Sunday, September 24, 2006

Setting the record straight (for-ua) Open letter to Yuri Pavlenko, Ministry of Youth, Family, and Sports Affairs, Kyiv Ukraine

What do you make of Hallman's letter to the Minister?

It is extrodinary to say the lest. Mr Hallman claims to have "infulence" over the American government foriegn aid funding allocation. We can not find one piece of evidence that supports his claims and his so call business activities on the internet except what he and his associates have published. Not one.

USAID.gov web site has no mention of him or his company. There is no mention either related to his involvement in Tomsk.

Strange very strange. And this letter claims he has evidence but at the same time he is asking the Minister to appoint him as a investigator.. of sorts. We are not sure if this letter has been sent but if it has... What's your take...

Setting the record straight

Posted by: Terry Hallman US expat
Date: September 24, 2006 10:26PM

Setting the record straight -- 1
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Following is a copy of a ltter sent to to Yuri Pavlenko first published on For-ua.com but has since been removed.:

Honorable Yuri Pavlenko
Ministry of Youth, Family, and Sports Affairs
Kyiv, Ukraine

23 September 2006

Dear Mr. Pavlenko,
I am writing this out of concern for children in Ukraine's state institutional care. Please understand from the beginning, I am a friend. At the same time, some of what I have to say here is troubling and could possibly be perceived as not in the spirit of friendship. It is my interest to arrange to work closely with your ministry and US government, and any other governments that might be interested, to create greatest possible assistance and help for all of these children.

I am a US citizen and director of a non-governmental organization in Ukraine focused on social welfare in Ukraine. US government usually listens very carefully to my ideas and proposals. What I discuss with you here will be duly discussed with US government. It is first necessary to discuss issues with you.

To get directly to the point, Ukraine has a very serious problem with many children in state institutional care, specifically in internats/orphanages that have been described as death camps. This is a very, very serious matter that was not addressed by previous government in Ukraine prior to the revolution. I am concerned that this might escape your notice and care now.

The claim of death camps for children comes from various researchers throughout the former Soviet Union, including specifically very recent researchers and humanitarians in Ukraine. This problem is not unique to Ukraine, but it does exist in Ukraine. I have no doubt about this. In fact, with your permission and authority, I can and will go to internats in question, take photos, and show you.

I request your cooperation in doing so.

Surrounding these internats is some sort of conspiracy of secrecy. Researchers mentioned above were sworn to secrecy prior to being allowed into such internats, or else they would not be allowed in to try and help the children there. They were also told that if they revealed the location(s) publicly, they would not be allowed to returned and no further aid to dying children would be permitted. The conditions they described to me are horrific. Somewhere between your office and individual directors of various internats, there are people who have motivation to block information about the truth and reality of these internats. In other words, there is a cover-up going on, and innocent children are dying as a result.

Innocent children are dying, Mr. Pavlenko. In one internat that I know of fairly well, and I can't say where because of the secrecy imposed on researchers and aid workers who discussed this with me, part of the job of internat workers is to dig graves for dead children.

There is no good reason and no excuse for this in a civilized country. I understand very well the harsh limitations and lack of concern from previous government, but now it is time to help these children – not ignore them and maintain harsh secrecy about their very existence. The problem may now be so bad that it will be very, very expensive to fix it and get these children to safety. That does not mean it can't be done.

I am willing, and almost surely able, to persuade US government to help with funding if funding is needed. I want to help get 100% of children currently in Ukraine's orphanages and internats into small group homes, foster families, and adoptive families within Ukraine. By my estimation, that could easily cost $800 million in the first year, and $325 million per year after year one. I believe US government and perhaps other governments will be willing to help, but only if the problem is clear. That means going to the various internats where children are dying, taking photographs, and showing them. This will get people interested in helping with what is otherwise an invisible problem. It is invisible, but that does not mean it is unknown. Many people already know of this reality, and we are wondering why Ukraine maintains even today so much secrecy about it? It is not a big secret, plenty of people know, so it's more like Ukraine is trying to keep secret what thousands of people already know about. Moreover, if this secrecy is maintained, there is no reason to believe that aid will get to these children, even if hundreds of millions of dollars become available. Further, secrecy in and of itself is extremely suspicious, and would seem to suggest possible corruption and therefore diversion of any funding intended only to help the children.

I am sure I can create a joint Ukraine/US project to help all of these children, not only the children in worst internats, but all children in all orphanages and internats. To do this, I simply need your help and cooperation so that I can get past the secrecy, get photos, and immediately get emergency assistance to the most desperate conditions. I think it will be quite difficult to get such assistance, especially involving large amounts of money and resources, without clear evidence to show the situation and get past the secrecy.

This secrecy is deeply disturbing, and is costing children their lives for no other reason than secrecy itself. Surely you understand that this cannot continue in a civilized country. Again, these internats are not secret, but certain people somewhere along the line continue to try and perpetuate a secret that is no longer secret. The larger questions are these: who is doing this, and why are they doing it?

In any case, this issue will not go away, and if anything can only get worse for Ukraine's reputation at a time when Ukraine certainly does not need and cannot afford such glaring examples of human abuse of her own citizens – children, Mr. Pavlenko. Little children. To say that this is an outrage does not even begin to describe it. There are no words for this, none at all. It is another Holodomor, in this century, this time especially for children. It cannot continue, cannot be allowed under any conceivable norms of human conscience and decency.

I thank my friends in Ukrainian media for translating this letter and getting it to you, and I thank them for their deep concern in this matter. I hope to hear from you soon, and will meet with you at your convenience.

Sincerely,
Terry Hallman (P-CED)
Kharkiv


Note: Mr Terry Hallman has not provided any evidence backing up his allegations that Ukrainain Orhanages are Death Camps for Children and that they are deliberatly enged in the murder and execution of children has not been published.
We understand that the editors of for-ua.com have forwarded the above letter to the Minsiter who was interviewed by For-ua on October 6, 2006



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