Brunei-US Project In Aceh
By M K Anwar

Bandar Seri Begawan - The country's assistance to tsunami-ravaged Aceh will again be further enhanced as the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to announce a US and Brunei joint project to reconstruct a village in Aceh, Indonesia.

This joint project is part of the initial US-Asean cooperative ventures under the Asean-US Enhanced Partnership launched last year in November by US President George W. Bush and other leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The partnership will provide development opportunities in the political and security, economic, and socio-cultural fields throughout Southeast Asia and furthermore aims to help deepen ties and cooperation between the United States and Asean countries in all fields.

In a press statement, the Joint project involves the rebuilding of houses, a school, a clinic, and related infrastructure to facilitate the displaced people from the tsunami disaster that struck Aceh in 2004.

Led by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Embassy of Brunei in Jakarta, a scoping mission has identified the area of Desa Mon Mata as the potential project site.

The United States and the Government of Brunei Darussalam will work together to help rebuild the infrastructures for the people of Desa Mon Mata. As a safety precaution, the families from Mon Mata have chosen to relocate to a plot of land at a higher elevation near their original village.

USAID and Bruneian representatives are expected to finalise the technical requirements and budget estimate for the project, and jointly develop implementation plans. The US will provide about US$1 million to fund the nearly US$3 million project.

Since rebuilding of the village is based on a communitydriven approach, the US and Bruneian partners will work closely with community leaders to develop village maps and its spatial plans.

This village-rebuilding project will not be the only one that involves Brunei. In January this year a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed which signalled the beginning of a B$2 million `relief package' from the Bruneian people for the tsunami victims.

The MoU was signed between Brunei's Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Pehin Dato Hj Awang Badaruddin, and Governor of Aceh Province, Dr Ir. Mustafa Abu Bakar.

The relief package that has been agreed upon involves the construction of a small community of Mamplam Kecamatan Leupung, an area about 15km from BandaAceh.

The so called "Brunei Village" comprises of 70 units of houses, a unit of a community clinic centre, a religious housing complex to accommodate 160 people, a mosque and a housing complex for orphans.

According to Yayasan officials, more than 50 per cent of the overall project has already been completed.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News

Brunei's Fastest Growing Website with