Taufik Batisah - Asia Tsunami Blog

Foreign aid workers to have military escorts

2005-01-15T20:10:00.000+08:00

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia Jan 13, 2005 — Indonesia on Thursday ordered foreign aid workers in tsunami-devastated Aceh province to have military escorts in areas facing violence by insurgents, even as the vice president welcomed a cease-fire offer by the rebels. The total death toll from the disaster rose to more than 157,000.

Relief groups have not reported any security problems in Aceh, where rebels have fought a low-level separatist war against government troops for three decades, and some worried that the new restrictions could harm their reputation for independence.

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Don't forget terror threat amid tsunami relief effort

2005-01-15T20:09:00.001+08:00

EVEN as the region picks up the pieces after the tsunami disaster, countries cannot afford to divert their attention from an invisible fault-line in the world today: Transnational terrorism.

"It would be a disaster if countries relaxed their guard to this immediate security threat," said Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Security and Defence Tony Tan, on the sidelines of the inaugural National Security Conference yesterday.

In his opening address to some 50 security experts, gathered to examine the level of Singapore's homeland security, Dr Tan said that over the next one or two weeks, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) would be pulling out of Aceh, Indonesia, as most of the relief and rescue missions there had been completed.

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Indonesia Should Let Tsunami Aid Forces Fulfill Tasks, UN Says

2005-01-15T20:09:00.000+08:00

Jan. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Indonesia's government should let overseas military forces helping in the aid effort for survivors of last month's earthquake and tsunami stay as long as necessary, the United Nation's top emergency official said.

Armed forces from the U.S., Australia and other countries are helping ferry supplies to survivors in Aceh province in north Sumatra. Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla yesterday gave them till March 26 to leave Aceh province, where the country's army has been fighting a separatist rebellion for three decades.

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Indonesia woos Singaporean investors to help in infrastructure development

2005-01-15T20:07:00.001+08:00

Hello and welcome to Connections. I'm Yvonne Gomez.

AB: The total amount of money we need in ten years’ time is 150 billion dollars, in which 75 billion dollars should be in infrastructure projects in the next five years. And out of the 75 billion dollars, 20% will be financed by the government, and another 20% by the Indonesian private sector. But the bulk of the 60% should be made by foreign investors.

Speaking ahead of the Indonesia Infrastructure Summit 2005 to be held in Jakarta next week, Mr Bakrie said that the development of infrastructure in Indonesia has been slow compared to China and India.

To facilitate this development, the Indonesian government has identified several obstacles to trade.....

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Last SCDF rescue workers in tsunami-hit Khao Lak to return home Fri

2005-01-15T20:07:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: The last 12 members of the Singapore Civil Defence Force who were helping in search and rescue operations in Khao Lak, Thailand will arrive home on Friday evening.

They are from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) who stayed behind after the rest of the 68-strong contingent had left, to help in possible search operations

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MediaCorp artistes render first aid to Sri Lankan tsunami victims

2005-01-15T20:05:00.000+08:00

SRI LANKA : Seven MediaCorp artistes, who arrived in Sri Lanka on a humanitarian mission for tsunami victims, immediately put into practice the first-aid lessons they had learnt.

On Thursday, the artistes - Celest Chong, Ix Shen, Xie Shao Guang, Bryan Wong, Vincent Ng, Rayson Tan and Eelyn Kok - rendered basic first aid when they arrived at a temple in Matara.

Two medical tents were set up. Besides giving medical help, the artistes also handed out gifts to cheer up the children there.

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Tsunami-hit Asia appeals for tourists

2005-01-15T20:04:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE (AP) -- Tsunami-wracked Asia has a new appeal to would-be helpers: Take a vacation.

"If you have not planned a visit, please consider booking a trip. If you wish to make a difference, visit," the president of the Bangkok-based Pacific Asia Travel Association, Peter de Jong, said in a recent appeal to travelers.

Images of the killer waves crashing into Asian beach resorts have badly spooked the tourists those areas rely so heavily upon for income. The tsunami that took more than 150,000 lives devastated Indonesia's Sumatra island, but also wrought havoc on tourism-dependent coastal communities in Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

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Fewer tsunami orphans than feared

2005-01-15T20:03:00.000+08:00

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. Children's Fund says there were probably fewer orphans than originally thought in Asia's tsunami-hit areas, and efforts should be directed towards uniting children with family members.

Carol Bellamy, executive director of UNICEF, spoke on Friday just hours after the U.N. agency spoke of reports that Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers were recruiting children displaced by the tsunami and said it had told the rebels to leave under-age survivors alone.

