Posted on 01/01/2005 9:05:12 AM PST by chiller
Tsunami Relief: The Real Story
Several months ago, we linked to a new blog by a group of career Foreign Service officers, called Diplomad. Diplomad provides sharp, knowledgeable commentary. It turns out that one of the site's contributors is stationed in one of the countries hit by the tsunami (I don't think he's said which one). His regard for the U.N. disaster relief effort is, shall we say, muted:
Well, we're heading into Day 7 of the Asian quake/tsunami crisis. And the UN relief effort? Nowhere to be seen except at some meetings and on CNN and BBC as talking heads. In this corner of the Far Abroad, it's Yanks and Aussies doing the hard, sweaty work of saving lives. Check out this interview (on the UN's official website) with SecGen Annan and Under SecGen Egeland shows,
Mr. Egeland: Our main problems now are in northern Sumatra and Aceh. <...> In Aceh, today 50 trucks of relief supplies are arriving. <...> Tomorrow, we will have eight full airplanes arriving. I discussed today with Washington whether we can draw on some assets on their side, after consultations with the Indonesian Government, to set up what we call an “air-freight handling centre” in Aceh.
Tomorrow, we will have to set up a camp for relief workers – 90 of them – which is fully self-contained, with kitchen, food, lodging, everything, because they have nowhere to stay and we don't want them to be an additional burden on the people there.
I provided this to some USAID colleagues working in Indonesia and their heads nearly exploded. The first paragraph is quite simply a lie. The UN is taking credit for things that hard-working, street savvy USAID folks have done. It was USAID working with their amazing network of local contacts who scrounged up trucks, drivers, and fuel; organized the convoy and sent it off to deliver critical supplies. A UN “air-freight handling centre” in Aceh? Bull! It's the Aussies and the Yanks who are running the air ops into Aceh. We have people working and sleeping on the tarmac in Aceh, surrounded by bugs, mud, stench and death, who every day bring in the US and Aussie C-130s and the US choppers; unload, load, send them off. We have no fancy aid workers' retreat -- notice the priorities of the UN? People are dying and what's the first thing the UN wants to do? Set up "a camp for relief workers" one that would be "fully self-contained, with kitchen, food, lodging, everything."
The UN is a sham.
There's lots more; check it out, and return to Diplomad for ongoing coverage. It will be interesting to see what happens when the U.N. people actually show up.
BTTT
It continues to amaze me that people give any credibility to the UN. The UN is loving watching the numbers of donations add up because they are figuring out how they can get new houses, cars, boats, etc. out of this deal.
President Bush didn't, hence the coalition. ;)
Just going to New Year's brunch, but BTT. This story needs to get out through all the blogs.
We have over and over again! Its the State Department and Bush himself that want to keep the UN alive!
Ping.
The more the spotlight illuminates the U.N. the greater the disgust for it that will be forthcoming from the American people. Note that the $350millions the U.S. will donate will not be finding its way into U.N. hands. Thank goodness for that.
How about the story regarding the Sri Lankans not allowing a medical team made up of Israeli personnel not being allowed into the country to help the dying citizens of that country. It must be very difficult to be a Muslin.
Why do I want to know where those "airplanes" came from? Are we talking 141s? single-engine pipers? what? Who's providing them?
I don't trust this leech as far as I can throw the U.N. building.
Can anyone name a SINGLE instance where the U.N. delivered any kind of relief efficiently and corruption-free? Since its creation? Just one?
Anybody?
bump for tracking
***Note that the $350millions the U.S. will donate will not be finding its way into U.N. hands. Thank goodness for that. ***
In a story yesterday, Annan counted that $350 million as part of what the UN has collected. Do you know something more about this? I'm not saying you're wrong; I just want more information.
Sounds like a job in there for the revered Jesse Jackson -- as special envoy to the UN.
Clinton or Carter would have appointed him by now.
A brilliant move, too, is this coalition. It's a tweak in the nose of the U.N. It speaks volumes; puts them on notice that we're watching them very closely, and obviously don't trust the POS organization.
I agree completely. On some of my other posts, for which I have gotten crucified, I have said that the US has the world's worst PR. The US apparently does not care about this. This would be so easy to change but we don't. For example, what would happen if the first relief flight into Thailand had Michael Jordan on board? Yes, it would have created a temporary media circus, but would have done wonders getting the word out that we are there and helping. It wouldn't have to be Jordan. Any big name hollywood star would do. Even Arnold. The boost in PR we would get would easily dwarf the trouble it would take to do it.
And every President since the UN's inception. .....and nearly every congresscritter.
Too much interia, unfortunately.
Does anyone have an up to date list on which nation is giving what? Curious to see how much Islamic nations are giving.
I hope we give them about $1.98, and the rest we administer through the military and USAID.
Aye! ;)
It sounds like the U.N. staff just wants a paid vacation in Indonesia.
That's not quite the actual story. Anyway, the Sri Lankan government is basically comprised entirely of Buddhists, not Muslims.
No such list exists. If you feel some sort of donation-comparison pissing match is of vast importance, you can make a list yourself with a google news search. Cursorily glancing, a lot of Persian Gulf states are giving quite a lot.
Have limbaugh, o'reilly, fox news, etc. been emailed about this? I'm sure they'd have a field day with it.
