New Zealand is contributing $1.5 million to help recovery efforts following the devastating tsunami that struck the Sunda Strait, in Indonesia, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says.

The funding is being directed to the International Federation of the Red Cross (ICRC) Emergency Appeal.

“As a near neighbour and close friend of Indonesia, New Zealand understands the dreadful aftermath of this tsunami which compounds a number of significant disasters that have impacted Indonesia in recent months,” Mr Peters says.

Over the last six months, Indonesia has suffered three significant events, the Lombok earthquakes in July and August, the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami in September and now the Sunda Strait tsunami on 22 December.

“This Red Cross Emergency Appeal is considered as an overarching appeal to support the Indonesian Red Cross – Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI) – to deliver assistance and support to the most vulnerable communities affected by these disasters, and to help these communities be better prepared for similar disasters that may happen in the future,” Mr Peters says.

This support will allow the Indonesian Red Cross, which is working alongside the Indonesian Government, to deliver essential humanitarian assistance to an estimated 167,000 people affected by this latest tsunami over the next 30 months.

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