Fair Cop, Guv, It's The Lap of Luxury

The government is constantly criticising all the NGOs and accusing NGO workers of being on a gravy train, living luxurious lives, trying to spin out their time in SL and living off the donor money. You didn't realise did you that all my writings about the humidity, the wild life here, the bureacracy, were all just a cover and really I am living it up, in the lap of luxury, LOVING being here because it is simply SO wonderful.... The papers are full of it, it's very tedious, and soul destroying the way they say the NGOs have achieved so little etc. One of the reasons many NGOs have achieved less than they wd wish is because of the bureaucracy and the obstructiveness of the govt, who is very keen to be seen to be doing better than any NGO or foreign aid organisation.

Also the Govt won't let lorries, goods etc into the north and east, so effectively the NGOs are being forced to work only with the Singalese in the south, which is very unfair. A friend who works for the German 'DIFD' who has offices in one of the Sri Lankan banks here, has been ousted by the govt, who say they need his offices for the President to use (suddenly..) They got one day's notice! So they reminded the gov't that the agreement if they worked in SL was that the govt provide offices, so to find them alternative accom. The govt just said "No sorry, we've changed our mind" The German govt was thinking of pulling all German NGOs etc out as a protest , that and the fact that they can't work in the north and east anymore. In the end they didn't. This happens ALL the time. In several instances of things happening the govt has simply said, when called to account, that they don't recognise International Law.

Meanwhile back in the domestic bliss of my world; still contending with monkeys dancing on our roof in the middle of the night, (or similar heavy footed mammal), rats in the kitchen (yes I discovered house mice aren't 7 inches long........) and a gravy train to catch somewhere........