I heard a list last night, but I didn't hear any mention of Arab countries or Mexico. Mexico by the way has more millionaires, billionaires than Saudi Arabia.
Were that is was only just the State Department and President Bush.
Methinks you have omitted a few thousand other persons that would be involved in any such decision, but nice of you to consider President Bush and the State Department to be so all powerfull.
BTT
"...State Department and Bush himself that want to keep the UN alive!"
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Seemingly they care not a whit for their countrymen.
Pathetic.
BUMP!
There was a list shown on Fox News yesterday. IIRC, Saudi donations were somewhere around $20 million.
That is incredible. The author is right, he was lying through his teeth. The UN has done nothing, NOTHING, except to plan a meeting to talk about planning a plan to eventually work with teh disaster victims (ommission of teh word "help" intentional)
USAID and the Aussies are doing an excellent, well organized (under the circumstances) job, as are private charities and locals organizing their own relief efforts.
Japan sent a diplomatic assessment team to Aceh to talk with locals. The Indonesian government is so useless that tons of supplies are just sitting there. I read an article on MSNBC where one ocal man, trying to help and getting NO help from his government appealed to a Japanese diplomat at Aceh for body bags because all he gets from the government is red tape. The diplomat was dragged off by his embarrassed escorts, but he promised the body bags and I don't doubt Japan will have them there long before the Indonesian government can get off it's collective duff.
As for the UN, as far as I know they're still having meetings to discuss discussing a plan. They're all talk and money milking, no action.
As the president kept stressing, it's IMMEDIATE needs that must be taken care of, long term plans can wait.
Suspicions confirmed. That little UN weasel/leech is spouting BS in veiled language making it look like the UN is doing something.
It's doing something, all right. Taking credit for what the Americans and Aussies are doing!
When did you first get that UN Air Force, Coffee? Do the relief planes have the UN logo? Can you get your fellow crooks to return all that stolen Oil for Food money so you can get some planes?
Here's one partial list I found with a google search:
http://www.turkishpress.com/world/news.asp?id=041230225812.m2vr5z7b.xml
"Other leading government contributors were Japan at 40 million dollars, the Netherlands at 36 million dollars, Canada at 32.8 million dollars, Germany at 27 million dollars, Australia at 27 million dollars, Portugal at 11 million dollars, Saudi Arabia at 10 million dollars, and Arab Gulf neighbor of Qatar at 10 million dollars.
Smaller contributions from 15 other countries, most of them European nations but also China, Iran and Kuwait amounted to more than 25 million dollars, according to figures compiled by AFP."
One thing to keep in mind is the wealth of the Arab Gulf States is greatly exaggerated. Per capita the US is three times richer than Saudi Arabia, for example.
Rush returns Monday and I'll guarantee this is near the top of the stack of stuff.
From just listening to the MSM accounts of Kofi Anan, it sounds like he is orchestrating the enrire rescue event.
Hats off to the Japanese for their 1/2 billion donated. That's a lot for a lil' ol' country.
You came to FR prepared to bad mouth the U.S. and nothing's changed.
You are not in charge of relief efforts or U.S. PR, nor are you likely ever to be. Just run along.
Some people, when they discharge an obligation, the report can be heard for miles around." --- Mark Twain.
You and your "best friend" can cool it now. If you are hungry for recognition and still need to continue badmouthing the U.S. do it to French forums. They will be welcome there.
Seems the child sex capitol of the world is doing well today:
http://www.beachpatong.com/
The UN has to have time to set up their bribery and pay-off systems in the area. It takes time to get the relief supplies on the black market.
Crickets chirping...
Yawn....
Expelling the U.N. or its demise is on my list of things I never thought I'd see in my lifetime, but I think it will happen.
Strangely, the '00 electoral/popular votes were on my list along with a biblical proportioned tsunami event like this.
Parading Michael Jordan around would like like a cheap publicity trick.
That's another lie the UN and media are perpetrating : the core group does not exist to compliment the non-existant UN relief effort, as has been implied. The UN relief effort, when they get it off the ground, will simply be one of many parts of the core group.
Yes, exactly. :)
I have looked and noticed that a list of giving nations are not listed on BBC website etc. Which to me is odd considering the big deal made of it. Secondly would'nt be interesting to see how much islamic nations give to blowing up people (in Israel) as compared to them giving money to actually helping people. I guess this blows the arab theory that the christian west is doing little to help muslim suffering. Just a contrast I thought would be interesting to make, and sofar I only see listed Saudi Arabia Qatar Kuwait & Iran totaling 45 million.
Arab countries like Saudi are donating...the UAE is...I haven't heard anything about pledges from Mexico either. South America yes, but not Mexico. Anyone know whether Mexico has pledged any aid?
I thought you advocated some celebrity in our relief efforts, or do You just convince easily?
Talk is cheap, and we have way too many assertions totally undocumented, including yours.
The U.S. did not start this "donation comparison pissing match" as you so eloquently put it, and we can either ignore the U.S. bashers or respond. I choose to respond.
The Persian Gulf states are long on talk and short on action. Always. I say we put their feet to the fire. Same with the Euroeunuchs.
The Korean War. Under the UN aspices (the heavy lifting done by the US and our friends like usual), the South Koreas were relieved of the threat of being completely overrun and sent to North Korean re-education camps. 8^)
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