PRESIDENT INSPECTS READINESS OF RAPID DISASTER RESPONSE UNIT

Jakarta, Jan. 14 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Watched a demonstration of the capabilities of a Disaster Mitigation Rapid Response Unit (SRC-PB) at the Halim Perdanakusuma air base here on Thursday morning.

The head of state, accompanied by Vice President Boediono and several ministers, was earlier briefed by Syamsul Maarif, head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNBP), on the formation of SRC-PB.

Maarif explained about the background of the SRC-PB's formation, the field operations mechanism involving a number of concerned agencies.

The SRC-PB was inaugurated at Halim Perdanakusuma (eastern Jakarta) on December 7, 2009, for the western Indonesian area, and at the Abdurahman Saleh air base in Malang (East Java) for the eastern Indonesian area on December 17, 2009.

Hartje Robert Winerungan, a BNBP spokesman, said the SRC-BP's main components include military and police personnel, and employees of the social affairs, health, and public works ministries.

"SRC-BP has 550 personnel from 14 institutions and 3,000 personnel from 19 other institutions. They can be mobilized anytime for emergency response efforts on an instruction from BNPB," he explained.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," the edge of a tectonic plate prone to seismic upheaval.

President Yudhoyono also checked all equipment and facilities belonging to SRC-BP.