Concerns about military involvement in Tsunami relief (Feb 2005)

The purpose of this piece is first to provide some comments on the current state of post tsunami rehabilitation and relief operations and within this context also to question some of the more disturbing recent developments.

While many questions can be asked about the relief effort including why donor organisations are competing for target groups, why they are not involving local development organisations and local government structures which have a vast amount of experience and cultural sensitivity and instead seem to be trying to sort thing out for themselves, which organisations are actually here, what their mandate is, what percentage of donations they have received are actually being used for relief work, how well they are coordinating with central government and structures and plans which will have a bearing on how the interventions are viewed and how they will be managed after these organisations leave… the purpose of this is different it seeks to question the role of a particular actor who if the media is to be believed, is playing a significant role in the rebuilding process.

The actor(s) in question is the US marine contingent allegedly stationed here to aid with the relief operations. It must be questioned given that many organisations both local and international are working on the relief efforts, that the Sri Lankan military is involved and is supplying manpower and equipment, and because all these organisations are simply assisting the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts being undertaken by the Tsunami affected people. What must be emphasised is that the affected people are not simply being passive, they are moving back to the areas they lived in, they are clearing up their homes and their environment, they are seeking ways of repairing their lost livelihoods, they are pro-actively seeking ways of re-establishing shelters and other infrastructure. This is not the type of disaster environment where people are forced by circumstances to remain in resettlement camps for years. The numbers of people living in the camps decreases every day. Local organisations who before the disaster were involved with community development in these areas are mobilising and collaborating to work out sustainable and pragmatic ways in which communities can rebuild and re-develop. Local individuals and local private sector organisations are contributing to this effort. International donations coming through private sources, through individuals and small organisations, are having a tremendous impact both in areas of immediate relief such as the provision of food, shelter, clothing and medical supplies but are also now working towards more longer term rehabilitation goals.

In this environment outside actors such as large donor organisations but especially the smaller organisations that are in the country as part of the international disaster response seem to be doing more harm than good. They are duplicating efforts in many areas and are restricting access to some of the more inaccessible areas by simply creating traffic in such volumes that the aid flow is being hampered. They are not seeking to partner local organisations who have worked in these areas for years, have excellent local knowledge, an intrinsic awareness of local needs and an inbuilt cultural sensitivity. As a result the work they do is not being received well in the target communities. The legitimacy and their motivations are being questioned and they are forcing an atmosphere of dependence upon the affected people instead of working with them to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. This is not to say that all their work is being wasted and all the resources being used are misallocated and have no impact. This simply seeks to point out aspects of the operational environment of Sri Lanka that they could take into consideration, to help improve their work, to enhance its impact and to assure its sustainability. It is necessary that the large relief organisations and the big donors remain on board. They have the type of resources that few other institutions can access and the type of international image and standing that would allows them to access even more resources should it prove necessary.

So given all of this, given the confusion and duplication and lack of coherence that surrounds the aid effort, what is the US military doing here. What is their contribution to all of this? How long are they here? When will they leave? What role are they playing in the relief operations and is it necessary that they play this role. This is particularly sensitive given that Sri Lanka has experiences conflict for over 20 years and the sight of military personnel is associated with feelings of fear and insecurity especially among already vulnerable people.

I propose that they are here for two reasons. The first is reasonably obvious and has been openly stated by the US president. They are here to repair some of the damage done to the US' international reputation after their aggression again Afghanistan and Iraq and their conduct of the war on terror.

This was part of an (overheard) conversation at a bar in Colombo:

Man, its so great that we are here, its doing so much for the image of the US abroad… Its great to be here in South Asia, we're just going to be sorting out logistics for months…

This is part of a conversation I had with a US Air force pilot after I asked him as politely as possible what he was doing here:

We are here with 90 people and about 8 helicopters. We ferry relief supplies. The problem is that there is not much to do. We only work till about 2.00 pm. We thought we'd be working 24 hours a day but there's just not enough to do

All of which makes it pretty fair to ask… then what are you doing here? Why the military? Given that the Sri Lankan military is reasonably capable of doing things like ferrying relief supplies and helping with the clean up and given that they are already doing it and there is very little of value an outside institution could provide.

