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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Tsunami aid 'spent on politics'
2007-12-27
THREE years after Australians donated $400 million to rebuild Asian lives devastated by the 2004 tsunami, aid groups are under attack for spending much of the money on social and political engineering.

A survey by The Australian of the contributions by non-government organisations to the relief effort found the donations had been spent on politically correct projects promoting left-wing Western values over traditional Asian culture.
Sure, you had the U.N. and all the correct NGOs directing the relief effort, especially after the U.S. Navy left. Can't let the leeetle peeeeople decide how to live their lives.
The activities - listed as tsunami relief - include a "travelling Oxfam gender justice show" in Indonesia to change rural male attitudes towards women. Another Oxfam project, reminiscent of the ACTU's Your Rights at Work campaign, instructs Thai workers in Australian-style industrial activism and encourages them to set up trade unions. A World Vision tsunami relief project in the Indonesian province of Aceh includes a lobbying campaign to advance land reform to promote gender equity, as well as educating women in "democratic processes" and encouraging them to enter politics.
Posted by:Fred

#2  And...
Caritas funds a center for Islamic learning. Would you rather the Saudis did? We know how that turns out.

Programs to promote democracy. That's a bad thing?

The donations totaled A$400 million and the sole listed amount in question was for A$18,000. BFD!
Posted by: Chuck Simmins   2007-12-27 12:04  

#1  Traditional Asian culture embraces sutti and honor killings. It promotes the spread of bird flu. It keeps people in poverty so that tribal leaders and petty bureaucrats can enrich themselves.

The vast majority of the money spent by NGO's has gone to actual relief and rebuilding. If the paper had wanted a story, they should have pursued the lack of monetary support for the pledges by governments to the effort.

The Australian government's relief offer consisted of low interst loans to buy Australian products.
Posted by: Chuck Simmins   2007-12-27 12:01  

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