Ahtisaari's group not looking to place blame on anybody

Finnish tsunami response board of inquiry aims to clarify what kind of information decisions were made on

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According to the former President Martti Ahtisaari, Finland's tsunami response board of inquiry does not aim to point fingers or lay blame on anybody in regard to the aftermath of the Boxing Day cataclysm in southeast Asia.
      Instead the board will concentrate in its final report on giving concrete suggestions on how to improve the efficiency of future rescue efforts.
     
The assigned board of inquiry intends to determine the catastrophe's sequence of events and their effects until the point when the rescued Finns were evacuated back to Finland and taken to receive medical attention.
      The board will clarify the various government authorities' understanding of the situation in the catastrophe area as it was received through different channels at any given moment, and the kind of information they based their decisions on.
      Furthermore, the board will investigate what was the different operators' view of the whole situation, based on information they got through mass media news bulletins.
      Domestic rescue efforts will also be looked into in minute detail.
     
"We are not looking to place blame on anyone in the media or in the government organisations. We will simply try to draw a picture of how the society as a whole managed to react to a sudden disaster", Ahtisaari emphasises.
      Accident investigators will present an estimate of the total number of Finnish travellers in the area, and of their whereabouts at the time of the disaster.
      The board will also calculate the number of Finnish travellers who died, went missing, or were injured.
      In addition to different authorities, the board will also hear those who survived the waves, those who took part in the rescue operations, plus various NGOs. The board may also pay a visit to the disaster scene at some point.
     
President Ahtisaari refused to comment on how long the board's work may take.
      Ahtisaari confirmed the belief that his board of inquiry is able to evaluate impartially the public administration's actions during the catastrophe.
      He also expressed his satisfaction with the fact that former Prime Minister Harri Holkeri is to act as the board's vice chairman. Holkeri, if anyone, is familiar with the government's mode of action in different situations, said Ahtisaari.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Former President Martti Ahtisaari to lead tsunami response board of inquiry (10.1.2005)

Helsingin Sanomat