The Russian Defense Ministry named new high-ranking participants in the military biological program in Ukraine, including ex-heads of the US Department of Health structures, all of them associated with the US Democratic Party, said Commander of Russian Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov.
"Earlier, we presented materials confirming the participation of Hunter Biden and his Rosemont Seneca Foundation, as well as other structures controlled by the US Democratic Party in financing Pentagon's main contractors operating in Ukraine. It was shown how deeply the son of the current US President [Joe Biden], Hunter Biden, is involved in financing the Metabiota company controlled by the US Ministry of Defense," Kirillov said, following the 9th Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention.
At the same time, some participants of closed projects still remain in the shadows, although they are key figures in the Ukrainian military biological program, the general explained.
"Among them are former director of Defense Threat Reduction Agency Kenneth Myers, executive vice president of the CIA-controlled In-Q-Tel venture fund Tara O'Toole, former head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thomas Frieden, former director of the National Institutes of Health Francis Collins, former CEO of the Battelle Memorial Institute Jeffrey Wadsworth, chief researcher and president of the Department of International Research, Development and Medicine of Pfizer, and many others," Kirillov revealed.
The Russian official added that all those mentioned are beneficiaries of the Pentagon's biological projects in one way or another and are associated with the US Democratic Party.
According to Kirillov, the Russian Defense Ministry received access to the US Department of Defense report on Biological Threat Reduction Program Activities in Ukraine.
"Earlier we cited the report of Defense Threat Reduction Agency on activities in Ukraine, published by an American non-governmental organization. The Pentagon subjected the document to serious censorship, completely removing about 80% of the information. An expanded version of this report has become available to the Russian Defense Ministry, which reveals the names and posts of specialists and managers of biological projects, a list of laboratories involved, as well as facts confirming the conduct of exercises and training with pathogens of particularly dangerous infections," Kirillov said, following the 9th Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention.
The general added that according to the document, the participants of military biological programs are several Ukrainian biological research institutes, and three Pentagon contractors. The document also contains personal data of thirty laboratory employees and seven managers from the US Defense Department.
Kirillov also said that the Pentagon has been transferring the unfinished military-biological research in Ukraine to the states of Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
"According to the available information, the Pentagon is actively transferring studies that are not completed within the framework of Ukrainian projects to the countries of Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Simultaneously, the US Department of Defense is increasing its cooperation with the states of Africa and the Asia-Pacific region – Kenya, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand. States that already have laboratories with a high level of biological isolation are of particular interest to the American military department," Kirillov said, following the 9th Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention.
Back in March, the Russian Defense Ministry revealed that the US had spent more than $200 million to establish biological laboratories in Ukraine, which participated in the American military program. According to Moscow, Rosemont Seneca, the investment fund of Hunter Biden (the son of US President Joe Biden) took part in the financing of the projects.
Washington vehemently denied the existence of those compounds; however, on March 7, undersecretary of state Victoria Nuland told lawmakers that "biological research facilities" linked to the US were in fact operating in Ukraine.
According to the papers discovered by the Russian military, the said labs were engaged in various research projects, such as the possible proliferation of typhus and hepatitis in the region, and the possible use of wild migratory birds for the transmission of a highly pathogenic form of avian influenza.
Providing Moldova With NATO Arms Would Bring ‘Disaster,’ Russia's Deputy FM Says
Intensified cooperation with NATO undermines Moldova’s security and the supply of western arms would only bring negative consequences, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Sputnik.
"A boost in cooperation between Kishinev and NATO countries in the military and military-technical spheres is a factor that undermines the security of Moldova itself to a greater extent. As experience shows, the reckless pumping of Western weapons to a given country or the deployment of NATO contingents on its territory does not at all add to its security or sovereignty, but, on the contrary, brings it closer to disaster. The sad experience of Ukraine can be seen very clearly from the Moldovan land, I believe," Galuzin said.
He added that Moldova's interactions with the West in the military sphere is more similar to "territory seizure," which is hardly in the interests of the country.
"I would like to once again express doubt that such 'assistance' from the West, more reminiscent of 'territorial seizure', is in the interests of Moldova," Galuzin said.
Since the beginning of the Russian special operation aimed at demilitarizing and de-Nazifying Ukraine, the US and its allies have been allocating financial and military assistance to Kiev worth tens of billions of dollars. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that delivering arms to Ukraine would only prolong the conflict, adding that any foreign military equipment as well as personnel arriving in Ukraine would be considered a legitimate target for the Russian armed forces.
