I see no problem here. This is only expected. Countries will tend to help their own citizens first. Thailand seems to have a better infrastructure that was less badly damaged. That allows aid to get to people faster in a more organised fashion. News also gets out faster from Thailand because of better communication links. I'm not saying it isn't unfair Getting help to people entails more than just money. There are many steps along the way to aid reaching the people, and then it's another hurdle to make it successful. One well known medical saying is that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If all the roads and railways have been washed away in Aceh, the supplies and human aid maybe waiting on its doorstep. But they may need governement clearence (the relevant department may be overswamped), there's only a finite number of planes (how are they going to land), helicopters are more usable but carry less payload, helpers may go ill themselves etc There is a also a real problem with how you distribute the aid. Do you try and save everybody? Or do you treat the ones with best chance of survival (you can treat more of them and more will survive)? Treating the sickest doesn't mean 100% survival rate for that group and other people may get worse who initally had a chance of recovering better. These are tough choices to make and frustrating ones, especially in times of crisis when time really counts....
my friend is fine in indonesia.. finally received some news of her. now in singapore, the collection of clothes, blankets and food has stopped. newspaper reports say that money collection is more important. clothes, blankets and food will cause logistic problems and there may be an overload of such stuff.
i agree. talk is cheap. to help those who are considering donating, here is a list of organizations through which you can make a contribution. if you still cannot make up your mind about donating, just visit any of the online news site (yahoo, cnn, msnbc, etc) with lots of photo coverage. i hope those will convince you that there are millions of people without food, water, home, and the least we can give them, is help. The Disasters Emergency Committee - www.dec.org.uk - is an umbrella group of UK aid organisations - including ActionAid, British Red Cross, Oxfam - working to provide clean water, food and shelter to thousands. To call from the UK dial 0870 60 60 900. The United Nations World Food Programme - www.wfp.org - is seeking donations to feed victims of the earthquake. Medecins Sans Frontieres - www.msf.org - is sending aid workers to the region, focusing on medical care for survivors and displaced people after the rescue operations. The United Nations Children's Fund, Unicef - www.unicef.org.uk - is working to meet the "urgent needs of hundreds of thousands of people" affected by the tsunami disaster. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR - www.unhcr.ch - which has been helping victims of conflicts in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, is delivering relief supplies to tsunami survivors in both countries. Save the Children - www.savethechildren.org.uk - has already flown a plane out to Sri Lanka carrying plastic sheeting for temporary shelter, tents to run children's services from, and essentials such as clothing and cooking utensils. Anti-poverty organisation Care International - www.care.org - has already provided food for thousands of affected people in Sri Lanka. Cafod, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development - www.cafod.org.uk - is working with partners across Asia to provide shelter, food aid and medical assistance, and assessing what further relief is needed. The Red Cross, and its sister charity the Red Crescent, is supplying blankets, cooking utensils and other crucial goods. It has had to set up a new site - www.ifrc.org - because of the unprecedented demand from people wanting to make donations. The Hindu Forum Disaster Relief Task Force - www.hinduforum.org - comprises 50 organisations and is raising money, clothes and medicines. Donations can be made online or by calling the ISKCON Disaster Appeal on 01923 856848 or Sewa International on 0116 261 0303. Christian Aid - www.christianaid.org.uk - has already allocated £250,000 from its emergency fund to help the victims of this disaster but says more money is needed. Christian charity Tearfund - www.tearfund.org - and its partners in Sri Lanka and India are helping devastated fishing communities and coastal villages get back on their feet. Islamic Relief - www.islamic-relief.com - has also launched an appeal to provide medical supplies, tents and sanitation facilities for those affected. The Islamic Aid Emergency Relief Fund - www.islamicaid.org.uk - aims to provide immediate relief and long-term support to people in the affected areas. Another Islamic charity, Muslim Hands - www.muslimhands.org- is collecting money and sending volunteers to help in Indonesia and Malaysia. Medair - www.medair.org - is providing emergency support to agencies with a long term presence in Sri Lanka and its medical experts are assessing the likelihood of malaria and diarrhoea. World Vision - www.worldvision.org.uk - has also launched an appeal and has already delivered relief goods to thousands. Concern - www.concern.net - is working with local partners to meet the needs of families in the devastated coastal villages of Tamil Nadu, the worst affected state in India. The International Rescue Committee - www.theirc.org - is providing emergency supplies and materials to "people most affected by the crisis". The Salvation Army - www.salvationarmy.org.uk has local teams working in a number of affected areas and is sending a team from its international headquarters on Wednesday evening. Muslim Aid - www.muslimaid.org - has already donated £100,000 towards the purchase of food, clothing and medicine in the region but wants to raise more. Action Aid - www.actionaid.org - is the biggest charity working in south India. It is focusing its relief work on the coast of Tamil Nadu, where 7,000 people died. It is working on providing medical assistance and sanitation for the survivors. Asia Quake Relief Appeal UK, a UK-based Sri Lankan organisation, is also raising money and can be emailed at asia-quakerelief@europe.com
No, I hope that's not true. Where do you get that estimation, please? Each day bring a new horrific news. The death toll is multiplying faster than the rescuers can bury. When will the death toll stop rising? My cousin is still missing in Banda Aceh. This is such a difficult time... I feel terribly sad... but accepting this disaster as a reminder...
my family and my group of friends have donated to red cross society.. think that's the easiest and fastest way to reach the affected.
