Tsunami relief is overshadowed by corruption

AS relief officials struggle to reach homeless tsunami survivors, another concern is making the rounds of donor meetings: the threat of corruption.

“We are concerned that the image of it would hold people back from sending money, because they fear the money would end up in the wrong pockets,” said Michael Elmquist, head of UN relief efforts in Indonesia’s Aceh province, yesterday.

Corruption was expected to be on the agenda when world leaders, including UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and US Secretary of State Colin Powell, met yesterday in Jakarta to co-ordinate relief efforts.