Clinton praises recovery work in tsunami-hit Aceh

Clinton praises recovery work in tsunami-hit Aceh

Agencies, Banda Aceh, Aceh

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton on Monday praised Indonesia's
efforts to rebuild tsunami-hit Aceh but urged that solid
foundations for economic growth be put in place, the official in
charge of reconstruction said.

Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, who heads the Aceh Rehabilitation and
Reconstruction Agency, said Clinton told officials not to just
focus on reconstruction, but to build a diversified economy.

"One thing he reminded me was that with rebuilding, Aceh
should be much better than before. That means that when we talk
about rebuilding it's not only infrastructure and reconstruction,
but also economic development," said Kuntoro.

Kuntoro earlier had lunch with Clinton, the U.N.'s envoy for
tsunami relief who arrived in the local capital Banda Aceh on
Monday.

Clinton is visiting some nations hit by the Dec. 26 tsunami
that was triggered by a powerful earthquake off the coast of
Sumatra island.

Kuntoro said Clinton, visited Aceh in mid-February, called the
business plan of the Aceh reconstruction agency the best he had
seen.

"Progress is incredibly fast and he was really delighted that
all the NGOs have already submitted to me 181 project concepts.
It's around $600 million," Kuntoro said.

Asked whether Clinton had seen room for improvement, Kuntoro
said the former U.S. president focused on a diversified economy.
Before the tsunami, Aceh's economy was largely agricultural and
fishing. Parts of the province have natural gas, but these gas
fields are not major sources of employment.

Asked about other things that could come out of Clinton's
visit, Kuntoro said one thing was to make sure donor countries,
non-governmental organizations and the private sector fulfilled
their aid pledges.

On May 19, Kuntoro said $1.2 billion in foreign aid was ready
to be spent on reconstruction in Aceh. His agency is expected to
manage nearly $5 billion over the next few years.

Clinton arrived in Aceh following speculation that exhaustion
forced him to cancel one leg of his tsunami tour. He has had two
heart-related operations in the past year.

Asked about that speculation, Kuntoro said: "He's great. He
looks healthy, he walks straight. I don't see any sign of
tiredness."

Earlier, Jehane Sedky-Lavandero, Clinton's press officer,
said: "The truth is he's not tired ... I can't keep up with him
and I'm 32."

On Sunday, Clinton visited the Maldives on the third leg of
his tour of tsunami-ravaged nations, but had to call off a trip
to a remote atoll because of bad weather, officials said.

The cancellation initially raised concerns he might be ill.
Clinton, who began his tour in India, visited Sri Lanka's
battered east coast on Saturday.

Clinton spent the Monday morning meeting leading players in
reconstruction and relief operations.

Later he flew to the small town of Jantho, about 55 kilometers
outside Banda Aceh, where he spent an hour talking with tsunami
survivors in a refugee camp.

News of his arrival was greeted with disdain by several Aceh
tsunami survivors who said his visit would be meaningless unless
it translated into concrete assistance to fulfill their basic
needs.

"I didn't even know he was visiting, because I don't care what
these organizations are doing in Aceh," said Munawar, a 20-year-
old man whose fish stall was destroyed in the disaster.

"If they want to help us, they should just give us some money
to build houses and to help me restart my fish business," he
said, adding that he had yet to receive any financial aid.

Ramlah, a 69-year-old street vendor hawking a small selection
of vegetables and eggs, said she needed money to improve her
business and help support her family and five other tsunami
victims living under her roof.

"I need some money to run my business because, as you can see,
I only sell small vegetables," she said. "So far I have received
nothing, not even food from UN agencies or the government."

Similar concerns were aired in Jantho, where most of some 500
refugees living under canvas remain without work or steady income
six months on from the disaster.

"I hope that Mr. Clinton can build us houses and give us money
to start a new life," said Mohammed Salman, who used to be a
farmer. "We are bored in these tents because there is nothing for
us to do and most of us have been here for months."