Tsunamis in the Indian Ocean

[CDS]

Dude? STFU about how much government aid got out quick. It's a meaningless number.

Dude, no. It's not.

I don't give a shit if you think it's "meaningless". I dare you to say that to anyone involved in the tragedy, I'm sure they'll understand. "Oh, it's okay. We were holding out for a real kicker in the corpse count before we'd send the big bucks."

The fact that the US government has now increased the aid to 350 million, in addition to sending immediately usefully things over there, is meaningful. It takes time for bearucracies to get it into gear.

Stop acting like everything can occur instantly.

I find it interesting how you're saying that bearucracy has to take it's time and how the governments aren't session etc etc.. but I find it interesting how this is happening on New Years Eve. Did term start and the public holidays finish and nobody told me?

Shit - I need to be at work!

[Knife]

I find it interesting how you're saying that bearucracy has to take it's time and how the governments aren't session etc etc.. but I find it interesting how this is happening on New Years Eve. Did term start and the public holidays finish and nobody told me?

Shit - I need to be at work!

So the fact that the first news report I saw said 650 dead to the fact that today it's ~150 thousand shouldn't be taken into account. The damn day it happened, the US pledged 15 million and the day after the CBG and MEU were re routed *reportedly* and the day after that the $ amount went to 35 million.

Now less than a week later where we know that close to 200 thousand will probably be killed by this thing and probably as close to that by after affects, pledging 350 million seems appropriate at this point. Hell, by next week it will be up again.

As I've said in other threads, writting a check isn't the only thing that needs to be done. Put boots on the ground and see what need to be done and then do it. Throwing money at the problem isn't always the best solution.

[CDS]

So the fact that the first news report I saw said 650 dead to the fact that today it's ~150 thousand shouldn't be taken into account. The damn day it happened, the US pledged 15 million and the day after the CBG and MEU were re routed *reportedly* and the day after that the $ amount went to 35 million.

Excuse my ignorance, but I'm assume that CBG = Canadian Brigade Group and MEU = Marine Expeditionary Unit? What's this got to do with the rise the amount pledged by the US had increased happening at a strange time?

Now less than a week later where we know that close to 200 thousand will probably be killed by this thing and probably as close to that by after affects, pledging 350 million seems appropriate at this point. Hell, by next week it will be up again.

I couldn't agree more. This is why I see, and agree to, Valdemar's point

As I've said in other threads, writting a check isn't the only thing that needs to be done. Put boots on the ground and see what need to be done and then do it. Throwing money at the problem isn't always the best solution.

Money won't directly help, but it's bloody good to be able to afford things. "Sorry love, i'd love to be able to give you some water that we were giving out to those blokes over there, but we just ran out, and, y'know, can't afford anymore"
If you'd excuse my poor 6am-in-the-morning insomniac fueled example

[Stofsk]

CBG = Carrier Battle Group, not Canadians.

At least... I hope I'm right.

[Col. Crackpot]

canadian brigade group?

the HAB will mock you now

[CDS]

I'm sorry I'm not American and don't know every TLA in existence about their armed forces

[HemlockGrey]

There have been US and Japanese planes flying constant overhead for days, and there seems to have been a large shuffle about the bases here on Okie since after the first few days of the tragedy.

[kheegster]

The amounts donated so far should be ample for the initial humanitarian assistance and aid, but it's going to be a drop in the bucket as far as the medium- and long-term efforts are concerned. These are millions of people without places to live, and have lost their livelihood and all their possessions. It's one thing to keep them from starving to death and contracting diseases in this few weeks, but another thing to help them get back on their feet. They're going to need billions in aid, well in excess of what's been pledged so far.

[Knife]

The amounts donated so far should be ample for the initial humanitarian assistance and aid, but it's going to be a drop in the bucket as far as the medium- and long-term efforts are concerned. These are millions of people without places to live, and have lost their livelihood and all their possessions. It's one thing to keep them from starving to death and contracting diseases in this few weeks, but another thing to help them get back on their feet. They're going to need billions in aid, well in excess of what's been pledged so far.

True, but those billions don't need to be piled up at this very instance. Tsk tsking countries for only giving up a few million at this point is bull shit. No goverment needs to pledge 10 billion dollars at this exact moment. Rather get immeadiate aid over there and some personel to assess the situation and then get the money train going when you see what you really need.

[Knife]

Excuse my ignorance, but I'm assume that CBG = Canadian Brigade Group and MEU = Marine Expeditionary Unit? What's this got to do with the rise the amount pledged by the US had increased happening at a strange time?

