VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Indonesian government on Monday dispatched humanitarian aid for the people affected by Tropical Cyclone Mocha in Rakhine State of Myanmar last May.

The humanitarian aid was sent off directly by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy and Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Lt. Gen. Suharyanto at Soekarno Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten, on Monday.

They were accompanied by representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Indonesian delegations.

"This aid delivery is held based on the instruction of President Joko Widodo in response to the aid request official letter delivered by Myanmar to Indonesia," Effendy informed.

The aid worth US$525,464 is in the form of 45 tons of logistics supplies and equipment, comprising tarpaulins, family tents, refugee tents, carpentry tools, instant foods, hygiene kits, blankets, mattresses, and generators, the minister said.

"In addition, Indonesia has also provided a Herculean aircraft carrier to bring AHA Center (ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management) aid from Subang, Malaysia, to Yangon," he added.

According to Effendy, Indonesia has provided the aid to Myanmar as part of its humanitarian solidarity effort in the region as well as in its capacity as the chair of 2023 ASEAN.

"Earlier, similar humanitarian aid was also delivered by Indonesia in 2011 when Myanmar was struck by a flood," he informed.

Suharyanto led the direct aid handover to humanitarian representatives from Myanmar on Monday at 2 p.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB).

The aid was transported on Garuda Indonesia GA 8560 and My Indo Airlines airplanes which were scheduled to arrive at Yangon International Airport, Myanmar, at 5 p.m. local time the same day.

Tropical Cyclone Mocha devastated building infrastructure and public facilities in most of Rakhine state. As per temporary data and estimates, around 1.23 million people were affected by the disaster and 70 percent of Rakhine state was damaged in the cyclone.

The rainy season further exacerbated the situation, with 90 percent of public facilities experiencing severe damage. (Antaranews)