INDONESIA: Evacuees of deadly volcano Mount Merapi seek "love chamber" for couples privacy

Record ID: 593314

  • Title: INDONESIA: Evacuees of deadly volcano Mount Merapi seek "love chamber" for couples privacy
  • Date: 19th November 2010
  • Summary: EVACUEES GATHERING AT SHELTER
  • Embargoed: 4th December 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Indonesia
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA1IM700A7NDMMVT0GKKX2HLYIO
  • Story Text: Refugees displaced by deadly Indonesian volcano Mount Merapi have been living in makeshift shelters for weeks.
    Although they have food and shelter, the lack of privacy is becoming too much to bear for some and officials are debating whether to build a "love chamber" for couples to use.
    Thousands of people fleeing the eruptions and ash clouds of the volcano, which have killed over 250 people and displaced nearly 400,000, have been sharing beds in unpartitioned tents and soccer stadiums for three weeks.
    Conservative Javanese people in evacuee centres are usually too shy to admit they have this basic need, but it's an unspoken truth shared by all.
    "Yes as far as possible we understand each other regarding the condition right now," said one evacuee named Saryanto, who like many Indonesians go by one name.
    Other evacuees admitted that the need exists, but say they will do their best to cope.
    "When asked whether its required-- yes we need it. It's a real need for us as normal human beings but it depends how we handle the situation at refugee camps," another evacuee, Heru Tridwiyanto, added.
    The local government in the nearest city Yogyakarta is still debating whether to build such a facility for the volcano evacuees, a concept first seen when the area was hit by a deadly earthquake in 2006.
    "We did not advertise openly because we also took into consideration Eastern culture. And the refugees here are not only adults but also children and teenagers" said Budiharjo, an organiser at the centre said.
    Perhaps the least of their worries, authorities are focused on problems such as distributing food and clothing and dealing with health problems caused by dust.
    Still, Insan Nurrohman, a psychological counselor working evacuees said private space was as basic a need as food, or medical supplies and could be as simple as a tent.
    Nurrohman said such rooms or chambers built in the aftermath of the 2006 quake had proved safe and did not cause any social problems.
    "In some places there were one or two people who used it in a day. But many felt ashamed because of Eastern culture traditions, so they withheld their urges. But holding back will have an impact that is not good for themselves or their surroundings," Nurrohman said.
    The concept of a "love chamber" has not gone down well with some people in Indonesia, where a mostly moderate and youthful Muslim population is divided between embracing a more austere form of Islam or more liberal values.
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