International community pledges more relief efforts for tsunami victims
31/12/2004 14:51
The international community pledged more relief efforts for
tsunami-devastated South and Southeast Asian countries Thursday as the death
toll from the worst earthquake and tsunamis climbed to over 115,000. UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the international community has pledged and
disbursed around US$500 million for relief efforts and he was "satisfied" with
such a good response. More than 30 countries and millions of individuals have
stepped forward to help, he added. On Jan. 6, Annan is due to launch an appeal
for long-term assistance for the tsunami-hit countries. UN spokesman Fred
Eckhard said the World Bank has pledged to allocate US$250 million for relief
efforts after the devastating tidal waves. Eckhard said the fund was
announced by World Bank President James Wolfensohn in a phone conversation with
Annan earlier Thursday. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu
Jianchao told a news conference that China, which has already donated 21.63
million yuan (about US$2.615 million) worth of relief goods, will increase its
emergency assistance in terms of both goods and monetary donations. Liu said
China will send 100-odd-member medical team to tsunami- ravaged Indonesia, and
the Ministry of Health will organize many other experts to fly to disaster-hit
regions Thursday. Early Friday, a Chinese quake rescue team arrived in Medan,
Indonesia, to help emergency aid efforts there. They will leave for Aceh
Province later in the day. The Red Cross Society of China has also decided to
offer another emergent donation totaling US$340,000 for six severely tsunami-hit
countries. It called on the whole country to provide humanitarian aid for
those disaster-hit countries, and asked the red cross at all levels to raise
donation. Also on Thursday, US President George W. Bush has called Sri Lankan
President Chandrika Kumaratunga and conveyed his shock at and concern about the
disaster wrought by the tsunami in Sri Lanka. "The United States will
continue to stand with the affected governments as they care for the victims. We
will stand with them as they start to rebuild their communities. I assure those
leaders that this is just only the beginning of our help," he said. US
Secretary of State Colin Powell, on behalf of Bush, went to embassies of
Thailand and Sri Lanka in Washington to express sympathy and extend condolences
to the peoples of the two countries. Following American pledge to offer US$35
million in aid to nations devastated by the massive earthquake and tsunami,
Powell said, "Much more money will follow as the need is determined as we see
how best to use these resources." Powell will visit the countries devastated
by the tsunami disaster, said a White House spokesman, adding that President
Bush 's brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, will join the visit to assess the
need for assistance. British charities announced on Thursday that they have
so far raised 15 million pounds (about US$28.9 million) in aid for Asian tsunami
victims. The amount matched the sum pledged by the British government, which
said Wednesday that it was sending 15 million pounds to ease the suffering of
the survivors of the tidal waves. In Paris, the French Foreign Ministry said
in a statement that France's aid for victims of the Asian tsunamis rose to 41.3
million euros (US$56.17 million). According to the statement, 21.3 million
euros are emergency aid, which was distributed among Sri Lanka, Thailand, the
Maldives, Indonesia and India. Another 20 euros are to be allocated to
prevent epidemic risks, said the Foreign Ministry. French President Jacques
Chirac also asked his government "to press for the principle of a debt
moratorium within the Paris Club for the countries" and to double the emergency
aid already mobilized to help to fight epidemic threats. In Ottawa, Canadian
Defense Minister Bill Graham told reporters the Canadian federal government is
following a "multilateral, multidisciplinary and multifaceted" approach to
relief efforts. That includes the 40 million Canadian dollars (about US$33
million) in aid announced so far, as well as the imminent departure of a
17-member reconnaissance team charged with determining the need for Canada's
crack military emergency response unit. Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew
also said Canada is freezing debt repayment for the hardest-hit
countries. The Portuguese government on Thursday announced the donation of 8
million euros (US$10.8 million) to help the tsunami victims. Mexico said it
will donate US$100,000 for humanitarian- relief tasks in affected
areas. South Korea decided to commit an additional US$3 million in emergency
relief funds for the tsunami-hit countries. Previously, it had promised US$2
million donation. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said a navy ship and
helicopters will be sent to tsunami-hit Indonesia and a field hospital will be
set up in Aceh area. Australia has offered a total of US$35 million (US$27
million) of relief aid to those Asian countries hit by the tsunami
disaster. Japan will consider additional aid to areas in Asia devastated by
Sunday's powerful quake off Indonesia's Sumatra Island and subsequent tsunamis,
said Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura. The country has previously pledged
US$30 million to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Singapore Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the government will raise its relief
contribution from 2 million Singapore dollars (about US$1.2 million) to 5
million Singapore dollars (about US$3 million). Vietnamese Prime Minister
Phan Van Khai decided on Thursday that Vietnam will provide humanitarian aid for
the four countries which were hardest hit by the earthquake and
tsunamis. Indonesia will be provided with US$150,000, and Thailand, India and
Sri Lanka will be granted US$100,000 each, according to a report of the Vietnam
News Agency. Early Sunday, an 8.7-magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean
sent high waves crashing onto the shores of coastal Indonesia, India, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Maldives and Bangladesh, and submerged
villages and towns.
Xinhua
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