S. Korea vows $15.2m for Aceh and Nias

JAKARTA: South Korea has pledged US$15.2 million for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction of the tsunami-hit areas in Nanggroe Darussalam Aceh and North Sumatra provinces, the South Korean Embassy announced.

This week, South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Lee Sun-jin and the head of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency for Aceh and Nias (BRR) Kuntoro Mangkusubroto signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Banda Aceh.

As per the MOU, an amount of $13.7 million ($700,000 in cash and $800,000 in goods already handed over to the Indonesian government) will be spent to implement six important projects. They are the construction of schools or vocational training schools, building of hospitals, providing training for Acehnese in South Korea, providing equipment and material for reconstruction, donation of four vessels and rehabilitation of mangrove forests.

The embassy said all six projects will be under the supervision of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

"Through this aid program, the Korean government will contribute to the improvement of the living and working conditions of the people in the tsunami-affected Banda Aceh," the embassy said in a press release sent to The Jakarta Post. -- JP