VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian military commander Marshal TNI Hadi Tjahjanto (middle) inspects a consignment of humanitarian aid prior to its deployment to Fiji. (ANTARA/HO-TNI Public Relations)

The Indonesian Military (TNI) headquarter will dispatch 12.9 tons of humanitarian aid to Fiji to help communities affected by cyclone Harold, which made landfall last month in the South Pacific country.

TNI will deploy a Hercules aircraft belonging to the national air force for transporting the aid to Suva, the capital of Fiji.

The aircraft will leave early tomorrow morning (May 13, 2020) from the Halim Perdanakumuna airport and is expected to land in Fiji at 10 p.m. local time on Thursday. The flight route will be Jakarta-Makassar-Merauke-New Caledonia-Suva.

"The 12.9 tons of humanitarian aid comprising basic necessities for the people of Fiji is from the government and all Indonesians," said military commander Marshal TNI Hadi Tjahjanto in a statement, after an aid deployment ceremony on Tuesday in Jakarta.

The aid, which comprises food and beverages, as well as items such as tents, towels, and blankets, is part of the support pledged by the Indonesian Embassy in Suva on an earlier instance.

"Indonesia's current situation and the hardships (faced) during the COVID-19 pandemic have not reduced our humanitarian spirit to provide support to the people of Fiji, who may have experienced worse things," Tjahjanto added.

Cyclone Harold battered Fiji on April 8 this year, as well as other island nations in the region such as Vanuatu and Solomon Island. It destroyed several buildings and injured people in the capital, Suva.

The cyclone, whose strength ranked in the highest category among five other cyclones, with wind speed reaching 200 kilometers per hour, has worsened the situation in Fiji since the pandemic hit the island nation. (ANTARA)