- Army special force (Koppasus) personnel distribute humanitarian aid to people displaced by Mt. Merapi eruption in Kepuharjo refugee center in the Yogyakarta regency of Sleman. Over 15,000 people have sough refuge until Sunday. – Antara/Wahyu Putro
October 31, 2010 (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA POST) --- Army special force (Kopassus) soldiers have to undergo taugh training to master combat skills, but they may have never been taught how to persuade senior citizens to leave their homes during a forced evacuation.
Second Sgt. Dwi Andi, a member of the elite force, not only failed to pass the complicated test, but also had his arm bitten by grandma Widi as he was carrying her down the foot of Mt. Merapi in Yogyakarta during the mass evacuation on Saturday.
“She resisted the evacuation and insisted on staying at home with her cattle. But for the sake of her safety, I carried her on my back. She kept fighting and bit my arm,” Dwi told was quoted by kompas.com.
Kopassus soldiers were deployed to evacuate residents of Palem Sari hamlet in Cangkringan district after Mt. Merapi unleashed its biggest explosion on Saturday.
“I had persuaded her, but she refused to be evacuated. Therefore I had to use force,” Dwi recalled.
The soldier took the old woman to Umbulharjo village administration office before admitting her to Panti Nugroho Hospital for medical treatment. The old woman was among the last villagers to be evacuated due to a blackout.
(MS)
