Indonesia Earthquakes

Latest Report on Sumatra Earthquake


Sunday, February 24, 2008

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 rattled Indonesia's Sumatra island Sunday (24 Feb) night, the U.S. Geological Survey said, sending frightened residents running from their homes.

The quake struck at 9:46 p.m. local time (1446GMT) just off the coast of Bengkulu province, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) west of the capital, Jakarta, the USGS said. It had a depth of around 35 kilometers (21.7 miles).

The jolt, in the same area shaken by an 8.4 quake in September that killed 25 people, did not trigger a tsunami, national authorities said. Many people fled their homes fearing they would collapse, witnesses said.


February 22, 2008

Activity on Simeulue Island in Aceh province reportedly began to return to normal Thursday, a day after a major earthquake killed four people, seriously injured dozens of others and destroyed infrastructure and homes.

Residents who fled to higher ground on Wednesday for fear of a tsunami have returned to their homes, said Medan Air Force base commander Col. Agus Dwi Putranto on Thursday, after visiting survivors on Simeuleu Island.

He said that based on aerial surveillance he conducted with members of the National Disaster Management Coordination Agency, the island did not suffer any substantial damage in the quake.

Worst-hit areas include West Simeuleu, Alafan and Sialang, where schools, medical facilities and houses of worship were badly damaged.

The Medan Meteorological and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said residents in Simeuleu were still experiencing aftershocks but of moderate intensity.

"Aftershocks in Sinabang, Simeuleu regency, will likely continue due to pent up energy following the main tremor on Wednesday," said Medan BMG head Rifwar Kamin on Thursday.

He said the quake did not cause major damage and large numbers of casualties because its epicenter was located at a depth of some 34 kilometers.


Other EARTHQUAKES occuring almost at the same time....


February 21, 2008



Tens of thousands of people camped outside their homes on the Indonesian island of Simeulue after a 7.5-magnitude quake that killed three, an official said Thursday.

The quake hit just off the remote island located near Sumatra on Wednesday, triggering panic across the region lashed by the earthquake-triggered 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed 168,000 people in Indonesia.

"The majority of the population have not returned to their homes. Many are still in the hills while others are just in makeshift shelters built near their houses," Simeulue's local government spokesman Abdul Karim told AFP.

According to government data, besides the three dead, 51 people were slightly injured, 33 houses and buildings were heavily damaged and 81 others sustained light damage.

An official from the Aceh provincial disaster mitigation centre Iskandar said, he was on his way to Simeulue with a team to help assess any further damage across the island, which is home to nearly 80,000 people.

Simeulue was one of the islands closest to the 2004 quake's epicentre, but the tsunami killed fewer than 10 people there partly because the population recognised the receding sea as a sign of disaster and fled inland.

In 2005, entire villages on Simeulue were destroyed by a quake which killed at least 17 people.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.


Feb 22, 2008

EARTHQUAKE IN NEVADA MAGNITUDE 6.0

WELLS, Nev. (AP) -- Windows shattered and building facades and signs fell, but no one was seriously injured when a powerful earthquake shook this rural northeastern town on Thursday.

The quake, which had an estimated magnitude of 6.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., struck at 6:16 a.m., near Wells in a sparsely populated area near the Nevada-Utah line.

Elko County commissioners declared a state of emergency. "Almost all of the businesses are shut down. We have no services and no fuel," Commissioner Mike Nannini said.

Friday February 22 2008

EARTHQUAKE IN ARTIC MAGNITUDE 6.2 POLE

SCORES of people across north Donegal literally felt the earth moving in the early hours of yesterday morning when a small tremor struck.

Witnesses in an area stretching from the Inishowen peninsula westwards to Kerrykeel and Downings reported houses shaking, windows rattling and a low rumbling noise from around 2.50am yesterday morning, moments after a major earthquake struck in Norwegian territory 1,000km from the North Pole.

Experts said yesterday that the timing of the two events was too coincidental for them not to be connected.

"It didn't last long. The shaking lasted a second or two and the rumbling went on for 15 seconds. Then it was all over. I just knew it was an earthquake. I was concerned," he said.

At the same time, an earthquake measuring 6.2 in magnitude had struck off the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic.


InRecent Earthquakes in Indonesia + Malaysia....


February 14, 2008

A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern Indonesian province of Maluku early Thursday, prompting a tsunami alert that was later lifted, the meteorology and geophysics office said.

The earthquake, which struck at 2:58 am (2000 GMT Wednesday), was centred 275 kilometres southwest of Maluku province, some 10 kilometres under the seabed, a text message from the office said.


February 10, 2008

A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake rattled the Molucca Sea off Indonesia's eastern coast on Sunday, seismologists said.

The quake, which was at a depth of 46 kilometres (28 miles), struck at 03:30 am (1830 GMT) about 195 kilometres south of Manado in northern Sulawesi island, the US Geological Survey said.


Feb 9, 2008

A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck in Indonesia on Saturday, 121 miles (195 km) south of Manado, Indonesia.

The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 1834 GMT, was 28.4 miles (46 km) deep, and the initial report by USGS is, the quake at 6.3 magnitude with an epicenter 47.2 miles (76 km) deep.


February 8, 2008.

A strong 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Bali Sea off the northern coast of Indonesia Friday, seismologists said.

The quake, which was at a depth of 312 kilometres (208 miles), struck at 5:00 am (2100 GMT) about 215 kilometres north of Denpasar, Bali, according to the US Geological Survey.

January 23, 2008

A strong 6.2-magnitude quake rattled Indonesia's remote Nias island off the western coast of Sumatra on Wednesday, but no tsunami warning was issued, US meteorologists said.

The epicentre of the quake was located near the coast of Nias, about 170 kilometres west-southwest of the Sumatra town of Sibolga, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake, which struck at 12:14 am (1714 GMT Tuesday), occurred at a depth of 12.8 kilometres


January 07, 2008

A large earthquake hit West Papua, Indonesia today at 12:12 pm local time. Preliminary analysis by Geoscience Australia put the magnitude at 6.4.