Indonesia found almost 4,000 more bodies, taking the global death toll from the disaster to more than 162,000 with searches completed in areas most damaged by the December 26 tsunami.

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Time for tsunami relief efforts in Aceh to move to next phase: Minister Teo

2005-01-15T20:01:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean has said it's time for relief efforts in Aceh to move from emergency relief phase to the reconstruction phase.

Speaking at an event to send off Red Cross volunteers on board the RSS Endurance to tsunami-hit Meulaboh, he noted that the Singapore Armed Forces has been in the area since the very beginning and being involved in a variety of things.

Minister Teo noted that the most important thing was that Singapore was able to get in there when nobody else was able to get in immediately after the disaster.

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Indonesia Sets Deadline for Forces on Tsunami Duty (Update3)

2005-01-14T09:02:00.000+08:00

Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla has given international troops until March 26 to leave Aceh province, where they are helping provide relief after last month's earthquake and tsunami, a military spokesman said.

Australia and the U.S. are among the nations helping to ferry supplies to survivors in the province in northern Sumatra. Kalla said overseas forces should hand over the operation to Indonesia three months after the Dec. 26 disaster, the spokesman, Ahmad Yani Basuki, said in a telephone interview today in Jakarta.

Aceh province was nearest the epicenter of the magnitude-9 earthquake that caused the tsunami to strike coastlines in South Asia and East Africa. More than 170,000 people were killed or are missing. Indonesia has the highest toll, with 106,523 deaths recorded by the Social Ministry.

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Indonesia cracks down on tsunami relief effort

2005-01-14T09:00:00.000+08:00

Banda Aceh — Relief organizations said a new demand made by Indonesia on Thursday that foreign aid workers have army escorts in tsunami-stricken Aceh province will hamper aid delivery and blur the lines between the military and humanitarian efforts.

Rich creditor nations, meanwhile, offered a moratorium on payments on billions of dollars owed by tsunami-hit nations. Only Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Seychelles said they planned to accept the Paris Club's proposal, while Thailand expressed concern that doing so would hurt its credit rating.

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Malaria threat emerges as rains deluge tsunami stricken region in Indonesia

2005-01-14T08:59:00.000+08:00

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) -- Health officials plan to go door to door and tent to tent with mosquito-killing spray guns beginning Friday to head off a looming threat that one expert says could kill 100,000 more people around the tsunami disaster zone: malaria.

The devastation and heavy rains are creating conditions for the largest area of mosquito breeding sites Indonesia has ever seen, said the head of the aid group anchoring the anti-malaria campaign on Sumatra island. The pools of salt water created by the Dec. 26 tsunami have been diluted by seasonal rains into a brackish water that mosquitos love.

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Clark shocked by tsunami devastation in Sri Lanka

2005-01-14T08:58:00.000+08:00

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said she was shocked at the devastation the tsunami had caused in Sri Lanka.

Clark in a letter to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga states:

"It is with great sadness that I have learned of the loss of life that your people along Sri Lanka's southern coasts have suffered as a result of the earthquake and tsunami that originated off Sumatra.

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U.S. corporate tsunami aid tops $500M

2005-01-14T08:56:00.000+08:00

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- U.S. companies have given more than half a billion dollars to help Asia recover from the tsunami that struck in late December, according to a survey released Thursday.

The Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy, which represents more than 100 executives of large U.S. firms, including Citigroup and Merck, said a poll of its members showed more than $500 million in cash, in-kind and employee matching gifts have been donated so far.

That figure could rise further in the coming months because companies may increase donations as they get more information on what specific help is needed and where it should be directed, the CECP added in a statement.

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India: tsunami warnings could have been made

2005-01-10T20:45:00.000+08:00

Thousands died or were left homeless when the December 26 tsunami struck India’s eastern coast and engulfed the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. The response of the Indian political establishment has revealed its indifference and contempt toward the poverty-stricken villagers and fishermen who were the main victims.

The United Progressive Alliance government (UPA) in New Delhi, along with the state governments in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry and Kerala, have insisted that they were unaware of the tsunami and could do nothing to save lives. All of them have defended the lack of a tsunami warning system by insisting that, unlike the Pacific, the Indian Ocean has not experienced frequent tsunamis.

