Taiwan touched by 120-dollar donation from Solomon Islands tribe

Aug 21, 2009, 0:20 GMT

Taipei - Taiwan has received millions of dollars' in donations and aid for the victims of Typhoon Morakot from foreign countries, but a 120-US-dollar donation from a tribe in the Solomon Islands has touched Taiwan people most, according to a report Friday.

The United Daily News reported Friday that an islander working at Taiwan's technical assistance mission in the Solomon Islands heard about the typhoon disaster while visiting this week in Taiwan.

He happened to be the son of Stanley Tapeva, head of a tribe in Isabel Province, so he phoned his father to pass on word of the disaster, the News said.

Tapeva held a tribal meeting to raise money. Two hundred families in his tribe donated 1,000 Solomon Islands dollars (120 US dollars). The same afternoon, he rode a boat for more than five hours to deliver the money to the Taiwan Technical Mission in Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands.

Tapeva handed the money to Hung Sheng-chieh, head of the Taiwan mission, saying that he did not want to make the donation through the Solomon Islands government, for fear the money might be embezzled. He gave a letter to Hung, expressing condolence for the typhoon disaster, which killed nearly 600 people on August 8.

'Taiwan used to help us. Now it's our turn to help them. If the typhoon survivors have no place to live, they are welcome to come and live in our homes,' Tapeva said with tears in his eyes.

The Solomon Islands is one of the 23 countries that recognize Taiwan.