We have to keep in mind however that it was largely the US military that tarnished the reputation of the country internationally and so it seems logical that the military should be involved in a mass scale PR exercise trying to salvage it.

I got to tell you our military is making a significant difference in providing relief and aid and help and compassion for those who have suffered. I am very impressed, Mr. Secretary, by how quickly we have responded and the assets that you have ordered deployed to help these people. And there's a lot of talk about how some in the world don't appreciate America, well, I can assure you that those who have been helped by our military appreciate America. (US president George W Bush at a press briefing- 13.1.2005)

So the marines make ample use of every available press opportunity. Front page photos of marines walking about carrying bricks appear every so often, as do photos of villagers looking on bemused by bulldozers and other heavy equipment being unloaded by amphibious landing craft and hovercrafts. The problem is there are bulldozers already there. They have been there since the day after the disaster and have done most of the work already. There has certainly been no shortage of people to move bricks about.

So if this is all a PR stunt it is expected that they would be ready to pack up and ship out as soon as the cameras get interested in something else, but there are no definite plans for withdrawal.

The Indonesian government initially gave a deadline for foreign troops to leave, three months after the disaster but under significant pressure was forced to withdraw the deadline and agree to what is essentially an indefinite US military presence in the country.

Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said foreign troops should leave Aceh by March 26, within three months of the tragedy, sparking a controversy.

I am sure the Indonesian government will agree with me the most important thing is to save lives and not have deadlines, U.N. emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland said in New York. But Secretary of State Colin Powell downplayed the issue and Indonesian officials sought to retract Kalla's comments.

That wasn't a deadline, Powell told PBS television. It was an expectation that the work would be finished, and there would not be a need for foreign troops after three months. Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said in Berlin: You can rest assured that we welcome even ... foreign troops. Their presence is based on our request. (Jeff Franks and Karima Anjani Reuters Thursday, January 13, 2005)

The Sri Lankan government does not seem to be making any steps in this direction. Not least because the Multi Fibre Agreement which guaranteed a percentage of the market share for garments in the US has lapsed and the only way to prevent our single biggest export industry from crumbling is to sign a free trade agreement with the US, something which seemed very much on the cards especially after the high level post disaster visits.

The only group that has articulated any concerns is the Alliance for the protection of National Resources and Human Rights (ANRHR), a coalition of public and private sector trade unions, fisheries organisations, women's organisations, farmers organisations, plantation workers, peace activists and environmentalists. While they represent a wide cross section of Sri Lankan society they are sidelined as a collection of radicals and their views are ignored.

Another more disturbing concern is the suspicion that Sri Lanka is being considered as a location for a US military base. The US lease for the island of Diego Garcia expires in 2016. It is the closest permanent US base in the Indian Ocean.

We are located conveniently close to Afghanistan and the US partner in the war on terror- Pakistan. We have two exceptional deep water harbours in Trincomalee and Galle, we are also close to Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim nation and home to some of those 'terrorist groups' like the group fighting against the state military in Aceh, in West Papua and the successful insurgents in East Timor and other groups that have claimed responsibility for attacks against western civilian targets.

The US base of operations is set up in Galle. A multi purpose attack vessel called the 'USS Bonhomie Richard' is stationed there along with 5 hovercraft and other support vessels. It is reported that 1400 marines are in the country. The base of operations has already become a stop off point for vessels travelling to Iraq. They stop off and for a about a week engage in 'relief operations' before setting off again.

There is not central authority overseeing the work of the US military in Sri Lanka. They do not belong to the Donor NGO forums or any other body working towards coordinating relief operation in Sri Lanka. There is not clear indication of how long they will stay or how their involvement will change after the immediate relief phase gives way to the longer term reconstruction and rehabilitation phase.

There is no forum where these ideas will be discussed fairly and impartially here and where legitimate concerns can be raised and conveyed to those who have any sort of influence in order that they may be addressed. These concerns are already being dismissed as empty conspiracy theories or radical political propaganda. It would be great if these concerns are laid to rest, if these questions are answered and people made to feel more secure about their genuine fears.

This is written then as a request. Please ask questions, as loudly and as creatively as possible.

What is the Us military doing in the Tsunami affected region?
How long will they stay?
Do we really need them here?