The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that yet another non-governmental organized charity (NGO) is under investigation for deceptive practices regarding the fake rescue of tribal females from non-existent sexual predators. Former Australian army commando Sean McBride abruptly resigned from Grey Man, the NGO he founded, after Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation determined that 21 hill tribe children from a village in northern Chiang Rai province were not rescued from prostitution as the charity claimed on its website along with appeals for funds. The Department is further investigating claims that the children had never left their homes, had continued to attend school and had suffered as a result of the publicity.
As first reported by WoWasis in May, 2010, it appears that NGOs involved in investigating sex trafficking have found a bottomless gold mine of funding sources, leading critics to question to what extent the financial success of these organizations is based on alleged sex crime accusations that may be ultimately found to be meritless.
Finally the tide seems to turn against APLE, Licadho and the rest of the child protection industry in Cambodia. The latest blog entries about how a Human Rights Organisation like Licadho brushes off any dialogue on the subject and thereby makes itself an example of the Hypocrasy these NGO’s are so well known for. see: cambodia440.blogspot.com for details
We’ve seen what kind of Lies Anti-Humantrafficking Icon Somaly Mam was able to dish out to the media and make fat bucks with it. Only after Newsweek reported on it her cover blew.
Another, perhaps Cambodia’s most controversial and vicious NGO aplecambodia.org continues it’s program of making Money on the back of horror stories like you can read here: cambodia440.blogspot.com
This is typical of NGOs who are more interested in attracting donors than in delivering the goods. A “good story” is far more important than the truth.
In the same light, Sean Mcbride/ John Curtis is a bit liberal with the truth anyway. His military service was 3 years in 1 Commando.
1CDO is a reserve unit, part time soldiers. One weekend a month and two weeks a year.
It takes at least 4 years to train them to even the most basic levels of soldiering. His claims of “Special Forces” are stretching the truth a long way. He was never a professional soldier or a member of the Australian Regular Army – the ARA.
And after sex tourists and retired expats, by far the biggest users of whorehouses and bar girls across Asia are the NGO workers themselves. Far better protection of girls in Asia would be achieved by simply banning NGOs.
Duck
That’s a great article, Sammy, thanks for sharing it. As far as we being conned? Don’t think so. The article as well as the threads bear out what we’ve been saying all along. NGOs need to be vetted a lot better than they have been.
You might want to look at this site before jumping to conclusions about Grey Man
http://penhpal.com/2013/08/sisha-the-anti-trafficking-org-finally-unravels/
Read from post 74. The truth finally comes out and shows that you were conned like everyone else