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DART unit hopes to deploy in Myanmar

STEVEN CHASE

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 10:58 PM EDT 10/05/08

Reconnaissance unit from the Canadian Forces' Disaster Response Assistance Team is en route to Thailand, but Myanmar has not accepted Canada's offer to send help to flood-stricken country ...Read the full article

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  1. Matt Goulet from Winnipeg, Canada writes: "Disaster Response Assistance Team " DRAT?
  2. Duncan McCockenue from Canada writes: I was thinking the same thing... politically correct acroynm. I hear the next one with the most votes was FUnctional Catastrophy Team... or FUCT.
  3. P Jones from NB, Canada writes: Well, with the purchase of the C-17s, we thankfully don't have to wait on the rental of foreign airlift now.
  4. A good Canadian from Canada writes: What? Nobody complaining about the PM & cabinet unilaterally deciding without a vote of parliment to deploy Cdn soldiers overseas?

    Where is the opposition outrage?
  5. WILLY SIO from Brampton, Canada writes: The military junta simply want to rip off the countries who are forthrightedly generous in offering humanitarian aid. No words can describe how inhuman these Burmese military officials are. All they are concerned is how they can hold on to power and manipulate it to their personal interests. Greed, nepotism and corruption are rampant. They want all this food and other forms of aid to prop their military machine. The stance that they don't want foreigners in their country to distribute aid is simply hogwash. I hope foreign governments can see through what the Burmese government really wants to do in its own interests and not that of their people. But its going to be a tough call to have foreigners distribute relief directly to the people, which I think is probably never going to happen. They don't really care about world opinion, as long as they are smug in their little hole. I vacationed in Burma two years ago, and saw the extend of dilapidated houses, streets and vendors trying to eke a living by the wayside, not to speak of the stench in the local markets. Rangoon (Yangon) is definitely not the same as it was prior to independance - its all downhill now. This post may invoke the ire of some readers, but I am calling it as I saw it. Sorry that is the state of affairs.
  6. Dean The Machine from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Send the bloody Dart Team to the reserves up North, until they can come up with a better policy that will enable the Aboriginal People of Canada to stand on there own two feet. Another words let's start cleaning up our own backyards before volunteering to help clean the neighbors. The mess is getting to large to ignore.
  7. H Chu from Canada writes: Burma won't let "doctors without borders" in, as if they let a pseudo military unit from a western democracy help.
  8. Ed Long from white Rock, Canada writes: Wow ... Canada now has the long range aircraft and personnel to assist other countries. Just think what we could do at home and abroad with helicopters.
  9. Jimmy K from Toronto, Canada writes: Wow. Isn't it nice to not have our men and women sitting around on the tarmac and waiting for a Russian Antanov, or a US surplus transport, to pick our military up and send them to the other side of the world? Money well spent.

    No longer starving the military: just another part of the Evil Hidden Agenda (TM).
  10. P Jones from NB, Canada writes: Ed Long from white Rock, Canada writes: Wow ... Canada now has the long range aircraft and personnel to assist other countries. Just think what we could do at home and abroad with helicopters.
    _____________________

    We would have had choppers if ... well, you know the rest.
  11. Lyn Alg from Canada writes: Why would the Canadian government send the Dart to Myanmar, a terribly corrupt country run by a gang of hoodlums who will probably steal all the water and food aid for themselves rather than distributing it the poor people who desperately require it.
  12. ken g from Canadian in Cuernavaca, Canada writes: Lyn Alg, it is a Team not just goods. Go DART TEAM Go!
  13. Abu Akkrab from Canada writes: Fascinating problem. If aid agencies are refused entry, does a "coalition of the willing" invade, or would that be morally wrong? If we don't force Myanmar to accept our aid, are we failing our moral responsibility? Do we provide aid on their terms and have it controlled by a corrupt military? None of the options in this case will be a good option. Highly likely that westerners will blame their own governments and the UN, rather than the Myanmar government, regardless of what happens. My thougts and prayers are with the Burmese people.
  14. James C from Shenzhen, China writes: ""What has the government done to ensure that Burmese authorities cannot siphon off Canadian aid and ensure that the sanctions regime does not restrict humanitarian organizations in their relief operations?" Ms. Mcdonough asked yesterday."
    __________

    the answer to her question is here:

    "Mr. Harper emphasized, however, that the Canadian government would deliver assistance on the condition that it goes directly to the people. "We will not assist the regime, but we would urge the regime to allow us to help."

    lyn alg, read the article again. our government is not giving aid to myanmar unless (presumably) the distribution of that aid can be overseen by our people.
  15. The Lighthorseman from Canada writes: A good Canadian from Canada writes: What? Nobody complaining about the PM & cabinet unilaterally deciding without a vote of parliment to deploy Cdn soldiers overseas?

    Where is the opposition outrage?

    *********************************************************

    The couple who showed up yesterday with the usual "warmonger Harper is Bush's poodle" stuff were made to look like total @$$h0!es.

    The rest probably leraned from the experience and stayed away.
  16. A good Canadian from Canada writes: The Lighthorseman,
    Thank you for catching my sarcasm in this post.

    It is sad that fellow citizens do not realize that the CF and its soldiers are just a tool in our country's foriegn relations. That tool is used at the discretion of the PM and cabinet for when it is in the best intrest of our country.

    Regardless of whether you agree with it or not, Cdn soldiers, citizens of our country go to these far away places doing thier best work knowing they represent everyone of us.

    So to any Cdn soldiers leaving our lands to go whereever; Godspeed, and safe returns.
  17. The Lighthorseman from Canada writes: A good Canadian from Canada writes:

    "The Lighthorseman,
    Thank you for catching my sarcasm in this post."

    ====================================================

    No problem. Too bad they didn't realise that with their cries of "Harper defied the will of the HOC" when he held the debate/vote for the extension of the Kandahar deployment until 02/09 when they point out Harper said the deployment was being extended for a year even if the vote did not pass.

    You see, the vote specifically called for a TWO YEAR EXTENSION.

    Harper saying the extension would be one year anyway if the vote did not pass was perfectly within Canadian parliamentary procedure because, as you point out the PMO needs neither the approval of cabinet nor the HOC to deploy the CF.
  18. Catherine Medernach from Winnipeg, Canada writes: It is unlikely that DART will deploy because the government will not let them in. The type of aid they are set up to provide - medical care and fresh water, would be of real assistance to the people but their government is not interested in the welfare of the people. The UN is useless in these situations at best doing too little too late.
  19. A good Canadian from Canada writes: Now Bob Rae wants Canada to use armed force under the UN premise of R2P to invade Maynmar and deliver aid to the stricken.

    Typical of the Liberals; to use the CF when it looks good for them.
  20. Catherine Medernach from Winnipeg, Canada writes: R2P is good but as the UN stands it cannot put it into practice. The problem is the UN has no troops and the member nations will not provide them - at least not in a timely manner. And those that are willing often do not have a functional or properly equipped military. Thanks to decades of cuts, our military is not large enough to take on another major committment. Overall most of the world does not really care. And most people have no understanding of the need for military force to get humanitarian aid to the people who need it - a properly trained and equipped military force.

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