By Zhang Haizhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-03 07:37

Overseas Chinese had donated about 1.13 billion yuan ($163.4 million) worth of funds and relief supplies for victims of the May 12 Sichuan quake as of Sunday, an official of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council (OCAO) has said.

The OCAO will properly use and manage the donations to protect the interests of donors and beneficiaries, Ma Rupei, the office's vice-minister, told a press briefing Monday in Beijing.

"The OCAO urgently launched the 'Love Project of the Overseas Chinese - the earthquake relief drive' on the second day after the quake, organizing in the shortest time possible a disaster relief leading group and promptly starting up an emergency working mechanism," Ma said.

As for the management of the donations, Ma said more than 70 percent of donations offered this time have specific purposes stated. The OCAO will also explain to donors how the money is being used through a feedback mechanism.

"The donors have specifically said they want the money to be used for building a school, a hospital, or for other uses," he added.

Aside from disaster relief, the OCAO also plans to invest the funds in the reconstruction of quake-hit areas.

The body plans to build 100 schools and 100 small hospitals with the money donated by overseas Chinese in three to five years, Ma said.

"We will first build 30 primary schools and 30 small hospitals in six badly hit areas," Ma told reporters, adding that the OCAO will give priority to the hardest-hit places.

As part of contributions from overseas Chinese, Paris-based Sichuan-Chongqing Association also donated more than 300,000 yuan ($43,269) and 20,000 euros ($31,000) to help in disaster relief.

The association's president, Du Juan, is originally from Sichuan. She lost two of her relatives in the disaster and her mother was also injured.

Du decided to stay in Paris and help raise funds instead of flying back to Sichuan.

She said that, as a leader of Sichuan people in France, she should not go back home when so many Chinese people in France were enthusiastic about making donations to quake victims.

As the largest organization of Sichuan people in Paris, the association also addressed a letter to the provincial government.

"We want to tell all the Sichuan people that all your countrymen here in France are with you at all times," the letter said.

"We are ready to do our best to offer any help to our home province at any time," the letter, which was signed by Du, said.

Apart from funds and relief supplies, a number of overseas Chinese have also gone to Sichuan to help victims.

Professor Shi Haichao, deputy-standing director of the Biological Science Association of Overseas Chinese in Japan, joined a rescue team of 12 volunteers in Chaping village, north Mianyang, on the first day after the quake hit.

He also helped the disaster relief and disease prevention group of the Sichuan Red Cross Society. "I don't fear death as long as I can rescue more people," he said.