The epicentre was located 5 km off the coast near Manokwari, a town of 52,000 people. No tsunami was reported. The epicentre was 60 km north of Gunung Umsini.

This mountain was previously thought to be a volcano, but there is no definite evidence of volcanic activity. West Papua is a seismically active region which lacks identified volcanoes despite its location between two volcanically active regions. Gunung Umsini is located in west Papua peninsula, 50 km south of Manokwari, a town of 50,000 people. It is at the northern end of north end of the Arfak Range.


January 4, 2008.

A strong offshore earthquake registering 6.3 on the Richter scale hit the east coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Friday, causing people to flee from their homes, the meteorological agency and a resident said.

The earthquake hit at 2:29 pm local time (0729 GMT) and was centred 75 kilometres (47 miles) southwest of Mukomuko town in Bengkulu province under the floor of the Indian Ocean, the Indonesian Meteorological Agency said in a statement.


December 30, 2007.

Two moderate quakes of 5.5-magnitude struck western and eastern Indonesia on Sunday, but there was no threat of a tsunami and no immediate reports of damage, meteorologists said.

The first earthquake, which hit at 10:36 am (0336 GMT), occurred at sea about 147 kilometres (91 miles) southeast of the city of Gunungsitoli on Nias island, off the west coast of Sumatra island, at a depth of 60 kilometres.

The second undersea tremor hit about an hour later in the eastern province of Maluku about 340 kilometres southeast of the provincial capital Ambon, at a depth of 125 kilometres.

December 28, 2007.

Indonesia: A 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Aceh province on Friday, meteorologists said, triggering panic among residents but there were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake struck at 12:24pm (0524 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), 62 kilometres from the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, the Indonesian meteorological agency (BMG) said in a statement.

People fled buildings in Banda Aceh in a panic but no damage was initially apparent, an AFP correspondent there said. A resident told local ElShinta radio that the quake was strongly felt but she did not see any damage.


December 22, 2007.

A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern Indonesian province of Papua Saturday, meteorologists said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

It struck at 4:11pm local time (0711 GMT) at a depth of 40 kilometres (25 miles), 183 kilometres west of the provincial capital of Jayapura, the US Geological Survey said. The local meteorology office registered the quake at 6.0 on the Richter scale.


December 15, 2007.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Timor Leste on Saturday, but there was no threat of a tsunami and no immediate word of damage, an official from Indonesia's meteorology office said.

The quake hit at 3:03pm local time (0703 GMT) at sea, about 243 kilometres (151 miles) northwest of the capital Dili, at a depth of 120 kilometres, according to a statement from the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency here.


December 12, 2007.

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday, but there was no threat of a tsunami and no immediate word of damage, a meteorologist said.

The earthquake, which hit at 10:43 am (0343 GMT), occurred at sea about 280 kilometres (174 miles) southwest of the city of Bengkulu, at a depth of 30 kilometres, according to a statement from Indonesia's Meteorological and Geophysics Agency.


December 12, 2007



A mild earthquake, measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale, hit Bukit Tinggi in Pahang, MALAYSIA at 6.01pm yesterday. It caused weak tremors in and around Bukit Tinggi, the Meteorological Department said. It advised the public not to be alarmed by the tremors

More news on Earthquakes in Bukit Tinggi, Malaysia...

Residents of Kampung Janda Baik want the team probing tremors in Bukit Tinggi to come up with a good explanation for them. Janda Baik Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) member Mej (rtd) Husin Nordin said this was because government agency officers who met residents yesterday failed to provide convincing answers for the tremors.

"Telling us that the tremors were felt because the village is in the Bukit Tinggi fault zone is something that we also know about."

He said the officers did not seem concerned with their fears and trauma as tremors were something which they were not used to.

"I have been staying here for 14 years and tremors are something new to me. The tremors are occurring almost daily. They may be minor tremors as with the cracks but they can become big over time," he told Bernama here today.

Unhappy with the officers' poor explanation, the villagers who had gathered since morning, began complaining and left the briefing session. Husin hoped the probe team could provide a better explanation once they had checked several locations.He said the first tremor on Nov 30 last year sounded like an explosion followed by minor tremors.

Geology officer Mohd Badzran Mat Taib said the minor tremors felt by Bukit Tinggi villagers were due to the pressure on the soil structure, adding that tremors were influenced by the movement of rocks and the tectonic plates.

"We are still studying the situation in Bukit Tinggi. There is no quick answer to this as we do not want to give the wrong information," he added.

On the possibility that the tremors were linked to those in Sumatra, Indonesia, he said it was mere hypothesis since Malaysia is located close to the Sumatra Sea and Indian Ocean, areas prone to earthquakes.

The first tremor in Bukit Tinggi at 10.15am and 8.47pm on Nov 30 measured 3.5 on the Richter scale followed by the second at 6.12pm on Dec 4 (3.0) and minor tremors on Dec 5, 6, 9, 12 and 13.A minor tremor with a magnitude of 2.5 occurred at 10.24am on Jan 13 followed by another at 11.45pm yesterday (Jan 15), measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale.


September 13, 2007

More than 15,000 buildings collapsed or were seriously damaged by a series of massive earthquakes striking Indonesia's Sumatra, authorities said Saturday as the death toll rose to 17.

An initial 8.4-magnitude quake struck at dusk off Sumatra's west coast on Wednesday and was followed by a series of major aftershocks, jolting the coastal provinces of Bengkulu and West Sumatra most severely.

In Bengkulu, nearly 2,000 houses were totally flattened and nearly 4,000 others badly damaged, said Bowo Santoso from the governor's disaster rescue centre. About 90 local hospitals and clinics were also damaged, he added.

In West Sumatra, more than 9,700 houses collapsed or were too badly damaged to be inhabitable, said Suryadi from the disaster rescue centre there. More than 100 mosques and about 20 school buildings were also damaged, he said.


