The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Monday approved a relief fund of 1.5 million HK dollars (US$192,000) to a charity organization for emergency relief to earthquake victims in Indonesia.

 

The new relief efforts from the Disaster Relief Fund has brought the HKSAR government's total grants for Indonesian earthquake victims to 10.38 million HK dollars (US$1.33 million) since this month.

 

Earlier in June, the HKSAR government has allocated four disbursements totaling 8.88 million HK dollars for emergency relief to earthquake victims in Yogyakarta and Central Java Province, Indonesia.

 

The new relief fund was granted on the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee, according to a press release on the government's website.

 

To ensure that the money will be used for the designated purposes, the committee will ask Mercy Corps Limited, the charity organization undertaken the relief fund, to submit an evaluation report and an audited account on the use of the grant after the relief project has been completed.

 

The Disaster Relief Fund of Hong Kong was established in December 1993 for emergency disaster relief in places outside Hong Kong. The Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee is responsible for advising the Government on the policy and practices regarding the disbursement of funds for disaster relief, advising on specific amounts to specific recipients, and monitoring the use of grants.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 20, 2006)