Racial selection of Asia disaster victims
ui | 29.12.2004 20:35
Perhaps 2% to 4% of the victims of the tsunami are European tourists, and that is far higher than in most 'third-world disasters'. (Often these disasters are in remote and very poor areas, with no tourism of any kind).
The tsunami killed disproportionately large numbers of tourists, for the simple reason that they were concentrated on the beach, and at beachside hotels. The immediate response of EU governments has been very slow, but not only that.
It has also been thoroughly racist, and that is much more visible than in a 'normal' overseas disaster. The German government and military operated probably the worst racist policy. Military planes with medical teams were sent to Thailand to treat Germans only, and fly them back to Germany. Everyone else - including apparently citizens of other EU countries - were to be left to die, if no-one else helped them.
However Britain, France, and the Netherlands are operating similar policies - aid to own nationals only, including medical aid and flights home for the injured. All of them are therefore turning away local people, and excluding them from medical treatment.
In Thailand, the medical services are apparently able to cope with the injured. However that is definitely not the case in Sri Lanka, where there are still large numbers of untraced western tourists, along with hundreds of thousands of displaced coastal inhabitants. There will probably be a repeat of the racist policies there.
There is a deafening silence from NGO's and anti-racist organisations, and the media, on this issue.
Apart from the ethical aspects, it is simply absurd to go 'digging in the wreckage' on the basis of national origin, Swedish teams to dig out Swedish bodies, German teams to dig out Germans, British teams to dig out British bodies, and so on. It is absurd that medical disaster help is being segregated, on racial and ethnic and national lines. Worst of all, it is only going to places where there were western tourists.
The tsunami killed disproportionately large numbers of tourists, for the simple reason that they were concentrated on the beach, and at beachside hotels. The immediate response of EU governments has been very slow, but not only that.
It has also been thoroughly racist, and that is much more visible than in a 'normal' overseas disaster. The German government and military operated probably the worst racist policy. Military planes with medical teams were sent to Thailand to treat Germans only, and fly them back to Germany. Everyone else - including apparently citizens of other EU countries - were to be left to die, if no-one else helped them.
However Britain, France, and the Netherlands are operating similar policies - aid to own nationals only, including medical aid and flights home for the injured. All of them are therefore turning away local people, and excluding them from medical treatment.
In Thailand, the medical services are apparently able to cope with the injured. However that is definitely not the case in Sri Lanka, where there are still large numbers of untraced western tourists, along with hundreds of thousands of displaced coastal inhabitants. There will probably be a repeat of the racist policies there.
There is a deafening silence from NGO's and anti-racist organisations, and the media, on this issue.
Apart from the ethical aspects, it is simply absurd to go 'digging in the wreckage' on the basis of national origin, Swedish teams to dig out Swedish bodies, German teams to dig out Germans, British teams to dig out British bodies, and so on. It is absurd that medical disaster help is being segregated, on racial and ethnic and national lines. Worst of all, it is only going to places where there were western tourists.
ui
Comments
Hide the following 52 comments
makes sense??
29.12.2004 22:15
Its human nature to help your own kind, I think your are just shit stirring mate.
Stop being so obsessed with racism, just get a life and hope that this appalling disaster never happens to you.
manson fan
racist scum
29.12.2004 23:56
What, cos apparently asian people are a 'different kind' eh?!
Here's shit-stirring for ya: Fuck off you nazi cunt, the only people on this planet who aint 'my kind' is despicable racist scum like you.
Get as much help as possible to the International Red Cross and to help Northen Sri-Lankans (area run by Tamil Rebels so ignored by Sri-Lankan Govnt) PLEASE see www.tamilnet.com and www.troonline.org
(for yer nearest international TRO office see
Solidarity people!
Love n Rage!
evry1
rascist wankers FUCK OFF
30.12.2004 00:26
xxxx
Interesting but sources please
30.12.2004 08:03
Mark Watson
e-mail:
enquiries@activisttimes.com
British police team on racist mission
30.12.2004 11:57
The British government is also acting on the racist instinct. A police forensic team has been sent to identify 'British dead'. Presumably they will be repatriated - and the rest left to mass graves or mass cremations.
It's bizarre, it's unethical, and it's objectionable to treat the bodies of the dead victims in this way.
But treating the living survivors in this way is even worse, because those who are abandoned may die as a result.
00
Nightmare in Paradise...
30.12.2004 13:38
Good to see colonial values holding tight at least in the Maldives. (remember please (in clipped BBC tones) the maxim....guests before staff).
