Bad food debacle disputed - Country in starvation - 'UN come down'

[BB-Leo]

http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20071218/tuhome.htm

Bad food debacle disputed

December 18, 2007

PNG

SENIOR military officer Walter Enuma is adamant that some donated aid destined for starving Oro villagers was spoiled by weather during a voyage to Popondetta.
He said rice sent under the AusAID label was among the supplies on two or more pallets that were affected by rain as the supplies were enroute to Oro.
Joint forces commander Lieutenant Colonel Enuma said some of the spoiled rice was in AusAID wrapping which he had seen.
He said as much as two pallets of food aid was spoiled, some of it aid donations and some of it for Trukai.
He said the people who were responsible for the shipment had a responsibility to ensure the supplies got to the neediest people in good shape.
“People donated from their hearts and there is a duty on some people to deliver the donations safely,’’ Lt-Col Enuma said.
“They should spend a few kina to cover the aid and get it there safely.’’
Earlier, National Disaster Centre director Martin Mose denied that the spoiled food was bought with government money.
(The Post-Courier report did not say that the food was bought with PNG Government money: Editor’s note).
Mr Mose said the food was on a barge hired by the National Disaster and Emergency Service with NDES co-ordinating relief supplies on it. He was not aware that rice from Trukai Industries was also on the barge until he read yesterday’s Post-Courier report.
Mr Mose also said he had not been aware there were relief supplies from AusAID as stated in the news report.
The NDC director said no food aid sent by the National Disaster Centre (NDC) for disaster affected people in Oro Province had gone bad.
“The rice cargo referred to is not food aid as the writer suggests. Additionally, the rice was not purchased using Government funds. Rather, it is a normal supply by Trukai Industries Ltd to its Popondetta depot and meant for distribution to its provincial retail outlets.’’
He said the headline gave the wrong impression to the readers that NDES did not do its job well in ensuring the cargo reached the people safely.
In addition, he said, he had no idea “about the AusAID stuff because they did not co-ordinate that with us’’.
“The barge is a NDC charter from Port Moresby and is for freighting relief goods donated by charity groups and families here to victims of Cyclone Guba in Milne Bay and Oro. The barge took two weeks to travel to Popondetta as it had a scheduled stopover in Alotau. Whilst on this run, it encountered wet weather.’’
He said bales of second-hand clothing were donated by Mondo Second Hand Clothing in Port Moresby, to be distributed through the Vudal Coordinating Centre. These clothes were now at the Vudal Popondetta base and will be dried and re-packed into the bales for re-distribution.
The cargo included 49 diesel fuel