Published on: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 |
PUTRAJAYA: Jan 31 is the cut-off date for accepting of donations by all funds set up to help the tsunami victims in the country, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Monday.
Donations destined for victims overseas would continue to be accepted for a while longer, he told reporters after chairing a meeting of the National Disaster Management and Relief Committee, here.
The committee adopted several other decisions at its meeting Monday, including the provision of aid for survivors whose household goods were damaged in the disaster, and the need for people whose relatives had gone missing abroad in the tragedy to lodge police reports locally.
Najib said the decision to impose the cut-off date was taken to prevent unscrupulous people from taking advantage of the huge sum of almost RM80 million that had been collected to date.
He said RM38.8 million of the total sum had been handed over to the National Disaster Relief Fund for disbursement to the victims of the tsunami, which killed 68 people in northwestern Malaysia and more than 234,000 across Asia and Africa on Dec 26 after it was triggered by a massive undersea earthquake off Sumatra island in Indonesia.
"For the victims abroad, we will give more time, especially because people want to contribute in kind to the tsunami victims in Aceh (Indonesia)," he said.
Najib said the meeting was informed that about RM10 million in aid had been given out to the local tsunami victims since the day of the disaster.
He also directed that all announced aid, including for the victims whose houses and boats were damaged or destroyed, be given out before this weekend. An additional category of aid was also decided Monday, for those whose household items were damaged in the disaster. "Those who incurred losses of RM2,000 and more will be paid RM2,000 per house and those who lost less than RM2,000 will get RM1,000," he said.
The committee also decided that people whose family members went missing, during the disaster, whether in the country or overseas, should lodge a police report.
Najib said a person gone missing in the country, about whom a police report had been lodged and which is confirmed by the district officer, would be considered to have died and the next-of-kin would be eligible for government aid of RM20,000.
The committee also approved aid from the National Disaster Relief Fund for the fishermen who had to replace their boats so that they would not be saddled with huge repayment bills.
The Deputy Prime Minister also said the meeting approved a proposal by the Syarikat Perumahan Negara (SPN) to build 1,066 permanent houses -- 900 in Penang, 126 in Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah, and 40 in Langkawi, for the disaster victims at a cost of RM62 million.
Najib said the victims had to pay only one-third of the estimated cost of RM50,000 for a unit. One-third would be subsidised by the Government and the remaining third would be borne by the National Disaster Relief Fund.
He considered the monthly payment of about RM50, to be paid by the occupants, as reasonable as the houses were of quality and their built-up area was not less than 1,000 sq ft.
Najib said the SPN would repair 523 damaged houses in Kedah and Penang, and that Class F contractors had been appointed to complete the job in a month.-Bernama
