Transcript
1 October 2009
Press Conference
Subjects: Updates on Samoa tsunami, Sumatra earthquake.
STEPHEN SMITH: I just wanted to give an update on events in Samoa, Sumatra and also make some remarks about Cyclone Ketsana. These are difficult times for our region, natural disasters and tragedies in Samoa, in Sumatra and also the Philippines and Vietnam.
If I can start by taking the opportunity of officially expressing my condolences to the people of Samoa for the tragic loss of life, to the people of Tonga for loss of life in Tonga as well as a result of the tsunami, to the people of Indonesia for loss of life in Sumatra as a consequence of two earthquakes and to the people of the Philippines, Vietnam and Laos as a result of the loss of life in those three countries as a result of Cyclone Ketsana.
So these are difficult times for our region.
If I can give an update on Samoa. I've just got off the phone from our High Commissioner in Samoa and also spoken in the last half an hour with Murray McCully, my counterpart from New Zealand.
Can I regrettably confirm that four Australians have lost their lives in Samoa: two women and two children. There is also a fifth child who is a citizen of New Zealand but a permanent resident of Australia, and we extend of course our condolences to the families of all concerned.
Overnight there were six Australians of whom we were aware in Samoa who had not been accounted for. But this morning, fortunately, they have been accounted for. So all of the Australians whom we were aware of in Samoa have now been accounted for. What we don't know is whether there were Australians in Samoa who were not known to us, either because of registration through Smartraveller or because of other sources.
So we continue to liaise very carefully and closely with Samoan authorities to ensure that no further Australians have been caught up in this disaster and tragedy.
We will need, I think, a few more days to make certain of that.
In terms of support, can I just indicate that overnight a charter flight left Brisbane containing medical personnel and supplies that arrived in Samoa this morning, Samoa time. Some twenty-six personnel, medical and other specialists as well as equipment.
A C-17 air force plane left Richmond Airbase this morning carrying emergency supplies and disaster supplies: tents, tarpaulins, water containers, water purification tablets and the like. That was originally scheduled to be a C-130 but an operational judgement was made to change to a C-17 on the basis that that could arrive more quickly.
Later today, a C-130 air force aircraft will leave Richmond Airbase also containing medical and other specialists, and that will arrive in Samoa late tonight, early tomorrow.
A charter plane will leave Brisbane tonight at approximately 9 o'clock I'm advised, again, travelling to Samoa, also carrying medical specialists and other medical and emergency supplies.
The charter plane which arrived in Samoa this morning is due to return and land back in Brisbane at about three-thirty this afternoon Eastern Standard Time. That has on board twenty-six Australians who were in Samoa, who are physically able to board the plane. Once arriving in Brisbane they'll then be given assistance by Emergency Management Authority personnel to return to their capital cities or states of origin.
We have up to six people who are in hospital in Samoa who are injured. Currently an assessment is being made as to whether the six who are injured and in hospital or recently come out of hospital, whether they will be able to be returned to Australia on the C-17 air force aircraft. That will require consideration of two things, firstly fitness to travel and secondly, capacity to transport from the hospital to the airport. So that is currently under very careful consideration. But if possible, those Australians who have been injured I'm advised none of the injuries are life threatening but some are serious, rib injuries and the like. If they're able to get on board the plane they will return to Australia via the C-17.
My conversation with Foreign Minister McCully was to make sure that our efforts are being co-ordinated. Australia, New Zealand and France have a Pacific disaster relief management co-ordination agreement that came into operation immediately. Australia and New Zealand and obviously France because of France's interests in the Pacific. There's very close co-ordination between Australia and New Zealand and we're working very hard to make sure that proper co-ordination occurs at every level. The immediate response and the longer term reconstruction.
A Royal Australian Air Force Hercules C-130 happened to be in New Zealand and that has taken some New Zealand personnel to Samoa and that will arrive in the course of the day. Mr McCully himself will travel to Samoa from New Zealand tomorrow morning to conduct an inspection on the ground. To satisfy himself that everything that can be done by New Zealand is being done and also to satisfy himself that the proper co-ordination is there. He will report back to me when his visit to Samoa is complete, so that we can satisfy ourselves that proper co-ordination is being effected on the ground.
That's, I think, an update on Samoa.
Whilst it will require some patience on your behalf, I wouldn't mind going through Sumatra and then Cyclone Ketsana and then I'm happy to answer your questions.
On Sumatra, of course, you'd be aware of the earthquake near Padang overnight at about 8.15pm Eastern Standard Time. A second earthquake occurred this morning at about 220 kilometres east of Padang. That was, I am advised, closer to the surface and a smaller earthquake, but nonetheless significant. I think 6.7 on the Richter scale. So a very significant and considerable earthquake yesterday and another one this morning.
The advice from Indonesian officials at this stage is about 75 confirmed dead, reports from Indonesian officials fearing deaths in the hundreds, and it may well be substantially larger than that. It will take some time before details emerge.
