- VIVAnews/ Denny Armandhanu
VIVAnews – Newly appointed Japan’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Yoshinori Katori, acknowledged being touched deeply by the sympathy of Indonesian children to Japan related to the tsunami that hit Japan last March.
“We received a lot of supports from Indonesian people. A lot of Indonesian children sent letters of support that really touched our heart,” said Katori.
During his first press conference as ambassador yesterday, Katori read out a letter send by junior high school students in Aceh for the tsunami survivors. Aceh was hit by tsunami in 2004, when more than 120,000 people died.
“Aceh loves you. You are not alone. When you’re sad, we are also. When you laugh, we also do. Keep the spirit up! Gambare!” said Katori, reading a letter from an Acehnese schoolchild.
A letter of sympathy also came from a child who survived the 2006 earthquake in Yogyakarta. The child now dwells in Arrahmah orphanage in Yogyakarta. Katori read out the letter.
“I also experienced an earthquake in 2006. I lost my home and my mother,” says the child as written in the letter.
“In spite of the calamity, we are still motivated to study. We are sure that you all can also build your houses. My message to you: keep the spirit up and show that you can build your country!” says the letter.
The earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale devastated eastern part of Japan. It is reported that the number victims reached tens of thousand. According to World Bank’s data, the total of loss Japan suffered was US$235 billion, or around Rp2,000 trillion, putting the disaster as the costliest throughout history.
Translated by Indah Lestari
Setelah 9 Tahun, Jemaah Haji Iran Akhirnya Diperbolehkan Datang ke Mekah
Warga Iran mulai menunaikan ibadah haji sejak Teheran dan Riyadh menyetujui kesepakatan yang ditengahi Tiongkok tahun lalu untuk memulihkan hubungan.
