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Bam Earthquake Emergency Coordinating Committee
Open Letter to International Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs)
The people of Bam need your help!
January 6, 2004
Dear
colleagues:
I am
writing on behalf of the Bam Earthquake Emergency Coordinating Committee (BamEECC)
to raise our unequivocal and continuing concerns regarding the relief efforts
underway in Bam.
From
the get go, the BamEECC has called on the generous public, both in Iran and
abroad, to give all in-kind and financial donations to reputable organisations.
We have stressed the fact that no donations should be given to the Islamic
Republic of Iran or its government-run 'NGOs'. We have reiterated this call via
media broadcasts in Iran, Europe and North America, including during a live
interview with the BamEECC's Coordinator on BBC News 24 on January 2, 2004. Our
reasoning behind this call is clear. Reputable international and non-sectarian
humanitarian organisations are better able and willing to assist the people of
Bam. On the other hand, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not trusted by the
population at large to spearhead relief and reconstruction efforts because it is
rightly seen to be responsible for the massive human tragedy especially given
its utter neglect in creating adequate housing during its past 25 year rule, its
imposition of desperate poverty, its disregard for people's lives and safety,
poor building methods, lack of proper regulations, as well as its refusal to
heed recommendations made by a series of inquiries following the 1990 earthquake
in north-west Iran. Clearly, the deaths of what is amounting to over 50,000
people in an oil rich country are not the result of natural causes. In addition
to its culpability for the quake, the government's inadequate, late and chaotic
response has exacerbated the situation; many could still be alive today had the
authorities acted in a timely and responsible manner like governments are
supposed to in such situations. Bam is one more blemish on this government's
inability and unwillingness to intervene on the people's behalf. For example,
the authorities only divulged information on the earthquake nine hours and only
met to address it ten hours after it had occurred. This was in spite of the fact
that the public in Iran had already begun spontaneously organising to provide
all the assistance they could muster. Messrs. Khatami and Khamenei only visited
the site four days after the quake and even then only to excuse their
inadequacies. Moreover, the premature calling off of Search and Rescue
operations, the mishandling of international rescue teams, including delaying
their access, delays in provision of translation services and the mistreatment
of these personnel in some instances, delays in the offloading of aid from
delivery trucks for hours and even days, the obstruction of aid being delivered
by the public who wanted to bypass the government, the selling of aid in the
black market and so on have all exacerbated the situation and wasted valuable
time and lives. If the regime’s callousness was unbeknownst to relief workers
prior to the earthquake, it has become crystal clear from their first hand
experiences. More tragically, the BamEECC has received numerous reports of
people, particularly children, dying as a result of the cold because vital aid
has not reached them in time; many are still awaiting tents, food and the like
ten days after the quake. To make matters worse, aid is not being given to
women-headed households in many instances; the authorities have expelled
numerous doctors and international aid workers from the area and are even
checking the identification of all those entering Bam in order to further
obstruct the transfer of aid and information on the government’s negligence.
The
BamEECC reiterates that relief efforts must be spearheaded and monitored by the
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in liaison
and coordination with reputable international organisations and institutions
such as UNICEF, WHO, Medicins sans Frontieres as well as local NGOs and the
concerned public. In addition to ensuring that aid reaches survivors, its other
crucial tasks are to provide the public with up-to-date information on the
progress of relief and reconstruction efforts as well as financial
accountability of all monies donated to this effort from governments,
organisations and the public. Moreover, the BamEECC requests an investigation
into the following reports received from various sources in Bam and Iranian
newspaper reports and the action undertaken to stop these forms of abuse:
* The
government Baseej and Pasdaran refusal to pull out or assist women who were
unveiled.
*
Reports that survivors are in some instances being charged for the medical care
they are receiving and families are being charged for burials.
*
Women and children are being kidnapped and trafficked.
*
Villagers from surrounding villages not hit by the quake but that are at risk
because they received their supplies from Bam are not receiving aid.
The
BamEECC is closely monitoring the situation and will provide you with up-to-date
information on the situation. We await your immediate response.
Sincerely,
Maryam Namazie
Coordinator
Bam
Earthquake Emergency Coordinating Committee |