Thanks for the links Kwun, the best thing to do in the UK is to donate to the first one: "The Disasters Emergency Committee - www.dec.org.uk - is an umbrella group of UK aid organisations - including ActionAid, British Red Cross, Oxfam - working to provide clean water, food and shelter to thousands. To call from the UK dial 0870 60 60 900." It seems to be the one putting themselves forward into a cohesive unit to get things done quickly. I agree the photos are horrific and should move anyone to give, dig deep people.
Doing Red's suggestions also helps. Even asking our relatives, friends and colleaques (as most of us have) will go a long way.
As we get set to bring in the new year, please reflect on all the suffering in South East Asia and though we cannot assist physically, lets at least do one last good gesture for 2004, donate to the victims. It sickens me more each day as I read about the new victim count. We may face the same situation one day in North America. We can always defer the buying of a racquet, shoe or birdies. Badminton is our passion but compassion is humanity, all badminton players please donate in any amount that you can afford. I have done mine through the Canadaian Red Cross, but you can select from Kwuns list. Thanks
Donated to Red Cross, Red Cross Australia Update from website:http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp Update on Humanitarian Activities of Red Cross and Red Crescent in response to the Asia Quake and Tsunamis Disaster 31 December 2004 So far four Australian Red Cross delegates have joined over 80 expatriate staff from 11 National Societies such as the US, Canada, UK, Denmark, Sweden and Japan, and are working alongside thousands of local volunteers. Around a dozen more Australians are on standby to join the relief teams in the field in the coming days, including logisticians, water and sanitation delegates, health experts and tracing delegates. HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME RED CROSS HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITES AS AT 3O DECEMBER 2004 SRI LANKA Medical supplies and medicines for 125,000 people being distributed through Sri Lanka Red Cross volunteers 40,000 people being assisted and housed in 66 Red Cross camps 5 fully equipped and manned basic health care clinics established and operational in key areas of southern Sri Lanka Five flights carrying emergency response teams and relief items(tents, medicines, food) have arrived in Sri Lanka, more scheduled British Red Cross logistics emergency response team will arrive to Sri Lanka today 8 emergency response units specialized in water and sanitation, health care, aid distribution, telecom due to arrive today and tomorrow INDIA 5,000 families received 'family kits' of blankets, mosquito nets, cooking utensils, clothes and other items In Kerala State Red Cross is distributing food and other relief items INDONESIA Indonesian Red Cross (Palang Merah Indonesia, PMI) SATGANA (first aid) teams are on the ground providing immediate relief and shelter for survivors, and were transporting people to hospitals within hours of the earthquake 300 volunteers providing first aid, search and transport and other relief activities in Aceh An assessment team has arrived and five emergency response units are on their way to Indonesia to assist with water and sanitation, logistics and basic health National Societies in other affected countries are continuing to provide immediate relief to survivors, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent are supporting their efforts as well.
For Canadians please donate to the Red Cross and other International Agencies involved in this crisis as the Canadian Government will match dollar for dollar all private donations. So far, estimates are $35million in private donations so that means $70million plus $40million already promised by the Government. Here's a list of the various Canadian agencies Canadian Red Cross: 1-800-418-1111 or http://www.redcross.ca Oxfam Canada: 1-800-466-9326 (1-800-GO-OXFAM) or http://www.oxfam.ca World Vision Canada: 1-800-268-5528 or http://www.worldvision.ca UNICEF Canada: 1-877-955-3111 or http://www.unicef.ca Canadian Tamil Congress: 1-416-751-8777 Canadian Relief Organization for Peace in Sri Lanka 1-416-429-2822 Development and Peace: 1-888-664-3387 or http://www.devp.org Christian Children's Fund of Canada: 1-800-263-5437 or http://www.ccfcanada.ca UJA Federation of Greater Toronto: 416.631.5705 or http://www.jewishtoronto.com CARE Canada: 1.800.267.5232 or http://www.care.ca Doctors without Borders Canada: 1-800-982-7903 or http://www.msf.ca/
Yet another donation site I received the following link to HK red cross for the tsunami relief denotion from the asiaexpat website: http://www.redcross.org.hk/home.cfm?Mid=1234&FMid=8&SMid=40&TMid=265&popup=0&langid=1 Chinese redcross has recently set up denotion account also which I found to be a relief because days ago I was acusing it for being slow-moving. But still no online denotion available.
