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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)
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