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    Home»News»Lebanon News
    President Aoun Under Fire Over Sri Lankan Tea Donation
    Reuters | Amelia and JP
    2 Mins Read

    President Aoun Under Fire Over Sri Lankan Tea Donation

    By Hussein YassineSeptember 9, 2020Updated:February 15, 2021
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    A Sri Lankan gift to Lebanon consisting of over a tonne of tea has sparked a lot of anger and controversy among the Lebanese.

    Like many other countries, Sri Lanka was swift to support Lebanon after the devastating Beirut Port explosion by donating 1,675 kg of Ceylon tea to the Lebanese presidency.

    Sri Lanka Donates Ceylon Tea as a Gesture of Solidarity with Lebanon.
    Ambassador Shani Calyaneratne Karunaratne officially handed over a consignment of Ceylon tea to the President of the Republic of Lebanon on 24 Aug. 2020.
    @SLTeaBoard @MFA_SriLanka @AkbarLtd @Anverally_sons pic.twitter.com/r04sfIBxeU

    — SRI LANKA in Lebanon (@slinlebanon) August 24, 2020

    The outrage came on Tuesday – after the tea had been delivered to Lebanon – when the presidency issued a statement explaining how the donation was being distributed after many people began to raise the critical question.

    The statement said that President Michel Aoun had thanked his Sri Lankan counterpart Gotabaya Rajapaksa for “a gift of Ceylon tea that had been received by the army … and distributed to the families of soldiers in the presidential guard.”

    This is a great example of why the #Lebanese people keep telling the international community to not send any aid to #Lebanon's government due to corruption. #لبنان #حرامي_الشاي https://t.co/ihMX4Nxt7z

    — Nicholas Frakes | نيكولاس فريكس (@nicfrakesjourno) September 9, 2020

    The revelation that the tea had been distributed among the presidential guard generated heavy criticism of the President from displeased people on social media, including former MP Paula Yacoubian.

    As a result, the hashtag #Tea_thief became the top trending phrase on Twitter in Lebanon, followed by #Ceylon_tea, under both of which hundreds of tweets blasting President Aoun were posted.

    what do our politicians need to drink???

    Honest-Tea

    🤣🤣🤣🤣#حرامي_الشاي

    — @Sahyouni73 (@Sahyouni732) September 9, 2020

    Many described the act as a display of corruption, arguing that the donation should have gone to the people affected by the August 4 explosion.

    “Thank you for your donation of Ceylon tea, but I think you should seek legal actions against the Lebanese government,” one Twitter user wrote, tagging the official Twitter account of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Lebanon.

    https://twitter.com/nawfal_hadir/status/1303392867977703424

    “We did not receive the tea. It was distributed to the members of the presidential guard, not the people affected,” the user added.

    Many others posted similar messages, with some blaming Sri Lanka for not delivering their aid directly to the people through NGOs and trusted organizations operating on the ground in Beirut.

    https://twitter.com/hawly1998/status/1303633071577747456

    “The tea was sent to the Lebanese, particularly those affected by your explosion, and, of course, it wasn’t a present for those who don’t need it,” Paula Yacoubian tweeted sarcastically. “Distributing the aid to your entourage is shameful,” she added.

    الشاي ارسل الى اللبنانيين بخاصة المتضررين من انفجاركم وطبعا لم يكن هدية لمن لا يحتاجها
    توزيع المساعدات على حاشيتك معيب #لبنان ينحدر مع عهدكم كما لم يفعل حتى في زمن الاقتتال في عهدكم السابق https://t.co/XlweMGdYJu

    — بولا يعقوبيان (@PaulaYacoubian) September 8, 2020
    Beirut Explosion Michel Aoun
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