Saturday, January 08, 2005

Diplomad Validated by Financial Times

UN 'failing to co-ordinate relief efforts' By David Ibison and Jake Lloyd Smith in Banda Aceh Published: January 7 2005 02:00 Last updated: January 7 2005 02:00 Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations, lands in the tsunami-ravaged Indonesian city of Banda Aceh today amid growing frustration on the part of aid agencies over what they say is the UN's inability to co-ordinate the world's response to the disaster. The UN is being criticised for its failure to organise dozens of aid groups in and around Banda Aceh more than a week and a half after the tsunami hit the region, forcing some of them to bypass the international body and take action into their own hands to ensure aid reaches areas with the most urgent needs. "If we wait for the UN to tell us what to do, we wouldn't do anything," said Abdul Hadi bin e Rashid, first admiral of the Malaysian navy at the country's operations tent at Banda Aceh airport. "There are people who are hungry and angry. Why wait? So we just do it."