Minggu ini menjadi puncak kesedihan bagi para mahasiswi di Afghanistan. Setelah Taliban mengumumkan pelarangan masuk kampus bagi perempuan, mereka mulai mengosongkan asrama.
Ahmed Zia Hashemi, juru bicara Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi pada hari Jumat, 23/12/2022, membenarkan bahwa proses keluarnya perempuan dari asrama telah dimulai.
Dalam pesan teks ke Radio Azadi, dia mengatakan bahwa kampus telah ditutup (bagi perempuan) jadi tidak ada alasan mereka tetap berada di asrama.
Beberapa mahasiswa nampak pucat karena kecewa ketika Taliban memberitahu mereka harus pulang.
Pada hari Selasa, 20/12/2022, Taliban mengumumkan keputusan untuk melarang perempuan ke kampus dalam sebuah surat dari Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi. Menteri Pendidikan Tinggi Nida Mohammad Nadim mengatakan bahwa larangan itu diperlukan untuk mencegah pencampuran gender di universitas dan karena dia yakin beberapa mata pelajaran yang diajarkan melanggar prinsip-prinsip Islam.
Dia juga mengatakan siswi telah mengabaikan ajaran Islam, termasuk apa yang harus dikenakan, dan tidak didampingi oleh kerabat laki-laki saat bepergian.
Larangan itu diberlakukan sampai pemberitahuan lebih lanjut, katanya.
Keputusan Taliban itu memicu reaksi keras dari komunitas internasional dan Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa.
Larangan bagi perempuan untuk masuk kampus adalah aturan terbaru terhadap perempuan sejak Taliban merebut kendali Afghanistan pada Agustus tahun lalu.
Banyak aturan yang dikeluarkan Taliban untuk membatasi gerak perempuan Afghanistan. Taliban sebelumnya melarang anak perempuan bersekolah setelah kelas enam, membatasi perempuan untuk memegang sebagian besar pekerjaan, dan memerintahkan mereka untuk menutupi kepala hingga ujung kaki saat berada di depan umum. Wanita juga dilarang memasuki taman dan pusat kebugaran.
Moskow Mengekspresikan Kekhawatiran Tentang Larangan Taliban pada Pendidikan Wanita di Universitas
Moskow prihatin dengan Taliban yang melarang wanita menghadiri institusi pendidikan tinggi Afghanistan dan mengharapkan Kabul untuk memastikan keselamatan siswa wanita, kata Kementerian Luar Negeri Rusia pada hari Jumat.
"Kami telah mencatat dengan prihatin laporan pemerintah Taliban di Afghanistan melarang pendidikan perempuan di lembaga pendidikan tinggi. Hak atas pendidikan adalah salah satu hak asasi manusia dan kebebasan. Kami telah mencatat pembenaran oleh otoritas Afghanistan tentang menghubungkan larangan pendidikan tinggi perempuan dengan masalah jaminan keamanan atau kesulitan ekonomi. Kami berharap Kabul akan segera mengambil langkah-langkah yang diperlukan untuk memperbaiki situasi ini," bunyi pernyataan kementerian tersebut.
Pendidikan penduduk tanpa pendekatan diskriminatif adalah kunci keberhasilan pembangunan masyarakat modern, tambah kementerian itu.
Pada hari Selasa, Kementerian Pendidikan Afghanistan dalam pemerintahan Taliban memerintahkan penangguhan pendidikan anak perempuan di lembaga pendidikan tinggi swasta dan negeri. Keputusan otoritas Afghanistan telah dikritik keras oleh sejumlah organisasi internasional dan pemimpin dunia.
Taliban berkuasa di Afghanistan pada Agustus 2021, mengakibatkan krisis ekonomi, kemanusiaan, dan keamanan yang semakin parah di negara tersebut. Pemerintah Taliban tidak melibatkan wanita atau orang yang tidak berafiliasi dengan gerakan Islam. Wanita Afghanistan telah mengorganisir beberapa protes di beberapa kota, menyerukan agar hak-hak mereka dihormati.
