Hong Kong will send another search and rescue team to Sichuan Province to help earthquake victims, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said?Thursday, while more Hong Kong organizations and individuals made donations on the same day.
Speaking at his Legislative Council question-and-answer session, Tsang said the volunteer team of government officers led by a Fire Services Department senior divisional officer, and an initial assessment team of the Hospital Authority, have arrived in Sichuan Province. Taking their initial assessment into consideration, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government will send another 20-member rescue team Thursday night.
Tsang added that more manpower and resources will be deployed if required.
Thanking lawmakers for their swift approval of 300 million HK dollars (38.51 million US dollars) to help the quake victims, Tsang called on Hong Kong people to help the country overcome this difficult time.
By 4:00?PM Thursday, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR had received public donations from organizations and individuals worth more than 112.98 million HK dollars (about 14.50 million US dollars) and 20,000 Renminbi yuan to help victims in the earthquake-hit areas in Sichuan Province, southwest China.
From Tuesday to Thursday, the donation received by the office aggregated to more than 255 million HK dollars (32.73 million US dollars) and 30.52 million Renminbi yuan (about 4.37 million US dollars).
Oxfam Hong Kong said Thursday that its team are at work in four locations in Sichuan and Gansu provinces, focusing on assisting survivors in remote rural areas. The agency has committed 12 million HK dollars (1.5 million US dollars) for the massive relief and rehabilitation effort.
As of 10:00 a.m. Thursday, Oxfam Hong Kong has received over 5.52 million HK dollars (about 707,000 US dollars) in donations.
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) Chairman Ronald Arculli presents Thursday a cheque for 5 million HK dollars (about 641,849 U.S. dollars) from HKEx to the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, to support relief efforts in areas affected by Monday's quake.
The HKSAR government has approved two grants from the Disaster Relief Fund totaling 11 million HK dollars (about 1.41 million US dollars) to two relief agencies to undertake relief projects for earthquake victims. These grants are further to a disbursement of 300 million HK dollars (about 38.51 million US dollars) made earlier for the relief headquarters of the Central Government to provide emergency relief to victims affected by the earthquake in Sichuan Province. It takes the total value of grants for earthquake victims on the mainland to 311 million HK dollars (about 39.92 million US dollars).
A spokesman for the HKSAR government said Thursday that this had been made possible under a fast-track mechanism set up on the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee (DRFAC) for the HKSAR government to process applications from relief organizations for grants to provide relief to the earthquake victims more expeditiously.
"It is hoped that the grants -- one of 7.5 million HK dollars to Hong Kong Red Cross and one of 3.5 million HK dollars to The Amity Foundation -- will help provide relief to earthquake victims in Sichuan Province," he said.
"To ensure that the money will be used for the designated purposes, the relief agencies have been asked to submit evaluation reports and audited accounts on the use of the grants after the relief projects have been completed," the spokesman said.
The quake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, rocked the Wenchuan County of China's Sichuan Province at 2:28?PM on Monday.
More than 50,000 people are feared dead in Sichuan Province alone in the earthquake, the rescue headquarters of the State Council said on Thursday.
(Xinhua News Agency May 16, 2008)