September 12, 2007

A massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday, toppling buildings and triggering tsunami warnings across the Indian Ocean region.

There was no immediate word on the extent of casualties and damage, but there were reports of buildings toppled or cracked open from the force of the quake around 300 kilometres (185 miles) from the epicentre.

In the capital Jakarta 600 kilometres further south, high-rise towers wobbled, water sloshed from swimming pools and panicked office workers ran into the streets. Elsewhere, power was knocked out and phone lines went dead.

The huge quake - anything over magnitude 7.0 is considered to have the possibility for massive damage and loss of life - was felt in neighbouring Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, where office buildings swayed and shook.

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said an alert was in effect for the entire Indian Ocean area including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives - all affected by the devastating December 2004 Asian tsunami.

But no massive waves were reported within 90 minutes of the quake, and the Indonesia meteorology agency said it thought the tsunami threat had passed.

The undersea quake erupted around 1100 GMT some 100 kilometres southwest of the city of Bengkulu at a depth of roughly 15 kilometres, the United States Geological Survey said.


August 21, 2007.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck Papua in Indonesia on Tuesday, seismologists said. The quake was centred 101 kilometres from Tanahmerah, Irian Jaya and occurred at 6.30 am (2130 GMT Monday) 10 kilometres underground, the US Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.


August 17, 2007.

A series of strong earthquakes rocked Indonesia early Friday, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

A 6.2-magnitude quake, with an epicentre nearly 250 kilometres (155 miles) southeast of Ambon in eastern Indonesia, struck at 0304 GMT, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said in a statement. Earlier at 0216 GMT, a 5.8-magnitude quake struck near the same area. The agency said there was no danger of a tsunami.

Some 10 hours earlier, a 5.9-magnitude quake hit west of the island of Java, 280 kilometres southwest of the capital Jakarta.


August 11, 2007.

A 5.7-magnitude quake struck off northeast Indonesia on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said. The undersea quake struck at 01:06 pm (0406 GMT) 237 kilometres (147 miles) northwest of Ternate town in North Maluku province.


August 9, 2007

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck Indonesia's main island of Java early Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The epicentre of the undersea quake, which struck at a depth of 291 kilometres (180 miles) was about 100 kilometres east of the capital Jakarta. The quake occurred just after midnight (1700 GMT). The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the quake was "located too deep inside the earth to generate a tsunami in the Indian Ocean."


December 18, 2006

A quake that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra has killed at least seven people, injured 150 and brought down hundreds of homes, local officials and police said.

Three aftershocks sent residents rushing out of their homes in the region, where memories of the 2004 tsunami which devastated Aceh further to the north are still fresh.

Rescuers were trying to reach 20 villages which were cut off by landslides triggered by the 5.7-magnitude quake, police said Monday.

The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 4:39 am (2139 GMT Sunday), was 150 kilometres (95 miles) southeast of Sibolga at the relatively shallow depth of 17.7 kilometres, geologists said.


December 1, 2006

A "strong" 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Sumbawa Region in Indonesia on Friday, seismologists said.

The quake hit at 10:01 pm (1401 GMT) and was centred 25 kilometres (16 miles) north of the town of Raba at a depth of 48 kilometres under the seabed, the US Geological Survey said.

"We have received reports of cracks in houses in Bima," said Yani, an official at the meteorology office in Indonesia, referring to a town located within 20 kilometres of the epicentre.

The quake was also felt in Makassar on the island of Sulawesi, some 400 kilometres north of the epicentre.

Earlier Friday a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

A strong deep-sea quake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale hit northeastern Indonesia Wednesday and damaged or destroyed more than a dozen buildings,


November 29, 2006.

A strong deep sea quake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale hit northeastern Indonesia Wednesday and damaged or destroyed more than a dozen buildings but there were no immediate reports of casualties, officials said.

The quake struck at 0132 GMT and was centred near the Maluku Islands, 216 kilometres northeast of the North Maluku capital Ternate at a depth of 74 kilometres.

September 16, 2006.

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake jolted the eastern Indonesian province of Maluku on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, officials said.

The quake, struck a 6:45pm (0945 GMT) and was centred 117 kilometres under the ocean floor 192 kilometres northeast of Ambon, the capital of Maluku, said Jajat from the Meteorological and Geophysics Office here.


September 16, 2006

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake jolted the Indonesian province of Aceh on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, officials said.

The quake, which struck at 1:17am (0617 GMT), was centered 50 kilometres under the ocean floor some 77 kilometres southwest of the Aceh capital of Banda Aceh, said Jajat from the Meteorological and Geophysics Office here.


August 12, 2006.

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 shook the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island early Saturday, the US Geologicial Survey said.

The quake was centred 364 kilometres (226 miles) south of Banda Aceh, capital of Aceh province, it said. It struck at 3:54 am (2054 GMT Friday) with a depth of 10 kilometres.

The second quake, measured at 5.1, struck at 13:15pm (0615 GMT) and was centred 69 kilometres (43 miles) southeast of Sinabang island, off western Sumatra, said the Indonesian National Earthquake Center in Jakarta.


July 17, 2006

At least 105 people died on Monday when a tsunami triggered by an undersea earthquake smashed into Indonesia's Java island, echoing the 2004 disaster that killed 220,000 across Asia.

After a strong 7.7-magnitude quake convulsed the seabed off Java's south coast, waves up to three metres high wrecked buildings and sent boats crashing ashore, prompting thousands of residents to flee in panic.

Some witnesses described the destruction as serious and local legislator Rudi Supriatna Bahro, speaking from the worst-hit Pangandaran coast in West Java, said the number of dead was expected to rise.

"The death toll so far stands at 37. The number will certainly increase. I just saw another body being taken in," he told Metro TV.

"The situation is almost similar to Aceh," he said, referring to the Indonesian province where 168,000 people died in the giant waves of 2004.