Dari negara terkecil kedua di dunia, Monako, hingga negara terpadat, India, perwakilan dari lebih dari 20 pemerintah dan organisasi internasional pada hari Senin mengecam kebijakan Taliban yang menutup sekolah menengah dan menyangkal hak-hak dasar lainnya untuk anak perempuan dan perempuan Afghanistan.
Bahkan Pakistan, yang diklaim sebagai dermawan Taliban, menyuarakan keprihatinan pada dialog PBB tentang hak asasi manusia di Afghanistan tentang penolakan pendidikan bagi anak perempuan Afghanistan. Dialog tersebut merupakan bagian dari U.N. Sidang ke-51 Dewan Hak Asasi Manusia, yang dibuka Senin di Jenewa.
Diplomat Rusia lebih lanjut mengatakan bahwa beberapa sekolah ditutup karena Taliban tidak mampu mendirikan ruang kelas terpisah untuk anak perempuan. Dia menyalahkan Amerika Serikat dan donor Barat lainnya karena membekukan bantuan ke Afghanistan dan menjatuhkan sanksi terhadap Taliban yang, menurut diplomat Rusia, telah berdampak buruk pada sektor pendidikan Afghanistan.
“Kami menyerukan AS dan Inggris dan sekutu mereka, alih-alih mengeluarkan tuntutan baru kepada Taliban, untuk mulai memenuhi kewajiban mereka sendiri untuk konflik masa lalu,” katanya, seraya menambahkan bahwa krisis saat ini di Afghanistan adalah hasil dari dua dekade terakhir perang AS dan intervensi disana.
The Firestone family makes their way across Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, N.Y. after stocking up on supplies at the grocery store, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions.(Derek Gee /The Buffalo News via AP)
A series of intense storms have been battering the US this week, beginning on Wednesday with snow pounding the Rockies before spiraling into an intense blizzard that placed more than 100 million people under winter weather alerts, caused whiteouts, freezing temperatures, and damaged power lines.
Tens of millions of Americans endured bone-chilling temperatures, blizzard conditions, power outages and canceled holiday gatherings Friday from a winter storm that forecasters said was nearly unprecedented in its scope, exposing about 60% of the U.S. population to some sort of winter weather advisory or warning.
More than 200 million people were under an advisory or warning on Friday, the National Weather Service said. The weather service's map “depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever,” forecasters said.
Power outages have left about 1.4 million homes and businesses in the dark, according to the website PowerOutage, which tracks utility reports. The Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public utility, ended its rolling blackouts Friday afternoon but continued to urge homes and businesses to conserve power. In Georgia, hundreds of people in Atlanta and northern parts of the state were without power and facing the possibility of sub-zero wind chills without heat.
And nearly 5,000 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled Friday, according to the tracking site FlightAware, causing more mayhem as travelers try to make it home for the holidays.
The US Midwest and East were hit by a severe winter storm on Friday, with conditions causing car crashes and the deaths of multiple individuals. To date, as many as 12 deaths have been reported.
Three separate car crashes were reported in Kansas on Wednesday evening, all believed to have been caused by poor road conditions, with one fatality confirmed to have been caused by the extreme weather.
Water Rescue Brush Creek: “Initial call came out at 2:20 PM with reports of a vehicle turned over in the water. Crews arrived on scene within minutes to confirm. Crews entered the water and were able to pull out 1 victim. Transported emergency to an area hospital.”@KCTV5pic.twitter.com/dApTUVTWtG
Three deaths in Kentucky were also reported with two of those deaths being attributed to car accidents caused by poor weather, and the other believed to be a housing insecure person in Louisville who was found outside with no obvious signs of trauma.
A person in Kansas City, Missouri, lost control of their minivan on an icy street and plunged into Brush Creek, landing their car upside down and partially submerged in the icy stream. That person later died at the hospital.
A tow company is working to pull the vehicle out of Brush Creek. Live reports on @KCTV5 at 5,6 PM
“We’ve just got to stay positive,” said Wendell Davis, who plays basketball with a team in France and was waiting at O’Hare in Chicago on Friday after a series of flight cancellations.
The huge storm stretched from border to border. In Canada, WestJet canceled all flights Friday at Toronto Pearson International Airport, beginning at 9 a.m. as meteorologists in the country warned of a potential once-in-a-decade weather event.
And in Mexico, migrants waited near the U.S. border in unusually cold temperatures as they awaited a U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether and when to lift pandemic-era restrictions that prevent many from seeking asylum.
