A JERSEYMAN who survived the tsunami has spoken out about the ‘corruption and bureaucracy’ hampering the relief effort in Asia.

Aaron Le Boutillier, who was on the Island of Phi Phi when the tsunami struck Thailand last year, said that he would have serious reservations about donating to charity again after seeing at first hand how money failed to get through to those who needed it.

One year on, he says, people are still living in the makeshift shacks they built in the days immediately following the tsunami which swept their homes away, while contractors and governmental organisations are ‘making millions’ out of the disaster.

Aaron, who lost his Austrian friend Heinz Oswald to the tsunami, remained in Thailand until April this year to help with the relief effort.

Since returning to Singapore, where his business is based, he has returned to Phi Phi twice a month to help out his late friend’s family.

He was angered that Mr Oswald’s Thai wife and son had to rebuild their dive equipment shop from scratch with money received from their friends and family because they received no money from the charities or governmental organisations operating in Thailand.

‘I don’t think I’ll ever again give cash to charity, in the “”pass the bucket round”" sense, after what I have seen in Thailand,’ said Mr Le Boutillier.

‘Corruption and bureaucracy exist even at the highest governmental level.

A year on, the money is still not getting to those who need it.

It’s the biggest fraud case of the century.’