May 30, 2007.

Thousands of desperate Indonesian quake survivors were still waiting for aid Tuesday as they prepared for a fourth night under makeshift tents, despite pledges help would come quickly.

The death toll rose to 6,234 while the number of those hurt in the quake more than doubled to some 46,000, with more than 33,000 suffering serious injuries, the social affairs ministry said.

As the world rallied by providing aid, emergency teams and cash pledges, the United Nations said the relief effort on Indonesia's main island of Java was largely under control - but cautioned that problems remained.

Despite the ramped-up aid effort involving troops, volunteers and overseas medics, pockets of victims in the worst-hit areas south and east of the ancient city of Yogyakarta said they had not yet received badly-needed supplies.


May 26, 2006.

ndonesia is struggling to cope with the scale of the earthquake disaster, declaring a state of emergency as hospitals overflowed with injured and heavy rains lashed thousands of homeless survivors.

The death toll rose to at least 5,136, the social affairs ministry said on Monday, and exhausted troops and emergency teams who have clawed through debris since Saturday's quake in central Java continued to find bodies which families carried away for burial in makeshift graves.

Power blackouts and overnight rain hampered rescue work and heaped misery on some 200,000 people made homeless in the disaster, many of whom faced spending a third night out in the open under tarpaulins.

On the road to Bantul, the district hardest-hit by the quake, young men lined the roads, carrying signs reading: "requesting aid" and "please give aid".

Wooden beams from collapsed houses stuck up from the ground like toothpicks, and broken ceiling tiles and bricks littered the ground.

Survivors too terrified to return home as hundreds of aftershocks rattled the region, hung out washing on lines strung between trees, or spread what little clothing they had left on blue tarpaulins they used for shelter.

Adding to their fear, Mount Merapi -- a volcano north of the quake's epicentre -- continued to simmer after weeks of seismic activity that saw 20,000 people evacuated from their homes amid a major eruption alert.


May 28, 2008.

More than 450 aftershocks have been recorded following the powerful earthquake which killed more than 3,300 people on Indonesia's main Java island, meteorologists said Sunday.

The strongest of the 470 aftershocks, which measured 5.2 on the Richter scale, took place two hours after the initial 6.3-magnitude quake early Saturday, said Bayu Pranata of the National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.

"Aftershocks happen because the tectonic plates are in the process of stabilising," he told AFP, saying the population had likely not felt most of the tremors.

The death toll from the massive earthquake that rocked Indonesia's main island of Java is rising but figures given varied from 3,875 to 4,611.


May 27, 2006

A powerful earthquake rocked Indonesia's main island of Java on Saturday, killing more than 3,000 people and thousands more injured when a strong earthquake rocked Indonesia's densely-populated island of Java on Saturday.

Thousands of families fled their homes in panic after the 6.2 magnitude quake struck early in the morning, many running for higher ground amid false rumours of a tsunami like the one that devastated the country in December 2004.

Many could not escape in time and were buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings or struck by flying rocks and debris as the temblor devastated towns and villages cities across the south of the island.

Hospitals in the densely-populated ancient city of Yogyakarta, located in the shadow of the simmering Mount Merapi volcano, were overflowing with casualties. Hundreds lay injured outside awaiting medical attention.


Can an earthquake really affect the way the planet spins on its axis?
The massive, tsunami-generating earthquake off the northwest coast of Sumatra in December 2004, many news outlets picked up a statement from Enzo Boschi, head of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics, saying the temblor was strong enough to disturb the Earth's rotation.

Can an earthquake really affect the way the planet spins on its axis?
Yes. As you'll recall from science class, the rotating Earth resembles a spinning top: The planet's axis does not always point in exactly the same direction but wobbles very slightly, describing small but measurable circles at the poles. A very large earthquake—one of a magnitude of 9.0 or greater—can shift enough mass relative to that of the entire Earth to alter, very minutely, the course of that wobble. But the planet's speed of rotation (which, of course, determines the lengths of our days) remains unchanged, so we don't need to worry about adjusting our watches.

In this case, the 9.0-magnitude shock was a "megathrust" quake, which occurs where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another. Initial U.S. Geological Survey data from the quake and its dozens of powerful aftershocks indicate that some 740 miles of the boundary between the India plate and the Burma plate slipped an average of 15 meters and that the sea floor thrust up several meters. It is difficult to determine the total mass of the crust that shifted because the movement was irregular, but when so much of the Earth moves so far, the wobble of its axis will jog slightly, too.

There Is Enough For Everyone But It Ain't

According to the recent report on food insecurity from the FAO (www.fao.org/), there are about 800 million undernourished people in the world today.

.Yet there is enough grain to provide every human being on the planet with 3500 calories per day, which could, with other foods, provide at least 2 kg of food person per day, including 1135 g of grain, beans and nuts, and nearly another 450 g of meat, milk and eggs(1). We can feed everyone, we simply do not have a system for distributing food more equitably. We could start by releasing for human consumption the 38% of world grain now fed to animals (70% in USA), but that is not a policy likely to be implemented in the near future.Why?

Abundance, not scarcity, best describes the world's food supply. Enough wheat, rice and other grains are produced to provide every human being with 3,200 calories a day. That doesn't even count many other commonly eaten foods - ¬vegetables, beans, nuts, root crops, fruits, grass-fed meats, and fish. Enough food is available to provide at least 4.3 pounds of food per person a day worldwide: two and half pounds of grain, beans and nuts, about a pound of fruits and vegetables, and nearly another pound of meat, milk and eggs - ¬enough to make most people fat! The problem is that many people are too poor to buy readily available food. Even most "hungry countries" have enough food for all their people right now. Many are net exporters of food and other agricultural products. (Institute for Food and Development Policy Backgrounder Summer 1998, Vol.5, No. 3)

Note:- There's enough for everyone - but due to GREED...it's ain't enough!

