Makassar (ANTARA) - Bank Indonesia (BI) has helped.a resident of Gowa District, South Sulawesi Province, exchange currency notes that were damaged in a fire that destroyed his home, an official informed on Monday.

"Following the fire incident at the house of a resident in Alluka hamlet, Jipang village, Bontonompo Sub-district, Gowa District, some time ago, we replaced the burnt money," Head of the South Sulawesi Representative Office of Bank Indonesia Causa Iman Karana said in Makassar.

The rupiah banknotes kept in the house of the fire victim was intended for wedding dowry, which is locally known as panaik money, he added.

Following the fire, BI’s South Sulawesi Representative Office helped the affected resident by exchanging the damaged banknotes for new ones free of charge, he said.

BI lays down several conditions for the exchange and replacement of damaged rupiah notes. First, the damaged notes must be larger than two-thirds of the regular physical rupiah notes in terms of size, and they must bear the authentic characteristics of Indonesian currency.

Second, the damaged currency must still be a single unit, with or without a complete serial number; or, if the damaged currency is not a single unit, both serial numbers on it must be complete and similar.

As per records, Rp27.350 million (US$1,824.37) was brought by the Gowa resident to the BI representative office.

Referring to the bank’s stipulations and based on the results of a physical examination of the damaged rupiah notes, the representative office provided Rp25.6 million (US$1,707) in exchange for the money.

However, 15 banknotes of Rp100 thousand denomination and five banknotes of Rp50 thousand denomination, totaling Rp1.750 million (US$116.73), could not be exchanged because they did not meet the conditions for exchange.

Karana appealed to people whose rupiah notes have been damaged—either because they have been burnt, partially torn, or defaced due to other reasons—to visit the money exchange service counter at the nearest Bank Indonesia office right away for further observation and analysis.

"In this case, if the damaged rupiah currency meets the applicable terms and conditions for money exchange, Bank Indonesia will provide a replacement free of charge," he reiterated.

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Translator: Suriani Mappong, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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