Forecasters said a bomb cyclone — when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm — had developed near the Great Lakes, stirring up blizzard conditions, including heavy winds and snow.
Multiple highways were closed and crashes claimed at least six lives, officials said. At least two people died in a massive pileup involving some 50 vehicles on the Ohio Turnpike. A Kansas City, Missouri, driver was killed Thursday after skidding into a creek, and three others died Wednesday in separate crashes on icy northern Kansas roads.
Water Rescue Brush Creek: “Initial call came out at 2:20 PM with reports of a vehicle turned over in the water. Crews arrived on scene within minutes to confirm. Crews entered the water and were able to pull out 1 victim. Transported emergency to an area hospital.”@KCTV5pic.twitter.com/dApTUVTWtG
Some 1.3 million customers were left without power after severe winds battered power lines. The states of Maine, North Carolina, Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania were hit the hardest by power outages.
On Friday at 6:39 p.m. EST, Maine still had 230,499 people without power as another 120,316 people in New Hampshire left in the same situation. Some 96,271 were without electricity in New York, 91,364 people in Virginia were without power and 87,188 people in Pennsylvania were left in the dark.
Unbelievable level of coastal flooding in Provincetown today. New moon definitely had an effect on the storm surge, but with sea level rise that’s already “locked in” — we should be full on emergency planning for the decades to come. We are currently not. #WinterStorm#capecodpic.twitter.com/RxBwTN7T5H
“This is not like a snow day when you were a kid,” President Joe Biden warned on Thursday. “This is serious stuff.”
Parts of Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming have already seen wind chills below -50 degrees Fahrenheit in the past two days, while the state of Texas also saw temperatures below freezing early Friday afternoon. The cities of Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Tallahassee are all expected to have their coldest temperatures ever recorded on Christmas Eve.
“I called it a kitchen sink storm because it is throwing everything at us but the kitchen sink,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said at a press conference Friday afternoon. “We’ve had ice, flooding, snow, freezing temperatures, and everything that mother nature could wallop at us this weekend.”
“Whiteout conditions, frigid temperatures, and the waves are like what you would see during a hurricane,” said New York resident Vrian Trzeciak, who has a home in Hamburg, New York.
“My mother lives about 30 minutes away and so does my sister and her family, in the other direction,” he added. “We always get together for Christmas Eve and Christmas, but we’re all hunkering down in our houses until it all stops on Monday.”
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As the storm moved East, leaving California to warm up in 80F weather, it turned into a “bomb cyclone” with a pressure expected to match that of a Category 2 hurricane as it traversed the Great Lakes early Friday. The cities of Boston, Chicago, New York City, and Atlanta saw wind gusts higher than 45 to 55 mph.
"This is a difficult weather event. We needed to prepare not only for rain, but also tidal flooding that was made worse by the new moon, in addition to large amounts of wind offshore that was piling water into New York Harbor, in addition to Jamaica Bay, adding about three [feet] above mean tide flood surge," said Zachary Iscol, New York City's Emergency Management Commissioner.
The "next phase," he warned, "is going to be a precipitous drop in temperature, going down to the low teens, single digits over the weekend."
Across the United States about 5,100 domestic and international flights were canceled and another 8,400 were delayed on Friday, making holiday travel plans impossible for some. Airports in Cleveland, Buffalo and Chicago reported on Friday morning that more than half of their departing flights were canceled.
“My family is calling, they want me home for Christmas, but they want me to be safe, too,” said Ashley Sherrod, who planned to fly from Nashville, Tennessee, to Flint, Michigan, until her flight was canceled. “Christmas is starting to, for lack of a better word, suck.”
Alaska Airlines and Allegiant Air were forced to cancel more than a third of their flights on Friday and more than 400 Southwest Airlines flights were delayed. Some major US airlines including American, Delta, and United said they were waiving fees to change flights due to the severe weather.
Water floods a restaurant terrace during high tide on Long Wharf, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Boston. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. More than 200 million people — about 60% of the U.S. population — were under some form of winter weather advisory or warning on Friday. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Multiple highways were closed and crashes claimed at least six lives, officials said. At least two people died in a massive pileup involving some 50 vehicles on the Ohio Turnpike. A Kansas City, Missouri, driver was killed Thursday after skidding into a creek, and three others died Wednesday in separate crashes on icy northern Kansas roads.
