|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thursday February 10, 11:25
|
|
US eager to improve their image by tripling the tsunami pledge
(by Natalie Novak)
|
|
President Bush on Wednesday tripled the United States tsunami relief pledge to the Asian nations. The decision came after being criticized for initial reaction when the pledge contained $15 million, which is low in comparison with top donors Australia and Germany who contributed respectively $750 million and $680 million.
According to the United Nations, about $6 billion in aid has been pledged from public and private sources, since the tsunami disaster which took the lives of almost 300,000 people seven weeks ago in the countries around the Indian Ocean.
In his announcement, the president praised the United States military and the Agency for International Development for their life-saving efforts in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and other countries.
The half of the donated money, now exceeding $600 million, will be spent on construction projects such as roads, schools and water distribution systems, a reflection of the changing nature of the work from emergency relief efforts to longer-term rehabilitation.
The major recipients of the new aid are Indonesia and Sri Lanka. India and Thailand rejected help saying they do not need other governments’ aid.
The US tsunami pledge is already said to have improved the image of the country which worsened in Indonesia after the beginning of the war in Iraq.
|
|
All world news
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 KEYWORD SEARCH |
|
|
|
|
|
SUBSCRIPTION |
|
|
|
|
|