Who's my own? Good question. ceratinly not National Front nonces. I felt huge empathy on a religious level also with the locals in India...this was real two way thing... The destructive effect of mass beach front tourism was clearly apparent in Goa. ant tribal traditionals as well as progressive westenised thinkers from many different creeds are aware of the destructive influence of the west...be it tourism or otherwise. The best thing people can do is see this as an opportunity to clear all that bullshit away, and go on as before the punters arrived from the west..genuinely pristine beaches...innocence and beauty...genuine purity...and not a national front race hang up...OM SHIVA! Perhaps it should be read as a warning to westeners to..fuck off...basically. Like a kind huge Bali Bomb. People amy think this is extreme...but go check these places out...compare before and after (touristification).
Blessed be.
Cymru Tribal Soverignty!
King Amdo
Oi King Amdo get yer facts straight
30.12.2004 21:35
But, shit for brains, the Tsunami hit the WEST coast....
William
Well thanks for correcting me cunt...
30.12.2004 23:43
Now look whats happened!
King Amdo
Article without sources
31.12.2004 10:48
Pete
Article without sources
31.12.2004 10:48
Pete
Where is the 'Leader?'
31.12.2004 12:12
But bearing in mind that more Brits have perished in this disaster than on September 11th... there has been no response from our 'popular' Prime Minister.
While generations have perished in an instant, Tony Blair is still enjoying his family holiday, and I'll bet you it's not in the Maldives!
Bah Humbug
stop being so daft.
31.12.2004 13:07
It is the obligation of a consulate to provide protection and repatriation for it's citizens, so what the German government is accused of (unsourced) would seem to be standard practice, alright it's tight for the poor bastards who cant get shipped out... but as long as this effort is in addition to other aid, not instead of I can't see any problem with it. Should the German government have left their citizens out there?
You seem to be diving into the sanctimonious self flagellation ("a bad thing happenned... the west cause bad things to happen...western governments must be to blame...") that makes us all sound like the modern parents from viz.
Screaming "fash" at that gadgie who said there was nothing wrong with looking after your own first is off too. To be fair to him a governments first (self defined) job is to protect it's own citizens. OK, we may disagree with the governments role but if a similar disaster occurred in Sweden the british or german governments' priorities would be the same. Unless he actually is a fash then fuck him.
Guevarista
response to the second comment
31.12.2004 14:24
lighten up, people
after you lighten up, donate some money --- they need this more than all your claims of unfairness
www.msf.org
gatsby
No, think what you'd actually do on the ground...
31.12.2004 14:50
And their nonce's of course.
...gotta rush now...just booked an apex deal to Phuket!!!
..a holiday in Cambodia..etc etc etc
It is sahme though to see all the dead beauty. (I mean the tribal people not the white bitchs)
King amdo
wtf!Manson u dumb bitch
31.12.2004 16:34
ON MY OWN
Mr.mastro
mastro
e-mail:
luke23@lycos.it
Racism Is Everywhere
31.12.2004 20:41
ReDz
It's not so straightforward
31.12.2004 21:50
As for the fact that locals are left untreated - that is definitely not standard procedure. Doctors obey their oaths and they will treat all injured persons. If they are flown in with the specific task of taking care of citizens of a given country, I think they will do that first, but I do not think that they will leave others to die.
I talked with a relief worker friend of mine and he stated that it is standard procedure and in everybody's interest that the people that come from some other country are flown away as soon as possible so they would not demand resources (hospital space, medical care, food, medicine) so direly needed by the locals who have to stay and live on - so there is nothing racist in this policy. It would be idiotic to leave them there to compete of the scare recources.
Besides, I think all reasonable argumentation ends when someone yells nazi. I think it is a sign of very low standard of thinking.
JL
get real!
31.12.2004 23:47
god
Optermisers and raceschisms
31.12.2004 23:48
I Finks- We need a tsunami of real practical mechanics of fruits of the spirit, fruit of 8 fold path eight limbs of yoga 7 pillars of Shiah (not Sunni), and the Great Spirit perennial wisdom being.
Then a grounded and practical moral ethical being system will no now divide only unity.
Until then we is best investigate and educate that the modern trend for the rich peoples not to become like the Jewish Goim and the deprived Goim like not to despise them.
We should strive to keep the standards that be achieved, where honour, integrity (mean what one says) and decency. Like what the English, the Iranian and Hopi people used to know before the Americanism and Hollywood and rankers rappers rotted it.
Attitudes have to change in Germans and Nigerians alike please set an example and seek the wise and/or become the wise for the standard needs to be set.
Until then protect the developed world and hope the good people have more babies than the bad.
