The amount of money collected for the tsunami victims rises steadily while various donation campaigns continue in China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Friday.

Social organizations and people throughout China had donated 104.96 million yuan (US$12.7 million) to the tsunami-hit South and Southeast Asian countries by 4:00 p.m. Friday through the Red Cross Society of China, China Charity Federation and their local branches.

The ministry will publicize the amount of donations regularly beginning Friday, said Pan Chenmin, director of the ministry's disaster relief department.

On Friday, the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation and the Mery Corps, a US humanitarian organization, announced they would donate US$5.30 million worth of medicine to Indonesia.

The medicine has arrived at Tianjin Port in north China and is ready for shipping, said Wang Xingzui, an official of the poverty reduction foundation.

Meanwhile, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China's biggest commercial bank, is offering free online services to those who want to donate money for the tsunami-hit Asian countries.

The staff of the Foreign Ministry, including those working in embassies and consulates in other countries, donated a total of 5.34 million yuan (US$640,000) by Thursday.

Of the total, a check of 710,000 yuan (US$85,500) was given to the China Charity Foundation and some 2 million yuan (US$240,000) from the embassies and consulates were delivered to governments of the tsunami-hit countries.

(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2005)