GOVT EARMARKS RP400 MILLION FOR FOREST FIRE MANAGEMENT COOPERATION WITH JAPAN

Jakarta, June 18 (ANTARA) - The government, through the Forestry Ministry, has set aside Rp400 million in funds for cooperation in forest fire management with Japan in 2008.

"Through the cooperation, we hope Japan will grant more than 500 million yen.
Last year Japan gave us 300 million yen for the cooperation," director for
forest fire management at the directorate general of forest protection and
natural conservation (PHKA) Soni Partono said here on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after opening a workshop on Joint Japan-Indonesia
Studies on Forest Fire Management , Partono said the Japanese government was
planning to grant 500 million yen (around Rp6 billion) for forest fire
management in Indonesia this year.

He said Indonesia and Japan have long been cooperating in forest fire
management and in 2007 Tokyo granted some 300 million yen for trainings on how
to prevent forest fires.

The cooperation this year, according to him, is targeted at forest fire
management in Jambi, Riau, and West Kalimantan in addition to observation in
the provinces of Northe Sumatra, Jambi, Riau, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan,
Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and South Sulawesi.