If you is a god person have as many kids as you can or the Mexicans will win the vote.
Please not credulous faith and prayer but being, thought word and ACTION is the best way to help them tsunami people.
May be the Earth will shake a few more bugs of its back next year. And wake us up before Bush, and Blair the Zionist, the Islamist, the chinqs or the ruskskis etc. Give us Armageddon- as they are happily doping.
Meaning and jist is what important accuracy is just art.
Pa Hanna
raceschizums and optiMisers
01.01.2005 00:04
I Finks- We need a tsunami of real practical mechanics of fruits of the spirit, fruit of 8 fold path eight limbs of yoga 7 pillars of Shiah (not Sunni), and the Great Spirit perennial wisdom being.
Then a grounded and practical moral ethical being system will no now divide only unity.
Until then we is best investigate and educate that the modern trend for the rich peoples not to become like the Jewish Goim and the deprived Goim like not to despise them.
We should strive to keep the standards that be achieved, where honour, integrity (mean what one says) and decency. Like what the English, the Iranian and Hopi people used to know before the Americanism and Hollywood and rankers rappers rotted it.
Attitudes have to change in Germans and Nigerians alike please set an example and seek the wise and/or become the wise for the standard needs to be set.
Until then protect the developed world and hope the good people have more babies than the bad.
If you is a god person have as many kids as you can or the Mexicans will win the vote.
Please not credulous faith and prayer but being, thought word and ACTION is the best way to help them tsunami people.
May be the Earth will shake a few more bugs of its back next year. And wake us up before Bush, and Blair the Zionist, the Islamist, the chinqs or the ruskskis etc. Give us Armageddon- as they are happily doping.
Meaning, jist and level of being is what important accuracy is just art.
Pa hanna
Homepage:
http://lostwhitebrother.com
You struck the root
01.01.2005 01:23
There seems to be more interest in helping one's own ethnic group than the majority in need.
The most gnarled root is that of the American Government's absolutely Scrooge-like penny-pinching.
America is spending somewhere around $100 Million a DAY in the Iraqi conflict, yet behaves in the most miserly fashion when it comes to immediate humanitarian needs of the millions displaced and hungry.
It is estimated the U.S. Republican party will spend about $30 Million on Bush's inauguration alone.
Egelund was right to trephine those knuckleheads in Washington.
Collin Baber
e-mail:
roach747@yahoo.com
Nationalist; not racist.
01.01.2005 03:09
I hear that European Nations are caring for their own first. I have not heard that English of Indian, Arab, or African heritage (race) are being left out.
The headline is misleading and inflamitory by design. This is as poor as the mainstream media.
John Hancock
garbage
01.01.2005 07:17
josh
e-mail:
joja21@aol.com
Yup- Lots of racism going on!
01.01.2005 18:27
Mary -
Question It is permissible for us, as Muslims, to make du`aa’ for those human beings afflicted there even if those people include Muslims and non-Muslims?
Answer In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Thank you.
There is no harm or prohibition to pray for those people who lost their lives in that natural disaster. However, your beloved Muslim brothers and sisters deserve more and more of prayers and du'aa’. They deserve your moral and financial assistances. You should share their sorrow and difficult time and do invoke Allah to accept them among the Shuhada’ or martyrs on the day of Judgment.
Hakim -
Question Can we give those afflicted people a portion of our zakah money even if they are non-Muslims? How about giving them charity?
Answer In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Thank you. The receivers of Zakah money are clearly mentioned in the Qur'an. Among them, the poor and needy people. Looking at the situation of those people who are afflicted, one can conclude that the Muslims among them fall under the category of needy people.
In this regard, those Muslims deserve to receive a portion of Zakah. As for non-Muslims, they might deserve donation or any other form of assistance but not Zakah.
Thus, Zakah should be given to poor and needy Muslims. Some non-Muslims may receive a portion of Zakah if there is hope that by giving them Zakah that might lead to their conversion into Islam. They would be then considered under the category of mu'allafati qulubuhun or those whose hearts are inclined to accept Islam.
Not very surprised
Obsurd
01.01.2005 23:44
The European nations (nearly all the first-world countries) have embraced diversity, where as many of the countries in Asia, Africa are *NOT* diverse. Europe has embrased diversity, at considerable cost to their social wellfare programs.
To call policies racist for a nation to care for their own over others - HAS NOTHING - to do with race. Germany, France, the United Kingdom, are becoming increasingly diverse. How is the original author (and many of these posters) to assume that because they are concerned for their own citizens that they are automatically white? They could be any color, they are more concerned with their own people. Nothing racist about that.
