National

Indonesian Government Sets March 26 as Emergency Relief Deadline
Tuesday, 25 January, 2005 | 22:10 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Indonesian government has set March 26, 2005, as the deadline for emergency relief implementation in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) and North Sumatra provinces.

“On March 26, we will move forward towards the stage of rehabilitation and reconstruction in Aceh,” said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his opening speech at the CNBC Strategic Forum seminar in Jakarta on Monday (24/01).

On March 26, according to President Yudhoyono, the government hopes to have completed the burial of hundreds of thousands of bodies, the relocation of refugees, the construction of better refugee camps, and the construction of houses for the Acehenese.

He went on to say that by then, he hoped that any possible epidemics had been prevented and that construction of vital infrastructure had begun.
The president also said that the government would carry out the rehabilitation and reconstruction stages based on the needs of the Acehnese and the government’s capability.

”One thing for sure, we expect the Acehnese regional government will be able to carry out its full administrative functions during this stage,” said Yudhoyono.

The president also guaranteed that the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Aceh shall be the main priority of the government in the upcoming years.

“However, the government must also guarantee that it can carry out all programs aimed at reaching national objectives. These include improving economic growth, creating work opportunities and eradicating poverty,” said the president. (Amal Ihsan-Tempo News Room)