If we were to take into the fact that GOD has created wealth for every country and everyone in this world - there should not be any starvation or poverty. Let's put it in a more direct way...All muslim (there are 1.8 billion muslim out of world population of 6 billion) in this world now are NOT qualified to receive any ZAKAT distribution if the rich muslim nations shared it's wealth ..but sadly many(muslims) are in poverty and homeless. The secret lies in sharing to gain wealth ( as mentioned in Quran)..but GREED in mankind makes it otherwise.

The concept of sharing to wealth is similar to the Jew's, "Prosper-Thye Neighbour" which has been made famous by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, ex-Prime Minister of Malaysia.

In case you are wondering about what is meant by prosper-thy-neighbour, I would like to explain again that it simply means if you help your neighbour to prosper you will prosper along with it. When countries are prosperous they become more stable and their people need not emigrate to your country. Instead their prosperity provides you with a market for your goods, with opportunities to invest and to enrich yourself even as you create jobs and wealth for them. Poor neighbours are a source of problems for everyone, for themselves and for you. Their problems tend to spill over your borders and undermine your peace and prosperity.

The Destruction of Earth is due to GREED of mankind..not act of God, thus we will not survive ...it's the TRUTH...repent before it's too late!


Remembering The Great Tsunami of 2004

A "very great" earthquake struck the North Indian Ocean & the Bay of Bengal at 00:58 UTC on 26 December 2004. The earthquake began near the island of Simuelue off the west coast of Sumatra and ruptured a 1,500-kilometre section of the boundary between the Indian Plate & the Burmese Microplate. Shaking from the earthquake was felt many parts of south Asia and Indo-China. A devastating Indian Ocean-wide tsunami was generated by this earthquake causing heavy fatalities in many countries surrounding the Indian Ocean basin. This event is also referred to as the "Boxing Day Tsunami and/or Earthquake", "The Asian Tsunami and/or Earthquake and the "Indian Ocean Tsunami".

2,30,210 people were are estimated to have been killed in the Indian Ocean-wide tsunami generated by this earthquake (from Wikipedia); 1,84,168 of these were confirmed and 45,752 were missing. The highest death toll was from Sumatra where 1,30,736 persons were confirmed dead. This was followed by Sri Lanka where 35,322 fatalities were confirmed. 12,504 deaths were confirmed in India, 5,395 in Thailand, 82 in the Maldives, 78 in Somalia, 69 in Malaysia, 61 in Myanmar, 10 in Tanzania, 3 in the Seyschelles, 2 in Bangladesh, 2 in South Africa, 2 in Yemen and 1 in Kenya. This makes it one of the worst earthquake disasters in the 20th century, second only to the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China that claimed 2,42,000 lives. In terms of the tsunami, it is the deadliest in recorded history and overshadows the past tsunami disasters at Sanriku in Japan (1896) and Lisbon in Portugal (1755). At the time of this ocean-wide tsunami no tsunami warning systems existed in the Indian Ocean. At many, if not most locations, the sea receded several metres before the first waves hit and this was the first indication that a "tidal wave" had arrived. This was heeded at some locations such as in Thailand and on Teresa Island (Nicobar Islands) with people fleeing to higher ground while alerting others. But in almost all other locations people rushed forth to witness or photograph this strange phenomenon or to gather dozens of fish left stranded by the retreating waters; moves that were to prove fatal in most cases.

Deathtoll 298,055 (Guardian 29 Jan 2005)
(228,948 Indonesia, 43,382 Sri Lanka, 16,389 India, 8.506 Thailand





Ketulusan Hati...

Let Us Make The Life Better

For Muslims, everything in the world that occurs, good or evil, has been preordained and nothing can happen unless permitted by God. Although events are pre-ordained, man possesses free will in that he has the faculty to choose between right and wrong, and is thus responsible for his actions.



Let us strengthen our taqwa to Allah. Let us perform all that He commands. And let us leave all that He forbids. One of the things that Allah has forbidden us is to destroy this earth that He has created. Allah has created Mankind as a khalifah of this earth. Our purpose is to make it prosper not to destroy it.

Allah does not like those who destroy things as Allah says in surah Al-Baqarah ayat 205: Meaning: When he turns his back, his aim everywhere is to spread mischief through the earth and destroy crops and cattle. But Allah does not love mischief.


Research has shown that this world is almost 4.5 billion years old. If we compare this to the lifespan of Mankind in totally, we will found that Man has existed on this earth for a time equivalent to less than 1% of the age of this earth. One percent of 4.5 billion years!

But. The amount of destruction that Man has created on this earth is tremendous. Especially, especially within this last century or so. Within this last century pollution has reached its peak. Pollution is so bad that the environment has changed. The weather is becoming increasingly hot because of the huge amounts of carbon dioxide gas emitted by the activities of mankind.

Everyday, thousands of tones of poisonous gas are emitted by Mankind into the atmosphere. They are emitted by the millions of cars and factories that exist today. So it is not surprising that we find our earth's atmosphere changing. Just four years ago we experienced the El-Nino phenomenon. A phenonmenon that arise because of extremely hot and dry weather. A phenomenon that led to the burning and self destruction of many of our forests and nature reserves. We suffered through the haze. And then. After that, we went through the La-Nina phenomenon. A phenomenon that led to constant heavy rainfalls such that numerous places became flooded.

Man not only pollute the atmosphere. He also pollutes the land. Everyday, increasing number of trees are cut down. Big swath of forest has been cleared. Forest has become quite a rarity in most places on Earth. Land has been converted from agriculture to other usage that contributes to the pollution. As a result, world temperature is steadily rising. Forests are like Earth's lung. It takes in carbon dioxide and gives out the life-giving oxygen. If our forests are getting smaller, less carbon dioxide will be converted to oxygen. This will be aggravated by too much burning done by human, which contributed to the increasing volume of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Mankind has not only destroyed the atmosphere and the earth. But. Mankind has also destroyed the sea. Look at the number of times that an oil tanker has broken down on high seas. Tons and tons of oil are spilled onto the clean waters. Tons and tons of oil that destroy the lives and purity of the water and the creatures living in it. Look at each ship that crosses the oceans, look at the amount of rubbish and dirt they leave behind as residues of their sailing.

