Japanese government gears up for post-tsunami reconstruction
Japanese government gears up for post-tsunami reconstruction
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan
After pouring in food and medical aid to tsunami victims in Aceh,
the Japanese government is now planning to turn its attention to
rebuilding the public and education infrastructure.
The projects will be started in the near future, pending data
collection by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
"A team from JICA arrived in Banda Aceh on Sunday and its
members are currently conducting surveys of the damage to
infrastructure," said Ono Koen, a vice counselor at the Japanese
Consulate in Medan.
The survey findings would be forwarded to the Japanese
government to provide guidance for infrastructural
rehabilitation.
The money needed for reconstruction would be provided Japanese
government grants, said Koen.
The Japanese government has promised grants totaling US$146
million to the Indonesian government in order to help finance
rebuilding work.
The Japanese government has already provided US$1.5 million in
grants to Indonesia to buy food and medical supplies to help the
tsunami victims in Aceh. "The money is being and will be kept by
the Indonesian government, and we will monitor how it is spent,"
said Koen.
At least 700 schools and many roads and offices, including
government offices, were damaged by the Dec. 26 tsunami, which
killed over 100,000 people in Aceh only.
Meanwhile, Koen said that 970 Japanese military personnel had
been in Aceh for about a week and that they were working together
with civilians and volunteers from across the globe to help the
tsunami victims. The troops helped mobilize food aid and
established a mobile hospital in Banda Aceh.
Although the Japanese government has begun shifting its focus
to infrastructure rehabilitation, the distribution of food and
medical aid would still continue. "The medical and food aid will
have no cut-off date. These are important as they directly affect
people's lives," said Koen.