SINGAPORE : A great spirit of courage, solidarity and generosity
has emerged from the Asian tsunami tragedy.
Singapore's swift response to help disaster areas was also lauded
by officials from affected countries.
Singaporeans from all walks of life chipped in to help rebuild
homes and lives.
The Indonesian Embassy collected some S$200,000 and over 100 tonnes
of relief items in the first three days after the disaster.
It will be raising more funds through a musical performance in
Singapore next month, as well as at the launch of a new association
in April.
Mochamad S. Hidayat, Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore, said: "We
plan to launch what we call an Indonesian-Singaporean Friendship
Association. It is a non-profit association. The main aim is to
promote people-to-people contact and deepen understanding between
the people of the two countries."
The Indonesian Ambassador and Sri Lankan High Commissioner said
Singaporeans have risen to the occasion and provided much help in
their time of need.
Even though it has been a month since the tsunami struck, the
volunteers and pledges are still trickling in to help with the
rebuilding efforts.
Ajit Jayaratne, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Singapore, said:
"Temasek Holdings has offered US$1 million, just to give an
example, that a lot of money is made available by major Singaporean
conglomerate, now Temasek have indicated to us that they are
waiting to go into specific projects which we have to identify for
them."
In the past month, the Sri Lanka High Commission have despatched 23
containers of supplies and some 20 million ruppees to help victims
in its country.
While humanitarian aid have tappered off somewhat, officials say
Singaporeans are now helping with reconstruction efforts. - CNA