Michigan also faced a deluge of crashes, including one involving nine semitrailers.
Brent Whitehead said it took him 7.5 hours instead of the usual six to drive from his home near Minneapolis to his parents’ home outside Chicago on Thursday in sometimes icy conditions.
“Thank goodness I had my car equipped with snow tires,” he said.
Activists also were rushing to get homeless people out of the cold. Nearly 170 adults and children were keeping warm early Friday in Detroit at a shelter and a warming center that are designed to hold 100 people.
“This is a lot of extra people” but it wasn't an option to turn anyone away, said Faith Fowler, the executive director of Cass Community Social Services, which runs both facilities.
In Chicago, Andy Robledo planned to spend the day organizing efforts to check on people without housing through his nonprofit, Feeding People Through Plants. Robledo and volunteers build tents modeled on ice-fishing tents, including a plywood subfloor.
“It’s not a house, it’s not an apartment, it’s not a hotel room. But it’s a huge step up from what they had before,” Robledo said.
In Portland, Oregon, nearly 800 people slept at five emergency shelters on Thursday night, as homeless outreach teams fanned out to distributed cold-weather survival gear. Shelters called for volunteers amid high demand and staffing issues. Employees were laid low by flu or respiratory symptoms or kept from work by icy roads, officials said.
DoorDash and Uber Eats suspended delivery service in some states, and bus service was disrupted in places like Seattle.
The power ceased at Jaime Sheehan’s Maryland bakery for about 90 minutes Friday, shutting off the convection oven and stilling the mixer she needed to make butter cream.
“Thankfully, all of the orders that were going out today already finished yesterday,” she said a few moments before the power returned.
Water floods a street during high tide, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. More than 200 million people — about 60% of the U.S. population — were under some form of winter weather advisory or warning on Friday. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
At about the same time, Corey Newcomb and his family were entering their sixth hour without power at their home in the small town of Phenix, Virginia.
“We are coping and that’s about it,” Newcomb said in a Facebook message.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said she was deploying the National Guard to haul timber to the Oglala Sioux and Rosebud Sioux tribes and help with snow removal.
“We have families that are way out there that we haven’t heard from in two weeks,” Wayne Boyd, chief of staff to the Rosebud Sioux president, said.
Fearing that some are running out of food, the tribe was hoping to get a helicopter on Saturday to check on the stranded.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe, meanwhile, was using snowmobiles to reach members who live at the end of miles-long dirt roads.
“It’s been one heck of a fight so far,” said tribal President Frank Star Comes Out.
On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Harlie Young was huddled with five children and her 58-year-old father around a wood stove as 12-foot (3.6-meter) snow drifts blocked the house.
On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Harlie Young was huddled with five children and her 58-year-old father around a wood stove as 12-foot (3.6-meter) snow drifts blocked the house.
“We’re just trying to look on the bright side that they’re still coming and they didn’t forget us,” she said Friday, as the temperature plunged to frigid lows.
The weather service is forecasting the coldest Christmas in more than two decades in Philadelphia, where school officials shifted classes online Friday.
Atop New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, the tallest peak in the Northeast, the wind topped 150 mph (241 kph).
In Boston, rain combined with a high tide, sent waves over the seawall at Long Wharf and flooded some downtown streets. It was so bad in Vermont that Amtrak canceled service for the day, and nonessential state offices were closing early.
“I’m hearing from crews who are seeing grown trees ripped out by the roots,” Mari McClure, president of Green Mountain Power, the state’s largest utility, said at a news conference.
Calling it a “kitchen sink storm,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency. In parts of New York City, tidal flooding inundated roads, homes and businesses Friday morning, with police trudging through knee-deep water to pull stranded motorists to safety in Queens.
In Iowa, sports broadcaster Mark Woodley became a Twitter sensation after he was called on to do live broadcasts outdoors in the wind and snow because sporting events were called off. By midday Friday, a compilation of his broadcasts had been viewed nearly 5 million times on Twitter.
“I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news," he told an anchor. “The good news is that I can still feel my face right now. The bad news is, I kind of wish I couldn’t.”
Bleed reported from Little Rock, Arkansas. Associated Press journalists Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit; Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Oregon; Zeke Miller in Washington; and Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi, contributed to this report.
