Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) encouraged Chinese
citizens and non-governmental organizations to donate to the
tsunami-hit Asian countries Saturday.
After earthquakes and tsunamis devastated southeast Asian
countries in the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26, Chinese people from all
walks of life and non-governmental organizations across the country
have rushed to offer help, according to an emergency notice
released by the MCA on Saturday.
So far, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) has
transferred US$660,000 to the disaster-stricken regions, and
another 20 million yuan (US$24.2 million) will come soon, said Shi
Jiefang, director of RCSC Relief and Health Department, on
Saturday.
China Charity Federation (CCF) and other grassroots NGOs also
started various emergency campaigns to secure donations from the
Chinese people, enterprises and institutions, who have voiced a
strong wish to help the tsunami-hit regions on the online Bulletin
boards and in letters to Chinese media.
In order to make sure the grassroots donations more organized
and to reach the needy effectively, a special office has been
established Saturday in MCA with vice Minister Jia Zhibang as the
director to coordinate grassroots donation works and inform the
public of progresses in the regard.
RCSC, CCF and their local operations as well as civil affairs
departments at various levels will be responsible for receiving
donations. Other donation-collecting organizations should pass on
the money they collect to the above designated bodies, said the
notice.
The document also stressed the all donations should be made
willingly.
Considering situations in the disaster-hit regions, only
monetary aid are received and materials will be declined.
According to the notice, RCSC and CCF networks should count
donations and report results to the MCA before 3:00?PM on a
daily basis and MCA be responsible for informing the public of the
overall donation statistics since Jan. 4, said MCA official Zou
Ming.
The MCA also vows to tighten control on collection and
channeling of grassroots donations according to the Chinese law and
regulations as well as invite media and public supervision on
relevant works. Illegal collection or misuse of donations will be
punished severely, said the notice.
RCSC and CCF also publicized their donation-receiving accounts
in both Renminbi and foreign currencies Saturday.
Donors may access the Renminbi accounts set by the two charity
organizations with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), numbered
0200001009014413252 (RCSC) and 0200002809014450409 (CCF)
respectively. Donations in foreign currencies should be transferred
to RCSC's account with CITIC Industrial Bank (No.
7112111482600000209) and CCF's account with Bank of China (No.
00914908241014).
People can also contact RCSC and CCF for donation issues at
86-10-65139999 and 86-10-66083191 respectively.
So far, the
All-China
Youth Federation and the Chinese Juveniles Development
Foundation have donated 1 million yuan (about US$120,482) to young
people in disaster-hit areas, while the
All-China Federation of
Trade Unions have sent over 3 million yuan (US$361,447) to
union organizations in tsunami-ravaged countries.
China's electronic manufacturer TCL group donated another 3
million yuan through RCSC while the Huawei Company gave Thailand,
Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Bangladesh each communication equipment
worth US$500,000 to support their post-disaster construction.
Buddhists from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan donated a total
of 9.93 million yuan (US$1.2 million) at a prayer service Saturday
afternoon to the tsunami-hit countries in South and Southeast
Asia.
"We gather here on the first day of New Year to pray for no more
disasters and to show our commitment to helping the victims getting
through the disaster," said Monk Sheng Hui, vice-president of the
Buddhist Association of China.
More than one thousand monks and disciples from the Chinese
mainland and Taiwan attended the prayer service held at Lingguang
Temple on the western skirt of Beijing on the first day of
2005.
Temples from Chinese mainland and Taiwan donated 9.51 million yuan
and monks and disciples at the service donated 420,000 yuan in cash
on the spot, according to the Buddhist Association.
The donations were entrusted to RCSC to send to the eight
tsunami-hit countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and
Thailand.
??
The Buddhist Association of China sent condolences to the
Buddhist organizations in tsunami-hit countries on Dec. 28, 2004
after last Sunday's earthquake and tsunamis that ravaged countries
around the Indian Ocean.
Second aid shipment to be sent Sunday
China will carry out its second batch of humanitarian aid to the
tsunami-hit countries on Jan. 2, the Foreign Ministry said
Saturday.
Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing presided over a meeting Saturday
with officials from other ministries on the assistance work to the
countries suffered from last Sunday's earthquake-triggered
tsunami.
The meeting said the first batch of spot exchange and relief
supplies had already arrived in relevant countries. The additional
500 million yuan (US$60.46 million) in humanitarian aid which
Premier Wen Jiabao announced to offer for the earthquake- and
tsunami-hit countries will be carried out "orderly according to
their requirement."
The Ministry
of Commerce will be responsible for allocating relief supplies,
while the Ministry of Civil Affairs will deliver in time the
donation of Chinese non-governmental organizations and people to
the correlated organizations of the disaster countries such as the
Red Cross.
A new medical treatment team which is set up by the Ministry of
Health and some other experts dispatched by relevant departments
have been packed up and ready to set out.
(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2005)
