Acehtsunami

The people of Tipperary who contributed €150,000 to the Irish Red Cross following the 2005 Asian tsunami have been encouraged that the money collected was spent on vital projects in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Following a confession this week that a bank account containing the €150,000 collected by the Tipperary branch of the Red Cross for tsunami relief lay untouched for three years until it was discovered in 2008 during a national inspection by the Red Cross headquarters, members of the Tipperary branch said all the money donated in Tipperary was spent on tsunami relief.

This week Tipperary branch members Tony Lawlor, who is the working Vice chairman of the Irish Red Cross and the Tipperary branch chairperson Ellen Keane, made statements thanking people for their contributions and informed them that the money had been drawn down as required over a five year period to carry out a number of major humanitarian projects.

“Due to an administrative error, the funds lodged into the Tipperary bank account remained there untouched. When this was observed it was immediately used as part of the ongoing work for tsunami relief. It is significant to note that Irish Red Cross humanitarian relief and projects in countries affected by the Indian Ocean Tsunami were carried out from 2005 when the calamity struck and are ongoing with funds from the Irish public still helping communities in Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.