Erdogan Calls On Turkish People To Support Aid Campaigns Launched For South Asian Quake Survivors

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called on all sections of the society to support aid campaigns launched for people who survived the massive earthquake and tsunami waves trigged by it in South Asia.
     Prime Ministry Emergency Management Directorate General was assigned to coordinate the aid to be sent to disaster region in Southern Asia.
     Prime Ministry Press Center issued a statement and said more than 145,000 people are reported dead around southern Asia, most killed by massive tidal waves that smashed coastlines around the region after a magnitude 9 earthquake in Indonesia on December 26th.
     The statement said millions of people were face to face with hunger, thirst, and risk of epidemics.
     The statement said Turkish government sent 1.250 million U.S. dollars financial aid to officials of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand, and Malaysia within this framework.
     The statement said the Health Ministry started to collect medicine, and the Turkish Red Crescent, public institutions and municipalities launched aid campaigns to give a helping hand to the quake survivors.
     The statement said Prime Minister Erdogan called on national and local media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), public institutions and all sections of the society to support the aid campaigns.
     (AY)
2005-01-05