Just the other day, this newspaper raised doubts as to who India’s aid intended for the Tamil areas will actually go. As if on cue, the point was made. In Sri Lanka it seems not even the International Committee of the Red Cross can guarantee aid will be delivered to the right beneficiaries.
An ICRC staffer was reduced to tears by when her organisation's aid was 'distributed' Sri Lankan-style, according to a recent article in the Sunday Times.
“Maryse Limonar, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sub delegation in Vavuniya couldn't hide her feelings at a ceremony where her organization was distributing 400 two-wheel tractors to villagers in the Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts,” the paper reported.
“She walked to the rear of an ICRC vehicle and cried after a minister allegedly overruled the list of beneficiaries the ICRC had chosen. ICRC officials allege that the minister distributed the tractors to people of his choice.”
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