A range of things are occurring. A group of Indonesian ministers left Jakarta last night to travel to Padang. Australian officials are leaving Jakarta this evening to travel to Padang as well. That will be a group of five officials - Foreign Affairs officials, AusAID officials and Defence officials - for two purposes. Firstly, to be on the ground to render assistance to any Australians and to ascertain the whereabouts of any Australians in the area. But, secondly, to do assessments on the ground for any assistance that Australia can bring to Indonesia in this matter.
President Yudhoyono is about to return to Indonesia from the General Assembly in New York. Indonesian officials advise Australian officials that he will immediately convene a Cabinet meeting to determine what assistance, if any, is required from the international community, given the size of the two earthquakes. Australia is putting ourselves in the position of being able to respond if a request comes from Indonesia for immediate rescue assistance or for immediate disaster relief.
So far as Australians in the area are concerned, there are 14 Australians who are registered or whom we know are in the area. We've made contact with seven of those and we are doing our best to contact the remaining seven. That, of course, does not include any Australians who might be in the area who have not registered on Smartraveller or whose whereabouts or presence there we have no knowledge of.
Padang, of course, is a surfing hub and there may well be Australians who are surfers who are in the area. To date, we have had no information or advice which would cause us, at this stage, to believe that Australians have been caught up in the aftermath of the earthquake. We've received one request for consular assistance, which was effected overnight. It was an Australian who made contact and asked Foreign Affairs officials to contact his family in Australia to advise his family that he was safe and secure.
So the adverse consequences of two very significant earthquakes, I think, will take some time to emerge. We will have a presence on the ground and we're working very closely with the Indonesian authorities.
On Cyclone Ketsana, can I say in some respects this has been overshadowed by the tsunami in Samoa and the earthquake in Sumatra, but last week that cyclone saw devastation in the Philippines, severe flooding and considerable loss of life; over 200. And last week I announced a million dollars worth of assistance to the Philippines and we stand ready, willing and able to render further assistance if that is required.
The cyclone then proceeded to Vietnam and crossed the coast of Vietnam late last week and over the weekend, south of Danang, seeing loss of life in Vietnam and also adverse consequences in both Laos and Cambodia and loss of life in Laos.
We are putting ourselves in the position of being able to respond to the Vietnamese authorities. We are expecting a request for assistance to come from Vietnam. At this stage the level of devastation in Cambodia is such that the Government of Cambodia believes they can cater for the adverse consequences of the cyclone.
That's, as I say, a significant burden and difficulty for our region and we're working very hard in conjunction with our friends and partners in the Pacific and in South-East Asia to render assistance.
At this stage, of course, so far as the Pacific is concerned, Australia chairs the Pacific Islands Forum and so our expressions of condolence are not just on our own behalf, but also on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum.
I'm happy to try and respond to your questions.
QUESTION: Have you had any reports about two surfers who may work for Tracks Magazine; concerns for their welfare…
STEPHEN SMITH: I've seen those reports. I'm not in a position to confirm them other than to say that we have 14 Australians of whom we are aware in the area, seven we've made contact with. But, of course, given the fact that Padang is a surfing hub, we would not be surprised to find Australians in the area. And I can't confirm that report, but that possibility Australians being in the area is one of the reasons we've sent a team of officials to the area to be on the ground.
Whilst to date we have received no indication from Indonesian officials or from other direct sources that Australians may be in difficulty we can't, of course, discount that possibility. And, of the Australians who we know are in the area, seven we have not been able to contact, and we won't be surprised if there are others in the area of whom we weren't aware. We will, of course, be following that report through our officials in Indonesia.
In addition to speaking to our High Commissioner in Samoa on Samoan matters and Foreign Minister McCully, I've also late this morning spoken to our Acting Ambassador in Jakarta who is managing these matters on our behalf out of the Embassy in Jakarta.
QUESTION: So that's a $2 million aid package for Samoa?
STEPHEN SMITH: I announced last night, a $2 million emergency assistance package. All of the assistance that you've seen delivered to date, or in the process of being delivered, the charter plane from Brisbane last night, the materials on the C-17 and the charter plane out of Brisbane tonight and materials on the C-130 and the individual concerned, all come out of that package.
But, as I made it clear when I announced the $2 million package, we of course stand ready, willing and able to render more assistance. That will take some time and assistance and will be in three stages: The immediate emergency and disaster relief which we're now seeing; longer term care of displaced people because there will be numbers, large numbers of displaced people; and then the longer term reconstruction and repair. And we will, in conjunction with the Samoan Government and in conjunction with other donor countries, in particular New Zealand, we will render whatever assistance is required and appropriate.
QUESTION: So that amount of money could increase?
STEPHEN SMITH: Absolutely and unquestionably it will, if only on the reconstruction and repair side.
But that allocation was essentially an initial allocation to deal with the exigencies of the emergency.
