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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Tsunami spawns disaster tourism |
| 2005-01-07 |
| EFL. Couldn't see this coming... NEW DELHI: They come in hordes with truckloads of relief material and a newfound urge to serve, but their presence is doing more harm than good in many areas hit hard by the December killer tsunamis of India. As unseemly as it sounds, these well-meaning people have spawned a new industry - disaster tourism. Kofi Annan is... "Disaster Tourist"! The massive inflow of charitable organisations and aid volunteers to the tsunami-hit areas of Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh is what is now being seen as the second giant wave. And overzealous volunteers, obsessed with the need to "do good" are making things worse - in many places. You don't say? "They are coming in large numbers, with loads of loads of relief material but no idea as to what they need to do," said AID-India volunteer Ravi Shankar, who has taken a break from his teaching assignment at an Indian Institute of Technology. "We call it disaster tourism." I wonder if they ask Ravi to whip out his sitar and play a few tunes? You know, in recognition of their noble efforts? I don't think it's actually him, but what do they know. Shankar hastened to clarify that help was more than welcome. "We need as many people as we can get, but they have to come with a proper understanding of what they have to do and face." Many of the relief aid workers who jumped on to the bandwagon after the December 26 quake-triggered tsunamis ravaged the coasts of south and southeast India found themselves hopelessly out of sorts in "Ground Zero". Hey, you mean this ain't like a camping trip? Said Sanchita, an advertising professional: "People should know that all relief workers must take immunisation and antibiotics as a precaution against epidemics." More advice for wannabe volunteers, coming from those who learnt the hard way -- be equipped with disaster overall suits, sleeping bags, safety helmets, gloves, water-proof boots, masks, mosquito repellents and first aid boxes. "Most volunteers do not want to dirty their heels in the muck," remarked Shankar, referring to the elaborate precautions listed for the aid workers. Eeeeeewwwwwwwww, yucky dead people! As one volunteer observes, the eagerness to give and help has not really helped. More often than not, it is like the act of washing one's sins. We mean well, dammit! Don't you realize that!? Isn't that important!? Some of these do-gooders have gone on a spree to "adopt-a-village". "Often that means they take care of one afternoon meal for a village, spend perhaps a day and disappear, leaving giant banners to advertise their deed," said a relief worker from Mumbai who is working in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. Banners and posters cover relief trucks and walls in and around villages, often advertising that an organisation has "adopted the village". Some nomadic agencies are wont to swamp the affected villages with relief material, then move off without looking back. Hey, Rajiv. Looks like the UN's in town... When relief trucks come calling, a huge crowd gathers around them and a fight usually ensues over packets of food grain, medicine and utensils. The winners are those with muscles or belonging to a higher caste. Said Shankar, "Unless there is proper coordination and sincerity, I am afraid relief workers will end up doing good to none but themselves." ...and isn't that the important thing? |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #11 I think I know the one you mean! I lived in Chaing Mai for 9 months last year... Is it on Doi Suthep? I have a tourist map, so I shouldn't be bothering you with that, lol! Hell, there were bumper stickers for it in half the tuktuks (the blue locals) I rode in, lol! Good for you, nada. I hope the zipperheads didn't totally ruin it for you. The Thais prolly helped out there - I love those folks, generally speaking, and Chiang Mai isn't as screwed up as Bangkok regards people trying to scam you. Chiang Mai almost captured me as a perm resident / semi-retiree. I was this close to staying for good on the OA Visa program. Good on ya, nada! |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-08 12:03:24 AM |
| #10 .com, lex -- I went to volunteer at an elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai. The people who ran it were (are) extraordinary folks. It was the people who "helped" who were the ones who got my blood pressure up. I saw the sanctuary on National Geographic about five years ago now. "Vanishing Giants" was the name of the show. They do a lot more than just help the elephants, too. Google "Jumbo Express" and it should take you to "Thaifocus." |
| Posted by: nada 2005-01-07 11:48:03 PM |
| #9 nada - I commiserate. And I echo lex's question. My experience was as a pure volunteer when hanging out in Thailand on vacation - back in '95 or '96. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-07 2:53:54 PM |
| #8 Where was that, nada? Which organization were you affiliated with? |
| Posted by: lex 2005-01-07 2:46:18 PM |
| #7 .com -- I must have repressed a lot of bad memories, because your comments brought a few back. Example: While I was distributing medicine to a child, the loudest, Left Coast American woman said, "Let me do it," and literally pulled it out of my hand, gave a couple of kids a little bit, and proceeded to walk away and talked about "how wonderful" it felt "giving back." I just walked away and helped pick up some trash. Her friend was an old lady who gave me an earful on how much she hated George W. Bush, but thought Dennis Kucinich was the best thing ever. How would you like to be stuck in a tiny, moving vehicle with that bending your ear? |
| Posted by: nada 2005-01-07 1:22:02 PM |
| #6 nada - I presume you got a good kick out of the Tom Hank flic called "Volunteers"? I though the John Candy character was a scream, heh. As for the Real World, I have seen what you describe - those "little brown people" were so cute... I wanted to hurl - and got my first glimpse of the Liberal. It was another 20 yrs before I fully realized the condescension and arrogance quotient required to be a member in good standing of the Elitist Class. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-07 1:04:41 PM |
| #5 Tsunami "rubbernecking?" |
| Posted by: John Q. Citizen 2005-01-07 12:46:11 PM |
| #4 I did some volunteer work in Asia a couple years back, and I felt like I was on an episode of "Survivor." A mix of a few Americans (from California, if that gives you an idea), English, and Europeans, the whole effort and atmosphere seemed competitive: who can do the most volunteering? Who, at the very end, will be named "The Ultimate Volunteer?" I just kept to myself, did what I could, and bit my tongue when I listened to them talk about their additional monetary donations and how much good they were doing for these "poor people." Kinda takes away the spirit of volunteering, doesn't it? |
| Posted by: nada 2005-01-07 11:46:15 AM |
| #3 I don't see any downside to this. So what if they travel to 5 star hotels and try to wash their sins away in the local bars? They are helping the local economy...who cares what their motives are. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-01-07 11:36:52 AM |
| #2 I had a feeling last week, looking at how things were going, that this would turn into something over-the-top, like the flowers piled on the sidewalk after Princess Diana died. |
| Posted by: HV 2005-01-07 11:32:29 AM |
| #1 Most certainly, the NGO's and UN entities have camp followers - entrepreneurs who know they have a ready market - especially in disaster relief situations. How else can a sophisticate of superior morality and legitimacy expect to get his Minimum Daily Requirements of... [insert luxury items here]? Certainly not out there amongst the little [off-white, brown, black, yellow, chartreuse: pick one] people. Pshaw. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-07 11:19:23 AM |