Did British Aid money pay the Chandlers' ransom?

[Gromit]

// At least £30 million in British aid was sent to Somalia in the last 12 months, according to the Department for International Development.

Almost all of that is channelled through European Union and United Nations humanitarian programmes.

But £5.5 million was agreed by the Department for International Development in March for a 'governance and peace-building programme' for President Sheikh Sharif’s government.

There are now concerns that some British money was used to pay the ransom for Mr and Mrs Chandler.

A source with the Somali president’s staff told Channel 4 News that part of that money was earmarked to boost chances of the couple’s release. //

http://www.telegraph....ions-over-ransom.html

This is of course, just conjecture at the moment, but if the Government did send taxpayers money knowing it would go to the Pirates, should we angry?

[squarebear]

The money was paid by private financers and the Somali governement

[Gromit]

Yes squarebear, and we gave the Somali Government £5.5 million in march. Their might be a connection.

[squarebear]

True and man may not have landed on the moon and Princess Diana was murdered by the Queen.

[Bbbananas]

Was she?
What a cow.

[squarebear]

lol

[Bbbananas]

Whoops - was that (high) treason?

[youngmafbog]

It is very difficult to control aid money, afterall it is thought much goes into the hands of dictators and their henchmen around the world.

I would hope it has not gone to terrortists, but I guess we will never really know the truth due to the nature of things around that part of the world.

It really does annoy me that people put themselves in this kind of danger and then expect everyone to pick up the pieces. Why could they not just take a cruise like the rest of us have to? Its not as if it was not known to be dangerous.

[Bbbananas]

Exactly youngbog, exactly - see my point made in the earlier post about the Chandlers. I am glad they are free, but they were naive and foolish to go off on their own in seas well known by true yachties to be dangerous and manned by pirates. You do not go off on your own around these seas - you stay in groups or flotillas - safety in numbers and all that. THey did not deserve their prolonged captivity, but they have to take some respoinsibility for their actions that led to this.

[cornancob]

can i say salla that your answer was spot on very precise and articulate well said well done.

[ludwig]

They were specifically advised not to take the route they took, so they were pretty stupid. Was British aid money used?, yes probably, who knows.

[Bbbananas]

Really? Why, thank you....!

But seriously, I have only been yacht sailing for 4 years and I know that anyone with any common sense stays in a group of boats in many areas acknowledged to be at danger from piracy. You don't willingly put yourselves in a vulnerable position such as they did, then bleat about the consequences.

[squarebear]

A bit old but this still makes me smile:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8294858.stm

[ummmm]

We give legal aid to terrorists. We pay to support their family's. We don't deport people because of 'their human rights'

Yes...they should be helped.

[New Judge]

I don’t believe the Chandlers have been “bleating on” about the consequences. They certainly were a bit foolhardy to do what they did, but that does not excuse piracy. There have been other victims who were not quite so foolish (e.g. the crew of a recently released oil tanker which was taken whilst they were on a route they had no option but to take).

If British Aid cash was surreptitiously diverted to fund their release it is the fault of the UK government. There is no earthly reason why the UK should provide “aid” to Somalia (or indeed anywhere else). The UK has huge debts and its taxpayers are having to pay enormous sums and will witness significant cuts in their services to address this problem. There are plenty of countries with stacks of dosh in the bank who could provide such aid without their citizens even noticing.

But, of course, they are a little less profligate with their national funds and prefer to spend their hard-earned on their own goods and services instead of seeing it end up in the pockets of foreign pirates.

[bentaxle]

It amazes me some chaps in open boats are better seamen and cleverer than nations who use those waters if so what an admission So much for all this high tech stuff our nautical people are supposed to have And if theres no answer to the problem bring all our ships back to port and wait for a smaller job like a shrimp boat over fishing in the north sea