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TSUNAMI AFTERMATH: U.S. helicopter crashes at an under-pressure airport

2005-01-10T20:43:00.000+08:00

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- A U.S. Seahawk helicopter on a relief operation crashed in a rice paddy near Banda Aceh's airport, injuring all 10 aboard and causing the military to briefly suspend flights today. Strong aftershocks and security concerns provided more challenges for aid workers two weeks after the disaster hit.

Capt. Kendall L. Card, the commander of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which is stationed off the coast of Sumatra island, said over the ship's loudspeakers that six of the servicemen aboard the aircraft had been hurt seriously and four had minor injuries. The worst injury was a dislocated pelvis, he said.

Lt. Cmdr. John M. Daniels blamed the crash on a "possible mechanical failure" and said it was being investigated. Fifteen Seahawk helicopters from the Lincoln group have been flying up to nine hours a day on aid missions. Normally they fly a maximum of three to four hours a day.

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Counselling available for foreign workers affected by tsunamis

2005-01-10T20:37:00.000+08:00

The Ministry of Manpower is stepping up relief efforts for foreign workers affected by the tsunami disaster.

It is partnering with the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) to provide counselling to affected foreign workers.

Even as aid and compassion pours in for victims of the tsunami disaster, there has also been concern on how foreign workers in Singapore are coping with news of their loved ones back home.

Several remittance centres have waived charges for workers to send money back to their families.

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U.S. helicopter crashes in Indonesia

2005-01-10T13:21:00.000+08:00

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- A U.S. helicopter with 10 people on board crashed in a rice paddy as it was trying to land at the Banda Aceh airport Monday while on a tsunami-relief operation, injuring at least two U.S. servicemen, a U.S. military spokesman said.

The injured men, along with eight other Navy personnel, were being flown back to their ship in the Lincoln battle group, said Capt. Joe Plenzler, a U.S. military spokesman in Medan, 250 miles southeast of Banda Aceh.

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Sri Lanka Must Control Aid Flow to Halt Currency Rise, IMF Says

2005-01-10T13:20:00.000+08:00

Jan. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka must slow the flow of overseas aid into the country to prevent its currency from further rising against the dollar and the yen, said Raghuram Rajan, chief economist at the International Monetary Fund.

Sri Lanka's rupee was the world's best performing currency last week against the dollar and yen, as a freeze on overseas debt repayments by Japan and the U.K. after a Dec. 26 tsunami that killed more than 30,000 people on the island, meant the government won't have to buy foreign currencies.

Aid from the U.S., Japan, Germany as well as private donations from international humanitarian groups and businesses running into hundreds of millions of dollars may further increase demand for the Sri Lankan rupee, strengthening the currency and hurting exports that make up a third of the country's $18 billion economy. Sri Lanka needs about $1.5 billion for reconstruction, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar said Jan. 6.

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International SOS plays major role in assisting tsunami victims and survivors

2005-01-10T09:41:00.000+08:00

Since the tsunamis struck Asia on December 26, International SOS, the world's largest medical and security assistance company, has been actively providing support to clients in the region. Crisis management teams at SOS regional Alarm Centres in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India have handled more than 1,000 client requests for assistance to date.

The SOS Tsunami Support Team of more than 70 SOS staff, including 30 medical professionals, continues to work around the clock to render medical advice and assistance to affected clients, ranging from locating missing persons to handling evacuations and hospitalizations. The focus now, however, has shifted from rescue to relief and disease management, with health conditions on the ground worsening.

According to Dr Scott Wilkinson, Regional Medical Director for International SOS in Australasia, "There are serious concerns about emerging health problems, such as malaria and dysentery, that result from lack of clean water and sewage seeping into drinking water sources. Also, destruction of infrastructure and particularly roads makes relief efforts more challenging, with many remote areas literally cut off by all means except helicopter."

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Aid yet to reach some tsunami victims

2005-01-10T09:39:00.000+08:00

Aid groups have conceded some survivors may not have received help despite an unprecedented emergency operation two weeks after tsunamis killed more than 156,000.

They fear more isolated villages along the west coast of Indonesia's Aceh province where most of the country's 104,055 deaths occurred could still be fending for themselves.

In Aceh, where aftershocks from the undersea earthquake on 26 December that spawned the huge waves continued to be felt on Sunday, many communities remain inaccessible by land and are dependent on food aid dropped by helicopter.

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Paris Club set for debt moratorium over tsunami

2005-01-10T09:35:00.000+08:00

PARIS (Reuters) - The Paris Club of government creditors is ready to agree to a debt moratorium for nations hit by the Asian tsunami at a meeting in Paris on Wednesday, French Finance Minister Herve Gaymard says.
"We (France) will propose a moratorium on the debt. The Paris Club countries accept this. We have consulted them," Gaymard told Europe 1 radio in an interview on Sunday.

