Lu gives cash to Paraguay

Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday that she has raised US$20,000 in relief funds to help victims of a large fire in Paraguay earlier this month.

Lu the money to Paraguayan Ambassador Ramon Diaz Pereira at a news conference, dubbed "Taiwan Heart, World Love."

The money was jointly donated by several private groups, Lu said, adding that the donation epitomizes Taiwanese people's love and concern for the victims of the fire in Paraguay.

A fire swept through a busy shopping center on the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay's capital, at midday on Aug. 1, killing 380 shoppers.

A prosecutor in Asuncion told reporters on Tuesday that investigations show that grease and charcoal buildup in a chimney ignited when cooks were preparing meat at high temperatures on a grill in a restaurant in the shopping area.

Lu urged local people to support a program she started several years ago to aid impoverished children at home and abroad.

Under program, Lu said, private groups and individuals have sponsored 500 children from poor families in Paraguay, the nation's sole diplomatic ally in South America.

Lu she hopes more people can help to sponsor children from poor families in Taiwan and in the country's diplomatic allies.

"Through this sponsorship program, we can disseminate our love abroad," Lu said.