TAIPEI: Taiwan's intermediary Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) will send to its mainland counterpart a detailed list of supplies needed to rebuild the typhoon-stricken island, an SEF official said yesterday.

SEF Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Kao Koong-lien said the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) requested the list and the SEF will provide it as soon as it has been compiled by the relevant public agencies.

Kao's remarks came on the heels of the request by ARATS, which said Wednesday the list would help to determine how to disburse the 110 million yuan that its business members have donated over the past two weeks for post-typhoon reconstruction of Taiwan.

The ARATS reportedly is ready to hand over the entire sum to Taiwan by next week.

So far, the mainland's Red Cross Society had sent 15 million yuan to Taiwan to help with relief work.

The mainland's donation to Taiwan has encountered skepticism including questions on the political motivation and rumors about the quality problems.

When the mainland shipped 100 prefabricated houses to Pingtung county last week, Deputy County Magistrate Chung Chia-pin said that the houses may contain harmful chemicals such as formalin.

The rumor was quashed after Taiwan's quality authority set up two houses and conducted tests which proved the made-on-the-mainland homes met all quality standards.

Taiwan's official China News Agency quoted an unnamed mainland source as saying that the mainland went through great difficulties to deliver the badly-needed houses as quickly as possible.

Of all the material used to produce the prefabricated houses, only glue contained formalin. The manufacturer has asked the SEF to procure the glue to ensure the houses meet quality standards, the source said.

The source also urged Taiwan authorities to allow more mainlanders to assist with disaster relief and reconstruction work on the island. Taiwan sent over medical personnel and engineers during the Sichuan Quake but only 10 workers have been allowed into Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot, all to assemble the prefabricated houses.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 08/28/2009 page2)