If you are a Malaysian in the UK and would like to donate via Malaysia (as opposed to via UK / International funds as listed in my previous post), you can do so via the Tabung Bencana Tsunami Asia established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Malaysian High Comission is collecting donations, and you can contribute via cash or cheque.
Details:
Cheques made payable to: Malaysian High Comission. Please write “Tabung Bencana Tsunami Asia” at the back of the cheque. Receipts will be issued for all donations.
Cheques or cash can be handed in / sent to:
45 Belgrave Square,
London,
SW1X 8QT
Further info can be found here.
Thank you to Pn. Zaharah for the information.
I am mostly silent on the subject of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in South and Sout East Asia, mainly because I do not know much; I am much more the silent reader in this circumstance. The PPS, as always, is a good source of aggregated news, if you find traditional media sources a tad… slow, shall we say.
Perhaps for us abroad, the best thing we can do is donate – and at the current moment, while the sterling pound is strong, a solitary pound goes a long way to helping those most in need. Of course, sending cash directly to Malaysia may not be the best way given transaction costs; so maybe if you are not too concerned where the money goes to (as long as it isn’t into the pockets of middlemen), then maybe you could consider one of the many online donation sites. This entry will end with a list of where you can donate, via credit and debit cards.
A trip to the banks today saw new bank-in slips : into the accounts of the Disasters Emergency Committee. Now, all members of the public need to do to donate is walk into their local banks, fill in such a slip and hand it in over the counter. I have no idea if Malaysian banks have already started doing this; but if not, then maybe someone could whisper (loudly) into the ears of the powers that be? It ‘is’ quite convenient, if I may say so myself.
In light of the criticism of the American government in responding to the crisis, the British government have responded in a much better fashion: initially pledging £15m; and the public coming up with much more. Makes you almost want to forget Blair’s discretions over the war in Iraq. Almost, I said, not that I will ever. I have some (guarded) faith in the generosity of the British public, judging by how they contribute to causes like Live Aid, Comic Relief and Children in Need.
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Links to internet donation sites
Islamic Relief
Islamic Aid
Disasters Emergency Committee
Muslim Hands
International Red Cross / Red Crescent
Amazon US (Thanks Jikon)
Google’s list of where donations can be made
BBC News’s Online Donation links
South East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Aid blog
Ekhem.
Just a small annoucement, because I really can’t be bothered to email / text everyone. For those of you who still have my Vodafone number from days of yore, it is still in use. 3 days before my contract expired, perhaps as a last ditch effort to retain customers, Vodafone offered to convert my contract to Pay As You Go and transport the number for free.
So yes, you can still ring me on that number if you have free minutes to waste. Which also means that Digi users can now SMS me, not that there are any (people who want to SMS me, not Digi users). Make it worth my while replying to though – will not spend 24p to answer ‘Yes’ to questions of, “Awak dah tidur ke?”