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Last updated on March 6th, 2018 at 12:30 am
The Bulletin’s Paul Toohey on UN efforts in Indonesia:
The United Nations is good with red tape but it also likes black. When staff arrive in a crisis area before its Land Rovers are shipped in, they commandeer local vehicles and use gaffer tape to fashion the initials “UN” on door panels, letting everyone know Kofi Annan’s people are around.
But two weeks after the tsunami hit Aceh in north-western Indonesia, there were no black initials to be seen. Nor was there a single UN plane or helicopter at Banda Aceh airport—even though the UN was pumping out press releases from New York claiming credit for saving Acehnese lives.
Toohey reported from Aceh following the tsunami. His reaction to the UN’s press releases, once he returned to Australia, was one of solemn disgust.
UPDATE. Headline: UN plans global disaster system. They could call it “the UN”.
