Indonesian entrepreneur donates 10 mln yuan to help China fight snow crisis

NANCHANG, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian Sukanto Tanoto, the founder of RGM International, has donated 10 million yuan (1.39 million U.S. dollars) to help Chinese people fight the snow crisis.

Tanoto's personal representative Lin Wukun has come to Nanchang, capital city of Jiangxi Province, to donate a quarter of the money to the Jiangxi branch of the Red Cross Society of China for the use of Jiangxi's disaster relief, a society official said on Tuesday.

The official said Tanoto's donation was the largest one it has received so far.

Jiangxi Province has also received 500,000 yuan in donation from Dhanin Chearavanont, chairman of Chia Tai Group of Thailand, and 400,000 yuan from Carlos Chan, board chairman of Liwayway Holdings Company of the Philippines.

Sukanto Tanoto, the second richest man in Indonesia according to Forbes business magazine, donated 20 million yuan in 2003 to the Chinese government to assist China's fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

RGM International is a leading industrial conglomerate in the Asia-Pacific region that employs more than 50,000 people.

Snow has been falling in China's eastern, central and southern regions since mid-January, leading to deaths, structural collapses, blackouts, accidents, transport problems and livestock and crop losses in 19 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

More than 100 million people have been affected, and at least 60 people have died in the severe weather.