Temasek's Relief Efforts in Asia's Tsunami Disaster

SINGAPORE, Jan. 6 Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet/InfoQuest

Temasek Holdings would like to express its deepest sympathy to the victims and survivors of the tsunami which left thousands dead and millions hurt and homeless across South and Southeast Asia. Temasek is committed to a

multi-pronged approach to support the relief, recovery and reconstruction

efforts.

Ms Ho Ching, CEO of Temasek, said, "The horrific scale of this tsunami is unprecedented, touching lives and nations even as far away as Sweden. We send

our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who have died in

the tsunami. Our hearts are also with those whose loved ones are missing or

uncontactable. We will continue to do our part to help in the recovery and

reconstruction efforts, especially in the worst hit areas. This is one

concrete way to re-affirm our common bonds of humanity with the survivors in

their hour of need."

"We have set aside US$10 million for relief, recovery and reconstruction

support. We have already disbursed or committed US$1 million for immediate

relief in the first week of the disaster. The balance is earmarked for

recovery and reconstruction efforts in the coming weeks and months, especially

in the worst hit area of Aceh. Apart from funds, we have also leveraged on our

network of partnerships with companies, NGOs, governments and private groups to

focus on resolving issues such as logistics, water, communications and medical

care, to help aid to reach those in need. We will continue to work with

partners to support the recovery and reconstruction efforts," Ms Ho added.

A small team of Temasek staff was activated and recalled immediately from their year-end holiday when news about the disaster broke. The team has been

working proactively to identify areas of need and to liaise with the relevant

organisations, companies and agencies to ensure that emergency assistance can

reach the ground effectively. Temasek's support is essentially in three phases:

Phase 1 - immediate disaster relief. Temasek has been working with the

Singapore Red Cross, Mercy Relief and NTUC Fairprice to support their effort to

send food, water and medical supplies to victims in the affected countries in

the region.

Phase 2 - short-term disaster recovery. These include provision of community support systems such as power and water supplies, doctors, communications systems to facilitate disaster recovery and prevent epidemics over the next few weeks. These efforts are sponsored jointly with Temasek-Linked Companies (TLCs) and other private and public organisations. For example, at the request of Indonesian parties, Temasek worked with volunteer doctors from Alexandra Hospital to organise and prepare for possible airlift for victims in Banda Aceh suffering from serious injuries to Singapore for treatment. Temasek is also partnering Hyflux, a company specializing in water-related technology, to

supply water generation as well as water purification systems to Aceh.

Phase 3 - medium-term reconstruction. This includes reconstruction and

rebuilding of basic infrastructure for the community such as hospitals,

schools, power and water systems. It may also include assistance for

post-trauma rehabilitation of victims and their medical care including

counselling.

Mr Ong Boon Hwee, a Managing Director of Temasek who leads the tsunami

relief workgroup in Temasek, added, "We are very heartened by the responsive

initiatives by the TLCs such as ST Engineering, Keppel Engineering, SIA, Tiger

Airways, NOL-APL, PSA and SembCorp Logistics, among many others. We are

working with various TLCs and many other companies to bring together

capabilities, equipment and personnel to provide support in communications,

logistics, supplies and other services in Aceh, Phuket, Sri Lanka, Maldives,

and elsewhere. Others like SembCorp Environmental Management, MediaCorp, DBS,

and many others, have also lent their support in fund raising."

"Our Indonesian companies -- Bank Danamon, BII and Indosat have also been contributing to the relief efforts in some of the badly hit areas in the

immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsumami. Their staff rallied around

their affected colleagues, and have begun to reach out to others in the

community under very difficult environment. We are supporting them in their

fund raising efforts. Staff in Indosat have also made tremendous efforts under

trying conditions to assess damage, bring in equipment and restore cellular

operations very quickly," added Mr Ong.

In the coming weeks, Temasek will continue to work with the various

companies and relevant agencies to see how we can best contribute to the

disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts.

The staff of Temasek, led by the voluntary Temasek Cares Committee, is also raising additional funds for Mercy Relief to provide medical supplies and

health-related equipment for the Aceh victims and relief workers.

About Temasek Holdings

Temasek Holdings is an Asia investment company headquartered in Singapore. We are committed to maximising long-term shareholder value as an active

investor and shareholder of successful enterprises.

Established in 1974, we manage a diversified global portfolio of S$90

billion, spanning Singapore, Asia and the OECD economies. Our investments are

in a range of industries: telecommunications and media, financial services,

property, transportation and logistics, energy and resources, infrastructure,

engineering and technology, as well as pharmaceuticals and biosciences.

Singapore-based Temasek-linked companies include well-known listed firms

such as Singapore Airlines, SingTel, DBS Bank, SMRT Corporation and Neptune

Orient Lines. Our recent investments include ICICI Bank, Matrix Laboratories

and the Apollo Hospital group in India, Bank Danamon and Bank Intersional

Indonesia in Indonesia, Quintiles Transnational Corp in the US, as well as

Telekom Malaysia.

For more information, please visit: http://www.temasekholdings.com.sg .

For media enquiries, please contact:

Eva Ho, Director, Corporate Communications,

Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd

DID: (65) 68286763

Mobile: (65) 96176234

Email: [email protected]

Serene Lee, Assoc. Director, Corporate Communications,

Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd

Tel: (65) 6828 6765

Mobile: (65) 9692 0918

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Temasek Holdings

--Distributed by AsiaNet (www.asianetnews.net)--

Temasek's Relief Efforts in Asia's Tsunami Disaster

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