A number of Macao elite donated 5 million patacas (US$602,410) Tuesday to aid the fight against SARS in China's mainland.
Bai Zhijian, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region, received the donation from Ma Man Kei, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Stanley Ho, a standing committee member of the CPPCC National Committee, and other entrepreneurs.
According to the wish of the donators, the money will be appropriated to assist the epidemic relief in the north China region including Beijing municipality, Shanxi and Hebei provinces, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, said Bai.
Ma said that Macao people showed a great concern about the inland SARS control condition. He also paid respect to health care workers working on the front-line of the fight against SARS.
Bai told the Macao compatriots that the Central Government has injected a large sum of money in the emergency disaster relief measures and diagnosing and treatment research, and that the donation would certainly aid the efforts.
(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2003)
