KUALA LUMPUR: Taiwan yesterday made a US$100,000 (RM356,000) donation in support of various flood recovery efforts made by the people and government of Malaysia.

Jeffery Kau, the acting head of mission and representative at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia expressed his sincerest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the victims of last month’s floods during the cheque presentation ceremony here.

At the press conference, Kau said when his office first heard of the terrible news of the floods, considered to be among the worst in the history, they contacted several Malaysia agencies and asked them if there was anything “we could do to assist the rescue and relief efforts”. “We also immediately donated RM10,000 to related NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to aide their rescue and relief works. Later my office assisted the expert flood-relief teams dispatched from Taiwan, which comprised 31 rescue experts, to go to the worst-hit areas in Malaysia to assist the rescue efforts.”

“In the meantime, the Malaysia chapters of Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and Fo Guang Shan (Buddha’s Light Mountain) also dispatched rescue workers to worst-hit areas to assist in rescue and relief works.”

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia then donated RM5,000 to Fo Guang Shan and Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation respectively for purchasing relief goods.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to East Asia Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing were on hand to witness the donation. 

Tiong said the Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation had also donated more than 30 tonnes of instant rice and 1,008 rollaway beds as relief supplies. 

Shahidan said he has solid proof of illegal logging and land-clearing activities in Gua Musang, one of the causes for the heavy floods in Kelantan recently. In addition, the Taipei Investors’ Association in Malaysia made a RM50,000 donation to the Malaysian government for flood relief work. Its president Datuk Allen Chiang made the donation.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on January 16, 2015.