According to a recent BBC report, funds allocated by Western countries for December 26, 2004, tsunami victims have largely gone unspent. Seven ambassadors meanwhile ask Thailand to look into alleged misappropriations.
London (AsiaNews) – Two years after the devastating South East Asia tsunami, billions of dollars given by individuals and governments have still not been spent. Two thirds of those who lost their houses are still waiting for them to be rebuilt, this according to a recent report by the BBC. “Only 30 to 35 per cent of the people have been put back into permanent housing,” said a frustrated UN tsunami envoy and former US President Bill Clinton.
According to the BBC’s Newsnight programme, the UN Department for Aid and Development (DAD) database has tracked US$ 6.7 billion pledged. Of that, half—US$ 3.3 billion—has still not been spent.
The Red Cross around the world got more than US$ 2.2 billion but according to its own figures most of it—US$ 1.3 billion—is still in the bank.
The Red Cross promised to build 50,000 permanent houses in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. So far only 8,000 have been completed.
The British Red Cross contracted to build over 2,000 houses—so far just 16 were completed although another 300 are nearly ready.
Johan Schaar, who heads the tsunami operation for the International Federation of Red Cross says he understands former President Clinton's frustration but these things take time.
“We said a few weeks after the tsunami that for us this was at least a five year effort. Anyone who talked about this being completed in two or three years was totally unrealistic.”
BBC Newsnight reported that according to the UN DAD database Spain promised US$ 60 million and delivered less than US$ 1 million. France pledged US$ 79 million and came up with just more than US$ 1 million. China promised US$ 301 million and delivered just US$ 1 million. The United States promised over US$ 400 million and so far has delivered less than US$ 70 million.
Meanwhile the US and six other European nations have urged Thailand to investigate an alleged misuse of donations to fund identification of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami victims.
A letter, signed by the ambassadors of the United Kingdom, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and the US, was sent to national police chief General Kowit Wattana. It requested that a private accountancy firm audit be hired to investigate how funds were used.
The December 26, 2004, tsunami affected most of the Indian Ocean coastline. Its final death toll is around 226,000 people but tens of thousands are still listed as missing whilst the number of displaced people ranges from three to five million.
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