DHAKA, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has decided to donate one
million U.S. dollars of emergency assistance to the Bangladesh government for
the relief and rehabilitation activities in the country's cyclone-hit areas.
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Zheng Qingdian informed this when he met
with the Foreign Adviser of the Bangladesh caretaker government Iftekhar Ahmed
Chowdhury here Monday.
As the sever cyclone Sidr ripped through the country and caused grave loss
of lives and property, Chinese government and Chinese people are very concerned
about the disaster and the well-being of the cyclone-hit people, Chinese
Ambassador Zheng said.
He said, China, as the closely neighbor of Bangladesh, has decided to
donate one million U.S. dollars to support Bangladesh's efforts to conduct
relief and rehabilitation activities.
Iftekhar said he was very grateful for the Chinese government for the
emergency support. He believed the Bangladeshis can surely conquer the disaster
with the kind help from China as well as others.
Ambassador Zheng also handed over 50,000 U.S. dollars provided by Red Cross
Society of China, to the Red Crescent Society of Bangladesh for the disaster
relief work.
The deadly cyclone Sidr that hit Bangladesh's coastal district last
Thursday night so far killed 2407 people. It was one of the fiercest cyclones
that had hit the region of Bangladesh in the 131 years between 1876 and
2007.