The Western nations have donated more in aid money than any other, this author needs a reality check. He sounds like a typical Jessie "Shakedown" Jackson race-baiter who has nothing better to do but cause problems and grab money from (as he would say) "white" people because they "deserve" it.
Grow up, get a life, and a reality check.
Zeitgeist
own kind and nationals
02.01.2005 07:51
Watching the olympics, does each country focus on it's best athletes, or the best in the world?
Mouse
Some Minor Corrections
02.01.2005 15:07
Also true: They did take citizens of other European nations as can be verified at luftwaffe.de.
Also true: The German Bundeswehr is building military hospitals in Indonesia which are *far more* useful for the people there than planes.
Danny
The Queens Speech
02.01.2005 15:53
Beyond beating everyone else like the East Germans and Ruskis used too for some national false pride was Eddie the Eagle.
Genuine sportsman ship is the name of the game, what a Gentleman is the eagle.
Like a soldier going to war driven by a sense of belonging both sides full of the same.
Who can see beyond the superficialities?
It’s the lower nature to put out.
The higher nature to sort out.
Once you have your man on the canvas that ought to be an end of it.
It just ain't cricket anymore.
Pa Hanna
Homepage:
http://lostwhitebrother.com
Sources? Did someone mention the lack of sources?
02.01.2005 17:06
Without sources, this could just be complete bullshit. Please refer to your MLA handbook if you forgot how to properly cite stuff. ;-)
Micha
new totalitarianism or so called democracy against humans
02.01.2005 19:01
aris fotiadis
e-mail:
aris2@mland.gr
Answer to UI
02.01.2005 19:39
Y DONT U STOP WRITING AND COMPLAINING WHY DONT U F*CKIN GO OUT THERE N HELP?!?! OR LOOK AT OTHER POSITIVE WAYS OF HELPING?!?!? PEOPLE LIKE U JUST TALK ABOUT THINGS AND DONT DO A GOD DAMN THING ABOUT IT!!!!!! ALL TALK AND NO HELP BET U HAVENT EVEN GIVEN ANY MONEY TO HELP!!!!! PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!!!
Law
e-mail:
lmcgowan122@hotmail.com
indymedia.org are lying.
02.01.2005 19:54
The Sweden goverment has been very critizised for not doing enough to help the Swedes out, and at the same time the Swedish people has contributed with some 330 Million SKR and counting in aid to the countries worst affected. The 20 planes going to Thailand back and fourth all week is to help the 15.000 traumatized citizens back to their homes and familys in Sweden.
This article is nothing but a lie.
Sorry to say, I now lost all confidence in indymedia.org and will not return to be feed with more lies.
Magnus
confusion
02.01.2005 20:12
It is on one hand the responsibility of nations to rescue their own citizens and this is what happens in the situation which you saw. But there is a lot more going on from India to Indonesia which is as well coordinated and supported from western countries.
It will be not enough to bring help to everyone but it is also the greatest desaster we experience since world war two.
Harald Wolf
e-mail:
haraldinjakarta@freenet.de
Biggest Pile of Shite I've Ever Read
02.01.2005 21:40
Yeah of course the British government is gonna want to help get British people back to this country - if you were stranded abroad you'd go running to your embassy to get help. Think about it before you write a load of ill informed crap.
Indymedia has become a forum for nutters, an example is an earlier posting suggesting the Tsunami was an attack on Muslims (cos a year earlier on boxing day an earthquake hit Iran)!
PS. King Amdo is a racist scum for saying its a shame the coloured people died but not whites. And he's the same bloke who goes on about Welsh tribal sovereignty - aren't most Welsh people white!
Depressed
Muslim aid forthcoming for all victims?
03.01.2005 02:21
After reading the articles on Islam-Online is is very saddening and surprising to read that these Muslim scholars see fit to discriminate between Muslim and non-Muslim victims of the tragedy. So far I have personally not seen any reports of aid coming from the rich Muslim countries and leaders to the region. However this does not surprise me.
Val
driscrimination by another name...
03.01.2005 18:28
bigl
driscrimination by another name...
03.01.2005 18:55
bigl
It's always good to criticize
03.01.2005 22:42
S
privaledge
04.01.2005 00:03
bigL
Discussion Not Belligerence
05.01.2005 08:54
-Julian T.
Julian T.
where did it all go wrong?
05.01.2005 14:57
It's shocking, but I've just been winding up the message boards at an american "race realist" site and I swear to god they were making more sense than this thread. They were definitely politer. Doesnt it make you proud?
