INDONESIA: CRISIS COMMUNICATION CHANNELS Case Studies in Humanitarian Communication Preparedness and Response By Matt Abud 2013 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Internews’ Humanitarian Media Team takes a leadership role in understanding how media and communications plays a role in humanitarian crises. Many thanks are due to a great number of people who helped during this research. They include: the Google Crisis Response team, both for supporting the research and their questions and discussion along the way. Gladys Respati and the whole team at OnTrack Media Indonesia, for going beyond the call with all collaboration and support provided. Juni Soehardjo, for research and several insights in the section on national issues. Many others provided both their time, and greatly facilitated further interviews. They include: colleagues at Palang Merah Indonesia and several IFRC member societies operating in Indonesia, including American Red Cross in Banda Aceh. Staff of local disaster manage- ment agencies in Jakarta; in Kupang and Sikka in east Indonesia (BPBD); and in Aceh (BPBA); and of the national disaster management agency (BNPB). Staff at UNOCHA and at the Australia Indonesia Disaster Reduction Facility. The Urban Poor Consortium for facilitating much of the fieldwork in north Jakarta. And of course numerous journalists, editors, humanitarian workers and digital activists in each of the areas researched gave invaluable insights throughout. Most of all, thanks are due to the residents along the Ciliwung River and in Muara Baru in Jakarta; to the residents displaced from Palue Island; and the residents in Banda Aceh who shared their experi- ences and perspectives. CREDITS Design: Kirsten Ankers, Citrine Sky Design CONTENTS 1. Introduction........................................................................................................ 3 2. National Context ................................................................................................ 8 2.1 Conventional Media: T.V., Radio, Print .................................................................... 8 2.1.1 National Media Ownership ............................................................................ 8 2.1.2 Local Conventional Media ............................................................................. 10 2.2 Mobile Phones ............................................................................................................. 10 2.2.1 Teledensity, Access, and Gaps ...................................................................... 10 2.2.2 Future Telecommunications Expansion ..................................................... 11 2.3 Online Access............................................................................................................... 12 2.3.1 Broadband and Net Cafés ............................................................................. 12 2.3.2 Mobile Online: Access and Handsets........................................................... 13 2.3.3 Regional and Rural Connectivity: Government Programs and Projects ... 14 2.4 Politics, Policy, and Free Speech ............................................................................. 15 2.4.1 Convergence Bill ................................................................................................ 15 2.4.2 Online Censorship .............................................................................................. 15 2.5 Future Trends: Watching Brief ................................................................................. 15 3. Case Study: Jakarta January 2013 Floods........................................................ 16 3.1 Background .................................................................................................................. 16 3.2 Highlight Features ...................................................................................................... 16 3.3 Jakarta Floods Crisis Communications: Overview ................................................ 18 3.4 Neighbourhood Social Networks ............................................................................. 19 3.4.1 Along the Ciliwung River: The Kelurahan of Cawang, Cililitan, and Pengadegan ..................................................................................... 19 3.4.2 The North Coast: Muara Baru ....................................................................... 21 3.4.3 Observations .................................................................................................... 22 3.5 Communication Channels in Flood Areas: The Numbers .................................... 23 3.5.1 Communication Channels Before the Flood .............................................. 24 3.5.2 Communication Channels During the Flood .............................................. 26 3.6 Government Agencies ................................................................................................ 29 3.6.1 BPBD (Local Disaster Management Agency) ............................................ 29 3.6.2 BNPB (National Disaster Management Agency) ...................................... 30 3.6.3 Jakarta Governor’s Office ............................................................................... 30 3.7 Media ............................................................................................................................. 31 3.7.1 Media Narratives ............................................................................................. 31 3.7.2 Media Sources.................................................................................................. 33 3.7.3 Media Outlets and Online Presence ............................................................ 33 3.7.4 Media Preparedness ....................................................................................... 34 3.8 Telecommunications ................................................................................................. 34 3.9 NGOs & Civil Society ................................................................................................... 34 3.9.1 Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI) ..................................................................... 34 3.9.2 Urban Poor Consortium ................................................................................. 37 3.10 Coordination ............................................................................................................... 37 3.11 Digital Volunteers & Communities of Practice ..................................................... 37 INDONESIA: CRISIS COMMUNICATION CHANNELS 1 4. Case Study: Rokatenda Volcano and Palue Island .......................................... 43 4.1 Background .................................................................................................................. 43 4.2 Highlight Features ...................................................................................................... 43 4.3 Rokatenda Crisis Communications: Overview ....................................................... 44 4.4 Neighbourhood Social Networks ............................................................................. 44 4.4.1 Maumere, Sikka ............................................................................................... 45 4.4.2 Ropa Village, Ende .......................................................................................... 45 4.5 Government Agencies ................................................................................................ 46 4.5.1 Sikka Local (Regency) Government ............................................................ 46 4.5.2 BPBD (Local Disaster Management Agency) ............................................ 47 4.6 Media ......................................................................................................................... 47 4.6.1 Radio .................................................................................................................. 47 4.6.2 T.V. ...................................................................................................................... 48 4.6.3 Print.................................................................................................................... 49 4.7 Telecommunications ................................................................................................ 49 4.8 NGOs & Civil Society .................................................................................................. 49 4.8.1 Caritas................................................................................................................ 49 4.9 Coordination................................................................................................................. 50 4.10 Digital Volunteers & Communities of Practice ..................................................... 50 5. Case Study: Aceh 11 April 2012 Earthquake and Tsunami Warning ............. 51 5.1 Background .................................................................................................................. 51 5.2 Highlight Features ...................................................................................................... 51 5.3 Aceh Crisis Communications: Overview ................................................................. 52 5.4 Neighbourhood Social Networks ............................................................................. 54 5.5 Government Agencies ................................................................................................ 55 5.5.1 BPBA