S. Korean Engineers Quit Iraq

[kskiska]

Monday, December 8, 2003; Page A01

BAGHDAD, Dec. 7 -- A week after two of their colleagues were killed in an ambush, the remaining contingent of 60 South Korean contract engineers and technicians working for the U.S. government on a project north of the capital has decided to leave the country.

It is the largest known withdrawal of contractors over security issues and follows a week of confrontations between the workers and their managers that culminated with yelling and punches Sunday afternoon.

The decision by the men, who were working to fix electrical power lines, is likely to delay one of Iraq's most critical reconstruction projects. The workers are subcontractors for the Washington Group International Inc., a construction firm based in Boise, Idaho, that has a $110 million contract with the Army Corps of Engineers to repair sections of Iraq's power grid.

Electricity -- or the lack of it -- has become a symbol for the challenges facing the reconstruction. Many parts of the country still get only a few hours of electricity a day, a fact that angry Iraqis cite as evidence that the reconstruction has failed to live up to its promises. The difficulty in restoring power has had a ripple effect on other projects, making it difficult to operate factories, oil refineries and even produce cement.

(snip)

Many large contracting companies concede that employees have left Iraq recently or have declined assignments because of safety concerns. The lack of security is complicating efforts to hire the thousands of contractors necessary to staff the $18 billion worth of new reconstruction projects recently approved by the U.S. government.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44028-2003Dec7.html

[jenk]

1. but, but, security is improving! we're "on the look" iron hammer! rah rah

!

[candy331]

2. Seems that

this has become a "miserable failure"

[cliss]

3. I think this is an example of "reality"

that BushCo is so disconnected from. They thought all they had to do was go out and hustle and "round up" all the coalition troops that they needed. What a surprise! Hesitation. Hedging. Sorry, we can't spare any troops.

Same problem with the contractors. Who wants to go to Iraq and build a bridge? So what if the pay is $200,000 per year (I've read that's what they pay Bucktel employees for hazard pay) if you can't collect it?

This is definitely going to kabosh the recent plans they so nobly announced - about being done by June 2004. I'd say they've been postponed a bit...

[Don_G]

4. If I Were Making 200K And "Uncomfortable"

It wouldn't take me long to buy a generator and an air-conditioner or a solar panel to power my TV and radio.

They're leaving because they are being lied to in order to support some asshat's lifestyle back in the US and putting their lives on the line to do so.

All I can say is to put an M-16 in the hands of the Media Whores and put their faces on the front line. Faux Noise won't do it but the BBC does every day.

[wellst0nev0ter]

5. Iraqi Militants: "Mission Accomplished"

eom