Wee (seated, fourth left) in a photo with the federation committee members and others at its office.
KUCHING: Federation of Chinese Associations of Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions has set up an ‘Emergency Disaster Response Committee’ in view of the Covid-19 outbreak, said its president Dato Richard Wee.
According to him, the purpose of the committee is to initiate fundraising drives and activities to extend support for frontline medical staff at Sarawak General hospital.
“This support comes in the form of masks, protective clothing, protective shoes, hats, and other medical supplies which are in urgent need. Meals and other daily essentials are also provided together with the necessities,” he said in a press statement today.
Wee added enthusiastic corporate organisations, businesses and individuals who wish to donate funds to the ‘Emergency Disaster Response Committee’ set up by the Federation.
He said they may directly remit the funds into the fedeation’s Hong Leong Bank account under the name of ‘The Federation of Kuching and Saramahan Division Chinese Associations, Sarawak’ at 016-00-20629-6.
All donations and supplies are then to be sent directly to the ‘Collection Center’ set up by the Federation and it operates from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm and Sunday from 10am to 2pm, he added.
For more information about the collection centre, the public can contact 016-8559581 or 012-8817778
“The Federation would like to solemnly make further clarification that we have not entrusted any person, company or organisation to raise funds and donations from the general public.”
Wee said the mask collected by the federation through donation are solely allocated and prioritised to be distributed to the frontline medical staff and not to be sold to the public.
Moreover, after two weeks into the committee’s operation, he said the committee had received public enquiries requesting for daily food supplies, which it initially agreed to provide such assistance.
However, Wee said after receiving instruction from the Sarawak Welfare Department and in consideration of the danger of the epidemic being highly contagious, the necessities and supplies have been transferred to state Welfare Department before being consolidated for their respective distribution.
The state welfare department is located at Wisma Kebajikan, Jalan Siol Kanan and it can be contacted at 082-449577 or 082-444139.
Therefore, members of the public are urged not to register or collect the supplies at the federation.
“During this trying period, I would like to take this opportunity to urge the public to be cautiously careful not to fall into the trap of certain people with bad intention and ended up making financial losses on the wrong platform.