Elaine Low, a 24-year-old Singaporean woman, donated S$1 million ($780,000) to help Japan’s quake victims Wednesday afternoon. She handed the check for that amount to Japan’s Ambassador to Singapore Yoichi Suzuki at a hastily arranged ceremony in his office.
Low is the daughter of Datuk Low Tuck Kwong, founder of Indonesia-based coal mining company Bayan Resources. The elder Low is Indonesia’s third richest man, according to Forbes magazine. However, Elaine Low is the head of business development at her family firm and made the donation from her own funds, according to the Straits Times.
Datuk Low said his company has business ties with Japan and his family has friends and relatives in that country as well. He spoke of the family’s fond memories of Japan’s Tohoku region, one of the regions severely damaged by the earthquake and resulting tsunami.
Elaine Low, 24, shakes hands with Japan’s Ambassador to Singapore Yoichi Suzuki after handing him a check for S$1 mil. to be spent for quake victims as Elaine’s father Datuk Low looks on.
Elaine Low is leaving it to the Japanese government to decide how to use her donation. The donation is thought most likely to go to the Japanese Red Cross.
The embassy learned of the donation Tuesday evening when it received a call from the Singapore Japanese Association, said an embassy spokesman. The ceremony hosting Elaine Low was therefore arranged on very short notice. Suzuki said Low’s was the largest donation received so far for earthquake victims.
As of Wednesday the Singapore Red Cross Society has raised S$235,000, excluding the S$500,000 pledged by the Singapore Government.
World Vision Singapore and Mercy Relief have raised over $190,000 and $43,280 respectively.
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) began collecting donations beginning Thursday.
