S'pore sends rice, medicine

S'pore sends rice, medicine

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Singapore has donated 490 metric tons of
rice worth S$10 million along with S$2 million of medicine to
Indonesia, and will send more assistance so that the total
reaches 10,000 tons of rice.

Brig. Gen. Ong Boon Hwe of the Singapore Armed Forces handed
over the first batch of the aid to Bukit Barisan Regional
Military Commander Maj. Gen. Ismed Yuzairi on Monday at the
Belawan Port.

"This humanitarian cooperation is made in the name of
brotherhood," Ong Bon Hwee said in his address.

Singapore bought the rice from Thailand and delivered it on
the Jaya Venus ship. Similar aid has been delivered to Jakarta
(1,975 tons), Lampung (1,600 tons) and Palembang (1,410 tons).

"The rice and medicine aid is all for free, to help Indonesia
deal with the monetary crisis," said Lt. Col. Y.C. Kwan, the
assistant to the defense attache at the Singaporean embassy, who
attended the ceremony.

The Armed Forces (ABRI) was chosen to oversee the aid's
distribution because it had good infrastructure so the rice and
medicine could reach the remotest areas. (21)