PMI-ICRC team sends relief to Mimika

JAKARTA: The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), in association with the International Commission of the Red Cross (ICRC), has distributed food and medical supplies to about 18,000 local people during the past five months in Mimika regency, Irian Jaya.

"Food and medicines have been distributed to 18,000 people in 19 different locations in Mimika," ICRC spokesperson Sri Wahyu Endah was quoted by Antara as saying here Monday.

She added that since February the PMI-ICRC team was also engaged in similar activities for the drought-stricken residents of the south of Baliem Valley in Wamena regency.

The operations are the continuation of the humanitarian activities of the local administration which were discontinued at the end of last year.

In the operations, Endah said, the team leased three Sikorsky and Bell helicopters based in Timika and Wamena.

The team also planned to cover the border regions between Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea. The team also worked in close cooperation with World Vision Indonesia (WVI) and the Netherlands Reformed Church (NRC).