7 Lydford Gardens, Bolton, BL2 6TU
Rt. Hon Tony Blair, Prime Minister, 10 Downing Street, London.	25th June, 2005.

 

 

 

Dear Prime Minister,

 

I have recently returned from Sri Lanka where, with another Rotarian – Tony Roberts, I have visited some of the poorest areas of that country, particularly in the Trincomalee areas which as you are aware, were very badly affected by the Tsunami. 

 

By pure coincidence, my next-door-neighbour is a Sri Lankan, currently seconded back to his own country looking after a large fashion manufacturing company. We got together on the day after Boxing Day and started to assess what real help was required out there. Since that time, our Rotary Club has been working with the Rotary Club of Colombo Central, of which my next-door-neighbour is a member and has been able to plough fairly significant amounts of money in order to help out the local Fishing Federation. 

 

Instead of just supplying money to the fishermen, the Rotary Clubs have jointly set up a maintenance workshop and have had 53 boat engines repaired and put back into service. The engines were, of course, submerged in salt water and given some rough treatment, but quite a lot were repairable. This has allowed the local fishermen to get back to work and thereby kick start the local economy.  We have also been able to launch a brand new boat, which was supplied, together with an engine and a full set of fishing nets. The Fishing Federation will ensure that this boat is used by fishermen starting off in their career.  The Fishing Federation in Trincomalee also acts as a collective, a union, and provides a school for the children and performs the role of an overall welfare organisation - what they do for themselves is fantastic.  Since our return we have just authorised the purchase of 10 sets of lines and hooks which, at £200 each, are quite expensive, in order for them to get into the tuna which has just come into season.  Again, the idea is to pump prime their efforts and allow them the dignity to carry out their profession without them feeling that they have been subject of handouts.  We reckon that £10 spent in Sri Lanka by the local people overseen by the local Rotary Club, is worth about £100 in our terms.  By doing it this way it also ensures that any worries there are about monies being diverted to unnecessary administration costs or worse are negated and it also means that there can be no political overtones.

 

As you are aware, the country is riven by political and religious differences and whilst we were there we were stopped at least 10 times by road blocks set up by the local constabulary. Having spent 40 years in law enforcement I consider there must have been about 20,000 armed police and troops in evidence in this area.

 

The Government is policing the symptom, but not addressing the cause.  After a quite magnificent response by the British public, matched by a very speedy and considerable contribution by our Government, it is particularly worrying and almost incomprehensible that six months on, the Sri Lankan Government is ‘talking’ about the setting up of a ‘joint mechanism’ to distribute the funds that they have received.  The Sri Lankan public are well aware of the millions of pounds of international aid that their Government has received and they can see the work that the NGOs and little organisations such as our own are doing on the ground.  I told our Rotarian friends in Sri Lanka and the Fishing Federation and the local orphanage that will be receiving some help from us as well that I would write my very first letter to the English Prime Minister to try and get his help in pushing the Sri Lankan Government to get on with the job disbursing the monies they have received to where it is still desperately needed.  I think the British public would be shocked to know of the current situation. 

 

I, of course, do not know how you go about this.  I do not know if you would want Andy Burnham, an MP that I do a lot of work with off duty, to bring it up as a question in Prime Minister’s Questions which I was honoured to be present at last Wednesday. I just know that somebody here needs to pressurise somebody over there into doing something with the money which the British Government and public so quickly and generously forwarded.

 

I am aware of the terrific pressures of work upon you at the moment and will leave it to your good offices as to how we proceed further.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

Trevor Barton.