World - Reuters Thai PM Pledges Probe on Lack of Tsunami Alert Sat Jan 1, 7:24 AM ET World - Reuters By Nopporn Wong-Anan BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand will set up a panel to find out why no warnings of the deadly tsunami were issued, which might have saved thousands of lives, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Saturday. "There must be an investigation of the whole incident, how it happened, when it happened and why early warnings could not have been issued," Thaksin said in his weekly radio address. The final toll could be nearer 8,000 than the 4,500 now known because many of the 6,500 missing were feared dead, said Thaksin, Thaksin admits Thailand's response to the one of the worst natural disasters in living memory has been disorganized in a country which rarely faces anything worse than floods during the annual monsoon. So far it appears to have had little political impact. Thaksin faces a general election next month which he is expected to win handsomely. Chief meteorologist Suparerk Tansriratanawong told reporters Monday Thailand had not been hit by a tsunami in more than 300 years and his 900-strong meteorological department, which has four earthquake experts, had no reason to expect one. But the English-language Nation newspaper this week quoted an unnamed member of the department as saying a tsunami alert was not issued for fear of hurting the important tourist industry at peak season if it turned out to be false. "If we issued a warning which would have led to evacuation, what would happen then? Business would be instantaneously affected," the source was quoted as saying. No Asian country issued a warning of the tsunami, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Indonesia, which killed more than 124,000 people as it crashed ashore around the Indian Ocean. Hotels on the Thai coast were packed when the tsunami hit. At least 4,560 people were killed on southern Thailand's Andaman Sea coast and its islands, more than 2,400 of them foreign tourists drawn to its sand, warms seas and coral reefs. Many came from Europe, especially Scandinavia, to escape the long, dark, cold northern winter. Thaksin did not say how the probe would be conducted, but he said he had appointed earthquake and tsunami expert Samith Dhammasaroj to lead the establishment of a national early warning system for all natural disasters. "Some might say we are putting up fences after the cows have gone," Thaksin said. "But there are still some cows left and there will be more cows coming and we need to have a strong fence." Samith told Reuters he sent out warnings to southern provincial governors when he was chief meteorologist in 1993 that they might be "dangerously hit" by deadly tsunamis, and issued another warning in 1998, after a tsunami hit Papua New Guinea. "Nobody heeded my alert. Some provinces have banned me from entering their territories. They said I was ruining their tourism image," he said. Samith said he hoped to have a plan ready in a month and added a national drill would be conducted once it was in place. "An early warning could have been issued, but our problem was there was no single agency to take charge," Samith said.
another reminder for people who may but haven't donated. here is again, the list of organizations via whom you can help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami:
we should look up to Xia Xuanze, who has donated one month's salary to the relief effort. he says he did it to take the lead and set an example for others. many companies have set up donation matching schemes. they will match dollar by dollar any amount that their employee donates. if your company has it, i suggest you take advantage of it. my company has agreed to match the US$300 that i donated on behalf of BC last week.
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=efa1946d-029d-4fb9-beba-e99bd20ae948 "A Buddhist abbot stunned his Burnaby congregation on Saturday when he announced they would be selling a temple worth more than $500,000 to give all the proceeds to Asia's tsunami victims." "Speaking through a translator, the abbot said one reason he's making a large donation to tsunami victims is to say "thank you" to the hard-hit people of the Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, who, in the 1970s, took him in and many other members of his congregation after they fled Communist Vietnam as refugees, or 'boat people.'" Private donations are the only sure thing. Last yr, many of the nations governments pledged 1.1B to Iran Bam earthquake relief but only 17mil was delivered.
Note: The online copy shows Philippines but on the newspaper copy which I have on my hand reads Thailand. The online material is before being edited.
Help the victims in Indonesia! Dear all, I hope this find you well wherever you are. I am shocked and deeply sad because of the terrible tsunami that devastated South Asia lately and I have decided to collect funds for Aceh (Province of Sumatra in Indonesia) where most of the victims are from. Today 100'000 people already passed away in Indonesia, many thousands are still missing and half a million of them are homeless. If you wish to help the Indonesians, please write an email back to me confirming the amount you would like to wire and please transfer that money to the following account number mentioning your name and first name: Santi WIBOWO 1227 Carouge, Switzerland Swift: POFICHBE 17-342851-2 Mention "Help Aceh" I will collect the money and give the total amount to the Indonesian Red cross via one of my Indonesian friends from Sumatra. My club in Geneva is also going to organize a badminton tournament and the money collected will also be transmitted to the Indonesian Red Cross. Do not hesitate to contact me at santiw@yahoo.com if you have any questions. Thank you so much for your support and all my best wishes for 2005! Best regards, Santi
Wouldn't it be better to ask us to donate and send funds directly to the Indonesian Red Cross? The Red Cross has offices in almost all countries in the world. For example, I have already made two donations, one to the Red Cross and the other to Unicef, directly to their respective offices in Hong Kong.
