Re: U.N. 'furious' as Myanmar aid 'seized'

On May 11, 4:07=A0am, Good soldier <Decypher_addr...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
> On Sat, 10 May 2008 12:14:37 -0700 (PDT), bmo...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 wrote:
> >On May 10, 8:27=A0am, "ltl...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
" <ltl...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> On May 9, 9:54=A0pm, Good soldier <Decypher_addr...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> >> wrote:
>
> >> > On Fri, 9 May 2008 16:26:58 -0700 (PDT), "ltl...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"
>
> >> > <ltl...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> > >On May 9, 6:49=A0pm, PaPaPeng <PaPaP...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> > >> On Fri, 9 May 2008 14:47:02 -0700 (PDT), bmo...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 wrote:
> >> > >> >What if only one grain of rice reaches the people? You're
saying =
that
> >> > >> >no matter how shameless and horrible the junta is, we should
bend=
 over
> >> > >> >backwards to comply with their edicts, even if it means more
peop=
le
> >> > >> >will die. Sovereignty is im****tant but in so is saving lives,
arg=
uably
> >> > >> >moreso in this case. It's too bad the junta is in charge. They
do=
n't
> >> > >> >deserve to be.
>
> >> > >> This is a human disaster not a morality play. =A0There is no
place=
 for
> >> > >> good and evil battles. =A0Do what is possible first and that is
to=
 get
> >> > >> drinking water food and shelter, medical supplies to the
disaster
> >> > >> site. =A0Who gets the supplies is irrelevant at this moment.
=A0Th=
e
> >> > >> im****tant thing is to get the stuff there on the ground. =A0Then
a=
rgue
> >> > >> about the fairness and the morality of allocation. =A0
>
> >> > >Good point. Another unwarranted assumption is that foreign aid
worke=
rs
> >> > >will deliver fairly and/or effectove;u. As a matter of fact,
western=

> >> > >aid effort has bad track record. =A0Michael Maren, a long time
Ameri=
can
> >> > >aid worker had written a book with the title of "The Road to Hell:
T=
he
> >> > >Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity."
>
> >> > Having watched both the Thai and the Foreign aid efforts after the
> >> > Tsunami in Phuket I must say that I now view the foreign effort
with
> >> > considerable scepticism.
>
> >> > I was approximately 10 miles east of Phi Phi Island when the wave
> >> > passed under us. There was immediately a large amount of activity
on
> >> > marine radio channel 16 (the calling channel). The English language
> >> > communication was all about fleeing toward deep water where one
would=

> >> > be safe if there were after shocks.
>
> >> > When we passed Phi Phi harbor, about 2-3 hours after the wave hit,
we=

> >> > noted two Thai boats involved in evacuating survivors. No foreign
> >> > boats were observed.
>
> >> > We arrived at Phuket on the day following the Tsunami and observed
> >> > convoys of Thai, private and military, vehicles carrying food and
> >> > water into all the tsunami effected areas of Phuket Island. The
only
> >> > foreigners observed were crowded in Immigrations and the air****t
> >> > trying to leave Thailand.
>
> >> > I heard or read nothing about any foreign aid workers for about two
> >> > weeks and then they appeared in droves -- driving new trucks and
vans=
;
> >> > living in, very nice thank you, air conditioned houses; drinking
and
> >> > partying at night and "helping the people". One example I
particularl=
y
> >> > remember were some collage students "helping" the Thai fishermen,
> >> > who's boats had been lost, build new boats. A task that the Thai's
> >> > have been doing for hundreds of years and the students, apparently,
> >> > for a week. Note: They were not helping by supplying materials,
only
> >> > unskilled labor.
>
> >> > The "aid workers" seemed to congregate on Phuket and Kao Luk (north
o=
f
> >> > Phuket), both places having "adequate housing" and a "decent" night
> >> > life. None were seen at the more remote and primitive islands south
o=
f
> >> > Phuket where entire fi****ng villages were inundated.
>
> >> > I don't claim that I saw everything that happened after the Tsunami
> >> > but food and water labeled in foreign language was not evident and
> >> > there seemed to be little organized "foreign aid".
>
> >> > In N. Sumatra, where there were actually more deaths then in
Thailand=
,
> >> > the Indonesian government kicked out between 30 and 40% of the "aid
> >> > workers" who the government stated were guilty of contributing
nothin=
g
> >> > to the aid efforts - simply driving around and partying.
>
> >> Interesting account. Thank you for the info.
>
> >This thread is absurd. There was a huge effort to help people after
> >the tsunami. And they did help. Just as there are many aid workers who
> >are ready to help in Burma. If you can't see that, and can't see what
> >the generals are doing to hurt their own people, you are blind.
>
> Well, I was there and I have been in Thailand for nearly forty years
> so I do have some idea of what is going on and I can assure you that
> the foreign aid workers I saw in both Phuket and Kao Luk were
> accompli****ng nothing that would not have been accomplished without
> them.

Some American organizations also sent their workers to help out after
Katrina. I think the state government asked them to contribute. The
team I know did not really go into New Orlean. But operate somewhere
outside where it was safe. The volunteers did not have much to do. And
certainly did not do anything that would not have been accomplished
without them.

> Further, few, if any Thai's are aware, today, of any assistance
> furnished by foreign aid workers. Had there been any real help given I
> can assure you that it would be common knowledge amount the people who
> received it. I also did not see any foreign food or water being
> distributed.

May be the aid workers need motiviations too. In this case, foreign
re****ters taking pictures would have set the wheels tturning.

>
> The Indonesian Government kicking the foreign "aid workers" out of N.
> Sumatra was published in Singa****e and Thai newspapers, to my personal
> knowledge.
>
> Cheers,
>
> schweik
> (Correct Address is goodsoldierschweikatgmaildotcom)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -