The government of Singapore will donate US$100,000 (S$129,000) to help the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) with its fundraising for the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka caused by a recent cyclone. This donation will add to the SRC’s earlier commitment of S$50,000 aimed at addressing the urgent needs of communities affected in Sri Lanka, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) released on Friday (Dec 12). Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan have reached out to Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath to express their sympathies for the tragic loss of life and damage from the cyclone, the MFA stated. Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka two weeks ago, causing severe flooding and landslides throughout the country. Over two million people in Sri Lanka, which is about 10 percent of the population, have been impacted by this cyclone, the worst to hit the island this century. At least 639 people have died, and around 200 others are still unaccounted for. On Thursday, the United Nations urged international donors to provide support to Sri Lanka. Dissanayake mentioned that the Sri Lankan government cannot handle the rebuilding efforts alone and has requested foreign aid. The UN's leading representative in the country, Marc-Andre Franche, shared plans for a US$35.3 million emergency fund, of which US$9.5 million has already been secured from international donors, including the European Union, Switzerland, the United States, and Britain.
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