Spain sends five planes with aid

INDONESIA: Spain has sent five military aircraft -- two Hercules C-130 and three CN 235 -- with several tons of humanitarian aid, and medical and military personnel to Indonesia, the Spanish Embassy said in Jakarta.

"Two Hercules C-130 have already landed (on Thursday) while three CN 235 are expected to arrive on early Friday. On board they bring some 14 tons of humanitarian aid, including a water purifying plant," the Embassy said in a press release sent to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who is currently visiting the tsunami-battered areas in Aceh, will welcome the planes on their arrival at Pekanbaru Airport in Riau province on Friday.

Moratinos met President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare Alwi Shihab on Thursday in Aceh. -- JP