The Government of Indonesia has expressed a deep appreciation and gratitude to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, for the Monarch’s care and concern to the people of Aceh who suffered from the tsunami disaster more than a year ago. The country’s Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, His Excellency Herijanto Soeprapto said the Monarch toured the area shortly after the calamity struck Aceh, giving a deep and lasting impression among the people of Indonesia. Two months ago, members of the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation visited Aceh as a follow-up to the handing-over of contributions from the people of Brunei to the Indonesian Province. His Excellency Herijanto praised the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation’s team who is currently undertaking a project to build a Brunei Village in Aceh. The village consists of 70 units of houses, a mosque, a clinic, a school and an Islamic Religious School or “Pesantren” in the Village of Leupung, Kecamatan Memplan in Banda Aceh.
His Excellency was speaking Monday at a conference titled “Towards the Development of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam - Nias after Tsunami”. The conference heard a report from the Director of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency for Aceh and Nias, Mdm. Nazmiyah Sayuti, on the recovery effort, one year after the tsunami. She spoke on the recovery programme which has now gained momentum and requires funds of between 150 and 200 million US dollars per month.
Currently, around 30 thousand houses have been rebuilt. The Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation and Tsunami Humanitarian Fund National Fund have allocated two point two million dollars to Aceh. Among those who attended the conference were the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Retired Major General Pehin Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Mohamad; the Managing-Director of the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation, Dato Paduka Haji Ali Hashim, foreign missions in the country, as well as government and non-government agencies.
(28th Mar 2006)
