A day after dozens of villagers from two communes in Banteay Meanchey province protested the Cambodian Red Cross’ distribution method for providing flood relief, officials from the aid organization stood by their procedures and rejected claims of nepotism.
Soum Chankea, provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, and Ouch Leng, Adhoc’s rights monitor in Phnom Penh, both said they had received complaints from “a lot” of villagers in Banteay Meanchey that local officials had favored their relatives when distributing aid.
“We don’t know the selection process or the criteria those commune authorities use to recruit victims to get aid,” Mr Chankea said.
Chan Sothea, a 45-year-old villager from Preah Ponlea commune in Serei Saophoan City who participated in Monday’s protest, alleged that the commune chief selected family members to receive donations from Red Cross while ignoring more badly affected villagers.
“It is unfair and nepotism,” he said yesterday.
Preah Ponlea commune chief Chea Huon said yesterday that he could only supply 110 of the 700 families in his commune affected by the floods with Cambodian Red Cross donations on Monday. He said an additional 217 families received aid yesterday.
“We give donations to all races and status of affected families,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what political party they come from, we give donations to help all families affected by flooding.”
Uy Sam Ath, director of disaster management at the Cambodian Red Cross, bristled at the allegations.
“We are neutral, we are impartial, we are doing humanitarianism, we are independent,” he said. “That is the principle of the CRC.”
He acknowledged that some victims may have been overlooked in the selection process, but said a request has been made to the Cambodian Red Cross’ headquarters to provide more aid to the communes.
“Everybody who is working people will make mistakes,” he said, adding that “97 to 98 percent” of the CRC’s distribution decisions are correct.
He said an assessment group that includes village chiefs, commune chiefs, Red Cross officials and volunteers and members of commune council disaster management committees selects families to receive aid.
Phum Chan Tinie, secretary-general of the Cambodian Red Cross, said she was unaware of the complaints by villagers, but said more relief is likely on the way.