Finance ministers of the Group of Seven industrialised countries said on Friday they had agreed to freeze the debt repayments of nations hit by the tsunami and would work with the Paris Club and other creditors on arranging how.

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Annan hopes tsunami relief will boost peace in Lanka

2005-01-10T09:34:00.000+08:00

The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan hopes that the inter-ethnic cooperation which he saw in tsunami-hit Sri Lanka, will accelerate the peace process in the war-torn island.

Addressing the media in Colombo on Sunday, Annan said that the cooperation between the Tamils, Sinhalas and Muslims, which he saw in Hambantota and Trincomalee, was "extraordinary."

In Hambantota, in the predominantly Sinhala South, he saw a mosque housing people of all religions. In the Tamil area of Trincomalee, he found Tamil and Muslim children playing together in a relief camp housed in a school.

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Tsunami no match for Sars

2005-01-10T09:33:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong - Two of nature's most powerful forces - a monster earthquake and a massive tsunami - teamed up in southern Asia to cause death, human misery and destruction on a scale rarely seen before.

But when the total economic damage is tallied up, many analysts and economists say that harm done to the region's economies won't come close to the financial havoc caused by the mysterious little virus that triggered the global Sars outbreak in 2003.

"Barring severe aftershocks, the hits to the region's tourism industry and GDP growth are unlikely to be anywhere close to the damage caused by the Sars outbreak in the first quarter of 2003," said Rajeev Malik of JP Morgan Chase Bank in Singapore.

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Michael Richardson: US and Australia hope aid will find favour with Muslims

2005-01-10T08:58:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE - Like huge numbers of their citizens, the leaders of the United States and Australia who attended the special summit in Jakarta last week on the tsunami disaster were moved by the scale of the tragedy.

Visiting Indonesia's Aceh province shortly before the summit, US Secretary of State Colin Powell, a former armed forces chief and veteran of several wars, said he had never seen anything like the horror caused by the earthquake and seismic waves that devastated the coastline of northern Sumatra, killing more than 100,000 people.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said no natural disaster in his lifetime had touched Australians as much as the tsunami tragedy.

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Tsunami relief runs into snags

2005-01-10T01:15:00.000+08:00

UTAPAO, Thailand — International relief workers, the U.S. military included, face a delicate task in coming weeks of ensuring their aid efforts do not spawn new violence in portions of the tsunami area already rife with political and religious unrest for years before the disaster.

While concerns are highest in Sri Lanka and in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, where unrelated separatist movements have raged in recent decades, military officials say any place large refugee camps are set up can become problematic.

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Tsunami disaster shows Singapore is a small nation with a big heart: PM Lee

2005-01-10T01:14:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the tsunami disaster had drawn Singaporeans closer and shown that Singapore is a small nation with a big heart.

It was a sentiment echoed by governments of the worst-hit nations of the disaster at a memorial service in Singapore on Sunday for victims of the disaster.

Diplomats from Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and Sweden thanked the people and government of Singapore for the humanitarian efforts put in to help the tsunami victims.

Those who lost loved ones to the tsunami found some comfort at the memorial service.

Leaders of nine different religions led prayers in a simple and dignified occasion as all had their heads bowed in respect.

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Thousands in Singapore continue to donate to tsunami victims

2005-01-10T01:13:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : Thousands of Singaporeans across the island continue to donate generously to tsunami victims.

The response from them has been so overwhelming that the satellite collection centres for humanitarian organisation Mercy Relief may be closed on Sunday.

But it still welcomes donations at its main centre at Lowland Road.

Although Mercy Relief's satellite collection centres may soon be closing, hundreds of Singaporeans are driving truckloads of donations to the main collection centre at Lowland Road which stays open in the next few months.

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Thai authorities cast doubts on nationalities of tsunami victims

2005-01-10T01:12:00.000+08:00

PHUKET : Thai officials have cast doubts on the nationalities of nearly 2,000 tsunami victims.

This comes after further examinations called into question initial visual checks.

The total death toll is more than 5,300 - with Khao Lak being the worst hit.

The situation in Khao Lak is such that the provincial government has already started moving in a lot of heavy machinery and it is clearing debris from the Khao Lak area.

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Thousands turn up at memorial service for tsunami victims

2005-01-10T01:11:00.000+08:00

People from all walks of life, and different nationalities, joined Singaporeans to remember the tsunami victims at a memorial service on Sunday.

