Norway pledges $1m for disaster victims

JAKARTA: The Norwegian ambassasdor says his country will donate US$1 million to help the victims of last month’s
Mentawai Islands tsunami and the ongoing eruption of Mount Merapi.

“In this hard time of challenges and suffering, the Norwegian government and people want to reach out to a close friend and demonstrate our strong solidarity,” Norwegian Ambassador to Indonesia Eivind S. Homme told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Norway’s Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, who visited Indonesia recently, said that the tsunami that struck Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, on Oct. 25 and the recent eruption of Mount Merapi had led to a great need for humanitarian assistance.

“Norway is therefore contributing $1 million, which is being channeled through the Norwegian Red Cross to its Indonesian sister organization,” Stoere said, referring to the Indonesian Red Cross.

Homme said that funds from Norway would be used to support the emergency relief operations and help the Indonesian Red Cross to handle the disasters. — JP