Foreign Donors Slow on Giving Flood Aid

As tens of thousands of families continue to struggle with ongoing flooding, delays are still hampering the provision of overseas aid, with some donors still holding back on distributing funds. China flew in two planes, laden with supplies worth $8 million, over the weekend and the South Korean Embassy yesterday announced $200,000 in aid after Japan pledged $320,000. But beyond that, some donors appear to have their hands tied because the government has not officially asked for help, while others are still trying to decide on how best to deliver the aid. Instead of helping the government, the Children, an organization working in flood-wrecked areas. "The US Embassy has not received a request for direct assistance from the Cambodian government," said spokesman Sean McIntosh. "The custom is to wait for a request for assistance." However, a spokesperson at the Australian Embassy said the country did not require a formal request to give flood relief. "We are closely monitoring the humanitarian situation…to determine the needs on the ground and how we can best assist," the representative said. Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman kou Kuong said the government only wanted "voluntary" aid. "We welcome any assistance from abroad, but we haven't made any appeal," he said. Last week, the National committee for Disaster Management announced a $3 million grant from the Asian Development Bank. But peter Brimble, senior country economist for ADB, said yesterday that in fact, that amount had not yet been granted to Cambodian. ADB is "identifying the appropriate emergency responses, including the possibility of accessing up to $3 million from the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund," he said by text message. The government has so far pledged $100 million to go toward relief and rehabilitation efforts, though many areas of the country have complained that they have received no help from authorities. Kompong Thom governor Chhun Chhorn said that most of the province's 80,000 hectares of rice paddy would be destroyed, and 33,000 families were still displaced. "More than 20,000 families have received aid from the government, Cambodian Red Cross and generous people, More than 13,000 need emergency aids," he said. "They cannot return home. They need assistance because they cannot do any business."