"Relief is Hell" - Stories from the front lines in Sumatra

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/01.26.05/hellcats-0504.html ^

[Rio]

'It's just chaos. There's the black market and the government is stockpiling [goods]. It has made us pretty angry. This stuff is pouring in and warehouses are filling up and people are controlling it. Our mission is to get the supplies to the people who need it most. We're doing everything we can. We're just this little independent mission. Spirits are still high. Everyone has just been incredible. We're just a very, very happy ship, and we're doing great things.'

[Rio]

A report from the front lines. As one might suspect about black market dealings in relief goods and government obstruction. Interesting reading, though.

[MplsSteve]

Government corruption in a Islamic nation like Indonesia?

C'mon, we all know that sort of things happens ONLY in the decadence-filled, heathen-filled West.

(sarcasm off)

[Robert357]

My wife was in graduate school with someone who is director of a group of combined schools/orphanages in the Tusnami devasted area of the world.

We got an e-mailed request for funds the day after the disaster as more than one of the school's had been washed away. Since we knew the person, we sent money immediately. He was able to raise enough money to get antibotics flown in from Singapore and Hong Kong and purchase bottled water for the children under his care who survived.

The message we got was that government relief is just fine, if folks can survive long enough.

I think the guy in this article is a bit of a "show boat." The person we know has family ties to the area, owns a business and also works as an executive director of a large non-profit He is totally committed to the people and area he is helping.

Whenever large quantities of anything need to go somewhere quickly, it is always an opportunity for some to try to extract illegal gains. The culture may even encourage such activities.