CBG=Carrier Battle Group. And it has to do with that why the CBG and MEU are not part of the 15 or the 35 or the 350 million pledged, but are on route if not there by now, have troops and infrastructure as well as supplies for immeadiate aid, not counting the air assest and mobile platforms in which to carry out SAR and recovery missions.

The Carrier and the Amphib flat top will be invaluable for clean up and hell, even logistics to give out the aid. So basically, rapid aid, mobile infrastructure to give out that aid, and air and sea assets that are not covered in the 15/35/350 million dollars.

Do you think its cheap to crank up a CBG and keep it running?

Now less than a week later where we know that close to 200 thousand will probably be killed by this thing and probably as close to that by after affects, pledging 350 million seems appropriate at this point. Hell, by next week it will be up again.

I couldn't agree more. This is why I see, and agree to, Valdemar's point

Money won't directly help, but it's bloody good to be able to afford things. "Sorry love, i'd love to be able to give you some water that we were giving out to those blokes over there, but we just ran out, and, y'know, can't afford anymore"
If you'd excuse my poor 6am-in-the-morning insomniac fueled example

Which is why its importent to get immeadiate aid there now, bitching about wheather you gave 35 million or 100 million is bull shit at this point. Get the immeadiate aid there now, then assess what is needed.

[BenRG]

Well known the death toll is important so you know how many survivors you are dealing with.

Good point, though to be honest it sounds like it'd be easier to head count the survivors than dig through the bodies right now.

According to the London Mail on Sunday newspaper, the Indonesian authorities have already given up counting the dead. The bodies are being either put in a pit or on a bonfire as quickly as they are found.

According to the same article, death tolls are now being 'guesstimated' by counting the number of people currently alive in any given area and comparing that with the last known population. Based on these figures, the Indonesian death toll has been revised upwards to an estimated 200,000.

I'd say that we are probably looking at a quarter-million death toll from the quake with another 200,000 - 300,000 from secondary problems (disease, exposure and starvation).

I'm glad to see on the news webpages that the Lincon has arrived at the main disaster zone (Aceh in Indonesia) and has been using its SH-60s to start surveying the various little villages, islands and resorts scattered through the area. As much as the known survivors need help quickly, we also need a thorough and comprehensive damage survey so we have at least a clue of who needs what and where. IMO, a modern warship, with a marine detachment and a helicopter of some kind, is the ideal way to re-establish contact with the more isolated islands, especially in Indonesia, the Maldives and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (sp?).

Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims and the relatives of the dead (and money too, of course...)

[Petrosjko]

According to the London Mail on Sunday newspaper, the Indonesian authorities have already given up counting the dead. The bodies are being either put in a pit or on a bonfire as quickly as they are found.

According to the same article, death tolls are now being 'guesstimated' by counting the number of people currently alive in any given area and comparing that with the last known population. Based on these figures, the Indonesian death toll has been revised upwards to an estimated 200,000.

I'd say that we are probably looking at a quarter-million death toll from the quake with another 200,000 - 300,000 from secondary problems (disease, exposure and starvation).

I'm glad to see on the news webpages that the Lincon has arrived at the main disaster zone (Aceh in Indonesia) and has been using its SH-60s to start surveying the various little villages, islands and resorts scattered through the area. As much as the known survivors need help quickly, we also need a thorough and comprehensive damage survey so we have at least a clue of who needs what and where. IMO, a modern warship, with a marine detachment and a helicopter of some kind, is the ideal way to re-establish contact with the more isolated islands, especially in Indonesia, the Maldives and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (sp?).

Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims and the relatives of the dead (and money too, of course...)

Good. Right now there's no time to be sentimental. There are too many lives at stake, and we're already going to lose too many as it is.

[CJvR]

Global disaster, the latest figures...

Dead in the struck nations
Indonesia: 94 000+ (expected to rise to ~100 000.)
Sri Lanka: 30 000+ (expected to rise to ~35 000)
India: 15 000+
Thailand: 5 046.
Somalia: 200.
Burma: 90.
Malaya: 100.
Maldivas: 100.
Tanzania: 10.
Bangladesh: 2.
Kenya: 1
Somalia : 200

Tourists groups, mainly in Thailand
Germany: 60 & 1 000 missing.
Sweden: 52 & 827 missing.
UK: 40 & 159 missing.
France: 22 & hundreds missing.
Norge: 16 & over 400 missing.
Japan: 21 dead.
Italy: 18 & 570 missing.
Schweiz: 16 & 500 missing.
USA: 15 dead.
Australia: 13 & 78 missing.
SouthKorea: 11 missing.
Singapore: 9 missing.
Denmark: 7 & 69 missing.
Austria: 7 & 468 missing.
Belgium: 6 & 62 missing.
Canada: 5 & Up to 150 missing.
Philippines: 5 missing.
Netherlands: 6 & over 200 missing.
SouthAfrika: 7 & 1,137 missing.
Finland: 5 & 186 missing.
Israel: 4 & 3 missing.
China: 3 & 15 missing.
Brasil: 2 dead.
New Zeeland: 2 & 24 missing.
Taiwan: 2 dead,
Ryssland: 2 & 80 missing.
Polen: 1 & 39 missing.
Colombia: 1 dead.
Turkey: 1 & 44 missing.
Mexiko: 1 dead.

[Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba]

Wait, how did Kenya get hit?

[CaptainChewbacca]

Wait, how did Kenya get hit?

East Africa. It was the first african nation to report wave-related casualties. That thing hit Madagascar, man.

[dr. what]

Tsunami aid: by the numbers
CBC News Online | January 3, 2005

All figures in Canadian dollars unless otherwise specified.

More than $2 billion US
Total amount donated for relief efforts in South Asia by countries around the world according to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

$303 million
Amount donated by the World Bank for relief efforts, accounting for half of the total global government donations.

$80 million
Aid donated by Canada's federal government. This includes $25 million to match private donations made by Canadians. This amount will increase if donations surpass that amount by mid-January.

$36 million
Amount donated so far by Canadians to non-governmental organizations such as the Canadian Red Cross.

$18.5 million
Aid donated by Canada's provincial and territorial governments.

35
The number of countries that have promised aid to those areas affected by the tsunamis. As well, the World Bank and European Union are contributing aid.

$424 million
Amount pledged by the U.S., not including additional spending by the Pentagon.

5
The number of countries in the "core group" set up by U.S. President George W. Bush to co-ordinate aid to South Asia. The group also includes Canada, Australia, India and Japan.

$115 million
Aid promised by the British. Private British donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee (an umbrella group for numerous aid organizations) have so far totalled over $46 million.

$606 million, $91.5 million, $82 million, $73 million, $69 million
Aid pledged by Japan, Sweden, Spain, China and France respectively.

$57 million
Aid contributed by the Australian government. In addition, the Australian public has donated $33.8 million. Private companies have also backed the aid campaign. Companies that topped the list included Qantas and VISY Industries each donating $938,800.

$150.8 million
How much it will cost to provide food to some two million people in areas hit by the tsunamis for the next six months, according to the UN World Food Program.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Relief supplies desperately needed in remote areas
Last Updated Mon, 03 Jan 2005 19:21:45 EST

UNITED NATIONS - United Nations emergency relief co-ordinator Jan Egeland says tens of thousands of Indonesians in Sumatra and Aceh will likely perish before aid workers can reach them.

Egeland says the regions were barely accessible before the earthquake and tsunami on Dec. 26. He says now, it's virtually impossible to reach them.

A fleet of US navy helicopters from the USS Abraham Lincoln dropped aid and picked up survivors for a second day in Aceh. More than 270,000 people are in refugee camps in Aceh, but aid workers believe many more people are isolated with no fresh water, food or access to medical care.

Mike Huggins of the World Food Program says there is a "co-ordinated effort that is going on. It may look a little chaotic, but in fact we all do know what we are doing."

The United Nations and aid groups warn that the threat of a major outbreak of disease such as cholera or diarrhea could claim tens of thousands more lives.

Over 145,000 deaths have been confirmed in 11 countries with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand worst hit.

Indonesia says more than 94,000 died in the disaster.

In Sri Lanka, 30,190 are confirmed killed.

The number of people in India confirmed dead, or listed as missing presumed dead, has risen to 15,275.

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra says his country's death toll could rise to 6,000.

Officials with the World Food Program say 30,000 people in Myanmar are in need of assistance.

Myanmar's military rulers say 53 people were killed by the earthquake triggered waves. The UN estimates up to 90 people died. Simon Pluess of the World Food Program says the government in Rangoon thought at first it could deal with the problem on its own but has since revised its position and is now accepting aid.

Computer models say Myanmar may have suffered as much damage as southern Thailand.

U.S. President George W. Bush is urging Americans to contribute whatever they can to help victims of the Asian disaster and he's announced a nationwide campaign to raise money.

Bush has asked two former presidents to lead the effort: his father, George H.W. Bush and his immediate predecessor, Bill Clinton.

"I ask every American to contribute as they are able to do so," Bush said.

"In the coming days, Presidents Clinton and Bush will ask Americans to donate directly to reliable charities already providing help to tsunami victims. I've asked the former presidents to solicit contributions both large and small."