By the way, King Amdo... Could you PLEASE use your first-nation, reincarnated, tibeto-shamanic powers to to travel back in time and take less fucking acid in the 90's? U may then begin to make sense. Diolch yn fawr, Bren bach.
guevaristsa
Common Sense
06.01.2005 02:29
As it is, many of the victims are lacking basic nessecities like food and water, while supplies have been donated or bought, the current problem is the lack of infrastructure avaliable to distribute it. There is a large amount of supplies sitting in warehouses or whatever they're housed in, ready to be taken out to the victimes, but without any roads or airstrips or docks for them to be transported. If any of you paid attention, or have some sense, you'll know that the tsunami not only destroyed homes, but docks, airports & roads.
Flying the tourists out, lightens the logistical pressure on the entire aid effort, more provisions can be distributed to the locals as well as whatever medical care is avaliable in the region. While the westerns are flown back to their respective countries for treatment, from a medical system that isn't facing quite so huge a task. I'd think it fair to say that having a fixed hospital with all the required facilities and personnel would have an easier time with just a handful of wounded westerners. Then a field hospital in the middle of a disaster zone, facing a lack of diagnostic equipment, power and pharmaceuticals AND has to treat thousands of wounded, and soon, thousands of sick.
Make no mistake, soon disease will start to ravage the survivors of the tsunami, during which as much medical aid as possible will be required, so think about sending some money their way if you have any to spare.
I'm a singaporean, and i have known people who were up in malaysia or indonesia, going home for the holidays, some of whom came back, some of who did not. Alot of the developed countries have been helping out, the germans & australians have been setting up field hospitals, The americans have moved an entire carrier group into the region and are operating up to 40 helicopters to provide airlift and SAR. The japanese and europeans have been sending in rescue personnel, and here in singapore, the government has sent out 2 landing ship tanks, each of which carry up to 450 personnel, a mixture of military & civilians, along with heavy equipment to clear the beaches and build roads, so the trucks can start sending in the supplies. 2 super puma helicopters and 8 chinooks have further been send to help. Further more, local naval and air bases have been opened up for the use of the aid effort.
Make no mistake, the contribution of the governments is more then you know, the costs of operating a single carrier group runs into the millions, and not to mention the number of military aircraft which are flying around, almost non-stop in the region. The amount governments pledge to aid the countries, pales in comparison the amount the spend helping out directly.
Don't demean the muslims, many of the people who perished in the tsunami are from indonesia, up to 94,000. Indonesia is one of the most populous muslim countries in the world, if anyone suffered the most in this incident, it was the muslims. While yes, those imams mentioned earlier, are making this whole thing into a religious/political issue, you'd notice that the middle east states are making measly contributions not just to the non-muslim nations, but indonesia too.
An Asian
Not Necessarily Racist
06.01.2005 06:37
The very sad but unfortuante fact is that they cannot treat everyone who was injured.
Does this mean they should have just summarily just ignored people who were in serious situations and dying? No, absolutely not. To do that would be both immoral and unhuman.
But again, this is such a unique situation on a scale of devastation which none of us have seen in our lifetimes that hard, cruel decisions have to be made because we are forced -- and strictly by circumstance. Choosing to help someone from your own country doesn't automatically mean you're racist though.
Bob Smith
e-mail:
x25931@yahoo.com
Nationalism is Analagous to Racism
06.01.2005 21:00
Jolly good, what!? Shite and wanker you all. It's so funny when you Europeans point the finger at racism, when you are among the most racist of all. Nationalism my ass (pardon me, my ARSE).
Bloody good show, by Jove! Fuckers....
Gumball Machine
a good government ensures the safety of its citizens
08.01.2005 01:04
Silent B
a goos government is the citizens of the world
09.01.2005 06:25
and works toward the safety of all
SOURCES
09.01.2005 13:38
Mark Watson
e-mail:
enquiries@activisttimes.com
Homepage:
http://www.activisttimes.com
WHAT ABOUT KENYA
12.01.2005 15:07
AFTER THE TSUNAMI DISASTER . THIS REALLY UPSETS ME AND MANY BLACKS SOME DID NOT KNOW THAT KENYA WAS PART OF IT .
ANN
e-mail:
AYWALKER1@MSN.COM
If you're a Chrisitian, Don't Forget, "God Doesn't Like Ugly."
12.01.2005 17:15
EC
e-mail:
lastyear53@netscape.net
STOP FOR A SECOND A LISTEN TO YOURSELFS
15.01.2005 11:10
JK yang OUi
e-mail:
boyerkb@yahoo.com
?
22.02.2005 23:19
JR
not racial but rational
02.06.2005 13:31
Ann