Hong Kong will honour its commitment to spend HK$10 billion to help Sichuan earthquake victims rebuild their homes, despite the looming financial meltdown, the administration says.
Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen yesterday urged people to continue supporting the pledge.
'We promised to lend our support at the outset. The victims will not go wanting because of the arrival of the financial tsunami. They are still there and their condition is worse. There is still a need for reconstruction,' said Mr Tang, who chairs an interdepartmental taskforce co-ordinating the rebuilding.
'Whether it's for children, adults or anything else [in Sichuan], support is still needed, and needs to continue,' Mr Tang said.
'I, of course, appreciate people's worries about the financial tsunami and [its impact on] the global economy. But I still think we have to act according to our ability, and do it wholeheartedly.'
Hong Kong and Sichuan signed a co-operation arrangement on Saturday on reconstruction work in the quake-stricken areas. A total of 20 reconstruction projects, costing about HK$1.9 billion, have been identified for the first stage. These include projects for infrastructure, medical services, education and social welfare services.
The pact came a week after the Sunday Morning Post reported that former US president Jimmy Carter had written to Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, urging him to speed up reconstruction work.