More aid pours in for tsunami victims

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Twenty days into the deadly tsunami disaster relief effort, several countries are still sending cash, food, medicine and medical teams to Indonesia, which suffered the most from the Dec. 26 calamity.

The Netherlands has pledged an additional US$260 million aid for the reconstruction of the tsunami-battered areas in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta said.

"Earlier, we gave 40 million euros ($52 million) as military assistance. Dutch citizens raised 122 million euros ($158 million) through private donations for the tsunami victims. With this additional money, the total Dutch contribution to tsunami- affected states reaches $470 million," the Embassy said in a press release sent to The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Romania has also joined the world community to help the victims in Indonesia by donating around $150,000 in cash and $325,000 worth of food, medicine, equipment and drinking water.

"Today, the Romanian government handed over a plane-load of food, water and medicine to North Sumatra's deputy governor Rudolf Pardede to distribute to the tsunami victims in Aceh and North Sumatra," Romanian Ambassador to Indonesia Gheorghe Savuica, who handed over the assistance, told the Post from Medan.

The Cuban Embassy in Jakarta said on Friday that its government had dispatched an airplane carrying a 23-member medical team and 9 tons of medicine and other medical and sanitation equipment.

The embassy didn't say when the plane would arrive in Indonesia.