UK spends $57m so far on tsunami relief

INDONESIA: The British government has already spent over US$57 million on a wide variety of humanitarian relief projects in Aceh and other tsunami-affected areas in the region, the British Embassy said in a statement on Thursday.

In Indonesia, the funds had been used for urgent emergency relief, such as the establishment of a UN base camp in Aceh. The British government has also provided 3,750 tents and deployed five helicopters to deliver aid to isolated communities, the statement said.

British Ambassador to Indonesia Charles Humfrey said that most of the assistance to Indonesia had been given as a grant.

"The majority of British assistance for Aceh and North Sumatra has been given as grants to NGOs and international institutions such as the UN agencies and World Bank to help them fund their essential activities in the stricken areas," Ambassador Humfrey stated.

"One of the very good initiatives we are funding is over $1.5 million for an NGO called Mentor Initiative, which is providing urgently needed mosquito control in Aceh and down the west coast of Aceh to prevent the spread of malaria and dengue fever," he said.

The British government has so far pledged $143 million for post-tsunami relief and recovery. On top of that, the British public has raised over $380 million in private donations. -- JP