US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT59

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000059 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI(TROBERTS) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PGOV, PREL, AEMR, CE, ID, MU, Economic Affairs, International Relations 
SUBJECT: ADDITIONAL TSUNAMI AID 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 959 
     B. MUSCAT 025 
 
1. As reported in ref B, the government of Oman has offered 
to facilitate the delivery of private contributions to 
tsunami victims in the Indian Ocean region.  Since an initial 
 
SIPDIS 
shipment of 41 tons of aid, the government of Oman has 
committed to shipping over 300 tons of relief supplies.  The 
Oman Charitable Organization (OCO), a government-supervised 
charitable umbrella entity, has taken the lead in the 
collection effort on behalf of the government.  In an effort 
to raise USD 3 million worth of aid, the OCO has also set up 
special accounts for monetary donations.  To date, the OCO 
has delivered over 1,200 tons to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. 
According to the executive director of the OCO, Ali Ibrahim 
Shanoor, if the organization receives more money than 
expected, the OCO plans on constructing small houses in the 
affected countries.  According to the Oman News Agency, a 
supervisory delegation organized by the OCO is departing for 
Indonesia on January 11 to help set up relief centers in Aceh 
and Sumatra. 
 
2.  Private contributions continue to grow as both organized 
NGOs and individuals have stepped in to serve as liaisons for 
private donations.  Humanitarian Oman (an informal relief 
group in the Sultanate), The American International School of 
Muscat, and the British School of Muscat are organizing 
donation drives.  Additional collection points have been 
established at the Muscat Rugby Club and the Muscat 
Intercontinental Hotel.  To mobilize support from the large 
Indian expatriate community, the Indian Embassy and the State 
Bank of India in Muscat have issued notifications with bank 
account numbers for contributions to the Prime Minister's 
National Relief Fund.  The Art of Living Foundation in 
association with International Association for Human Values 
(AOL) has also organized volunteers in Oman and are 
collecting funds. 
BALTIMORE