Kuala Lumpur: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, today graciously bestowed a personal contribution of RM500,000 to assist victims affected by fires in Kudat and Sandakan, Sabah.
His Majesty witnessed the presentation of the contribution by Sultan Ibrahim Johor Foundation (YSIJ) Trustee Tan Sri Avinderjit Singh to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor during a ceremony at Istana Negara here.
The contribution, channelled through YSIJ, is intended to help ease the burden of more than 1,000 victims affected by the fires that struck the two districts in April.
According to incident records, a fire at Kampung Gumpa in Kudat on April 16 destroyed eight houses and affected 67 victims from 18 households.
Meanwhile, a major fire at Kampung Bahagia in Sandakan destroyed 1,050 of the 1,200 houses in the area, affecting at least 914 households.
The Sabah government, through its State and District Disaster Management Committees, is currently coordinating welfare assistance, humanitarian aid and resettlement efforts for the affected victims.
Meanwhile, Hajiji expressed appreciation on behalf of the Sabah state government for the Yang di‑Pertuan Agong’s contribution to the fire victims.
“This is a testimony of His Majesty’s concern for the people of Sabah affected by the disaster. The State Government greatly appreciates the contribution and support given, particularly for the fire at Kampung Gumpa, Kudat and the major fire at Kampung Bahagia, Sandakan,” he said in a statement.
He added that the Sabah State Government, through the State Disaster Management Committee, will continue to strengthen efforts to coordinate welfare assistance, manage temporary evacuation centres and ensure the victims’ welfare and well‑being are always safeguarded.
