UNWFP humanitarian aid sabotaged: Investigation

Yemris Fointuna ,  The Jakarta Post ,  KUPANG   |  Sat, 04/18/2009 An independent investigation has found that humanitarian aid sent by the United Nations' World Food Programme (UNWFP)  to malnourished people in East Nusa Tenggara was sabotaged, but could not determine who was responsible. The investigation was carried out by the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) after sewing and injection needles, pins and pieces of broken glasses were found inside packets of biscuits distributed to elementary students in North Timor Tengah between Feb. 23 and March 20. The deputy country director of the UNWFP, Brasly Bussefe, said in a press conference here on Friday that, according to the results of the investigation, the sabotage occurred neither in the factory where the biscuits were produced nor during their distribution, conducted by Care  International (a foreign nongovernmental organization concerned with social and health problems). "We assure the WFP's biscuit aid is 100 percent safe for consumption. We have also conducted our own investigation in the factory [in Jakarta] and in the way it is distributed to recipients," he said, adding that no problems were found with similar aid distributed to people suffering from malnutrition in Madura, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara and Aceh. Meanwhile, the deputy of the coordinating ministry for people's welfare and social protection, Anang Setiana, said he himself had paid a visit to the biscuit factory and assured that security checks on packing systems there are safe. "The security check would certainly detect the presence of any alien things in the biscuit packs." The main obstacle to finding the culprit was that the dangerous objects were only found in biscuits packs which were distributed during a particular period since the aid was first distributed early last year. Sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the sabotage might have taken place while the biscuits were in Care International's stores.  Governor Frans Leburaya has called on the UNWFP and Care International to continue distributing the food to help alleviate malnutrition, which has claimed the lives of dozens of toddlers and infants during a prolonged drought in 2007 and 2008. He said the police were investigating the case and had been asked to bring it to court if they found evidence of sabotage while the food was stored in the province.