Sudan's donation

This is in reference to a news item titled Sudan wants improved ties with Indonesia, which appeared in The Jakarta Post on Feb. 19. While one can appreciate concern and assistance from anybody to help the people of Aceh in the wake of the tsunami, to hear about a donation of "one plane-load of food, blankets, tents, medicine, ambulances and a field hospital" from none other than Sudan is a bit odd, if not unbelievable.

Is not Sudan continuing to seek and receive similar help from all sorts of donors and different countries to feed its own famished and sick people? When Sudan itself is short of these items, I fail to understand what they are trying to prove with their "donation", which is almost like stealing from the mouths of the people of Darfur and sending the food elsewhere.

Are they in a position to donate these items? If Sudan had enough they wouldn't be seeking and receiving such assistance from other countries. The help the Acehnese were promised was probably destined for the people of Darfur; let it stay there.

Other donor countries, both developed and developing countries, have commendably risen to the occasion to help Indonesia and other tsunami-affected countries.

Sudan's National Assembly speaker coming here and expressing his concern is good enough.

MATHEW NINAN W., Jakarta