The government announced Thursday that it will donate MOP 20 million to Nepal in order to provide aid to the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck the country on April 25.
The Chief Executive Chui Sai On held a meeting Thursday with the Nepalese consul to Hong Kong and Macau, Mahesh Prasad Dahal, at the government headquarters. According to a statement issued by the CE’s Office, Chui Sai On conveyed “the local government’s concern and support towards the post-quake relief efforts and expressed wishes that the donation process could be concluded as soon as possible, in order to support the victims and help rebuild the affected areas.”
Mahesh Prasad Dahal went on to describe the extensive damage caused by the earthquake, which killed more than 7,750 people according to current figures. He said that, besides the massive loss of life, the natural disaster affected Nepal’s cultural heritage as it destroyed many listed buildings. The consul thanked Macau for its support and the letter of condolence issued to the Nepalese people issued by the chief executive.
MGM Macau also donated 500,000 patacas Thursday to the Macau Red Cross for the ongoing earthquake relief effort in Nepal. The MGM donation ceremony took place at the hotel-casino in Nape. Macau Red Cross Chairman Eddie Wong Yue Kai said that the organisation had so far received a total of 2.3 million patacas for the quake relief, adding that most of the donations will be transferred to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
He also said the donations were mainly from individuals rather than companies or organisations.
MGM President Grant Bowie told the media that a portion of the 500,000 patacas was donated by the gaming operator’s staff. He added that MGM Macau employs 80 Nepalese, mainly as security guards. Bowie stressed that MGM and its staff have been raising funds ever since the earthquake struck last month.
Bowie also said the Nepalese staff will probably visit their relatives once it is safer. Asked if this could cause a staff shortage in the security department, he said that MGM would decide the best way to deal with the situation when the time comes so that operations are not affected. He also thanked the local and central governments for their support.
At the end of March, 3,185 non-local workers from Nepal were employed in Macau. (macaunews/macaudailytimes)
