XIAMEN, June 17 (Xinhua)
-- A senior executive of the Red
Cross Society of China (RCSC) has
denied rumors that the society
demanded heavy fees from workers from
Taiwan entering quake-hit Sichuan
Province.
Zhao Baige, executive
vice president of the RCSC, said
the organization did not ask for 5
million yuan (815,500 U.S. dollars)
from Taiwan's Red Cross organization
as "tolls" for their entry into
the quake-hit Lushan County, as some
online rumors have
claimed.
"The rumor has damaged
the cooperation of Red Cross
organizations across the Strait and
hurt the feelings of people on
both sides," Zhao said in an
interview with Xinhua on
Sunday.
She said Taiwan's
Red Cross organization delivered large
amounts of tents, quilts and blankets
after the 7.0-magnitude quake shook
Lushan County on April 20, leaving at
least 196 people dead and many others
homeless.
"The timely arrival
of relief materials meant a lot
to the survivors, and we all
felt the deep love from across
the Strait," Zhao said.
The
island's Red Cross also raised
nearly 9 million yuan to be used
in the reconstruction of residential
buildings, schools and hospitals in
the quake zone, Zhao
added.
The state-run RCSC has
been battling public mistrust since
Guo Meimei, a young woman who
claimed to work for an organization
affiliated to the RCSC, posted photos
online flaunting her wealth in
mid-2011.
That scandal and
others have raised public suspicions
about the charity's credibility and
its use of public
donations.
Zhao said the RCSC
will strive to build social
credibility that suits "the new era"
and place itself under the supervision
of the government, the public and
the organization itself.
"Society
will stress comprehensive public supervision
over its operations, including its
policy making, projects and activities,
as well as setting up a
fast-response mechanism to straighten up
irregularities," she said.