The United States has faced criticism for being slower than other countries to donate large amounts to the relief effort.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the biggest problem at the moment is not money, but how to distribute it. Powell is in Thailand to assess what the United States should do next.

He will also attend Thursday's regional summit and donors conference in Jakarta being organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Donations small and large continue to be pledged to help the stricken countries of South Asia and eastern Africa. The number of pledges from private citizens has, in some cases, caused the websites of some charities to crash.

Overall, internationally, donors have promised about $2-billion in disaster assistance. The money has come from wealthy nations like the U.S., Japan and Canada, as well as two of the world's poorest nation's, Nepal and East Timor.

However, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged caution about the $2 billion figure. "We've got over $2-billion [in pledges] but it is quite likely that at the end of the day we will not receive all of it. I think you heard about the example of the Bam earthquake in Iran, we got lots of pledges but we did not receive all the money."

[dr. what]

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - An Indonesian man swept off shore by last week's tsunami was found afloat on tree branches and debris, the second person to be found alive on high seas days after the disaster, officials said Tuesday.
Rizal Sapura, 23, was plucked out by a Malaysian cargo ship from the Indian Ocean on Monday evening, about 100 miles from the shores of Aceh province, said Adrian Arukiasamy, a spokesman for shipping company K-Line Maritime Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

The crew of a container vessel that was returning to Malaysia from South Africa had spotted him clinging to the branches of an uprooted tree, Arukiasamy said.

"It was certainly a miraculous survival," he said.

Rizal, who subsisted mainly on rainwater, was weak and in shock, Arukiasamy said. He will be taken for medical treatment when the ship arrived in Malaysia's western harbor early Wednesday.

No other details about Rizal were immediately available.

It was the second such incident reported in Malaysia in recent days.

A Malaysian tuna ship last Friday found an Indonesian woman who held on to a sago palm tree for five days in the Indian Ocean after the Dec. 26 tsunami swept her out to sea.

Malawati, 23, arrived Monday in Malaysia's northwestern Penang state, where she has been hospitalized. Officials said she had been bitten by fish and was traumatized by the ordeal, but she kept alive by eating the palm's fruit and bark.

Indonesian consulate officer Helena Ferat said Tuesday that authorities were trying to trace Malawati's husband, who has been missing after the tsunamis hit their home in Banda Aceh.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... i_survivor

[Ace Pace]

Human nature never changes...

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050101/D87BFNJG0.html

Officials Probe Child Rape in Sri Lanka


By SHIMALI SENANAYAKE
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - A teenager who escaped death but was left orphaned and homeless by the Asian tsunami met yet one more agony: gang rape, one of several cases of child abuse being investigated in the disaster zone, an official said Saturday.

Of all the human tragedies emerging from the worst natural disaster in decades, sexual abuse of vulnerable children in refugee camps must be among the most shocking.

But experts say it's not uncommon in times of conflict and trauma.

"When there is displacement and chaos, the possibility of this type of behavior is higher," said Harendra de Silva, head of the National Child Protection Authority.

With nearly 1 million losing their homes, Sri Lanka has immediate concerns of survival, rolling out relief trucks as cargo planes ferry food, drinking water and medical supplies from donor nations.

But psychological and behavioral problems are certain to become more important as the authorities gain control over the life-threatening issues.

De Silva said his governmental agency already is investigating several complaints of sexual abuse in centers housing tens of thousands of survivors.

So far, the cases of suspected abuse have been isolated. But officials are concerned that the trauma of the catastrophe, coupled with the close quarters in the refugee centers, could spawn many more cases.

"In the aftermath of displacement and shock you do see an increase of abuse and violence against women and children," said Ted Chaiban, head of the U.N. children's agency in Colombo.

He said UNICEF was funding the survey by de Silva's group to identify abused children and provide them with extra protection.

Sexual crimes were an aspect of Sri Lanka's 20-year-long ethnic war. Women's activists said they had frequent reports of Sinhalese soldiers raping Tamil women, although few were prosecuted. Tamil rebels have been fighting for independence in the northern and eastern provinces, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese who dominate the government.

De Silva gave few details of the case of the gang-raped 17-year-old girl, which occurred in the area of Galle on the southern coast but not in a refugee center. Hours after being washed ashore and left orphaned and homeless, she was raped by six men, he said.

Since Friday, two other cases of suspected abuse of children were reported, including one by a man who attempted to molest his granddaughter, de Silva said.

All the reported cases were in the south, he said after a tour of camps in the region. A team from his office will soon visit other areas.

