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The tsunami which devastated Aceh in December 2004 leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead and thousands of houses and hectares of farmland destroyed, drew sympathy from all parts of the world. Non-governmental organizations flocked in to help rebuild the battered province, coming as they were like angels from the sky with cash and love.
A year has since passed. People wont imagine what they thought would ever happen: the presence of rats gnawing on the millions of dollars in relief aid for the tsunami victims.
Three international organizations alleged to have misappropriated relief funds are FIG (Germany), Oxfam (Britain), and Save the Children (Britain). The modus operandi is invariably the same: a markup of the price or a cut in the cost of the project, involving field contractors, consultants, and expatriates.
In the end, corruption is not a matter of skin colornatives or expatriates, local residents or people from other parts of Indonesiaits a matter of opportunities. And in post-tsunami Aceh such opportunities are wide open.
In Aceh, those three NGOs could be the tip of an iceberg. Hopefully, that is not the case: they are merely a stain on an otherwise clean sheet of humanitarian effort.
This year, Indonesia and India mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. However, the ties between the two nations have existed much longer, predating the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of India. These connections span social, cultural, religious, economic, and trade aspects. But do those close ties of the past have any bearing on the present relationship? Why is there no direct flight between the capitals of the two countries?
Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Sandeep Chakravorty, shares his views on this matter at TEMPO TALKS.
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