Australian PM Visits Indonesia Tsunami Zone
Australian Prime Minister John Howard, whose government made the largest pledge of aid to tsunami-stricken nations, toured ravaged Aceh province to meet with patients and doctors, Wednesday, February 2, 2005, as Indonesia said it had buried 110,000 victims. Of the $8 billion in public and private pledges to nations hit by the December 26 tsunami, Australia's government promised $815 million. Its military was among the first to respond with 1,000 Australian Defense Force personnel in Sumatra.