the idea that the red cross has two vehicles or three vehicles sitting there three weeks for some paperwork issue is mind boggling and infuriating and ridiculous. the government of haiti knows the work that the red cross and red crescent society do. they know the work that doctors without borders do. er is they are saving lives every day and helping people.th and helping people. the idea that the government you asked the key questions saying look, it looks as if, in the best case scenario the government is trying to rake in some money. this is one of the few places they can actually get their hands on some money. and that s clearly what is happening here. i talked to former president clinton about it. he says that s what s happening, he s trying to get the government to change their policy. let s see if there s any movement in the next couple of days. but there s no reason major aid organizes should have equipment sitting for weeks and be charged storage fees and a 20% tax. we were
going to respond to those charges. they don t make any sense. the government does not own rental shops. reporter: the customs director also says he doesn t make the laws, he enforces them. and when i tell him many of the charities, the so-called ngos don t want us to use their names, he s not impressed. translator: if the ngos don t want their names used they ve got something to hide. we not blocking anything. they re blocking themselves. reporter: and the director stresses haiti has to look out for illegal businesses, posing as charities. translator: you can t just arrive with a container and be waved through. imagine if we just said, go through with your drugs and your arms. a good point, but hard to square that with ambulances and earth movers and humanitarian aid that s been here for weeks. a red cross red crescent worker arrived and said he s hopeful they might soon be allowed to
reporter: many charity groups are afraid to speak out publicly, worried they ll get the government angry, fearing if they speak up, it will make it even harder to get their humanitarian supplies. ed joseph is a representative for relief organizations in haiti, and he says many of the groups have waited weeks for vehicles that are blocked, medical supplies. other humanitarian material. crutches, for example. mattresses and bedding. doctors without borders said it spent $126,000 on rental cars because the organization couldn t get its cars out of customs. you have for yourself an example from a highly reputable ngo that does excellent work around the world. and i m sure that they are not at all alone. to some fair-minded people, it could sound like maybe the haitian government wants to make some extra money by holding this stuff and by forcing these ngos to rent equipment from local dealers here in haiti. can you understand how people can think that? translator: i m not eve
last two nights we ve been telling you about the customs problem ngos and charities are going through in haiti. emergency equipment and building supplies for haitian people are arriving in haiti but then get stuck in limbo waiting to clear customs. not only is the aid not reaching those who desperately need nit a quick matter, but ngos says they re sometimes being charged thousands of dollars in storage fees or taxes. today, gary tuckman tracked down haiti s director of customs to ask about the sdelays. here s gary s report. reporter: this is the main harbor in port-au-prince are life-saving supplies are shipped from all over the world. but there s something troubling happening here. many relief agencies say cargo is purposefully stopped and delayed here and there are whispers about possible motives. but haiti s director of customs has an explanation for when that happens. cargo is sometimes blocked and held, he says, because charities don t always do proper
cover story in more ways than one. life-saving supplies piling up at haiti s ports. in a country with so many needs, what could be the hold-up? we re going to track down the haiti director of customs for answer. and beloved pets now homeless. dogs and cats. out of work owners simply cannot afford to keep them anymore. shelters are seeing a surge of these animals. hey, smart, we could stay here foence. i m a member of this hotel s loyalty program. well, how far away is it? okay, we take a train 40 miles to a dude ranch where we pick up a couple of horses that we ride to a nearby river. then we canoe upstream to a helicopter that takes us to the conference. or we could book with hotels.com and stay closer. see, with welcomerewards, no matter where you accumulate 10 nights, you get a free one.