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Taiwan to aid rebirth of Aceh university

Taiwan will help rebuild a university in Indonesia's tsunami-devastated Aceh Province, a spokesman for Taiwan's representative office in Jakarta said on Tuesday.

Taiwan has donated a large amount of money and relief goods and sent rescue and medical personnel to help with post-disaster rehabilitation programs in Aceh, one of the hardest-hit areas in last December's catastrophe.

Because education plays a key role in social development, the spokesman said, Taiwan would help rebuild the university in Aceh to allow its residents the chance to receive a better education.

Staff at Taiwan's representative office arrived in the provincial capital Banda Aceh on Tuesday to conduct a field study and negotiations with Indonesian officials there, the spokesman said.

Over the past year, a number of Taiwanese non-governmental organizations have sent volunteers to help with post-disaster relief work in Aceh. Among them are two Buddhist groups -- the Tzu Chi and Dharma Drum Mountain foundations.

Taiwan's representative to Indonesia Lin Yung-lo (林永樂) is scheduled to arrive in Aceh on Sunday to attend a Buddhist ritual in memory of tsunami victims.

Lin will also attend a memorial service sponsored by the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, Taiwan's largest charity, in Banda Aceh. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will officiate at the service.
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