Speech at the Ceremony of Handing over Relief Donation from the Red Cross Society of China to PNG Red Cross Society

Speech at the Ceremony of Handing over Relief Donation from the Red Cross Society of China to PNG Red Cross Society
2004/03/25

Honorable Sir Peter Barter, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

In the past couple of weeks, we are very sad to see many Papua New Guineans in the Highland Provinces and the Ramu River Valley region suffering from serious floods and landslides caused by the heavy torrential rain. As a result, some people died, a great number of people have lost their homes and property. Bridges and roads were destroyed or badly damaged. Business and normal life of the people are interrupted. As the natural disaster is yet to stop, the suffering of the people still lingers and many people are waiting in a desperate situation for urgent aid and relief.

My Embassy in Port Moresby has been very much concerned about the loss of lives and the damages caused by the natural disaster to the PNG people and got in touch with the Red Cross Society of China asking for disaster relief assistance. The Chinese Red Cross in its positive response entrusted the Chinese Embassy to hand over on its behalf a cheque in the amount of 20 thousand US dollars to the governmental department concerned for the purpose of disaster relief.

As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed. Our two peoples have always been helping each other in times of need. The Chinese government and people extended assistance to PNG on the occasions of its volcano eruption and tsunami, while the PNG government and people also extended sympathies and support to the Chinese people when we suffered a historically unprecedented flood in 1998. And last year when China suffers SARS epidemic the PNG people including the Chinese nationals also donated some money to the Chinese people in their fight against SARS. Though the amount of the Chinese Red Cross donation is not big, it is just another token of the sincere friendship and sympathy of the Chinese People to the flood-stricken brothers and sisters in PNG. We hope that the Papua New Guinean government and people will overcome the difficulties caused by the flood and other natural disasters and have their homesteads rebuilt soon.

Thank you.