Posted on 12/28/2004 3:28:39 AM PST by white trash redneck
A 150-member Israeli aid delegation canceled its mission to Sri Lanka on Tuesday, after the country - one of the hardest hit in the Asian tsunami disaster - refused to accept the Israeli team, Israel Defense Forces officials said.
However, Israel is sending supplies at Sri Lanka's request, including 10,000 blankets contributed by the IDF, tents, nylon sheeting and water containers. The IDF Home Front Command is organizing aid preparations.
The Israeli humanitarian organization Latet ("To give") is sending a separate aid package Tuesday. It is filling a jumbo jet with 18 tons of supplies worth $50,000, at Sri Lanka's request. The group is considering sending additional aid shortly.
Sri Lanka said on Tuesday the death toll from the tsunami had risen to about 15,000 people, including at least 200 foreign tourists. Sri Lankan military spokesman Daya Ratnayake said more than 1.5 million people had been displaced from their homes - around 7.5 percent of Sri Lanka's population.
About 26,000 people were confirmed dead Tuesday in the wake of the tsunami that slammed into coasts from India to Indonesia two days before, with some estimates nearly doubling that toll.
The aid delegation that had been set to depart for Sri Lanka on Tuesday included medical teams and representatives of the IDF and Defense Ministry, who were planning to provide humanitarian assistance and participate in search-and-rescue operations.
The delegation was planning to assemble a medical facility comprised of specialist doctors, and set up emergency, internal medicine and pediatric departments, as well as laboratory and X-ray facilities in the southern part of Sri Lanka.
A far smaller team landed in Sri Lanka on Monday night, headed by four doctors from Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem in Jerusalem. The team was carrying medicine and baby food.
The doctors - who specialize in rescue operations, trauma and pediatrics - were also checking the viability of setting up a field hospital in the area, and advised Israel to send a larger team, such as the one Sri Lanka rejected.
"We will advise Israel and the Foreign Ministry... to send something more massive," said Dr. Avi Rivkind, director of Hadassah's trauma unit. "We will try to use our... broad experience in dealing with terror attacks and rescuing masses to help in this disaster as well."
Israel is weighing the option of sending similar delegations to Thailand, where more than 1,000 people have died, and India, where more than 4,000 people have died, but has yet to make a final decision on the matter.
Health Min. team leaves for Thailand A Health Ministry contingent left for Thailand on Monday night to aid in the rescue efforts there after around 1,000 people, including tourists, were killed on the islands of Phuket and Phi Phi. The contingent includes doctors, nurses and four members of the IDF, Israel Radio reported.
Israel has also offered its assistance to India. Mofaz passed on the offer to Indian authorities through Israel's military attache Colonel Moshe Krawitz.
Mofaz offered aid of two kinds - a search-and-rescue team from the Home Front Command, as well as consignments of food and medicine.
A ZAKA rescue-and-recovery team left for the disaster areas Monday night armed with its equipment, including materials and tools for identifying bodies, as well as body bags.
"We are waiting for any instruction," Yehuda Meshi Zahav, the director of the organization, said Monday.
Well, let's just see how many aid workers from other nations they turn away.
Are you showing your true colors?
Bite my a$$ troll. Get off this thread.
Both could be right. This article refers to a 4 doctor team in Sri Lanka, which would be typical to assess the situation in advance of a larger teams arrival. The Jerusalem post also reported a "reduction" in the size of the team from 154 to 4. Presumably either there's nothing for the Israelis to do or Sri Lanka would prefer someone else do it.
Israel sends aid to Thailand, Sri Lanka
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Israel reduced its planned humanitarian mission to Sri Lanka from a 154-member delegation to just a handful of people who will accompany the shipment of 10 tons of relief aid to the disaster-stricken nation.
The change in the makeup of the mission – which was to include army doctors, rescue and relief workers and eight Israeli journalists – followed hours of intense negotiations between the Israeli and the Sri Lanka governments. Neither stated the reasons for the change of plan.
Sri Lanka Ambassador Diffa Digeratna said Tuesday morning: "We are very thankful to the government of Israel for providing those facilities to Sri Lanka."
He said that due to logistical constraints and "the lack of accommodations in Colombo" (the capital), his government had requested that Israel send a reduced delegation.
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Just trying to make a devil's advocate argument.
No I don't.
Most people have enough respect for God to capitalize His name, if we dare spell it out at all.
I'd say that post from a 3 day newbie pretty pretty much established your role here.
A quick look at the thread, the acrimony mostly stems from you. Who were you last time you were banned?
"6000 plus people die in a terrible tragedy and some people are more outraged about a small group of people being refused entry (if they were actually refused)into a sovereign nation in the midst of terrible grieving and chaos.
Looking at a hierarchy of suffering some people just can't see the truth. "
Yes, the truth that the Sri Lankans would rather hate Jews than be helped by them. Who else have they refused entry to?
That says it all to my mind. Though to be fair to the Sri Lankan government, they may have been worried about the safety of the Israelis. If that's the case, it's better than bigotry on the government's part but still incredibly sad.
Well said, gitmo.
Then why not come out and state why the size of the team was so drastically reduced?
SJackson's been here too long to be taking undeserved crap from a newbie like you.
Learn some manners or begone, dweeb.
Are you smoking pot?
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