Malaysia will draft a master plan for the reconstruction of the tsunami-devastated Banda Aceh as a form of assistance to Indonesia, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has said Thursday.

Najib said that he would be accompanied in his visit to Banda Aceh next Monday by town planners who would conduct a survey to facilitate the drafting of the master plan.

"The master plan will be drafted based on traditional design and characteristics of the Acehnese," he told reporters after opening the "Malaysia Strategic Outlook Conference 2005" at a hotel here.

More than 220,000 people were killed or missing in Aceh and some 5,000 square kilometers of areas were leveled by the monster tsunami triggered off by the strong earthquake on Dec. 26 last year.

Malaysia's offer to come up with a master plan for the reconstruction of Banda Aceh put forward by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had been agreed to by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, he said.

The question whether Malaysian contractors would be directly involved in Banda Aceh's reconstruction would be determined later, he said.

Najib said that several cabinet ministers would be in his delegation during his visit to Banda Aceh.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that he would also inspect the site identified by the Indonesian government for the proposed Malaysian relief center project in Banda Aceh.

Malaysia intends to set up such a center to ensure that its assistance extended to the tsunami victims in the Aceh province will be more effective. The center is planned to accommodate between 1,500 and 2,000 Acehnese victims.

Malaysia, which itself suffered extensive damage caused by the giant waves, was among the first nations to respond to the unprecedented catastrophe in Aceh, the Indonesian province.

Malaysian rescue and medical teams were sent to provide emergency relief in Aceh, about 16 hours after the disaster struck. Now the country is continuous to send medical and food relief to the affected area.  

(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2005)