Man's activities on the seas destroy the lives of the creatures of the sea. For example, before there exist big mechanical ships, whales could communicate with each other across thousands of kilometers. But now, Man has polluted the sea with noise and sounds that disable the ability of whales to communicate with each other.

Imagine this! Its almost like a person who, although has perfect hearing abilities, is now deaf and unable to hear anything because the environment he is in has destroyed his hearing abilities. This is what Man has done to his fellow creations. This is how we have caused our fellow creations to suffer. Is this what we know as a khalifah of Allah?

Not only that. Mankind has taken fishing to the extremes. How do we know? If once we could easily catch fish in shallow waters, now, its almost impossible. Now extensive fishing can only take place in deep seas. The proportion of fish available for fishing has also been drastically reduced.

Why has this occurred? How can it come to this? How could so much destruction and pollution occur in the hands of Man? Haven't we been selected as the khalifah of this earth? A khalifah to help protect and make it prosper?

Instead, we have destroyed it.

Allah s.w.t. has said in surah Ar-Rum ayat 41: Meaning: Mischief has appeared on land and sea because of that the hands of men have earned. That (Allah) may give them a taste of some of their deeds: in order that they may turn back (from evil).

This ayat clearly tells us that the pollution that takes place on the face of this earth today is caused by mankind. And Man will eventually suffer the effects of it. This is so that Man will realize the consequences of his own destructive actions. This is so that Man will learn to repent and will stop his acts of destruction on the earth.

Surely, the actions to destroy this earth and the environment is forbidden in Islam.

And surely the cause of such destruction is the greed of Man. Mankind is increasingly becoming greedy. Greedy to decorate their lives in this short existence they have on this earth. Mankind is increasingly greedy for wealth.

To accumulate wealth, Mankind has to speed up the economy. And to speed up the economy Man has to exploit the earth's natural reserves and creatures. Forests are destroyed. Wild animals are used for sports. Factories are happily releasing poisonous gasses. More and more vehicles spot the face of this earth. Its like, Mankind, slowly but surely, are killing themselves and killing the other creatures on this earth.

Know, that a person who has iman, a person who has faith, will not destroy things on this earth. This is because Islam is a religion of peace. It brings peace to Mankind. And it brings peace to all other creations of Allah on this earth. Indeed, the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. has been appointed as the mercy to this world. So a person who truly believes, who truly has faith will not destroy others.

They are characterized by Allah s.w.t in surah Haj ayat 41: Meaning: They are those who if we establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoing the right and forbid wrong : with Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs.


Let us reduce the pollution on this earth by reducing our greed for the material things of this world. Let us make the life on this earth better. Better not only for ourselves but also for Allah's creations. That is what is meant by being a khalifah of Allah on this earth.

Prosper-thy-neighbour policy

“We must cast off the traditional mind frame of‘beggar thy neighbour’ and put securely in its place the ethic of ‘prosper thy neighbour’ ”.



In case you are wondering about what is meant by prosper-thy-neighbour, I would like to explain again that it simply means if you help your neighbour to prosper you will prosper along with it. When countries are prosperous they become more stable and their people need not emigrate to your country. Instead their prosperity provides you with a market for your goods, with opportunities to invest and to enrich yourself even as you create jobs and wealth for them.

Poor neighbours are a source of problems for everyone, for themselves and for you. Their problems tend to spill over your borders and undermine your peace and prosperity.

When Japan invested in Malaysia it created jobs and wealth for us and enabled us to industrialise rapidly. Japan of course gained directly from its investments but more than that we have become one of Japan's best markets.

Clearly Japan has prospered by helping us to prosper. This is what is meant by ``prosper-thy-neighbour'' as opposed to ``beggar-thy-neighbour.'' Everyone gains from ``prosper-thy-neighbour'' policies while only one side gains from ``beggar-thy-neighbour'' mindsets.

Malaysia is a developing country but we expend a lot of money in helping others. I will not elaborate on what we have done, but we really do, in the spirit of prospering-thy-neighbour.

The old mindset can be summarised by the term zero sum game. You win if others lose, you prosper at the expense of other's impoverishment.

Malaysia had prospered because we believed in being open when others seemed paranoid about foreigners and were ultra-nationalists, wanting to keep their country's economy to themselves. But in South East Asia ultra- nationalism very quickly gave way to pragmatic open economies.

Asean, and for that matter the whole of East Asia, seems to subscribe to the prosper-thy-neighbour philosophy. Now South Asia seems to be picking it up, together with countries in Africa. Imagine how wonderful the world would be if we all help each other to prosper, something that really is entirely possible.

But it would seem that the old beggar-thy-neighbour instinct is still around, is still the guiding principle of a group of ultra-rich people. For them wealth must come from impoverishing others, from taking what others have in order to enrich themselves. Their weapon is their wealth against the poverty of others

But the zero sum game theory is an invention of the pessimists, the xenophobic, the clash of civilisation people. Whether it will come about or not depends very much on our present attitudes and what we do now. The attempt to deprive Japan of the raw materials for its industries resulted in Japan launching the Pacific war.

But supposing we all espoused the prosper-thy-neighbour policy, supposing we see in the prosperity of others opportunities for enriching ourselves, then we need not be so afraid of the growing wealth and technological advancements of the developing countries of the world.

I repeat, when Japan invested in manufacturing in Malaysia, we became not only prosperous but also one of Japan's biggest markets. Today the trade balance is hugely in favour of Japan. And of course Japan reaped huge profits from its investments in Malaysia.

Foreign Direct Investments have helped Malaysian per capita to increase by almost 1,000 percent over a period of 30 years. Better still, we have now acquired the capacity to manufacture and export our own branded goods.

