This from today’s Jakarta Post:
[quote]Insult To Humanity
As reported in this paper, hundreds of containers containing goods meant for Aceh tsunami survivors have been languishing in Indonesian ports for at least nine months. While the aid effort in Aceh has been generally applauded, and rightfully so, this is the most dramatic failure in the operation to bring relief to the province since the catastrophic earthquake and waves brought so much devastation in December, 2004.
How could such desperately needed aid be tied up for so long? The customs office’s explanation that it needed time to make sure the containers were not carrying smuggled goods is completely unacceptable. Does the customs service place paperwork over the lives of tsunami survivors? The argument that the goods did not have “proper documentation” does not ring true.
We are at a loss for answers as to what could have caused this delay. It is difficult to imagine customs officials were not aware of the need to get aid to tsunami survivors as quickly as possible, given the blanket media coverage of the suffering in the province. The 117 containers left languishing in a port in Jakarta are said to contain blankets, medicines and food, items in great demand in the aftermath of the disaster.[/quote]
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