Indonesians long for World Cup relief from quake

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia, June 9: Indonesian officials think soccer's World Cup could help alleviate earthquake victims' misery and is considering providing TV sets in makeshift shelters to allow survivors to watch matches.

Tens of thousands are taking refuge in flimsy tents after a strong earthquake struck the ancient royal city of Yogyakarta on May 28, killing 5,782 people and injuring thousands others.

Many lost all their belongings.

''We are trying to help them forget their misery,'' provincial governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X told reporters yesterday.

''It's a good idea to install television sets. The government will consider that,'' he said.

The World Cup finals open in Germany today. Indonesia does not have a team in the World Cup but companies here, like elsewhere, are spending heavily on Cup-related advertisements, even in this quake-hit area.

Authorities have restored electricity to most areas surrounding Yogyakarta city following the earthquake, but only a few enterprising villagers have managed to scavenge television sets from the rubble and reconnect them to power.

Officials hope the World Cup will also provide a distraction for villagers north of Yogyakarta nervously watching Mount Merapi volcano spew lava and hot clouds.

Merapi, Indonesia's most active volcano which is on high alert with an eruption expected, threw out massive clouds of smoke yesterday, sparking panic among villagers living close to the volcano but officials downplayed the danger.

Thousands of people have been moved to safe shelters further down the mountain. ''We have electricity here but there are no TV and radio,'' said one evacuee. ''And we can't go home.''

REUTERS