Saudi Arabia to Fund Welfare Projects in Tsunami-Hit Countries

JEDDAH/COLOMBO, 26 January 2005 — Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that, in cooperation with various international organizations, it would finance welfare projects worth more than SR13.12 million ($3.5 million) in tsunami-affected countries.

Dr. Saed Al-Harithy, chairman of the Saudi Relief Committee, said the projects would be in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and Somalia. “We have set up a team to visit the tsunami-affected areas and assess their relief requirements,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted him as saying.

Al-Harithy said Saudi Arabia had airlifted more than 1,000 tons of relief supplies, including food and medicine, worth some $5 million to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives.

In Colombo, Abdul Rahman Al-Sweilem, president of the Saudi Red Crescent Society (SRCS), said the Kingdom would build 1,000 houses and renovate or rebuild nearly 250 mosques in tsunami-affected areas of Sri Lanka. Sweilem said the Saudi government would work with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to improve and construct health facilities in tsunami-affected areas.

“Responding to a request from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the people of Saudi Arabia generously contributed SR308 million to the tsunami fund launched by the Saudi government,” Al-Sweilem said. “In Riyadh alone, we collected 42 truckloads of relief material for tsunami survivors,” he said.

Sweilem said the new office of the SRCS in Colombo would seek cooperation from Saudi non-governmental organizations in Colombo to carry out its relief activities. These organizations include the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) and the Shabab Group. According to Sweilem, SRCS has plans to assist the farmers and fishermen with farming equipment, fishing boats and nets. “This will help the people who have lost everything to get back to work.” he said.

The SRCS president visited the areas of Kalmunai, Sainthamaruthu, Maruthamunai, Muttur and Kinniya, and gave instructions to the Saudi mission in Colombo to make arrangements to clear the debris in these areas so that the peoples’ lives could return to normal.