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Massive tsunami kills 150,000+ in Asia

From today's National Post:

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=2c6af6fe-2e33-4c51-a049-0f0302db2f73

Editorial comment from the Dileas Network:

Brian

You made the front page in todays National Post in their coverage of the Asian tragedy. It is sorry to note that the Embassy staff gets a D minus in its initial reaction to this catastrophic tragedy. News from survivors tell us that the staff reacted like a deer caught in the headlights of an auto. They froze. They were apparently unaware of what had happened.  It was a Christmas holiday and no one in Canada could be reached to get directions, so the Embassy staff treated survivors as transients and told them it would take 10 days to get new documents and were charging them for service. No command decisions could be made locally.. The survivors had no money and only the clothes on their back so they had to wait hours in the Embassy for action to be taken. This seems to be the norm for our Quebec trained personnel. Dither as long as you can and then issue a statement saying all is OK. The people affected report they were ashamed to be Canadian.  It is sad.

Doug
 
"...Quebec trained personnel."?? What does that mean?

Not sure who "Doug" is, but his comments should probably not have been posted that way (unless he allowed you to do so).

Acorn
 
Rusty Old Joint said:
There is now, according to President Bush, a four nation coordinating team (Australia, India, Japan and the USA).   The twelve member, Canadian inter-departmental reconnaissance team could, probably, do more, better work in Washington than in Bangkok, Colombo or Jakarta.

It appears, from what I heard/read today that India is leading the relief efforts â “ taking care of its own and deploying relief/medical people and supplies to harder hit countries.   (Acting like a leading regional power in its own region ...   China, on the other hand, is still trying to figure out what to do â “ Peoples' Daily lists what other Asian nations â “ including Australia and New Zealand - are doing to help but is silent on Chinese efforts.   The government is, I think, having trouble deciding what to do, with whom to cooperate, etc ... its relations with most of the victim countries are 'cordial' to 'frosty,' there are many disputes over islands and potential undersea oilfields.)

China has, now, moved quickly and dramatically.   According to this morning's news they have jumped to (very near) the top of the donor list, above the USA â “ many tens of millions of dollars, hundreds of people and thousands of tons of supplies to Indonesia.

Australian and Singaporean warships with medical and engineer people are in the area, now.   This is over and above airlifts from both countries and from New Zealand and Pakistan which are, apparently, running a coordinated 'air bridge' from a staging/distribution centre in Singapore.   India is reported to have said it does not need any foreign help â “ that should be directed to other, harder hit countries.

One Canadian Airbus has arrived, with supplies; another is enroute â “ with people, a recce party (and a public affairs team too?).

 
More about dithering from today's Toronto Sun:

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/Editorial/home.html

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Columnists/Toronto/Peter_Worthington/2004/12/31/802545.html

 
Acorn said:
"...Quebec trained personnel."?? What does that mean?

Not sure who "Doug" is, but his comments should probably not have been posted that way (unless he allowed you to do so).

Acorn

I would say it is a reference to where we are now sending our Foreign Affairs Pers for training for foreign postings.  Many Federal institutions train in Quebec besides the CF (St Jean). 

GW
 
brief updates:

Death Toll
Now at 120,000 people.
Indonesia has reported its death toll could reach 100,000 alone. it Currently has 80,000.

Monetary Aid
-Onario pledged 5mil$,
-Alberta 5mil$,
-British Columbia, 8mil$,
-Canada has offered 40mil$ on its own and a Dollar for Dollar Pledge where the country will match every dollar donated by canadian citizens to select organizations such as the red cross
-The worlds richest nations have so far pledged 250million US$
-The world bank pledged 250million US$ on Thursday


 
George Wallace said:
I would say it is a reference to where we are now sending our Foreign Affairs Pers for training for foreign postings.   Many Federal institutions train in Quebec besides the CF (St Jean).  

GW

Well, the Canadian Foreign Service Institute is in Hull, so technically correct. However, what that has to do with the alleged poor performance of diplomatic pers in Bankok escapes me.

I could ramble on about my own perceptions of the deficiencies in the Foreign Service, particularly in HR management and leadership. I won't do so here though.

Acorn
 
It has more to do with the micro-management style that the PMs from Quebec have instituted in the Public Service starting with Trudeau. With the exception of Lew McKenzie when was the last time you heared of a Public Servant making an important Field Decision without consulting the PMO?
 
Good on ya mate. Anyone else up to the challenge?


Regards,

Wes
 
A soon as we get back to Canada from leave my wife and I will be donating at least $100 for aid, probably to the Red Cross.

As to the Quebec thing Art mentioned, I don't think the systemic problems with FAC and the foreign service have anything to do with Quebec, or the fact that the last few PMs were from Quebec. In fact, I KNOW, Quebec has nothing to do with it. Anyway, I'm a bit too full of New Year Cheer (despite the state of the world) to argue it coherently.

How can I wish a happy New Year in such a horrible time?