Satlantas Polres Bogor akan melakukan buka tutup atau pengalihan arus lalu lintas di Jalur Puncak, Kabupaten Bogor, pada malam Tahun Baru 2023.
Kendaraan menuju Puncak dialihkan melalui alternatif Jonggol atau Sukabumi.
“Sesuai kesepakatan bersama, penutupan itu dilakukan mulai pukul 18.00 WIB tanggal 31 Desember 2022 sampai pukul 06.00 WIB pada tanggal 1 Januari 2023,” kata Kasatlantas Polres Bogor AKP Dicky Pranata.
Sedangkan, arah sebaliknya dari Puncak menuju Jakarta masih bisa melintas dengan menerapkan sistem oneway.
Selain pengalihan lalu lintas di Jalur Puncak, pihaknya juga telah menyiapkan personelnya di sepanjang jalur itu.
“Kita laksanakan ganjil genap untuk Jalur Puncak dan rekayasa lainnya kita melihat situasi nanti,” katanya.
Diperkirakan, volume kendaraan mulai mengalami peningkatan pada Jumat 23 Desember 2022.
Semua personel mulai disiagakan pada besok hari mengantisipasi kemacetan lalu lintas di Jalur Puncak. “Prediksi kami tanggal 23 itu mulai kepadatan orang-orang masuk ke kawasan wisata Puncak,” katanya.
Sopir Ambulans Legislator DKI Partai Nasdem Lawan Arah di Puncak Bogor Ditilang
Polisi menindak sopir ambulans berstiker anggota DPRD DKI dari Partai NasDem, Jupiter, yang melawan arah di kawasan Puncak, tepatnya di Simpang Gadog, Kabupaten Bogor, Jawa Barat. Sopir ambulans tersebut telah dikenai sanksi tilang.
"Tadi ditilang, untuk kekuatan hukumnya kita tindak dengan penilangan aja," kata Kanit Turjawali Satlantas Polres Bogor Ipda Ardian Novianto saat dihubungi wartawan, hari Jumat, 23/12/2022.
Sopir ambulans ditilang karena membahayakan sesama pengendara. Kemudian karena perbuatannya berpotensi mengganggu arus lalu lintas.
"Karena satu, membahayakan keselamatan orang lain. Juga menghambat fungsi jalan juga kan. Tapi yang ditilang barbuknya kendaraan itu aja," ungkapnya.
Ardian mengatakan sopir tersebut dikenai pasal melawan arus dan tidak menggunakan kendaraan sesuai peruntukannya. Mobil ambulans tersebut masih berada di Pos Polisi Gadog.
"Pasal tentang melawan arus serta menggunakan kendaraan yang bukan peruntukannya. Yang seharusnya ambulans itu membawa orang sakit, tapi dipergunakan untuk mengawal rombongan," ucapnya.
Ambulans Bawa Alat Gathering
Sebelumnya diberitakan, sopir sempat mengaku membawa donasi untuk korban gempa Cianjur, tapi ternyata dia membawa alat-alat family gathering.
"Setelah kita periksa, ternyata ambulans tersebut tidak membawa pasien sakit. Namun membawa peralatan yang akan digunakan, tadi info dari driver untuk donasi bantuan gempa," kata Kanit Turjawali Satlantas Polres Bogor Ipda Ardian Novianto kepada wartawan di Simpang Gadog.
Namun ternyata, kendaraan tersebut membawa barang-barang untuk kegiatan di Puncak. Acara tersebut berupa family gathering atau kumpul keluarga salah satu pengurus partai.
Namun ternyata, kendaraan tersebut membawa barang-barang untuk kegiatan di Puncak. Acara tersebut berupa family gathering atau kumpul keluarga salah satu pengurus partai.
"Ternyata setelah kami dalami, kendaraan ambulans membawa barang untuk family gathering salah satu pengurus partai. Karena kita lihat juga di bodi ambulans itu memang terdapat gambar salah satu partai," ucapnya.
Sebuah mobil tercebur di Dermaga II Pelabuhan Merak, Kota Cilegon, Banten. (Foto: Yandhi Deslatama/Liputan6.com).
Mobil Daihatsu tercebur ke laut di dermaga 2 Pelabuhan Merak, Banten, saat hendak masuk ke KMP Shalem. Kedua penumpang di dalam mobil itu pun ikut tercebur dan berhasil diselamatkan petugas gabungan. Keduanya langsung dilarikan ke rumah sakit akibat peristiwa tersebut.
