Tsunami Relief Funding?

[CondomKing]

I have just returned from Phuket after meeting with customers there, some of whom were wiped out by the Tsunami. No one we spoke with has recieved any funding at all from any source with which to rebuild. They are all using funds from savings and family and restocking with credit accomodations from their wholesale suppliers. Does anyone know of relief funding avialable to those who are rebuilding businesses?

 

On another note. We also spoke with friends and customers who lost relatives on Ko Phi Phi. The details are gruesome, one woman, after waiting five days for her missing sister to contact her went to the hotel where she worked and found her under the debris in her hotel office, identifiable only by the jewelry she was wearing. This woman went on to tell us that her brother in law has received a death benefit of 20,000 B and another 8,000 B for the loss of his home. Not much compensation or really even enough to carry on, IMO.

 

I know that there are other places that suffered much worse devastation and huge death tolls but I'm asking if there is someplace that people like this might not know of to register for additional relief funds. If anyone has info please post it here. Thanks.

[Man at Work]

In Germany alone 400.000.000 Euro were donated privately - not counting the Goverment aid or the EU aid.

 

I guess if 40% reaches the ones in need, it is a good rate.

 

MaW

[iuytrede]

In Ao Sane some of the regular customers privately collected donations at home (Belgium). Over 500 000 B. Quite helpful: the place is up and running again.

[krml]

Sadly this reminds me of 9-11. A lot of the money never made it to the people who needed it. A lot of the relief organizations used the money for expenses like transport and goods. One in particular was widely criticized for asking for donations than using them to fund other projects. The initials are RC. I will let you figure that out.

 

All of the billions of dollars raised worldwide and as usual the "little man" still gets trampled. Now that the UN has taken over I can only see it getting worse.

[CondomKing]

Well, I've been surfing around the Net to try to locate any type of NGO that has actual "funds" available for Tsumani victims. I guess that's not how it's done. Every charity organization that I've looked at will donate food, clothing, medicine, tents, but not money. I does make sense given the opportunity for corruption and abuse when handing out cash.

 

Anyway, I did find this http://phuketgazette.com/classifieds/details.asp?thequerytype=&id=49082&Cat=26

and if anyone can locate similar offers I do know of at least one legitimate recipient who lost his wife and his home and of course there are many more who could use finacncial aid. I know that on Phi Phi my wife is in contact with other survivors who lost everything and could use help.

 

I also have friends in the States who have told me that they would prefer to give some money directly to those in need.

I will try to hook them up directly with those who need money and maybe they can send financial assistance via Western Union.

[krml]

If I remember correctly now these organizations have to post where the money is going and what it is being used for by U.S. federal law. If I am wrong then correct me.

 

This was done due to the 9-11 debacle with these organizations. Also because of groups like the United W** whose one time CEO was skimming money to take his teenage girlfriend around the world and buying art for himself.

 

I remember when I worked for UPS. They would try to get us to contribute to the United W**. I was the one who kept our facility from having 100% participation. All I can say is fuck them. When the money goes where it is supposed to then I will donate. Until then not until full disclosure. The last thing I want is to have my money that I am giving to help the people that need it funding some prick's vacation. This is directed specifically at the United W**. I have donated to other groups that are using the money for the right thing.

[CondomKing]

Yes, they do disclose, if you are intesested in how many blankets, tents and toothbrushes they distributed this information is available. However, for all of the poeple who can manage the basic necessities because they were not poverty stricken before the disaster, there seems to be no economic relief. I guess that's just the way it is. If you are on the verge of death then the charity organizations can supply what it takes to keep you alive. If you are trying to rebuild your life from an ecomomic disaster where do you turn? Where can someone go for financial help? That is the question I am asking here and only because of all of the millions and millions that were collected. You might think there was somewhere to seek financial assistance, or how about free building supplies if actual cash is not available. Thanks.

[..]

Does not seem to be too bad...

 

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http://www.bangkokpost.com/020205_News/02Feb2005_news24.php

 

Affected fishermen and street vendors have received 20,000 baht each in financial aid from the authorities. They are to receive a monthly salary of 6,000 baht each for six months pending the recovery of their businesses.

 

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http://www.bangkokpost.com/020205_Business/02Feb2005_biz57.php

 

The central bank yesterday approved 26 billion baht in soft loans to 942 entrepreneurs.

 

Under the programme, the central bank will offer funds to commercial banks for relending at rates of less than 2% per year to assist tsunami victims.

 

M.R. Pridiyathorn said the programme, introduced on Jan 10, had been delayed in part over the first several weeks as businesses assessed the damage from the tsunami and their financial needs.

 

Banks were becoming more active in applying for the soft loans after the central bank agreed to extend loan terms to three years from one, he added.

 

''Our approval process itself takes just one day. And of the approved funds, around one billion baht has been disbursed. We are focusing on rapid approval and communications with the banks.''

 

Both new and existing bank clients were eligible for the soft loans, M.R. Pridiyathorn said, and added that authorities did not stipulate that non-performing borrowers were ineligible.

 

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Cheers,

SD

[CondomKing]

Well that's what it says in the newspaper and great if it's true. The business owners my wife and I spoke with last week were not optomistic about seeing any loan money before April or May. That's tough when you're trying to reopen a business.

 

Anyway, what I was originally posting about was the millions of $$$ in donation money and if anyone knew if that funding was available for rebuiling anything, houses, businesses, whatever.

[krml]

I wouldn't trust the Bangkok Post. They have become Thaksin's mouthpiece.

 

I understand what you mean CK about the people who have suffered financially compared to those near death. What about insurance? How good are they at covering the policies in LOS? I know a large majority probably had none and I feel for them.

 

A similar thing happened in Maryland when a tropical storm came through a couple of years ago. People had their homes devastated. Insurance was supposed to cover the damage but the insurance companies undercut everyone by giving them lowball estimates that would not cover the cost of repairs. Two years later some people are still living in trailers provided by the Federal Government waiting to have their claims resolved. I can only guess it will be a lot worse for those in Thailand.

 

As Nietzsche says" What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger." Or something to that effect. I know it is a bleak way to look at things but at least they survived.