Mexico donates ambulances for Aceh

JAKARTA: The people of Mexico have donated 20 ambulance to be operated in tsunami-hit Aceh and the island of Nias.

The ambulances were handed over in a ceremony here on Saturday attended among others by Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi A. Shihab, Mexican Ambassador for Indonesia Pedro Gonzales Rubio Chancez, Indonesian Ambassador for Mexico Ahwil Luthan, and representatives from Aceh and Nias.

"It's not rare that the people of Mexico, who wear simple clothes and footwear, take money from their own pockets to be donated to Aceh and Nias through the Indonesian Embassy in Mexico (city)," Ahwil said, adding that total donations collected from the Mexican people reached around US$8 million, of which about half was used to purchase the ambulances and transport them to Indonesia.

He added that the people of Mexico and its government had been eager to help Indonesia despite economic difficulties in their own country. -- Antara