Clearly this was no zero sum game. This was a win win formula. By helping us, Japan and the others had helped themselves. They have not lost one little bit. Even the rest of the world benefited because we helped to reduce cost and make goods available to poor people everywhere, particularly in the poor countries. And of course Malaysia is not a market for Japan alone. With our wealth and our ever growing needs, we have become a good market for all kinds of products from all the other developed countries. In other words, Malaysia's prosperity has helped to prosper the developed countries everywhere.

Malaysia has become one of the so-called tiger economies not by listening to the media or the great financial wizards. We have in fact developed ourselves by actually doing the opposite of what the wizards told us we should do. And we think, outrageously and impudently that the same formula can help develop other countries as well.

A Famous Speech by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad -15/12/2001
(In Bahasa Malaysia)

Alhamdullilah, segala puji bagi Allah S.W.T yang mengurniakan begitu banyak nikmat kepada kita semua di Malaysia . Di negara bertuah ini tidak ada apa-apa kekurangan. Makan minum lebih daripada mencukupi; pakaian dan tempat berteduh tetap ada bagi semua. Jika ada yang daif, yang ditimpa apa-apa malapetaka, ada sahaja bantuan yang dihulur oleh Kerajaan dan masyarakat. Jika ada sebilangan kecil yang masih bernasib buruk kerana tidak dikesan, yang mungkin dicungkil oleh pihak tertentu untuk membuktikan bahawa keadaan di negara kita tidak sebaik seperti yang didakwa, ini hanyalah kerana tidak dimaklumkan kepada masyarakat.

Sesungguhnya mereka tetap akan mendapat bantuan daripada orang yang murah hati dalam masyarakat dan daripada Kerajaan apabila keadaan mereka dilapor. Sebenarnya tidak ada rakyat Malaysia yang harus hidup merana, kekurangan makanan dan minuman, serta kekurangan pakaian dan bumbung di atas kepala. Sebenarnya rakyat Malaysia bahagia dan bertuah dan perlu bersyukur sepanjang masa.

Inilah negara kita Malaysia, di mana kita hidup sempurna, mewah dan selamat, di mana undang-undang melindungi kita semua tanpa mengambilkira pangkat darjat. Tetapi semasa kita bergembira, janganlah kita lupa akan saudara seagama kita di negara-negara lain yang tidak dapat merayakan hari kebesaran ini, yang terpaksa tinggal di kem-kem pelarian yang amat daif, yang terdedah kepada kesejukan yang tidak terhingga di musim salji ini, yang mempunyai hanya khemah-khemah yang koyak-rabak, tidak berselimut, tidak ada makanan dan ubat untuk yang sakit.

Di mana juga kita lihat kita akan dapati ramai orang Islam bukan sahaja tidak dapat merayakan Hari Raya Aidilfitri dengan riang gembira, tetapi sebaliknya mereka menderita sepanjang masa. Mereka ditindas, dibunuh; mereka mati kerana kesejukan, kelaparan dan tidak mempunyai perubatan yang diperlukan. Sesungguhnya ramai umat Islam yang bernasib amat buruk.

Tetapi dapatkah kita salahkan musuh-musuh Islam semata-mata? Tidakkah ada kesalahan yang dilakukan oleh orang Islam sendiri, yang menyebabkan nasib buruk ini menimpa mereka? Apakah semua ini memang sudah ditakdirkan?

Apakah ini adalah kehendak Tuhan?

Allah S.W.T telah berfirman dalam Al Quran Surah An-Nisaa' Ayat 79 bahawa segala yang buruk yang menimpa kita datangnya daripada kita sementara segala yang baik yang kita perolehi datang daripada Allah S.W.T. Allah juga telah berfirman dalam Surah Al Ra'du, Ayat 11 bahawa sesungguhnya Allah tidak akan mengubah apa yang ada pada sesuatu kaum, sehingga mereka mengubah apa yang ada pada diri mereka sendiri.

Justeru itu janganlah kita dengan mudah menyalahkan takdir apabila yang buruk berlaku kepada kita. Yang buruk itu datangnya daripada kita. Dan sebenarnya kita yang menyebabkan kita orang Islam menjadi lemah dan mudah ditindas.

Kita tidak berusaha menguatkan diri kita dengan mengelak daripada perpecahan, mendirikan pemerintahan yang berwibawa dan cekap, menguasai segala ilmu yang penting untuk kemajuan dan ketahanan umat Islam. Sementara kita boleh berdoa meminta perlindungan dan pertolongan Tuhan, kita juga perlu berusaha untuk melindungi dan mempertahankan diri kita. Kemudian barulah doa kita akan dimakbulkan oleh Allah s.w.t.

Tetapi kita tahu ramai orang Islam yang menolak persaudaraan dalam Islam, yang suka melempar fitnah, dan cuba mencetuskan huru hara dalam negara sendiri dengan menyalah tafsir dan memperalatkan agama Islam untuk kepentingan diri.

Tiap negara Islam mempunyai puak yang ingin menjatuhkan Kerajaan kerana kononnya kerajaan yang ada adalah sekular dan tidak Islam. Mereka melancarkan serangan untuk menggulingkan kerajaan. Akibatnya kerajaan tidak dapat memberi tumpuan kepada pembangunan dan pertahanan negara.

Masa sudah tiba bagi orang Islam berhenti daripada menyalahkan Tuhan dan merenung dan menganalisa akan sebab-sebab umat Islam ditindas, negara Islam menjadi begitu lemah, mudah diserang dan ditewas dan tidak ada hari kebesaran Islam yang dapat dirayakan dengan sempurna dan gembira oleh ramai daripada orang Islam.

