Abu Dhabi, Jan. 21st, 2006 (WAM): A Red Crescent (RC) delegation will leave today for Colombo and Jakarta to oversee implementation of a number of RC-sponsored projects in the Tsunami-stricken areas of Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The projects include a residential city named after President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and a residential district named after the UAE, in both countries, besides other projects aimed at rehabilitating the affected areas and providing shelter and other support for the local poulation.

RC Chairman Khalifa Nassir Al Suwaidi said these projects would benefit hundreds of thousands of dislocated people in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, which bore the brunt of the Tsunami.

The RC has been at the heart of the rescue operation since the Tsunami dealt its devastating hits on the Region. "Thousands of tonnes of drugs, shelter, and food supplies were delivered to the affected areas, not only in the above two countries but also in India, Thailand, the Maldives, and Somalia," according to RC Assistant Secretary General for Relief Affairs Saleh Al Mulla.

Director of RC Projects and Development Department, Abdullah Al Mahmoud, who heads the RC team, estimates the total value of construction projects in Indonesia and Sri Lanka at over AED 50 million. The focus now, he said, is on rehabilitation to alleviate the suffering of local people and help bring life to normal.