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.