Home>News Center>China
       
 

China joins mourning of tsunami victims
By Zhu Zhe (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-12-27 06:02

Chinese civil society yesterday joined the rest of the world in mourning the devastating human loss caused by the tsunami a year ago and reaffirmed its commitment to helping reconstruction efforts in hard-hit countries.

Help ranges from the resettlement of the homeless to the rebuilding of harbours, schools and hospitals in almost all 13 affected countries, said the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), the country's leading charity organization.

"We collected donations of 443 million yuan (US$ 54.7 million) for the tsunami, and about 260 million yuan (US$ 32.1 million) has been used for relief and reconstruction work," Jiang Yiman, RCSC vice-president, said yesterday.


An Australian official tosses a wreath into the sea as survivors and relatives of the December 26, 2004 victims mark the first anniversary of the disaster at Patong beach, in Phuket, southern Thailand, Monday December 26, 2005. [AFP]

Figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs show that about 665 million yuan (US$82.1 million) has been collected for the tsunami-stricken countries.

"It's the biggest donation by Chinese civil society for other countries," Jiang said. "Strict auditing systems will make sure every penny is used properly."

In Sri Lanka, where over 35,000 people lost their lives and up to 800,000 became destitute, construction of the China-Sri Lanka Friendship Village has been progressing smoothly in the worst-affected Galle area with RCSC funding.

Permanent shelters for 470 homeless families in the village are being built, and 70 of them have moved to new homes recently. Construction of a school, a medical centre and a Buddhist temple will be completed by the end of next year.

In Indonesia, land has been allocated for the China-Indonesia Friendship Village, which is to provide permanent shelters to 350 families in Aceh, the most-seriously-affected region. Construction is expected to start early next spring, according to the RCSC.

A friendship village with 86 homes is planned in Maldives; disaster-preparedness centres will be built in Myanmar; and construction of a hospital in Thailand is scheduled to start next February with the support of the RCSC.

Jiang said availability of land remains the major obstacle for rehabilitation work.

"It's very difficult to acquire land to build permanent shelters in the affected countries as most of the land is private," she said, adding that some international charity groups had given up their plans to build permanent homes.

K. Dissanayake, minister and deputy chief of the Sri Lanka Embassy in China, said his government is trying its best to solve the problem, but acquiring land is a complex procedure.

"We truly appreciate help from China," he said. "The Chinese Government also took the lead in granting debt relief and provided grants, loans and other forms of assistance such as training."

Dissanayake said Sri Lanka received at least 100 million yuan (US$12.3 million) in cash and material assistance from the Chinese Government.

(China Daily 12/27/2005 page1)



Harbin Ice & Snow World
Two-year old mother and its 13 doggy babies
Bar fire leaves 26 dead, 11 wounded in Guangdong
  Today's Top News     Top China News
 

Treatment for human infection of bird flu developed

 

   
 

US$35.8 billion of funds abused this year

 

   
 

China and Japan discuss UN reform

 

   
 

Family of three die in suspected suicide blast

 

   
 

Law to curb gov't power over house relocation

 

   
 

Accident cash funds set up by coal mines

 

   
  Christmas Day bar fire kills 26 in China
   
  China, Japan talks on UN reform highlight rift
   
  Four new Party secretaries appointed
   
  Contaminated water returning to safe level
   
  Mainland's top cross-Straits negotiator dies
   
  NPC moves to abolish agricultural tax
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  It is time to prepare for Beijing - 2008  
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement