PERU: Something Fishy About Imported Military Rations
- added June 19, 2008
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- celestialceiling
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LIMA, Jun 18 (IPS) - Army troops from Peru and the United States are fighting very different enemies in extremely different geographical areas. But now they are eating the same rations, purchased from the U.S.-based International Meal Supply company.
The purchase of imported rations for Peruvian troops in violation of a national law stipulating that local suppliers and products must be given priority in public tenders has triggered suspicions of corruption, since the imported Meals Ready to Eat or MREs are more costly than locally available rations.
The 5,000 troops deployed in the Apurimac and Ene river valleys, a southeastern jungle area known by the acronym VRAE, where large quantities of coca and cocaine are produced and where a remnant faction of the Maoist Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) guerrillas remains active, are fed the same rations eaten by U.S. troops in Iraq.
The decision to import the MREs was reached by Peruvian army commander General Edwin Donayre, because his men "should eat the best rations available in the world," IPS was told by a source in his office.
But the MREs prepared by International Meal Supply, based in the southeastern U.S. state of Florida, are much more expensive than those available on the local market.
Each imported ration will cost 3.27 dollars more than a locally prepared meal. The first purchase was for 50,000 rations, for which the state shelled out an extra 163,500 dollars.
When a second purchase of 50,000 rations was announced, which would bring the total additional expense to 327,000 dollars, the Defence Ministry asked for details on the operation and launched an inquiry, said ministry sources.
By contrast, the Peruvian navy, which has sent two special operations forces platoons to the VRAE to combat Sendero Luminoso, held a public tender, as required by law, and bought Peruvian field rations based on popular, widely consumed products at local market price.
But a navy source told IPS that they were "completely satisfied" with the rations purchased from a local company, and said "we have even had to turn over part of our rations to the army, because the ones they bought abroad hadn’t arrived yet."
The army source said SINTE did not request special kinds of meals for Peru, but explained that "we chose from their menus -- that is, the same thing eaten today by U.S. soldiers in Iraq."
Read the full article
By Ángel Páez
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42870
The purchase of imported rations for Peruvian troops in violation of a national law stipulating that local suppliers and products must be given priority in public tenders has triggered suspicions of corruption, since the imported Meals Ready to Eat or MREs are more costly than locally available rations.
The 5,000 troops deployed in the Apurimac and Ene river valleys, a southeastern jungle area known by the acronym VRAE, where large quantities of coca and cocaine are produced and where a remnant faction of the Maoist Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) guerrillas remains active, are fed the same rations eaten by U.S. troops in Iraq.
The decision to import the MREs was reached by Peruvian army commander General Edwin Donayre, because his men "should eat the best rations available in the world," IPS was told by a source in his office.
But the MREs prepared by International Meal Supply, based in the southeastern U.S. state of Florida, are much more expensive than those available on the local market.
Each imported ration will cost 3.27 dollars more than a locally prepared meal. The first purchase was for 50,000 rations, for which the state shelled out an extra 163,500 dollars.
When a second purchase of 50,000 rations was announced, which would bring the total additional expense to 327,000 dollars, the Defence Ministry asked for details on the operation and launched an inquiry, said ministry sources.
By contrast, the Peruvian navy, which has sent two special operations forces platoons to the VRAE to combat Sendero Luminoso, held a public tender, as required by law, and bought Peruvian field rations based on popular, widely consumed products at local market price.
But a navy source told IPS that they were "completely satisfied" with the rations purchased from a local company, and said "we have even had to turn over part of our rations to the army, because the ones they bought abroad hadn’t arrived yet."
The army source said SINTE did not request special kinds of meals for Peru, but explained that "we chose from their menus -- that is, the same thing eaten today by U.S. soldiers in Iraq."
Read the full article
By Ángel Páez
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42870
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- celestialceiling
- 3 months ago
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lol i'm eating a pretty good oorah bar from an mre right now
it does seem strange that they're importing them, they're nothing special. they should buy from their own country.-
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- donkeyfly69
- 3 months ago
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