By Cynthia Koons
Several different Taiwanese organizations attended the party, which brought about 500 people to the hotel. Collectively, they raised $200,000 for the relief effort underway to rebuild the coastal countries destroyed by the deadly tsunami on Dec. 26.This comes after former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr. announced that private donations would be vital for the reconstruction of countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, South India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and even Somalia on the African coast where more than 150,000 were killed.In Queens, temples, schools and civic groups have banded together to raise money for the countries devastated by the natural disaster. The borough lost one of its own, Hannah Shi, a 25-year-old woman from Rego Park who was vacationing in Thailand when the waves hit. The organizers of the event plan to have a news conference next week to announce how much money they raised and how exactly it will be donated to the relief effort.