Belum diketahui pasti penyebab mobil tercebur, tapi peristiwa itu terjadi sekitar pukul 22.15 WIB. Mobil tersebut berada di posisi ramp door kapal sebelum akhirnya jatuh ke laut.
"Iya mobil kecebur, belum tahu kita belum dapat (kronologi lengkap) ke arah penyebabnya," kata Kasi Ops Basarnas Banten Heru Amir saat dikonfirmasi, hari Jumat, 23/12/2022.
Kabid Humas Polda Banten Kombes Pol Shinto Silitonga mengatakan, peristiwa terceburnya mobil terjadi pada pukul 22.00 WIB saat proses muat penumpang KMP Shalem di dermaga dua.
"Posisi mobil Daihatsu silver di atas ram door mau ke Kapal Ferry Shalem, saat mau naik, tali di kapal melebar sehingga side rem tidak lagi menempel di kapal," kata Shinto melalui keterangan tertulisnya.
"Penyelidikan akan di utamakan pada unsur kelalaian orang dan dilakukan permintaan keterangan hari ini, kepada operator side ramp maupun penyelamatan korban tersebut," ujar Kabid Humas Polda Banten, Kombes Pol Shinto Silitonga.
Kapolda Banten, Irjen Pol Rudy Heriyanto, bersama Wakapoda dan Pejabat Utama (Pju) Polda Banten yang berada di Pelabuhan Merak, segera mendatangi lokasi kejadian.
Kapolda Banten, Irjen Pol Rudy Heriyanto, bersama Wakapoda dan Pejabat Utama (Pju) Polda Banten yang berada di Pelabuhan Merak, segera mendatangi lokasi kejadian.
KMP Shalem yang sempat menunda perjalanan, kemudian diminta melanjutkan menyenangkan penumpang ke Pelabuhan Bakauheni, agar arus lalulintas tidak terganggu.
Sedangkan penanganan korban tengah dilakukan tim medis di RSKM Kota Cilegon. Kemudian evakuasi mobil akan dilanjutkan kemudian.
"Korban yang di evakuasi ada dua orang, perempuan dan laki laki, kondisi korban selamat dan langsung dibawa ke RSKM," ujar Kepala Unit Siaga SAR Merak, Fery Krisna, di Banten, hari Jumat, 23/12/2022.
Dia menuturkan, sebelum kejadian, tali kapal sudah berada di tempat tambatnya. Kemudian ada alun atau gelombang air laut di Dermaga 2 Pelabuhan Merak.
Dugaan sementara, karena gelombang itulah kapal agak menjauh dari side ramp atau jembatan penghubung dari dermaga ke kapal dan menyebabkan mobil minibus terjatuh ke air laut.
"Mungkin disebabkan tinggi gelombang, sehingga kapal menjauh dari side ramp, itu yang kita duga diawal. Untuk pengikat sudah terikat, ketika ada alun dia (kapal) akan menjauh," jelas Krisna.
Sementara itu Kabid Humas Polda Banten, Kombes Pol Shinto Silitonga menegaskan bahwa, Kapolda Banten Irjen Pol Rudy Heriyanto memerintahkan kepada penyidik Ditpolairud untuk melakukan penyelidikan lebih lanjut dari insiden terceburnya mobil tersebut.
"Kapolda Banten memberi peringatan tegas kepada otoritas penyeberangan untuk senantiasa memastikan keselamatan penyeberang diprioritaskan sehingga dapat menghindari terjadinya kecelakaan seperti hari ini," ujar Shinto.
Sebelumnya, Kapolda Banten Irjen Pol Rudy Heriyanto melakukan peninjauan di Pelabuhan Merak Pasca ditutupnya layanan lintas Merak-Bakauheni karena cuaca buruk pada hari Kamis malam, 22/12/2022.
Rudy meminta kepada otoritas pelabuhan untuk bersama-sama menyukseskan angkutan Natal dan Tahun Baru 2023 dengan memberikan pelayanan terbaik.
“Hal ini kami lakukan guna memastikan jumlah kendaraan masyarakat yang hendak melakukan perjalanan mudik, supaya tidak membludak di dalam area Pelabuhan,” kata Rudy.
