Tsunami turmoil

Humanity comes to the fore in times of catastrophe, writes Gamal Nkrumah

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Wave of ignorance Business as usual in Aceh? The age of apocalypse

The generosity and outpouring of funds, food, clothes and medicine were overwhelming. The unprecedented response to the appeals of governments, charities and aid agencies was heart-warming. The disastrous tsunamis provided an opportunity to assess the emergency response readiness of the countries of the Indian Ocean rim.

Press pundits and analysts noted that both ideas, and more importantly funds, freely floated. The fateful earthquake and the sea surges, or tsunami, it triggered created chaos and mayhem and left in its wake a trail of death, disease and destruction. But it also galvanised the rich world to give.

While, the world mourns the dead -- the European Union officially marked the grim occasion by a three minute silence at midday on Wednesday -- the gaze of the world is now rightly turning to the survivors. The main task at hand is the implementation of the use of the funds. Relief assistance must be distributed to and ultimately be received by the neediest survivors.

What was astounding, however, was how the international media highlighted statements made by United States officials about Asia's catastrophic cataclysm.

There were initial complaints that the response of the US to the tsunami disaster fell far short of what was expected of the world's leading superpower. And, there seems to have been a deliberate effort to whitewash America's tarnished image.

Writing in Britain's Financial Times Ronald Brownstein a columnist in the Los Angeles Times noted that, "By responding generously to the cataclysm, George W Bush can demonstrate to the international community that America does not pursue its foreign policy goals only at the point of a gun."

"After Iraq," as Brownstein succinctly puts it, "that is an insidious suspicion in many parts of the world."

It is not so surprising that the international media is obsessed with America's generosity or lack of it -- since the world labours under the yoke of Pax Americana. The contribution of other nations, both rich and poor must be given credit as well. Japan, for example, pledged more aid to the survivors of the catastrophic tsunamis that struck Indian Ocean rim countries than any other country and yet it looks like the US is using its economic clout to make the most of the grim situation and to brighten up its image overseas.

The international media spotlighted the fact that the US increased its contributions and emergency relief assistance, but it played down the fact that it still is the second biggest donor to the disaster with a $350 million pledge.

British and American papers in particular and media networks focussed almost exclusively on the US response to the Asian cataclysm. "I have been in war and I have been through a number of hurricanes, tornadoes but I have never seen anything like this," US Secretary of State Colin Powell said after inspecting the devastated Indonesian province of Aceh. "The devastation in the region defies comprehension," said US President George W Bush.

Yes indeed, but what did other leaders have to say of the calamitous situation? Nothing much according to the international media.

Next week, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission will attend a conference in Jakarta to discuss how best to cope with Asia's tsunami disaster which has rendered five million homeless. The G8 which groups the eight richest and most industrially advanced countries promised debt relief for countries devastated by last week's undersea earthquake.

Providence ordained that the tsunami disaster is that it has struck regions that are conflict-ridden -- Aceh, southern Thailand where Muslims are battling the Thai authorities, Sri Lanka and Somalia. A little noticed incident in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, administered by India and geographically lying to the north of Sumatra near the epicentre of the undersea earthquake hinted at hidden and unforeseen ripple effects of the tsunami disaster. Described by the BBC as "Stone Age hunter gatherers" darting arrows at an Indian coastguard helicopter coming to their assistance by dropping food aid, the plight and predilection of the Onge tribespeople, hints at the grave environmental consequences of the cataclysm.

The news item, nevertheless, pointed out that the Onge and other indigenous people of the region could run out of food. In the case of the Onge, they live off nature fishing, trapping and hunting around estuaries and coastal mangrove swamps and must have fled to higher altitudes perhaps after noticing behavioural changes of birds and animals before the waves swamped their habitat. Indeed, the incident in which indigenous tribal warriors emerged from the impenetrable forests of the Andaman islands is symbolic of the complexities of the politics and social problems of the Indian Ocean rim countries.

The tsunami disaster has also shifted attention to the political turmoil in Indian Ocean rim countries. In Aceh, an 18- month old campaign against armed separatist groups by the Indonesian authorities has heightened tensions in the region. In Sri Lanka the Tamil Tigers are also fighting for a separate Tamil homeland for them on the island-nation.

Incidentally, the African country most impacted by the Asian cataclysm is Somalia where a civil war has been raging since 1991.

Half of the 95,000 residents of the Aceh town of Meulaboh, 150km from the epicentre of the undersea earthquake, perished when giant tsunamis swamped the town.

While, the countries of southeast Asia are counting the cost of the cataclysm, their economies are forecast to be further negatively impacted by the loss of tourism revenues.

Travel operators in Europe predict a customer shift away from Indian Ocean resorts to Mediterranean and Red Sea resorts. An unexpected ripple effect of the tragic Asian tsunami is the anticipated increase in the number of tourists booking holidays in Egypt. Beach tourism is fast gaining ground in Egypt and other North African countries where profit margins, travel operators say, are higher than East, Southeast and South Asian destinations.