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)