What happened to Japanese tsunami aid?<\/p>\n
After the tsunami hit Aceh and several other parts of Asia,
\nalmost all countries in the world vied to show deep sympathy for
\nthe victims by sending relief workers and various types of aid.<\/p>\n
Japan, which has a reputation as the world's biggest donors to
\npoor countries, promised to provide 52.2 billion yen in relief
\nfunds to all countries affected by the natural disaster,
\nincluding 14.6 billion yen (about US$146 million) for the Aceh
\npeople, who suffered the brunt of the disaster's impact. It was
\namong the biggest amount promised by any nation. And it again
\nshowed the Japanese to have unrelenting compassion towards those
\nin need.<\/p>\n
What has happened to these pledged funds? Several press
\nreports in Japan over the past several weeks indicate that
\n\"something wrong\" has happened with the grant aid. The Japanese
\ngovernment has assigned the Japan International Cooperation
\nSystem (JICS) to manage and distribute the funds.<\/p>\n
JICS is a foundation formed by the Japanese Ministry of
\nForeign Affairs to channel Japan's Official Development
\nAssistance. According to the recent reports in Japanese media,
\nincluding Weekly Post and Weekly Gendai, none of the relief funds
\nhave been distributed, now over six months after the natural
\ndisaster.<\/p>\n
There are also documents indicating that the funds could have
\nbeen channeled through various ministries in Indonesia. It is
\nalso reported that JICS had used up 311 million yen in funds as
\n\"management fees\" despite the fact that not a single yen of the
\ngrant aid has been distributed to the Aceh people. Does the JICS
\ndeserve a fee for managing the funds allocated for the Aceh
\npeople that have lost almost all of their property and family
\nmembers?<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the money remains a question
\nmark? Where are the funds now? The Japanese press has made a fuss
\nabout this, but thus far, none of the Indonesian press has
\nreported this.<\/p>\n
All Japanese people, who care about the fate of the Aceh
\npeople, need to know where the funds are now. The Japanese and
\nIndonesian governments need to openly tell the public about this.<\/p>\n
MOH. FATARURACHMAN REKSONEGORO, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/what-happened-to-japanese-tsunami-aid-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }