JAKARTA - In the midst of the search for the SAR team for victims and materials from the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 aircraft, an SOS sign appeared on Male Island, which caused an uproar in the virtual world.

The SOS sign (save our souls) or which means "save our souls" appears in the Google Maps application, located in the middle of Male Island, Thousand Islands. Male Island is one of the islands close to the crash point of the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 plane.

Since the appearance of this SOS sign went viral on social media, the Operations Director of Basarnas, Brigadier General Rasman ordered to find out the source of the SOS sign.

"For the SOS sign, we will try to explore it according to the information given earlier," said Rasman at the JICT II Integrated Command Post, North Jakarta, Wednesday, January 20.

Rasman heard the SOS sign on Wednesday, January 20 morning. He immediately ordered Basarnas members to comb Male Island in search of any suspicion of the existence of the request for help.

Unfortunately, in the afternoon, Rasman admitted that the team that had been ordered to search gave a report that they had not found anyone who needed any help on Male Island.

"This morning I told the members to check. I have confirmed to the members, they did not find anything," said Rasman when reconfirmed.

Guess made by pranksters

Telematics expert Roy Suryo doubts the truth about the SOS sign on Male Island. Because, according to Roy, the sign could have been made by someone on a whim.

"After the edited photo of the plane, the sound of the wind that was thought to be screaming and the edits of Merapi broke. Now netizens are excited about the" SOS "sign on Male Island via Google Map. This is clearly a prank," said telematics expert Roy Suryo in his short message to VOI.

According to him, the location points that appear on Google Maps can be made by someone. The former politician even discovered that the location had changed names before writing SOS.

"I have also checked the history, initially it was written" Tukang satay "then" Wahana anak2 ", just yesterday it was changed to SOS Alert and so on," he said.

For Roy, this kind of prank was not right to do. Even if it's just looking for a sensation, the SOS sign, which is not far from the location of the Sriwijaya Air plane search, can certainly disrupt the evacuation process.

"In the midst of grief, it is indeed good for us to give Asa. But hope without logic will cause distress," he added.

Make Basarnas troublesome

Seeing this, a public policy observer from Trisakti University, Trubus Rahadiansyah, considers that Basarnas does not need to act outside the search strategy for the Sriwijaya Air Sj-182 aircraft that has been mapped.

If Basarnas responds too much to the illegal information that is developing in the public, said Trubus, it will certainly be troublesome for Basarnas during the search for victims and materials of the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 aircraft.

"Basarnas has a strategy, main task, and function in efforts to rescue victims and aircraft materials. Basarnas does not need to respond to things that are outside the focus of the search because it is not certain that all the information that is developing on social media is true. Social media is making Basarnas troublesome, of course, in the middle of searching, "Trubus told VOI.


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