ASEAN committed to coordinating donations for Japan

Jakarta - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries were committed to coordinating donations for Japan, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said.

"All ASEAN member countries have of course distributed donations to Japan but this meeting is aimed at finding a better coordination within ASEAN to ensure a regional donation," he said.

Speaking at ASEAN plus Japan`s foreign ministerial meeting here Saturday, he said all ASEAN member states had ever felt Japan`s generosity when natural disasters hit those countries.

This time, Japan got difficulties after being hit by the tremendous disasters of earthquake, tsunami, and leaked nuclear at the same time.

In response to this reality, the ASEAN member countries wanted to provide Japan with not only financial and human resource assistance but also with policies, Marty Natalegawa said.

The engagements of such related ministries as agriculture, trade, and tourism were needed to enable ASEAN to provide Japan with comprehensive assistance so that the country could immediately recover from the impacts of disasters, he said.

"The ASEAN people`s involvements are also important through such activities as sending cultural mission to entertain the people of Japan ...," he said.

Referring to Indonesia`s experience in handling the impacts of 2004 earthquake and tsunami, it was important to build regional capacity in responding to tremendous natural disasters, he said.

ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said what was currently needed was mid-and-long-term policies on how to help Japan rebuild its industries which had linkages with those of ASEAN member states.

The production networks of ASEAN member countries and Japan had existed for 40 years, such as car and electronic industries. The linkages had evidently given positive contributions to ASEAN, he said.

Therefore, the trade, industry and tourism ministries in ASEAN member countries need to help Japan recover from the impacts of natural disasters, he said.

For Japan, 10 member states of ASEAN are the second biggest trade partners after China.

A deadly and disastrous earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Japan on March 11, killing at least 5,000 people.

As a result of the natural disaster, the country`s nuclear power plant in Fukushima developed a leak.

In response to this deadly disaster, the Indonesian government had sent a disaster mitigation team and two million US dollars in relief aid.

According to Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the 11-member disaster mitigation team had left on March 17, and the government donated the relief aid funds amounting to two million US dollars.

source : antaranews.com