Jakarta, Feb. 12 -- Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Pratikno, has proposed the establishment of a single, centralized national command for search and rescue (SAR) operations, citing the urgency of placing greater emphasis on saving lives.

"Moving beyond the search for victims, we need to concentrate more on rescue-on saving lives," he said during a discussion on strengthening the role of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) in Jakarta on Thursday.

Pratikno argued that Indonesia urgently requires a more integrated SAR command to enable the rapid and unhindered mobilization of assets and resources from ministries and state agencies during emergencies, while eliminating bureaucratic obstacle...