Mr Hanspeter Brunner, Chief Executive Officer, RBS Coutts International and Executive Chairman, RBS
Coutts Asia (2nd from left) together with Dr Colin Robertson, Chief Financial Officer and Chairman of RBS
Coutts Giving, RBS Coutts Asia (left), jointly presenting a cheque for US$100,000 to Mr Tee Tua Ba, Council
Member of the Singapore Red Cross (2nd from right) and Mr Christopher Chua, Secretary-General of the Singapore Red Cross Society (right).

The post-disaster situations in Myanmar and China are acute as victims suffer from starvation, poor sanitation, dehydration, exposure to the elements and diseases and the trauma of losing loved ones and homes. The funds will contribute towards the Singapore Red Cross’ relief and recovery efforts in the disaster-hit areas. This includes purchasing urgent medical supplies, relief items like tents and even the basic necessities such as food and water for the victims, to safeguard the health and safety of thousands of survivors. 

Cyclone Nargis has caused the deadliest natural disaster in Myanmar’s history, with at least 134,000 people feared dead or missing. Millions have been displaced by the cyclone, many of them women and children, with little to no shelter, food, clean water and necessary medical supplies.

Two weeks after the cyclone, a second tragedy struck Asia when an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale devastated the densely-populated province of Sichuan in China. Nearly 69,000 have been confirmed dead, with hundreds of thousands more injured. Millions more have been left homeless.

Hanspeter Brunner, Chief Executive Officer of RBS Coutts International and Executive Chairman of RBS Coutts Asia, said, “At RBS Coutts, we feel it is important to do our bit, especially when events as devastating as Cyclone Nargis and the earthquake strike so close to home. When news of the tragedies surfaced, many of our staff were deeply affected by the images they saw and wanted to help. The donation drive was initiated by our staff in Singapore and Hong Kong. We hope the donation will go some way to help the disaster victims in Myanmar and China rebuild their shattered homes and lives.”

“On behalf of the Singapore Red Cross, we thank RBS Coutts and their staff in Asia for their generosity towards the disaster victims and for their support of the humanitarian work of the Singapore Red Cross. We’ve seen an overwhelming outpour of support from individuals and institutions alike, and we are grateful for this. Our work is far from over, one month on after Cyclone Nargis and the Sichuan earthquake. The funds will be used for reconstruction and rehabilitation phases in both disaster-hit regions,” added Christopher Chua, Secretary-General of the Singapore Red Cross Society.

About RBS Coutts

RBS Coutts is the international private banking unit of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, one of the world’s largest banking groups. With an international reputation for excellence spanning more than 300 years, RBS Coutts offers clients a broad spectrum of wealth management services.

With offices in Asia, Europe and the offshore centres of Jersey, the Isle of Man and Cayman, RBS Coutts employs over 1,400 staff in over 15 locations worldwide. RBS Coutts moved its international headquarters from Switzerland to Singapore in 2006.

The bank has a long history of giving dating back to the mid-1800s. Baroness Angela Burdett-Coutts, the granddaughter of Thomas Coutts – the bank’s founder – was a noted English philanthropist.

For more information on RBS Coutts, please visit www.rbscoutts.com

About The Singapore Red Cross Society

The Singapore Red Cross is part of a world-wide, non-political, non-religious movement which based its work on the fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. An independent humanitarian organisation, it raises its own funds in serving humanity and furthering the work of the Red Cross locally and internationally.

The Singapore Red Cross started work in September 1949 as part of the British Red Cross Society and was incorporated by an Act of Parliament on 6 April 1973.

For detailed information on the work of the SRC, please visit www.redcross.org.sg

For further information, please contact Hill & Knowlton Singapore:
Fenix Wong
T: +65 6390 3327 / M: +65 9674 4751
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Carmen Leung
T: +65 6390 3378 / M: +65 8138 3580
E: click here