On March 23 (Fri), the Government of Japan decided to extend emergency grant assistance totalling one million dollars (105 million yen) to UNICEF and other international organizations to alleviate the plight of internally displaced persons of the Maluku region of Indonesia. The amount of assistance to each organization is as follows:
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF): 600,000 dollars (63 million yen)
- International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): 180,000 dollars (18,900,000 yen)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): 110,000 dollars (11,550,000 yen)
- World Health Organization (WHO): 110,000 dollars (11,550,000 yen)
Assistance from Japan will be allocated to provide internally displaced persons of the Maluku region through these organizations with medical and health care support and basic necessities including clothes and blankets.
In Indonesia, a large-scale conflict has erupted between Islamic and Christian residents in the Maluku region (Maluku and northern Maluku provinces), triggered by the rioting that broke out in Ambon city in January 1999. According to an announcement by the Government of Indonesia, as of February this year, the conflict has displaced approximately 440,000 people in both Maluku provinces and forced more than 120,000 displaced persons flow out to other provinces. These displaced persons are forced to live in poor hygienic conditions. Against this backdrop, the United Nations issued a consolidated inter-agency appeal in November last year for assistance for the Maluku internally displace persons, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also issued an emergency appeal in December last year, asking the international community for humanitarian assistance. The Government of Japan has decided to contribute funding from a humanitarian viewpoint in response to the above appeals.
In April last year, the Government of Japan extended one million dollars to support the emergency food assistance operation of WFP, and since last year it has been providing approximately 67 million yen in total as grass-roots grant assistance for the internally displaced persons to the local governments and other authorities of both provinces to be utilized for the sea transportation expenses and other purposes in the projects to deliver aid materials.