JAKARTA, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian Research and Technology Minister Kusmayanto Kadiman said that he had no prior knowledge that a tsunami would hit Java's southern coastal regions on July 17.

    In a written statement issued Thursday to the press on the occasion of a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission VII at the parliament building, the minister denied a report carried by AP news agency saying that he actually had received information that a tsunami on Java's southern coast was imminent but failed to make the information public.

    The minister said he had never received any prior information on the tsunami, adding that he would conduct an investigation on how AP could have its story about him.

    The minister said information on natural disasters including earthquakes and tsunami could be directly accessed by anybody including individuals from international sources. Anybody could have access to the information.

    In the context of information dissemination, the minister said the meteorology and Geophysics agency (BMG) was the authorized one for the information dissemination.

    The minister said BMG had an online connection with the Pacific Tsunami System, so that important information which has to do with public interest could be directly disseminated.

    At least 500 people were killed when an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale with subsequent tsunami hit southern coastal areas of Java island on Monday. Enditem