UPDATE
Dec 31, 2004

Dear Saints:

A call to me yesterday from the personal assistant to the President of one of the largest US non-profit charitable organizations led to an appointment being made for its two senior executives to meet with Governor Dr Rudolf M. Pardede in Medan on Tuesday the 4th of January 2005. The purpose is to discuss the role this organization can play to help those affected by the Killer Waves. International Christian Mission (ICM) will act as the liaison between them and the Governor's Office and on that day, I will fly with them to Medan and, circumstances permitting drive to Aceh. 

Our second team of ICM workers will go into Bandar Aceh next week and join our first team there. More donations have come in and they will be applied immediately to the purchase of foodstuffs and medical supplies. Again, I want to reiterate that the distribution will be conducted by ICM Sumatra in consultation with the Governor's Office.

Yesterday, our Chairman of ICM Malaysia, Brother Edwin Marsden, informed me that a Malaysian team of engineers are building at their expense, a portable purification plant which can turn contaminated water into drinking water. This product is not a prototype and has been commercialized. More will be built as their funds permit them. They have asked ICM to be the conduit to place the plants at strategic locations.

The death toll in Indonesia yesterday stood as 79,940. The numbers rise by the day. Bernama News Agency reported   from Kuala Lumpur on Dec 30 a speech by Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia Drs H. Rusdihardjo. He said that the death toll in Aceh may exceed 400,000 as many affected areas could still not be reached for search and rescue operations. He said the estimate was based on air surveillance by Indonesian authorities who found no signs of life in places like Meulaboh, Pulau Simeulue and Tapak Tuan while several islands off the west coast of Sumatra had "disappeared".

He said the latest death toll of Northern Sumatra did not take into account the figures from the other areas, especially in the west of the region. "Aerial surveillance found the town of Meulaboh completely destroyed with only one building standing. The building, which belonged to the military, happens to be on a hill," he told reporters. Ambassador Rusdihardjo said a combination of earthquake and tsunami had left 80 to 100 per cent of infrastructure in Aceh province, such as hospitals, health centers, transport and communication networks and homes, destroyed. "Now we are worried about the outbreak of diseases such as cholera, the work of disposing corpses and the absence of clean water following the contamination of water sources," he said.

Many have written to me to add their names to the select list of recipients of this communication. Anything you give will be sent in its entirety (not one cent withheld by us for any administrative cost, etc.!) to God's work in the affected region. All such donations will be tax-deductible in the United States of America.

May the Lord bless you richly as you give.

Khoo Hin Hiong
International Christian Mission