Chan to visit tsunami-hit areas in RI

Chan to visit tsunami-hit areas in RI

HONG KONG: Jackie Chan said on Monday he will visit tsunami-hit areas in Indonesia this month, as he announced that a star- studded charity show he helped organize raised US$4.8 million for the aid effort.

Chan and his entourage hoped to tour hard-hit Aceh province on April 18 to April 20, but the details of his itinerary were not available, said actor Eric Tsang, who planned to travel with Chan. A separate celebrity group planned to visit Sri Lanka at an unspecified date.

Chan also announced that $4.8 million was raised from a Jan. 7 charity concert featuring Hollywood action star Jet Li, Hong Kong singers Jacky Cheung and Andy Lau and Taiwanese pop diva Chang Hui-mei.

Donations poured in for more than two months after the show, organizers said in a statement.

Chan said he was impressed with the result and proposed making the show a permanent annual event to start up an emergency fund for other disasters.

"I'm very happy and proud that small Hong Kong captured the attention of the world this way," he said. "Some Hong Kongers didn't just donate once, they donated more than three times."

Tsang said the donations would be roughly evenly split between five charities: the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the United Nations Children's Fund, Oxfam and World Vision.

The money will fund projects including reconstruction, helping fishermen and orphans, as well as psychological counseling for people who lost loved ones, Tsang said. --AP