Deutsche Welle is supporting the reconstruction of radio stations in the tsunami-stricken province of Aceh on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This was announced on 20 January in Bonn by Erik Bettermann, the Director-General of Germanys international broadcaster.
Bettermann said that Deutsche Welle has been working in partnership with a number of broadcasters, primarily small FM stations, in northern Sumatra for over 40 years. Most of the stations eight in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh and in the city of Meulaboh were entirely destroyed by the tsunami and the quake. In the regions most affected by the catastrophe on the western coast of Sumatra, the devastation has left the survivors with no access to information about aid measures and the general situation in their homeland.
Radio 68 H is one of DWs partner stations in Indonesia. This internationally funded news broadcaster distributes its programmes via satellite to over 400 private radio stations throughout Indonesia. Every day, Radio 68 H broadcasts one hour of the DW-RADIO / Indonesian Service and is planning to rebuild a number of radio stations in Aceh.
Director-General Bettermann announced that DW will provide funds for the construction of up to nine new radio transmitters. In addition, with the help of sponsors, Germanys international broadcaster is planning to purchase 1,000 radios and distribute them in the reception camps of the province. In view of the destruction of the media infrastructure, this measure is aimed to help get information to the people about developments in the region.
A staff member from the Indonesian Service of DW-RADIO has journeyed to the northernmost province of the island of Sumatra to coordinate the aid measures, reported Bettermann.
Expansion of the broadcasting time of DW-RADIOs Indonesian Service would be desirable under these circumstances. Deutsche Welle is capable of satisfying the enormous interest of the population in reliable information on local events. As soon as additional funds are made available for this, we will temporarily expand the Service, said DWs Director-General.
The current programmes of the Indonesian Service of DW-RADIO report exhaustively about the situation in the crisis region. DW-RADIO / Indonesian broadcasts 50 minutes of programming twice a day via shortwave and satellite (ASIASAT 2) and is also present on the Internet (www.dw-world.de/indonesia). The province of Aceh, which continues to be assailed by civil war, will remain a focal point of reporting. Deutsche Welle hopes to continue its close cooperation with its partner stations there and hence also make an important contribution to media and freedom of information in the region. Three weeks after the catastrophe, according to international observers, the situation in northern Sumatra is again intensifying. Aid workers are apprehensive about the initial clashes between Indonesian military leadership and rebel groups in the catastrophe region in spite of the ceasefire agreed in late December.