UN probes food aid sold in market

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 | Source: AP

JAKARTA: The World Food Program is probing a report that canned sardines provided for tsunami victims in Aceh had been diverted for commercial purposes, a UN agency spokesman said on Wednesday.

Richard Lee, the spokesman, however quickly added that the amount of food found to have been sold in a Medan local market is unlikely to be large. The sardines are part of a regular ration pack meant for families of tsunami victims in Aceh.

The food aid was part of US$3.5 billion in aid promised by international aid agencies and governments to Aceh after the tsunami disaster in December last year. The disaster killed some 130,000 people in Aceh alone and left another 500,000 people homeless. -- JP

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