Taiwan donates $300,000 for disaster victims

Antara News, Monday, November 15, 2010 22:40 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Taiwan has donated US$300 thousand in funds to finance reconstruction efforts in disaster-hit regions in Indonesia.

The funds, along with 1,000 blankets, 7,000 clothes, 25,255 pairs of shoes, and 10,000 pairs of footwear will be distributed among victims of natural disasters in stages, the Taipei Economic and Trade Office (TETO) said in a press release on Monday.

The donation will be channeled through the Indonesian natural disaster mitigation board, the office said.

TETO, along with Taiwanese companies operating in Indonesia is planning the next phase of relief aid for the victims of natural disasters, it said.

The Indonesian government said early this month it would draw up blueprints for the reconstruction of the disaster-hit regions of Wasior, Mount Merapi and Mentawai islands.

"We anticipate that funding for the reconstruction of the areas hit by natural disasters will come from various sources, both internal and from foreign assistance," Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono said.

Wasior in West Papua province was devastated by a flash flood that killed more than 160 people on Oct 4.

On Oct 25, a tsunami triggered by a magnitude-7.7 undersea earthquake engulfed the Mentawai islands off the coast of West Sumatra, killing at least 430 people and leaving some 15,000 people displaced.

Mount Merapi, located on the borders between Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces, erupted at least five times since Oct 26, spewing hot clouds 1.5 km into the air and sending lava down its many slopes. The lives of at least 168 people were lost, and the homes of about 70,000 others were destroyed.