Blast victims fund set up
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Australian government has set up a US$700 million fund for the victims of the deadly bombing outside its embassy in Jakarta in an expression of concern and friendship between the two neighboring countries.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced on Friday that the money would be used to help provide emergency care for the victims of Thursday's blast, which killed nine people and injured more than 180 others.
He invited the public to contribute more funds, which would be used to assist the bereaved families who lost their main income providers in the terror attack.
Many of the victims were directly or indirectly linked to the bombed Australian Embassy, with some of them helping to protect the building, Howard added.
"In the circumstances, it is the least that this country can do as a measure, not only of our respect for them, our compassion for their families, but also as a practical help to people who will need help in this very tragic situation," he was quoted by AFP as saying.
Late on Thursday, Howard held a telephone conversation with President Megawati Soekarnoputri, during which the two leaders discussed cooperation to catch those behind the bombing
A similar fund was also set up by the Australian government for the Indonesians who suffered as a result of the Oct. 12, 2002 Bali bombings, which killed over 200 people, mostly Australian holidaymakers.
In Jakarta, visiting Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer visited to the blast site and held talks with Megawati and a number of senior Indonesian officials on Friday.
In the talks with Megawati, Downer offered condolences to the families of the victims and pledged to assist Indonesia in catching those behind the blast.
"Terrorists need to know that the Australian and Indonesian governments will hunt down terrorists until we catch every single one of them and the more they attack us the more determined we are to find them and to hunt them down," he said after meeting his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirayuda.
"We will not tolerate the act of killing people," added Downer, who arrived in Jakarta hours after Thursday's bombing, along with Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty, shadow foreign affairs minister Kevin Rudd and a number of officials, including bomb experts.
Hassan said the tragedy would bring Australia and Indonesia closer together in fighting the menace and would not cause any discord between the governments and peoples of the two countries.
He also expressed Indonesia's appreciation for Australian assistance and cooperation in dealing with the terror threat.
While top officials from the two countries were discussing the latest blast, an Australian forensic team joined the Indonesian police in combing the blast site.
The collaboration between the two countries following the devastating Bali blasts proved to be highly successful, with more than 30 suspects convicted. Some of them received the death penalty, while others got life sentences.