By NNN-Antara
Jakarta : An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale shook Saumlaki, West Southeast Maluku District, Maluku Province, early Monday at 2.28 am local time.
The epicenter of the quake was located at 7.67 degrees southern latitude, and 128.72 degrees eastern longitude, at a depth of 70 km below the Banda sea level, the meteorological and geophysics office reported on Monday.
The quake`s epicenter was around 290 km northwest of Saumlaki on Yamdena Islands and 362 km of Dili, Timor Leste.
Last Thursday, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake rocked Saumlaki area but did not trigger a tsunami.
A mild earthquake measuring 3.0 on the Richter scale hit Yogyakarta on Monday at 2.32 am local time.
The epicenter of the quake was located at 8.01 degrees southern latitude and 110.26 degrees eastern longitude, around 30 km south of Yogyakarta and at a depth of 10 km below the sea level, Tyar Prasetyo of the Yogyakarta meteorological and geophysics office said here on Monday.
The earthquake was hardly felt by local residents.
Meanwhile, British Ambassador to Indonesia Charles Humfrey met with Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X here on Monday to obtain first-hand information on post-2006-earthquake rehabilitation and reconstruction program in the region.
“The British envoy has already seen the results of development program sponsored by the Java Reconstruction Fund (JRF) in Sleman and Bantul districts after the 2006 earthquake,” the Sultan said after the meeting.
He also said Humfrey at the meeting expressed interest in the Java Reconstruction Fund program which was expected to be completed in the next two months.
On the occasion, the governor proposed that Gajah Mada Universty (UGM) be permitted to cooperate with one of the universities in Britain to make comparative studies on construction of quake-resistant buildings.
“Humfrey gave a positive response to the proposal and promised to discuss it with the British government,” the governor said.