A church-run welfare center near Colombo, the capital, folded up its relief operations Friday after the clergymen heard that a minor had been abused, a relief worker who was working at the church said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The refugees were transferred to a government-run center.

Nearly 30,000 people died when the tsunami swamped the island a week ago Sunday. Children account for about a third of the dead and displaced.

"These are all vulnerable children and opportunists are taking advantage of these children without parents and in open camps," de Silva said.

He said the children suspected of being abused were taken under the protection of child welfare authorities.

[Stofsk]

Oh fucking hell.

[Mayabird]

Disgusting actions like that is why Sri Lanka just imposed a one year ban on adoptions of children orphaned by the tsunami. They're afraid that many of those kids "adopted" will be sold into sex slavery. Sadly, they're right. When disaster hits, the scavengers always arrive for easy pickings.

[dr. what]

Oh great--it gets worse...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... hildren_dc

JAKARTA (Reuters) - The United Nations (news - web sites) Children's Fund confirmed a case in Indonesia of trafficking in children orphaned or separated from parents by the Indian Ocean tsunami as ravaged countries were warned to be on high alert for kidnappers.

Reports of children being taken away surfaced soon after the killer waves swamped 13 nations, killing more than 153,000 people and leaving more than a million people injured and homeless. But the UNICEF (news - web sites) report is the first confirmed case.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also said Friday that an Indonesian aid agency had reported seven cases of child-trafficking since the Dec. 26 undersea earthquake that sent giant waves crashing ashore across Asia and East Africa.

Birgithe Lund-Henriksen, chief of the UNICEF Indonesia child protection unit, said UNICEF and Indonesian police had confirmed that a 4-year-old boy was taken out of Banda Aceh, the capital of devastated Aceh province, by a couple claiming to be his parents.

Local police were alerted after non-governmental organizations (NGOs) became suspicious when the couple took the child to a hospital in Medan, 450 km (280 miles) southeast of Banda Aceh, she said.

"NGOs grew suspicious when the couple were not consistent in their story," she said, adding they now say they are the boy's neighbors.

Lund-Henriksen said there were other reports of possible child-trafficking cases, including a sighting by an NGO worker of about 100 infants being carried in a speed boat in the middle of the night in Aceh province.

"We're absolutely concerned about trafficking. This is something that existed prior to the earthquake tsunami. And with syndicates in place, it's clear they will take advantage of the chaos that's going on now," she said.

Lund-Henriksen said Medan had long been a departure point for smuggling children out of Indonesia for illegal adoption, forced labor, or work in the sex industry.

HIGH ALERT

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned affected countries to be on high alert against trafficking of orphans or other vulnerable people, adding that it already had child-trafficking experts working in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand as part of its emergency response to the tsunami.

"To date, actual confirmed cases of human trafficking remain minimal. But we are boosting our counter-trafficking operations and working with governments," IOM spokeswoman Niurka Pinheiro told a news briefing.

Some 250,000 people are trafficked in, out and through the South East Asia region each year, according to IOM estimates. Many victims are exploited sexually or used for domestic labor.

"An NGO has reported seven trafficking cases in Indonesia," Richard Danziger, head of IOM's counter-trafficking unit, told Reuters. He declined to name the agency.

"Something like (the tsunami) can worsen an ongoing problem. We have not actually identified any cases ourselves. But you can't say it hasn't happened just because you haven't seen it," he added.

UNICEF has set up a children's center in Aceh province, and plans to set up 20 places to accommodate unaccompanied children and to prevent them from being taken away.

Countries hit by the tsunami, including Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and some outside the region such as the United States, have banned adoption of children orphaned by the disaster in a bid to prevent smugglers from taking advantage of the situation.

Indonesian Social Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab told Reuters this week: "The government has decided that orphans should stay in Aceh to maintain their cultural heritage."

He said the process of counting orphans was under way.

[frigidmagi]

What is it about events like these that brings out the scum? Is it like blood in the water to them?

[Imperial Overlord]

It's something about disasters. It's like the social order and all decency goes out the window for some people.

[Chris OFarrell]

If they find people involved in child sex slave rings, simply take them out, shoot them and dump them in the raveged areas. No-one will take note or care about one more decomposing body in a shallow grave in those areas.

And let it be KNOWN that this is what is happening.

Fucking animals

[Mayabird]

It's something about disasters. It's like the social order and all decency goes out the window for some people.

These are people who have no decency in the first place. The child abductors for the sex slave trade were already well established in Indonesia and other countries, and the tsunami just made it a lot easier for them. They're probably dancing gleefully at the windfall that's come to them. I hope they're caught and summarily executed under international piracy laws.