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan toured Indonesia's
tsunami-ravaged Aceh province on Friday (January 7), flying
by helicopter over the razed coastal towns of Sumatra, many
which have turned into black holes of devastation.
"We travelled along the west coast and I must admit I
have never seen such utter destruction mile after mile,"
Annan told a news conference in the provincial capital,
Banda Aceh.
"And you wonder where are the people, what happened to
them? We were also able to go to Meulaboh, there we saw
people beginning to pick up the pieces and get on with
their lives. And of course it taught us something about the
resilience of the human spirit."
The west coast of the island of Sumatra is just 150 km
(93 miles) from the epicentre of the undersea earthquake
that sent a tsunami across Asia on December 26, killing
more the 153,000 people.
The United Nations estimates that one-third of
Meulaboh's 120,000 people were killed when the giant waves
ripped through.
Twelve days after the tsunami hit and with aid trickling
in to disaster-stricken areas, Annan said the United
Nations had worked as quickly as possible, but help was
only possible with the support of U.N. member countries. "I think
it is unfair to say that we were tardy," he
said. "I think we moved as quickly as we can and you also
have to understand the U.N. is as strong as its members, we
are capable as our members help and allow us to be, we have
no assets, we need to rely on governments. Without the
support as I said of the U.S. and other people with
logistical capability, we will not have been able to move
and in fact you would have said we've been very, very late.
I think we moved as fast as we can and the governments and
the people in the region do agree with me that we are doing
everything we can and we have moved fast," Annan said.
The U.N. chief has called on world leaders to honour
their pledges of nearly five billion U.S. dollars, citing
the failure of nations to deliver fully on promised aid
after previous disasters, such as the earthquake which hit
the Iranian city of Bam in late 2003.
Annan also said on Friday that a multi-national command
centre will be set up in Banda Aceh, improving aid
coordination efforts.
"I think we are moving ahead, we are establishing a
joint command post here and in fact we are working already
very well together. Once we have the joint command centre,
our co-operation and coordination will be tighter and we
have similar arrangements in Jakarta. But on the ground we
are working very effectively with government agencies with
the NGOs, NGO partners, Red Cross organisations and we are
managing to work and coordinate the activities of
everyone," he said.
Aceh province bore the full brunt of the tsunami, with
100,000 known dead -- or two-thirds of the victims across Asia.
There are at least 20,000 people around Meulaboh in
desperate need of aid and with outlying areas still cut
off, the number of dead, injured and homeless will rise,
the United Nations says.
The World Health Organisation has said that Asia's
death toll could double to 300,000 if diseases such as
cholera break out. The United Nations says there have been
no reports so far of disease outbreaks in Banda Aceh.
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