Japan gives RI $15.6m grant

Japan gives RI $15.6m grant

JAKARTA (JP): Japan will extend grant assistance worth 1.67
billion yen (US$15.6 million) to Indonesia for the improvement of
health care services in Sulawesi and fire prevention in urban
areas.

Diplomatic notes on the grant assistance for the two projects
were signed here yesterday by Japanese Ambassador to Jakarta
Taizo Watanabe and Julwis Yatim, acting director general for
foreign economic relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Watanabe said the grant was part of Japan's Global Issues
Initiative which focuses on the promotion and improvement of
health, environment and population controls.

"Indonesia is one of the 12 countries which get our grant
assistance in the framework of the Global Issues Initiative,"
Watanabe said.

Out of the assistance, the health care project in Sulawesi
will get 1.2 billion yen, while the project on the improvement of
urban fire prevention will receive 466 million yen.

The latter project will provide sufficient facilities and
equipment to 11 cities for the immediate upgrading and
strengthening of fire prevention, fire fighting and rescue
systems.

The 11 cities include Medan in North Sumatra, Palembang in
South Sumatra, Jakarta, Bandung in West Java, Semarang in Central
Java, Yogyakarta, Surabaya in East Java, Denpasar in Bali,
Pontianak in West Kalimantan, Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan and
Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi.

Watanabe said Japan will provide two fire engines for each of
the cities. The engines are especially designed to extinguish
fires in slum areas, not in high-rise buildings.

"As for the high-rise buildings, they can take care of
themselves," Watanabe said.

He assured that the Japanese government will continue its
grant assistance to countries which still need it, including
Indonesia.

"We're going to follow it up," he said.

According to the World Bank's latest report on external
finance for developing countries, official grants rose very
slightly to $32.9 billion last year from $32.5 billion in 1994.

Overseas Development Assistance dropped 3 percent a year in
real terms over 1993 to 1995. In any given year, 30 to 35 percent
of such assistance was directed to only 10 countries. Some 75
percent of Japan's Overseas Development Assistance goes to East
Asia, particularly China, Indonesia and the Philippines. (rid)