...After the laughter died down, Mr. de Boer said the main achievement had been “to allow people to get comfortable” with one another and set the agenda for more meetings later this year.Who are these people?
I am reminded of the response of the U.N. after the 2004 Asian tsunami:
...WFP (World Food Program) has "arrived"-Diplomad via the Volokh Conspiracy.
in the capital with an "assessment and coordination team." The
following is no joke; no Diplomad attempt to be funny or clever:
The team has spent the day and will likely spend a few more setting
up their "coordination and opcenter" at a local five-star hotel.
And their number one concern, even before phones, fax and copy
machines? Arranging for the hotel to provide 24hr catering service.
USAID folks already are cracking jokes about "The UN Sheraton."
Meanwhile, our military and civilians, working with the super
Aussies, continue to keep the C-130 air bridge of supplies flowing
and the choppers flying, and keep on saving lives -- and without
24hr catering services from any five-star hotel . . . . The
contrast grows more stark every minute.
The American and Royal Australian Navies were actually saving lives:
Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia (Jan. 3, 2005) - Lt. Jody Weinstein helps an injured Indonesian woman into a medical evacuation vehicle after she was transported from a coastal village on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Medical teams from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) set-up a triage site located on Sultan Iskandar Muda Air Force Base, in Banda Aceh, Sumatra. The two teams worked together with members of the Australian Air Force to provide initial medical care to victims of the Tsunami-stricken coastal regions. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the Indian Ocean off the waters of Indonesia and Thailand. U.S. Navy photo by Photographers Mate Airman Jordon R. Beesley (RELEASED) | |
In all, the American Task Force numbered more than twenty ships, headed up by the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72 or "Abe"):
Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
The USS Abraham Lincoln follows the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy after arriving on station near Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, Feb. 3, 2005. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has been operating in the Indian Ocean off the waters of Indonesia in support of Operation Unified Assistance, the humanitarian relief effort to aid the victims of the tsunami.
-U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Gabriel R. Piper
