Karo (ANTARA News) - Heavy rain greeted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when he arrived at Jambur Sempakata, a major holding area for Mt Sinabung eruption evacuees in Karo district, North Sumatra, on Monday.

The President and his entourage reached Jambur Sempakata after a two-hour car trip from Medan under gloomy skies, and after arrival, addressed two thousand evacuees under driving rain.

The President, accompanied by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, remained at the camp 15 minutes and was unable to observe the field kitchen.

Yet, the President was still welcomed by a group of children who sang the popular song "Buat Apa Susah" (what good is complaning) and he dropped in at one evacuee tent to talk and shake hands with its occupants.

It was still raining heavily when the President ended his visit, and walked to his car under an umbrella.

The President`s car, a Mercedez-Benz sedan, which had been parked at the roadside, picked up the president and the first lady at the entrance of a covered structure that served as the camp`s meeting place.

But members of the presidential entourage, including ministers and presidential staff, had to run through the rain to reach their bus which was also parked on the side of the road.

From Jambur Sempataka, the president and his entourage went to the official residence of the Karo district chief to inspect the main Mt Sinabung eruption disaster mitigation post and media center.

In his talk with the evacuees at Jambur Sempataka, the President asked them to wait patiently until the danger had passed and then they could go back to their own homes.

The President explained to the evacuees that their temporary evacuation was a standard procedure that was applied for all kinds of disasters in Indonesia.

"I understand that it is not pleasant to stay in these shelters for days on end but I hope you can all be patient enough and pray continuously together and wish Mt Sinabung will no longer be dangerous so that you can return to your homes," the President said.

Meanwhile, some evacuees said they were beginning to feel bored because they had been at the camp for a week without being able to do something meaningful.

One of the evacuees, Gunawan, said he and his three children just spent their time sitting there and chatting away because he could not cultivate his land yet. His land was located less than six kilometers from Mt Sinabung`s peak.

(KR-DLN/A014/S026)

Editor: Suryanto
COPYRIGHT © 2012

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