Six and a bit years ago, the Boxing Day tsunami and its aftermath showed that Australia and Indonesia, despite the problems that bedevil the bilateral relationship, are true neighbours.
As a relatively new Australian at that time, I was quite taken aback by the speed and size of both the official response and particularly the public response that included a quickly organised telethon, shown live by all three major commercial tv stations.
In a very similar vein, the Taiwan government and public have responded overwhelmingly to Japan's triple disaster.
By some measures, it claims to be the largest provider of assistance.
Photo, of a Japanese friendship garden, by Flickr user Photon Phisher.
