Medan – The Medan City Government (Pemkot) has returned aid of 30 tons of rice from the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Medan Mayor Rico Waas said the return was made after his party checked the regulations of the central government. “The point is that we have indeed checked the regulations and delivery. We have also checked with BNPB, and the Ministry of Defence, that indeed it has not yet been accepted by all coordination,” Rico said as reported by detiksumut, Thursday (18/12/2025). When asked if there was a warning from the North Sumatran provincial government, Rico did not answer. According to him, the return was made because the central government did not allow foreign aid for disaster victims. Scroll TO CONTENT “Because the government has not received or received assistance from foreign parties. So we return it and later it can be used again. But the city of Medan does not accept it,” he said. Previously, the Medan City government received assistance in the form of 30 tons of rice from the United Arab Emirates government intended for flood victims. The assistance provided by the Government of the United Arab Emirates also took the form of 300 packages each in the form of; basic necessities, baby gear and prayer gear. “Later, this aid will be distributed to residents of Medan City affected by the flood. Medan City itself has not fully recovered, many people are still affected,” Rico Waas said in a written statement on Sunday (12/14). Prabowo says RI is capable of dealing with disasters Previously, President Prabowo Subianto admitted that he had been contacted by a number of heads of friendly countries to offer help for the flood-landslide disaster in Sumatra. Prabowo appreciated the help, but he stressed that Indonesia is capable of dealing with disasters in Sumatra. Initially, Prabowo appreciated the initiative of the Red and White Cabinet Ministers, TNI Commander, National Police Chief and TNI Chief of Staff in dealing with the flood landslide disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra (North Sumatra) and West Sumatra (Sumbar). Prabowo then revealed that there had been offers of help from heads of friendly countries. “So, I was called by many heads of state who wanted to send aid. I said ‘Thank you for your concern, we can do it’. Indonesia is capable of overcoming this,” Prabowo said during a plenary cabinet meeting at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Monday (12/15). Read more here (isa/wnv)