EXCLUSIVE

Where did our tsunami cash go?

Western countries send complaint to police after loss of money donated to identify victims

Seven major Western countries recently submitted a joint complaint to the Royal Police Headquarters alleging that money intended to help identify tsunami victims had been stolen, according to informed sources.

The sources, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject, said funds contributed by Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and France amounted to almost Bt60 million.

The money was donated by the citizens of those countries, who wanted to help victims of the tsunami that killed more than 5,000 people in the Phuket, Phang-Nga and Krabi areas.

The source said more than 60 per cent of the funds were wasted and disguised as travelling and other miscellaneous costs. "To be frank, someone has stolen our citizens' money," said one of the sources, who has followed the victim identification process from the beginning.

Thailand Tsunami Victim Identification (TTVI) was established by the international community in January 2005. With its disaster victim identification (DVI) operation, TTVI is considered the largest such multinational operation ever conducted. At one point there were at least 600 officials from Thailand and 30 other countries to help the victims.

In a joint letter dated November 22 addressed to General Kowit Watana of the Royal Thai Police, diplomats raised two pivotal issues: the status of DNA data of over 400 bodies and the bodies of over 400 missing victims which have not been located.

"Without any additional new information or discoveries of further bodies (now very unlikely), these last remaining bodies and missing people are sadly unlikely to be reconciled," the letter read.

The source said the Public Health Ministry had constantly refused to hand back DNA data.

"We want the data to be returned to the centre for further testing and matching," said the source.

The issue was raised in the letter in a more polite way. It said that during the first 10 days after the tsunami, approximately 2,000 bodies were released to relatives. Among them, the diplomats believed, were some misidentified bodies. At the time, nobody wanted to raise any questions as efforts were concentrated on helping the tsunami victims.

The diplomats also urged the Royal Thai Police to help ensure that DNA analysis is completed by tomorrow, the second anniversary of the tsunami. Since the letter's submission, there has been no response from the police or the Foreign Ministry, which was given a copy of the complaint.

The most damaging part of the letter was the request to have an internal audit concerning the funds. The sources claim to have reliable information that the funds contributed by the seven countries were misused. It requested an internal auditing by "a reputable and qualified private accountancy company" covering the period from January 2005 until the present time.

The sources said the US government had agreed to meet the costs of the audit using the funds available in the tsunami-related cooperative agreement with the TTVI and DVI, which began in January 2005.

The letter said that "any such misuse would be an especially sensitive and distressing matter for us all, given the generous-spirited and cooperative nature of the whole DVI operation".

According to General Amarin Niumsakul, assistant police commissioner-general, the letter from the envoys alleging misuse of funds was a serious allegation, which he said could be a misunderstanding.

Deputy police commissioner-general General Achiravit Suwanphesad said the funds were used not only by Thai officials but foreign experts as well.

The joint letter, which was also addressed to Foreign Minister Nitya Phibulsonggram, was signed by Sweden's Lars Erik Backstrom, German Ambassador Dr Christoph Bruemmer, Dutch Ambassador Pieter Marres, Swedish Ambassador Jonas Hafstrom, British Ambassador David Fall, US Ambassador Ralph Boyce and France's charge d'affaires Pascal le Deunff.

This is the first time that such a large group of Western countries has questioned the integrity of Thai police in an official letter.

The Nation

That is incredulous but yet so typical of what happens with donated funds. It seems every year these poorer countries milk richer countries for money through some disaster or another. Take Indonesia Australia has been donating aid and money to them for years but their govt is off spending approx 6 billion on weapons from Russia and Poland? What gives?

I just learned of this disturbing news today, and yesterday watched a documentary about the fight for the villagers' land
by big developers before the search for the dead was over, and before the villagers had returned from higher ground, to rebuild. Accordingly, the villagers who had owned the beachfront land as peaceful fishing communities for many generations, had no place to return.
Really has been very little involvement by the government or other respective agencies in any oversight capacities.

TSUNAMI CASH ROW

Foreign diplomats 'acted on rumour'

Diplomats' cash claims 'undermined Thailand's good will'

A senior Foreign Ministry official yesterday said diplomats of seven countries should have double-checked information with Thai authorities before alleging the misuse of Bt60 million in donations given for identification of tsunami victims.

Kulkumut Singhara na Ayutthaya, director-general of the Department of European Affairs, also expressed "serious concern" over the issue, saying it had adversely affected Thailand's public image in the international community.

"They [embassy officials] should not have relied on only rumours [about the alleged misuse of money] and reacted. They should have submitted a request to the relevant Thai agencies seeking clarification on the spending," he said.

He said the issue had undermined Thailand's good will and all efforts made in helping tsunami victims throughout the past two years. "All the efforts and everything are now completely wiped out merely by a rumour suggesting the misuse of the money," he added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont yesterday summoned national police chief General Kowit Wattana to discuss the diplomats' allegations.

Though polite, a letter signed by the diplomats requested that "a reputable and qualified private accountancy company" conduct an internal audit of the funds covering the period from January 2005 until the present time. The letter was addressed to Kowit.

According to a source, Kowit informed Surayud that a fact-finding committee had already been set up to look into the scandal.

"Relevant officials have been asked to clarify their disbursement of funds in detail," the source quoted Kowit as saying.

The source added that Surayud instructed Kowit to ensure transparency and emphasised that this scandal could harm the country's image.

Police General Noppadol Somboonsap, who previously played a key role in the tsunami identification process, separately said foreign officials usually came to work in Thailand for just 15 days and their travel expenses must have been covered by the funds.

He was speaking in response to a claim that more than 60 per cent of the funds were wasted and disguised as travelling and other miscellaneous costs.

Noppadol was the person initially authorised to withdraw money from a bank account that was opened to hold funds for the tsunami victims' identification.

However, a source said a police colonel later took care of the account in place of Noppadol.

"We have found that an approval for a Bt5-million purchase of redundant software had been granted. There are many receipts for items that cannot be located when the need to use them arises," the source said.

The source added that the police colonel was believed to have pocketed about Bt15 million.

In a related development, Prathan Banperng - one of the tsunami survivors in Phang Nga - complained that parents had yet to receive Bt15,000 promised for their children's education.

"The government didn't keep its word," he said.

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