Acorn
 
Considering the original commitment of IIRC one million dollars to tsunami relief from the federal government, does it seem to anyone else that the government is merely increasing relief funds (and the deployment of dart) based on what appears to apease the public and not on what is a reasonable amount?As a wealthy country which can commit funds to make a life saving difference IMHO the government should be leading the way in aid and not playing catch up.
 
From someone in Asia, many thanks to those who have donated.   Keep up the forum and discussion, any help in the disaster area is needed.   All countries have been affected. Thanks again
 
well I just got back from my "vacation" in aruba. Ive been trying to keep an eye on the news as best as possible but there has been very little mention over there about Canadas contribution... Its good to see everyones keeping on top of this. Im going to pledge right after posting.....
Thanks for the updates peeps
 
Canada doubles tsunami aid to $80-million
By DANIEL LEBLANC
From Monday's Globe and Mail
03 Jan 05


Ottawa â ” Prime Minister Paul Martin said Canada could not have reacted more quickly to the devastation in Asia as he announced yesterday a doubling of financial aid to $80-million and the dispatch of the military's disaster-relief team to Sri Lanka.

The announcement was part of a slate of measures designed to counter criticism that Canada has been foot-dragging in its response to the massive tsunamis that hit countries on the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26. Ten RCMP officers are headed to Thailand to help identify bodies, while a national memorial will be held in Ottawa next Saturday.

Flags will fly at half-mast over federal buildings in memory of the estimated 140,000 victims, as Canada sends planeloads of blankets, generators, mobile kitchens and water-purification tablets to the hard-hit coastal areas of Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia.

A large portion of Ottawa's financial aid will be used to match donations from individual Canadians to aid agencies, which Mr. Martin said have received more than $36-million. The government said charitable donations made until Jan. 11 can be claimed on last year's tax returns.

One day after coming back from his Moroccan holiday, Mr. Martin said the situation in ravaged countries was so chaotic that Ottawa couldn't take much action earlier, adding a Canadian relief plane simply couldn't land in Sri Lanka last week.

But he said that Canada is ready to send off its 200-member Disaster Assistance Response Team to the eastern part of Sri Lanka to provide a field hospital and water-purification equipment. The DART will be airlifted to the country's eastern district by a rented cargo plane, which will eat up most of the one-month mission's estimated budget of $15-million.

"The problem has been getting the aid to where it was needed . . . and now that it is in the process of clearing up," Mr. Martin said at a news conference on Parliament Hill after an emergency meeting with responsible ministers.

Mr. Martin said Canada has been one of the biggest financial donors in the world on a per-capita basis, adding Canadian aid will now reach "at least" $80-million, up from last week's pledge of $40-million.

"Canada's response was among the quickest and the most generous in the world," he said

Mr. Martin, whose leadership has come under attack for his response to the disaster, said that Canada will provide help to affected countries for as long as it is needed.

"Let there be no question that through this difficult time and far beyond, we will be there to comfort, to assist, to help in any way we can. Not simply for a week or a month or even a year, but for as long as it takes and for as long as you need us, because that is the Canadian way," he said.

Mr. Martin insisted he did the right thing by staying at his vacation area in Morocco for the first week of the crisis, explaining he co-ordinated the Canadian response from a high-tech makeshift office.

"I was on the phones, either directing the situation here in Canada or on the phones with the other world leaders, and essentially was able to accomplish everything that I had to accomplish," he said.

Conservative MP Ted Menzies said that Ottawa could have taken action much sooner in response to the unprecedented disaster, blaming Mr. Martin for a "lack of leadership" that left him invisible to all Canadians in a time of crisis.

Mr. Menzies said the $80-million financial help is "a good number," but that the DART should already be in action instead of waiting for final clearance from a reconnaissance team in Sri Lanka.In an interview, Defence Minister Bill Graham said that DART cannot be deployed on a whim, and that the delay in announcing the team's departure was simply to ensure that it was the best way to spend up to $20-million.

"You can't send the DART without first knowing where it's going," Mr. Graham said.

Mr. Graham said the overall Canadian aid could still rise after a meeting of donor countries in Indonesia this week.

The meeting of donor countries will be attended by Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew and International Co-operation Minister Aileen Carroll, who will then visit disaster areas in Thailand and Indonesia, respectively. Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh will head off to India and Sri Lanka.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050102.wxtsuaid0103/BNStory/National/
 
Here's a graphic example of "convergence" (when, in the wake of a disaster or emergency, people converge on the site).  Similar to certain "other" operations, one remedy is to create an inner and outer perimetre around the site (however in this instance it's impossible).  When it's "only" a fire, crime or traffic accident here in Canada, it'll include "gawkers"/rubber-neckers who only want to look, well-meaning but often untrained/unskilled volunteers, relatives, etc. - they can get in the way of rescue workers/investigators, and even create new dangers or problems as illustrated by this article:

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7219985

Thais Order Kin of Foreigners Away from Morgues
Mon Jan 3, 2005 02:07 AM ET

By Darren Schuettler
PHUKET, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai police on Monday ordered families and friends of foreigners to stay away from tsunami-hit areas, including Buddhist temples turned temporary morgues where they have searched for missing loved ones.

