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More must be done to assist tsunami victims in Asia
ASAP Statement - December 29, 2004
Max Lane, chair of Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific, condemned the departure today from Brisbane of the sixth Australian Defence Force Security Detachment to Bagdad.
He said Australian troops should be deployed to assist the tens of thousands of tsunami victims in Asia, rather than help create more mayhem in Iraq.
"The Howard government’s response to this natural disaster affecting millions of our closest neighbours has been predictably stingy, and yet it can spend millions on supporting the US-led occupation of Iraq", Mr Lane said.
"Howard and minister Downer feign sympathy, but their deceit is obvious when you compare the scale of suffering and misery in Asia now and the government’s pathetic $10 million plus contribution.
"The so-called developing countries in the Third World are always going to be harder hit by natural disasters. Rich western nations, such as Australia, therefore have a big responsibility to assist. Endless funds seem to be available for so-called ‘anti-terror’ measures. These would be better used to help the thousands upon thousands of innocent people whose lives and livelihoods have been shattered by the tsunami disaster", concluded Mr Lane.
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