December 28, 2025 | 11:26 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A number of videos claiming that Australia is demanding that Indonesia return Rp13 trillion in Aceh tsunami aid funds were shared on various social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok account 1 [archive], and TikTok account 2 on December 19, 2025.
The content spread as the central government refused to accept foreign aid for the Sumatra disaster. The narrator in the videos stated that foreign aid was fraught with vested interests and should be repaid by Indonesia.
So, is it true that Australia asked Indonesia to return the Aceh tsunami aid funds in 2025?
FACT CHECK
Tempo verified the content using a reverse image search and compared it with reliable sources. The results showed that Australia did not request the return of the Aceh tsunami aid funds in 2025.
The Australian government did contribute approximately Rp13 trillion, consisting of US$250 million in emergency response and reconstruction assistance in Aceh and Nias following the 2004 earthquake and tsunami. This contribution also included a US$1 billion aid package for Indonesia under the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction and Development (AIPRD) program.
In 2015, Prime Minister Tony Abbott invoked this assistance when asking Indonesia to cancel the executions of the Australian "Bali Nine" duo. "I want to say to the people and government of Indonesia that we in Australia are always here to help you, and we hope you will return the favor now," Abbott said at the time, as quoted by Antara.
The executed "Bali Nine" duo were Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. Both were convicted of heroin trafficking and executed by firing squad in Nusa Kambangan on April 29, 2015, along with several other drug convicts, after their clemency requests were rejected by President Joko Widodo.
Tony Abbott's statement offended the people of Aceh. However, to date, the Australian government has never requested the return of the earthquake and tsunami aid.
The video clip circulating occurred when Prabowo Subianto received Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at a hotel in Lima, Peru. The video was uploaded by the Presidential Secretariat account on November 15, 2024.
The meeting did not address Australia's request for Indonesia to return or repay the Rp13 trillion in earthquake and tsunami aid. The two leaders discussed a number of strategic issues in the Indonesia-Australia bilateral relationship and strengthened partnerships in various fields.
Foreign Aid Can Accelerate Sumatra Disaster Recovery
Avianto Amri, Chairperson of the Indonesian Disaster Management Society, stated that receiving foreign aid should be used to accelerate recovery from the Sumatra disaster. This is because the disaster, which struck 52 districts and cities in three provinces in Sumatra, was unprecedented.
The central government's aid of Rp20 billion to each province and Rp4 billion to districts and cities, is considered insufficient to meet the disaster recovery needs, with a death toll of 3.3 million.
According to Avianto, Indonesia's experience receiving international aid during the Aceh tsunami and Palu earthquake was actually aided by global support. "Aid can't just come from the government," he said, as reported by Tempo in its December 16, 2025 edition.
Badrul Irfan, co-founder of the Aceh Natural Forest and Environment Foundation (HAkA), said the public regretted the government's policy of rejecting humanitarian aid from abroad while many areas remained untouched.
"In fact, for almost a month, some areas are still isolated," Badrul told Tempo on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.
CONCLUSION
Based on the results of a fact-check, Tempo's Fact-Checking Team concluded that Australia's claim that the Rp13 trillion in Aceh tsunami aid funds be returned is misleading.
CONCLUSION
Tempo's verification concluded that the narrative alleging that the video shows University of Indonesia student representatives asking the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) to investigate Komnas HAM regarding the Papua issue is false. The video is an AI-generated piece of content.
**Do you have information or claims that you want to have fact-checked? Contact our ChatBot. You can also send criticism, objections, or feedback for this Fact-Checking article via email to [email protected].
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