The Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) will set aside RM5mil from its tsunami relief fund for several projects in the next two years in the tsunami-hit Kota Kuala Muda in Kedah.

National deputy chairman Hisham Harun Hashim said the allocation was from a total of its RM22mil raised for the relief fund.

The project included the planting of mangrove saplings in Kota Kuala Muda area, which would help ‘shield’ the villagers there from future disasters, he said.

“We are trying to get experts from the Vietnamese Red Cross which has successfully planted mangrove saplings in several villages there to help us.

“We are finalising the details and hope to start work on it by the end of the year,” he said at the National First Aid Competition 2005 at Safira Country Club Seberang Jaya here yesterday.

Hisham said the MRCS would, among others, construct a multi-purpose hall and a pre-school building in the same area, noting that the RM5mil would benefit 300-odd villagers.

He said of the remaining RM17mil from the tsunami relief fund, RM2.5mil had so far been spent on emergency relief, healthcare, water and sanitisation for victims in the northern states.

He said monetary aid was not disbursed to the tsunami victims in Penang because the state had collected and disbursed sufficient funds to them.

On relief funds for Indonesia, he said it planned to spend about RM14.5mil in North Sumatra on infrastructure and other facilities, including two orphanages in Banda Aceh and Pidie.

It would also adopt a village in Blang Bangat, Lhokseumawe, he said adding that 20 Malaysian MRCS volunteers would leave for Banda Aceh next month to do the necessary groundwork for the projects.

Earlier, Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas, who opened the event, said the commitment by MRCS members in providing humanitarian aid to the tsunami victims, irrespective of race, religion, creed or nationality was highly commendable.