The Malaysian government announced it will provide RM500 (approximately $121) in financial assistance to each Indonesian student currently studying in Malaysia whose families have been affected by devastating floods and landslides across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra provinces that struck in late November 2025.
The Prime Minister's Office emphasized that this contribution represents a gesture of goodwill and friendship between the neighboring nations, with affected Indonesian students instructed to register with their respective educational institutions to enable coordinated distribution of assistance according to individual needs.
The Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency reported that as of December 10, the catastrophic disaster has claimed 969 lives with 252 people still missing, while damaging at least 158,000 houses across 52 affected provinces throughout Sumatra.
Malaysia expressed its sympathy and condolences to the Indonesian government and people for the tragedy, pledging to stand in solidarity with affected communities during this exceptionally difficult period of recovery and reconstruction.
Separately, Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Fauzan announced the domestic government has allocated $4.4 million (Rp75.9 billion) to cover living expenses for students and lecturers impacted by the disaster, part of broader mitigation programs for 60 universities critically affected across the three Sumatran provinces.
