Shanghai universities have launched campaigns to comfort foreign students from countries affected by the South Asia tsunamis.

Authorities also warned people not to donate money for relief work to local Websites as they were collecting money illicitly.

The December 26 tragedy robbed Fajrutheen Ibralebbe of 10 family members, including two sisters, one brother and four or five nephews. Ibralebbe is a Sri Lankan student studying urban planning at Tongji University.

Though the 35-year-old postgraduate student's wife and children survived, the Sri Lankan coastal village he calls home was completely washed away by the tidal waves.

After learning of Ibralebbe's suffering, Tongji University students launched a campus drive to raise money for the victim's family. About 6,000 yuan (US$720) was raised on December 30 alone.

Meanwhile, the university authority also applied for a visa and purchased a round trip flight for Ibralebbe.

He flew home yesterday with a total of 16,180 yuan in donations, Tongji officials said.
"We wanted Fajrutheen to know that he is always strongly backed by the Tongji faculty and students no matter what happens," said Pan Huibin, an official with Tongji's foreign student affairs office.

The university will halt Ibralebbe's courses until he returns in two months. Meanwhile, all local universities have watched over foreign students from Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and other tsunami-stricken countries.

Officials visited them and inquired about their families on the day of the catastrophe.
To date, no other foreign students' family members were affected, university officials said.

Students at Shanghai International Studies University also sent a letter in English to people in the disaster areas. It encouraged them "not to lose hope" and added that "people with good intentions are all around."

At Fudan University's medical school, more than 200 postgraduates signed up to establish a volunteer medical team yesterday.

Meanwhile, as thousands enthusiastically donated money for tsunami relief, officials with the Shanghai Civil Affairs bureau said some people were cheating good intentioned individuals.

A Website using the name China Charity Federation was collecting money illicitly for disaster relief.

Municipal government and People's Congress officials also joined the thousands donating money.

The shanghai Trade Union and Shanghai Women's Federation collected 422,276 yuan as of yesterday. Shanghai Dazhong Transport (Group), the biggest taxi carrier in the city, donated 500,000 yuan and asked each of its 8,000 cab drivers to donate one fare yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai Charity Foundation, Shanghai Red Cross Association and Shanghai Media Group will jointly hold a charity gala tonight. A donation hot line will open to collect more money.

(Shanghai Daily January 6, 2005)