What does Indonesia's population of 221 million people have in common with Hawai'i's 1.2 million people, and why would the governor lead a delegation there? When it comes to the life-and-death issues of bird flu and tsunamis, Hawai'i and Indonesia are united by their mutual vulnerability to these threats.

The question is often asked if these overseas delegations are serious enough not to just be junkets or charm offensives to disguise misuse of taxpayers money. Stated differently: Did Hawai'i's taxpayers get their money's worth during the five-day security mission to Indonesia led by Gov. Linda Lingle and Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, state adjutant general and head of the Hawai'i National Guard? Among other things, the purpose of the mission was to build both personal and institutional relationships in Indonesia that would help Hawai'i in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza, while at the same time facilitating the transfer of technology from Hawai'i to Indonesia for measuring tsunamis in that Pacific region.

The outbreak of bird flu in Southeast Asia has been particularly acute in Indonesia. Ninety-nine cases have been reported in 31 of its 33 provinces, and 79 of those cases resulted in the death of the person contracting the virus from Indonesia's poultry stock. Worldwide, about 312 people have been infected since the outbreak started a couple of years ago. Some epidemiologists predict Indonesia is where human to human transmission of the virus could begin the world pandemic.

Should this happen, the rest of the world could be infected within 4 1/2 months, and Hawai'i much sooner. Dr. Chiyome Fukino, director of the state Department of Health, who was part of the delegation, reported numerous personal and institutional contacts and follow-up plans for cooperation on bird flu in Indonesia.

We were all part of a delegation called the "State Partnership Program" that links countries and states in the U.S. for mutually beneficial purposes. The program began in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s to help strengthen democracy in the newly emerging nations of the former Soviet Union. For example, Ohio was partnered with Hungary and helped that nation democratize as well as earn entry into the European Union. Hawai'i can also learn from the SPP relationship established between Washington state and Mongolia.

The final shape of the Hawai'i SPP program has yet to take place. But a preliminary study group has been formed and is comprised of participants from the state Department of Health, the East-West Center, the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, the state House of Representatives, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the Asian Pacific Center for Security Studies and the Hawai'i National Guard. Members of this group participated in the governor's delegation to Indonesia and are scheduled to meet soon to discuss options for a follow-up plan to implement ongoing cooperation between Hawai'i and Indonesia.

Not only is collaboration and an early alert on an outbreak of avian flu in Indonesia of particular benefit to Hawai'i, it also helps promote better understanding between the United States and Indonesia, a largely Muslim nation.

Indonesia is the world's third-largest democracy with 90 percent of its 221 million people embracing Islam, the largest Muslim grouping in the world. Though Indonesia has small pockets of extremists, it is by and large a moderate Islamic country. It has recently requested that the U.S. Peace Corps send volunteers to its shores, and has been a close friend of the U.S. since becoming a democracy in 1999.

U.S.-Indonesia relations peaked during the Aceh earthquake and tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004, when some 160,000 people were killed or lost at sea. The United States provided a massive humanitarian relief effort that will be long remembered for its rapid response. The fact that the U.S. left Aceh as quickly as it entered was much to the chagrin of some fundamentalists, who had warned that letting the American military into Aceh would result in a longstanding occupation by the U.S. Army.

What can Hawai'i likely expect from a partnership with Indonesia? First and foremost, global cooperation is imperative to combat the toxic virus of avian flu. If we stay engaged with the opportunities afforded us on this mission, Hawai'i should be able to better contain or mitigate the impact human-to-human transmission if an outbreak should occur.

For Indonesia and other countries in the Pacific, replication and improving upon Hawai'i's tsunami early warning is first and foremost. Indonesia has more than 200 earthquakes a year. Since the tragedy in Aceh and the following year in nearby Padang were caused by Indonesia having no early warning system, it is quite keen to set up the latest state-of-the art equipment and technology used by Hawai'i.

The value of these life-saving networks cannot be measured in taxpayer dollars but in how many lives potentially can be saved on both sides of the Pacific. Indonesia and Hawai'i are united by their mutual vulnerabilities, and Hawai'i taxpayers got their money's worth on this trip.

Rep. Gene Ward R-17th (Kalama Valley, Queen's Gate, Hawai'i Kai) wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.