Public and private donations from South Korea and Japan are pouring in following a quake that measured 7.2 on the Richter scale and magnitude 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale that struck Hualien County on Wednesday last week and was felt across Taiwan.
South Korea yesterday pledged a donation of US$500,000 in response to the largest earthquake to hit Taiwan since the 921 earthquake that stuck the nation in 1991, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The South Korean move came on the heels of Japan which announced on Friday last week that it would donate US$1 million to assist with relief efforts.
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times
The ministry yesterday expressed sincere gratitude for the donation of US$500,000 to assist reconstruction work in Hualien.
A day earlier, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association President Tanizaki Yasuaki handed a list of donors that collectively pledged US$1 million to Taiwanese Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷),
At the ceremony, Yasuaki said that Taiwan’s government announced in January a donation of ￥60 million (US$391,792) to assist with reconstruction efforts in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on Jan. 1.
Taiwanese donated more than ￥2.5 billion to help those affected by the quake in Japan, Yasuaki said, adding that it was very helpful and the people of Japan were very moved.
The relief aid that Japan provided to Taiwan would not only help those affected by the quake, but also deepen the bond between the two, he added.
Hsieh said his office has received phone calls and e-mails from the Japanese public expressing support for Taiwan which were deeply appreciated.
He said that the Taiwanese representative office is preparing to open a bank account in Tokyo to receive donations.
Meanwhile, a designated account established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on April 4 for private donations to help with disaster relief work had received nearly NT$720 million (US$22.35 million) in donations as of 4pm yesterday, the Taiwan Foundation for Disaster Relief said.
The quake resulted in 16 deaths, with three people still missing, as well as 1,155 people with injuries, as of Wednesday at 6pm, the Central Emergency Operation Center said.
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