Saturday
(0)A team from the EU Commission is hotfooting it off to North Korea in the wake of that 'minor-train-incident-which-never-happened-and-anyway-even-if-it-did-it-was-caused-by-reactionaries':
Development spokesperson Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe said on Friday that a representative from the EU's humanitarian assistance team in North Korea will visit the site late tonight (early morning local time) to assess the situation.
They may have to fly in some emergency directives. But, on to the truly pant-wettingly, hilarious, quote-of-the-week bit:
Asked whether the EU representative would be allowed to get a clear picture of the situation on the ground given the secrecy of the Pyongyang regime and the time elapsed since the accident occurred, Mr Ellermann-Kingombe pointed out that they had been invited by the authorities to visit the site."We have no reason to question their intentions", he said.
And probably no motive either.
"We have no reason to question their intentions",
The Carnival of Fools is on a world tour, first stop North Korea... two shows a day, and a matinee on Saturday.
Posted by ernest young at April 25, 2004 04:08 PM
Ok... supposing your job is to help the people who've been hurt by this explosion... do you:
a) piss off the n. korean government, so they throw you out on your ass, & go home, or
b) kowtow to the n. korean government's bullshit which no-one believes, in order to actually get help to the people who're injured...
You guys sound as though you'd choose a)... fair enough, and very principled, but I think you'd be failing to do your job properly.
Posted by A_t at April 26, 2004 01:02 PM
So the purpose of the UN is to be 'nanny' to the world, whether they are members of the club or not, whether friend or enemy...
How very generous they are with other people's money!, surely if NK has the funding to sponsor a nuclear programme, they have the funds and resources to clear up their own mess.
One minute they are threatening cataclysmic destruction on all and sundry, and the next minute they are begging for help. They must think, - probably rightly so, - that the UN are a bunch of fools...
Posted by ernest young at April 26, 2004 02:19 PM
I don't think that the press statement is a big deal. Most people probably know that it's a load of bullshit already. However, I feel that the best reaction with regards to the media would've been no reaction. That way, you avoid telling an outright lie, and you can hold your reservations about the Korean government without pissing off its officials.
However, I think the disaster requires assistance, no matter who is in charge. The people of N. Korea shouldn't suffer because they're being oppressed by a loony dictator.
Posted by alex at April 27, 2004 11:45 PM
