UPDATE (Sri Lanka): Aid goods for tsunami victims are held in Port due to heavy duties 

[RE: FA-01-2005: SRI LANKA/ASIA: Tsunami rehabilitation; Statement of the World Forum of Fisher People (WFFP); FA-02-2005: SRI LANKA: Recently declared emergency may cause the increase of offences by the security forces; UP-06-2005: SRI LANKA: Updated list of items to deal with the aftermath of the tsunami announced by the Ministry of Health Care; UP-02-2005: SRI LANKA: List of items urgently required in Kalutara, Matara and Batticaloa districts to deal with tsunami aftermath ]

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has come to know that more than 100 container loads of relief aid for tsunami victims are lying idle at the Colombo port, as the local NGOs, to which they were consigned, cannot pay heavy duties imposed by Sri Lanka Customs Department.

According to today’s first-page article in the Daily Mirror, the Sri Lankan local English newspaper, a customs officer said that the goods would be auctioned by the government to private buyers if the containers were not cleared within a stipulated period. However, it was revealed that the local NGOs had reported to the Custom Office that they had no money to pay the duties. It is estimated that the items are worth more than 100 million Sri Lankan rupees.

We are deeply disturbed by these latest developments. Not only will local people in need be denied these goods, but they were donated in good faith by people around the world in the belief that poor tsunami victims would receive them.

We reproduce the Daily Mirror‘s article below. Please send a letter to the Government of Sri Lanka to immediately withdraw all duties, other charges and bureaucratic procedures imposed by the Government on clearance of assistance sent to tsunami victims in Sri Lanka.

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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Daily Mirror
17 February 2005

More than 100 container load of tsunami aid go waste

More than 100 container loads of relief aid for tsunami victims are lying idle at the Colombo port as NGOs, to which they were consigned, are not clearing them because of heavy duties, other charges and bureaucratic procedures imposed by the Government, Customs officials said yesterday.

They said ports and shipping lines demurrage charges of the containers were going up daily and NGO officials had informed Customs that they did not have the money to clear the items including clothes, wheelchairs, crutches, sleeping bags and blankets for thousand of tsunami victims.

The Customs officials said that if the containers were not cleared within a stipulated period the goods would be auctioned by the government to private buyers – meaning that desperate tsunami victims would not get these urgently needed items worth more than 100 million rupees that they would go for commercial purposes.

This colossal waste of commercial use of millions of rupees worth of items sent for tsunami victims has come about because of recent government regulations imposing duty and other charges on tsunami relief items except medicines, infant milk foods and house building materials.

NGO officials said they had no option but to forego the consignments because of the new government regulations though they felt sad that much needed items were not going to tsunami victims. They said just because of misuse or abuse by a few groups, the government seemed to be imposing collective punishment on all including tsunami victims.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please send a letter, fax or an email to the Government of Sri Lanka and express your deep concern about this matter.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER