Disaster aid recipients urged to check fine print

Disaster aid recipients urged to check fine print

James Grubel, Reuters/Canberra

The relief effort for nations hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami has seen generous offers of both cash and kind, but countries receiving help have been urged to check the fine print of any government aid deals.

From T-shirts, tents, hospitals and military support to multi- million dollar aid promises, the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster has prompted an unprecedented outpouring of global support.

While a meeting of world leaders in Jakarta urged governments to make good on their aid pledges, analyst Andrew Macintyre cautioned nations to also ensure the aid was free of conditions.

"People who give money are never disinterested," Macintyre, professor of Asia-Pacific relations at the Australian National University, told Reuters on Friday.

Governments and international organizations have contributed more than US$4.6 billion to help rebuild areas devastated by the disaster which killed more than 146,000 people and left more than a million injured and homeless.

The public has also been generous, with at least $730 million pledged globally to major aid agencies.

Macintyre said it is common for major government aid contracts, for things such as construction and engineering work, to be awarded to companies within a donor nation rather than the country in need.

And if previous disasters are any guide, grand gestures of money often never materialize once the initial humanitarian element of a crisis passes.

The dilemma for nations like Australia is the need to have some say over how taxpayer-funded aid donations are spent, and to ensure the aid goes to where it is most needed.

Australia has topped the list of international aid donors for tsunami-hit nations with a total pledge of $815.5 million, including $769 million for Indonesia's devastated Aceh province.

But officials said it was too early to say how much money would be available for Australian companies to help rebuild villages and infrastructure in Aceh.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, however, wants to ensure his country has a say in how the money is spent.

Australia and Indonesia will both decide how and where the money is spent -- a move Howard hopes will head off concerns that the money will favor Australian companies.

"Australia and Indonesia will share the decision process," Howard told Sky TV on Friday.

"That is the best way to deliver aid of this kind because we will know where it is going, and it can only go on things that we and the Indonesians agree to."

The money destined for tsunami-hit nations, however, tells only part of the story.

Many nations, not all of them rich, have donated medical teams and supplies, while much of the initial aid effort has been on practical measures such as food, bottled water and shelter.

Britain, Australia and the United States have also sent in the military to help coordinate and transport the tonnes of aid.

On the ground, in areas hit hardest by the Dec. 26 tsunami such as Sri Lanka, Aceh, and in Thailand, the aid is starting to flow in different ways.

In Aceh, where more than 94,000 were killed and almost 500,000 were displaced, the priorities have been food, water, shelter and medical help.

In Sri Lanka, where more than 30,000 were killed, non- governmental organizations have been on the frontline delivering essential food and shelter and helping stave off disease.

In Thailand, where more than 5,000 people died, the aid is directed at helping the injured, taking care of the displaced and identifying the dead.

Macintyre said at this stage, most of the aid destined for the region was relatively free of conditions, possibly due to the strong public support for the generosity.

"The spirit that governments are responding to is one of genuine good will, so there haven't yet been any big efforts to tie things (conditions) down," Macintyre said.

"But six months down the track, just watch."