Kita perlu bertanya kepada diri kita apakah malapetaka yang menimpa umat Islam ini di sebabkan oleh takdir atau apakah ia disebabkan oleh kita mengabaikan ajaran Islam yang sebenar, ajaran yang menyuruh kita berusaha mengubah nasib kita sendiri dan tidak hanya berdoa meminta-minta daripada Tuhan untuk menyelamatkan kita? Apakah jika kita berusaha dan dengan itu kita menjadi kuat, maju dan selamat maka kejayaan kita ini tidak boleh dikatakan takdir juga? Jika apa yang berlaku kepada kita adalah takdir, maka kejayaan hasil usaha kita tentulah juga takdir.

Janganlah kita percaya orang yang mendakwa tempat kita orang Islam adalah di akhirat dan yang diperlukan daripada kita hanyalah berbuat ibadat tertentu yang memberi pahala kepada diri kita sendiri. Ingatlah apabila Sepanyol berjaya menewaskan Kerajaan-kerajaan Islam di Al Andalus, orang Islam dipaksa memeluk agama Kristian. Keturunan mereka sekarang tidak lagi ingat atau tahu berkenaan agama Islam anutan nenek moyang mereka.

Yang mereka tahu ialah sekarang mereka bukan Islam. Inilah nasib yang menimpa orang Islam yang di tewas. Apakah kita hendak nasib ini menimpa kita, kerana kita enggan berusaha untuk mengubah nasib kita seperti yang disuruh oleh Tuhan dalam Al-Quran?

Di Malaysia hari ini kita hidup terselamat. Kita dapat merayakan Hari Raya Aidilfitri dengan sempurna. Kita tidak perlu melarikan diri daripada apa-apa serangan, daripada bencana dan malapetaka hasil perbuatan kita. Kita selamat kerana kita berjaya dalam usaha menangkis berbagai-bagai percubaan untuk merosakkan negara kita, menjadikan kita miskin, menjadikan kita pengemis yang meminta-minta pertolongan daripada orang asing yang tidak mempunyai niat baik terhadap kita. Tetapi janganlah kita fikir serangan ke atas kita tidak akan dilakukan lagi. Jika kita tidak berjaga-jaga, tidak berusaha meningkatkan daya tahan kita, serangan yang akan datang mungkin menewaskan kita.

Pada hari yang mulia ini kita harus memperingati diri kita akan nasib baik kita, nasib baik hasil usaha kita, hasil dari pegangan majoriti daripada kita kepada ajaran Islam bahawa Allah tidak akan mengubah nasib kita jika kita tidak berusaha mengubahnya sendiri, kepercayaan kita bahawa segala keburukan yang menimpa kita datangnya daripada kita dan bukan daripada Allah s.w.t.

Dengan kesedaran ini marilah kita semua membuat resolusi bahawa kita akan kembali kepada ajaran Islam yang sebenar, iaitu kita bermula dengan merapatkan kembali hubungan kita sesama kita orang Islam semasa kita berjemaah di masjid dan bersalam-salaman, bermaaf- maafan, menziarahi rumah-rumah ahli keluarga dan kawan- kawan, bahkan ke rumah kenalan yang rapat dan yang tidak, berbual-bual berkenaan dengan persaudaraan kita sesama orang Islam, berkenaan dengan ajaran Islam yang semuanya baik belaka, supaya dapat kita hidup sebagai orang Islam yang bersaudara, yang tidak sahaja mengutamakan fardhu ain untuk diri kita, tetapi sumbangan kita kepada masyarakat Islam setempat dan keseluruhannya melalui fardhu kifayah.

Selepas hari raya kita orang Islam patut tukar budaya kita supaya lebih merupakan budaya Islam yang sebenar, iaitu dengan mengurangkan tekanan kepada rupa bentuk Islam tetapi kepada isi kandungan ajaran Islam yang mengutamakan usaha untuk memperbaiki pencapaian hidup kita di dunia dan bekalan kita untuk akhirat. Ini bermakna kita semua harus berusaha menguasai semua ilmu yang boleh menguat dan meningkatkan daya tahan orang Islam Malaysia di samping memiliki pengetahuan ajaran Islam yang sebenar.

Janganlah sesiapa menghalang anak-anak kita daripada menuntut ilmu-ilmu yang boleh membebaskan kita daripada bergantung kepada orang lain, kepada musuh kita, untuk keperluan hidup kita, untuk pertahanan kita, kerana sesungguhnya perbuatan ini mengkhianati Islam dan umat Islam.

Kita orang Islam di Malaysia dan di negara-negara Islam lain atau di negara-negara bukan Islam mestilah menguasai semua ilmu dan kecekapan supaya kita dapat bersaing dengan jayanya dengan orang bukan Islam di mana sahaja. Untuk ini kita perlu berusaha dengan lebih gigih, lebih daripada orang bukan Islam yang sudah maju kerana tidak mungkin kita mengejar orang yang berada di hadapan kita jika kita bergerak sama pantas dengan mereka.

Sudah tentu jika kita kurang pantas daripada mereka, jarak di antara kita dengan mereka akan menjadi lebih jauh dengan pengaliran masa. Ingatlah hari ini betapa mudahnya kita ditekan, ditakluk dan dipermain oleh mereka. Jika kita di masa- masa akan datang tertinggal lebih jauh, nasib kita tentu akan lebih buruk lagi dari sekarang.

Orang Islam perlu menjaga maruah dan kemuliaan agama Islam dan umat Islam. Kita boleh berdoa meminta kepada Tuhan supaya kita diselamatkan tetapi kita tahu Tuhan tidak menyuruh kita meminta-minta daripadanya sahaja tanpa berusaha sendiri. Janganlah kita lupa dan ketepikan bahagian kita di dunia yang perlu mengimbangi bahagian kita di akhirat.

Hari Raya memberi peluang kepada kita menunjuk kebaikan agama Islam kepada semua pihak. Dengan ini kita akan dapat mematahkan dakwaan pihak tertentu yang cuba memburuk-buruk agama Islam dan orang Islam. Kita akan dapat mempamerkan apa sebenarnya agama Islam dan apakah peribadi orang Islam menurut ajaran Islam yang sebenar.