Police said the move was necessary to allow hundreds of forensic experts to get on with the job of identifying bodies of thousands of Thais and foreigners through DNA samples.

"Friends and family members must refrain from visiting the tsunami-affected locations, temples, mosques, all operational grounds, including DNA gathering sites and autopsy sites," Police Lieutenant Tuaytup Dwibyunsin said in a statement.

"We appreciate your assistance very much, but we have to get organized," he said. "We don't want you risking your lives."

Hundreds of foreigners have scoured temporary morgues in the past eight days, searching for family and friends either dead or missing after the killer waves slammed into Thailand's Andaman Sea coast and islands.

Thailand's national disaster center said 5,046 bodies -- 2,459 of them foreigners -- had been recovered from smashed luxury hotels and fishing villages, a popular destination for sun-starved foreigners during the cold northern European winter.

Nearly 4,000 people are still missing -- a number which dropped from about 6,500 after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the list was being reviewed -- including more than 1,600 foreigners, many of them Scandinavians.

While respecting their grief, Tuaytup said the order was necessary to "prevent tampering of evidence and obstructing official gathering of DNA information."

It was addressed to "friends, family members searching for loved ones, foreigners, foreign volunteers and members of the press" and aimed at protecting them from potential disease.

Foreign volunteers must register with the authorities and needed permission to enter restricted areas, it said.

TASK FORCE

The clampdown comes a day after a 19-nation forensic task force was announced to oversee the grisly work of identifying bodies -- mainly through dental records and DNA testing -- which will take many months to complete.

Some bodies may never be recovered or identified, task force leaders said. They said the corpses -- badly decomposed after more than a week in the tropical sun -- were now beyond recognition and families and friends should go home.

Search teams zeroed in on the hardest hit areas on Monday, and Thai and Japanese navy ships scoured the seas for more dead.

Rescue teams expected to finish clearing bodies from Phi Phi island, made famous in the 2000 film "The Beach," after pulling out 50-60 rotting corpses on Sunday, Interior Minister Bhokin Bhalakula told reporters.

Thaksin, eager to rebuild a key part of Thailand's lucrative tourist trade quickly, was to tour Phi Phi later on Monday.

Bhokin said the main search effort continued in Phang Nga province, where thousands of foreign tourists and Thai villagers were swept away from the area around Khao Lak beach by giant waves eight days ago.

"We should clear them from Phi Phi on Monday. Phuket and Krabi have finished and the only work that remains is in Phang Nga," he said, referring to the island of Phuket, one of Asia's premier beach resorts, and the mainland province of Krabi.

"After this, our work will focus on reconstruction," said Bhokin, who hopes to finish the recovery phase of the operation by Jan. 7.

SWEDEN REELING

Sweden, reeling from a disaster that may have claimed 1,000 Swedish lives, pushed for another search of the Andaman Sea coastline by Thai and Japanese navy vessels, Bhokin said. About 70-80 bodies have been scooped out of the water near the Similan Islands off Phang Nga, a naval officer said.

Elephants have also joined the search for bodies in Khao Lak, heading into debris-strewn forests with rescue teams to retrieve corpses where heavy earth-moving equipment cannot go.

"The elephant is like a four-wheel drive. They walk in the forest all their life," said elephant trainer Laitonglian Meepan.

Investment bank JP Morgan said in a research note that the tsunamis had dealt a "hammer blow" to portions of the region's tourist industry.

"Thailand is the severest casualty as some of its prime tourist areas have been devastated by the tsunamis," it said. (Additional reporting by Crispian Balmer and Viparat Jantraprap)
 
Of interest, the Aussies have just successfully placed Water Purifier in Banda Aceh; source CNN Asia.  Death toll now exceeds 156K with Sri Lanka second hardest hit.  Thai PM thaksin Shinawatlar is purported to be declining Intl Fin Aid but is thanking the Intl community for support.  Apparently the ability to move by helicopter is more desirable, it will be interesting to see what our DART recce asks for and what can be provided.
 
Canada just upped its donation to 425 million dollars:
$265 million in immediate, emergency aid; and
$160 million over five years for long-term reconstruction through CIDA (the Canadian International Development Agency).

The $265-million figure also includes:

Canada's decision to cancel debt payments for tsunami-affected countries;
the costs of sending DART (the Canadian Forces' Disaster Assistance Relief Team) to Sri Lanka to help with the relief efforts there; and
sending RCMP forensics experts and health officials to Thailand to help identify victims.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1105377553705_100786753/?hub=TopStories


 
The death toll is now over 150,000 people  :'(
RIP
I send my condolences to all the families hit by the crisis

militarygirl88 :salute:
 
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