Apparently, that statement has some truth in it.
According to this article in the Guardian, a U.K. publication: A desperate group of starving survivors in one of the tsunami-hit Nicobar islands kidnapped the island's top civilian official and its police chief in protest at the inadequate relief operation, it emerged yesterday.
Why did they kidnap these guys? Because of this:
The survivors from Great Nicobar Island spent four days without food before trekking through the jungle to the wrecked headquarters settlement at Campbell Bay.
When they arrived they discovered the island's assistant commissioner and deputy assistant of police eating a plate of biryani, witnesses said.
The crowd of Punjabi settlers took the men hostage, demanding that they provide help to the hundreds of islanders who were starving in the jungle.
"The assistant commissioner was eating biryani in his guesthouse," one witness, Lilly Ommen, said. "The men arrived and pointed out that they were starving. They also said there were people stuck in the forest with nothing, as well as many dead bodies."
Biryani has been described as a delicious Pakistani/Indian rice dish which is often reserved for very special occasions...It has a lengthy preparation, but the work is definitely worth it. (my emphasis)
This worries me.
It reminds me too much of what apparently happened with the Oil-for-food program in Iraq - the citizens that the aid was intended for suffered and starved while a few select officials lived in the lap of luxury....
Hopefully this is an isolated incident...hopefully...
DR
(thanks to Matt Drudge for this link)