QUESTION: Sorry if you covered this when I wasn't around, but have you received a formal request from Indonesia for…
STEPHEN SMITH: Not a formal request but Indonesian officials have made it clear to Australian officials in Jakarta that when the president returns from the General Assembly in New York, which is imminent; he will convene a Cabinet meeting. Given the scale of the two earthquakes, that Cabinet meeting will consider whether Indonesia needs to make a request for international assistance.
So we will await that request. And, as a consequence of that, we are looking at what we might be able to do should such a request come.
In recent times of course when we've seen these disasters, Indonesia has been able to cope or manage itself so far as the immediate relief and rescue work is concerned. In the earthquake that occurred, for example, in Java at the beginning of September, Indonesia indicated to Australia and the rest of the international community that it didn't require any assistance for immediate search and rescue.
But we have been in discussion with Indonesia about the longer term repair and reconstruction, and we have agreed in principle that we will look to the repair or the rebuilding of schools as part of our longer term reconstruction effort.
On this occasion, given the size of the earthquake and the fact that we've had two in effectively less than 12 hours, or 12 hours or so, it may well be the scale is such that Indonesia is not able to deal with the immediate search and rescue and relief exercise itself. And, if asked, we will render whatever assistance we can.
We've seen media reports, which we can't confirm, of hundreds of people potentially trapped in destroyed buildings. It's difficult to make those judgements but if a request comes from Indonesia for assistance on immediate rescue, and search and rescue work, we will respond positively.
QUESTION: And how long would it take from that request to be able to…
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, as I say, we are looking already doing the work as to what assistance we might be able to effect. We're doing that work now in case a request comes.
Obviously that would depend upon the Indonesia authorities. But, given that we're forewarned, we hope that if we are required to render assistance we'd be able to do that quickly.
And of course, just as in Samoa, we'd be doing that in conjunction with other donor countries. The UN emergency relief agency is understandably taking an interest, both in Samoa and in Indonesia. And we're also working closely with the non-government organisations that are active in both Indonesia and Samoa.
QUESTION: The 26 Australians that were taken back to Queensland, were they injured or are they…
STEPHEN SMITH: They were people who were effectively able to walk on the plane. Some may have been suffering from minor injuries but they weren't any who were hospitalised and none of them required any assistance to get on the plane.
We're currently giving separate consideration to people who were injured. Up to six Australians have been injured and hospitalised. My most recent understanding is that three of those remain in hospital, and we're making a judgement, both a medical judgement and a logistical judgement as to whether the ones who have been injured, who will require assistance to get on a plane, whether it makes sense to put them on the C-17 when that returns to Australia.
Obviously the logistical operation here is that if at all possible there's no point sending an empty plane back to Australia if that can be filled with Australians who need assistance to get back here.
QUESTION: And there's no idea about when that will return?
STEPHEN SMITH: The C-17 is due to arrive in Samoa at about quarter to nine Samoan time tonight, which is I think quarter to four Australian time, quarter to six Canberra time. And my understanding is it will remain until such time as we've made those necessary judgements.
But we're seeing whether it's possible to return injured Australians on that plane.
QUESTION: Are there other Australians who are seeking to leave Samoa [indistinct]?
STEPHEN SMITH: The 26 who left on the plane were obviously those who were able to leave and wanted to leave. That's part of the consideration also going into the return of the C-17, whether there are other Australians who are able to walk onto the plane who may wish to leave Samoa.
QUESTION: There's been reports that the second earthquake in Indonesia was a lot closer to the surface…
STEPHEN SMITH: I'm not an expert in these matters. The advice I've seen is that the United States geological survey is suggesting that it was at the surface. I've seen other reports that suggest that other geological surveys are saying anywhere to 15 kilometres below the surface. But I think all the reports are that it's much closer to the surface than the first earthquake and also smaller in size; from memory 6.7 on the Richter scale.
QUESTION: So would that - being close to the surface, have you been advised whether that would have more of an impact on… or be more devastating than the other one?
STEPHEN SMITH: I'm not an expert so I'm not going to guess, other than the commonsense answer which is the fact that it's smaller. A smaller Richter scale size does lead you to the conclusion that the possible impacts are less. But I'd prefer to leave that to the experts.
QUESTION: Do you [indistinct] what time the C-130 is leaving tonight and the timeframe from Brisbane?
STEPHEN SMITH: The charter plane, I'm happy to stand corrected, and correct the record, from memory is that the charter plane from Brisbane is leaving at about nine o'clock tonight, a similar time to the one that left last night. And my recollection is that the C-130 will leave the Richmond air base at about six o'clock tonight. But if that's incorrect I'll let you know.
QUESTION: And that's obviously Richmond in…
STEPHEN SMITH: Richmond in Sydney, yes.
QUESTION: Yes, Sydney [indistinct]…
STEPHEN SMITH: Yes.
All right, okay. And in accordance with our usual practices I'll be providing updates as required. I'm not expecting a further update will be required today but we will keep you informed of all these details as they emerge.
Thanks very much. Thank you.
[END]
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