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
Display the following 52 comments