Thousands turned up for the service, held at Singapore Expo.

Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Mayor, North East Community Development Council, said, "It's a day that is filled with sadness for Singapore and all of Asia. It's a day where we try to remember all those who perished in the disaster that many of us ha(d) never anticipated."

Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman said, "This is a reflection of national support. I'm very happy to see the tremendous support being shown. It shows Singapore is with those who have suffered from the tsunami, especially our neighbours."

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SCDF to sound alert through Public Warning System to mark minute of silence

2005-01-09T15:22:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : A minute of silence will be observed throughout Singapore on the Sunday January 9 at about 6 pm, at the end of the Tsunami Disaster Memorial Service.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force will sound an alert through its Public Warning System to mark the start of the observance.

Members of the public are encouraged to join in the observance.

Another alert will be sounded to signal the end of the one-minute silence.

MediaCorp's TV and Radio platforms will carry 'live' broadcasts of Sunday's memorial service for the victims of Asia's tsunami tragedy.

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Impressions of Singapore's response to the tsunami relief efforts

2005-01-09T15:02:00.000+08:00

Singapore, along with several other countries, has been significantly involved in helping tsunami victims in the region, particularly in Indonesia’s West Sumatra and Aceh provinces.

The manner in which Singapore has mobilized aid to the affected areas has impressed several of its citizens and one of them is Singaporean author Catherine Lim.

Ms Lim recently wrote a newspaper article about her reaction to Singapore’s relief efforts and shares with Yvonne Gomez her views on why she has been so impressed.

CL: Well, I’d been following very closely from Day One, and I suspect that my being impressed has a special flavour to it. We have always associated the government with efficiency, competence, meticulous attention and planning and so on. On its own, I suppose it is not totally admirable, but combined with these human qualities that I saw emerging, I found that it was the perfect blend. I’d never seen this perfect, sensitive blend of sheer competence and these soft human qualities that we all appreciate.

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ICRC needs another RM152m

2005-01-09T15:01:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is appealing for an additional US$40mil (RM152mil) to provide humanitarian aid to tsunami survivors in Indonesia and Sri Lanka in the next six months.

“The appeal is for US$23mil (RM87.4mil) for 300,000 people in Aceh, and for US$17mil (RM64.6mil) for about 200,000 people in Sri Lanka,” said ICRC communications officer here Azrul Mohd Khalib.

“We hope to provide some 60,000 families (300,000 people) in Aceh with essential household kits and shelter materials, comprising a tarpaulin, blankets, sheets, sleeping mats, lantern, towel, jerry can, soap and kitchen sets.

“We will also be setting up structures to distribute safe drinking water to about 60,000 families, and the Norwegian Red Cross will set up a field hospital in Banda Aceh.

“In Sri Lanka, we hope to provide 30,000 families (200,000 people) with these essential household kits. We will continue to send mobile or fixed health teams to the north and east, and provide hospitals there with medical supplies.”

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Asian tourism industry weathers tsunami disaster

2005-01-09T15:00:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : Thailand and Sri Lanka have been scarred but tourism in Asia remains largely unhurt by the tsunami disaster despite the massive devastation of coastal areas, industry experts and operators said.

Booking cancellations have had the most impact on coastal areas of southwest Thailand whose idyllic beaches were ravaged by quake-generated waves that left over 5,000 people dead, half of them western holidaymakers.

Since 2001, the region's travel sector has weathered the fallout from international extremist violence, the deadly SARS virus and the bird flu health scare, and it is again confident of overcoming last month's calamity.

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VIP visits slowing tsunami aid deliveries

2005-01-09T14:57:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Relief workers say a flood of foreign dignitaries is clogging the airport in Indonesia's Aceh province and slowing the distribution of aid to tsunami victims.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell were among those who stopped in Banda Aceh this week.

Their heavy security temporarily shut down the city's only airport and prevented incoming aid planes from landing.

Officials say these VIP visits help secure foreign aid for the region.

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Tsunami toll surpasses 150,000 confirmed dead

2005-01-09T14:55:00.000+08:00

The death toll from the tsunami has surpassed 150,000, two weeks after killer waves engulfed coastlines around the Indian Ocean and left hundreds of thousands homeless and hungry.

The toll of those missing also rose by nearly 5,000 in Sri Lanka and 10,000 in Indonesia.

"First the people tried to find them among the dead, then went around the hospitals. Now they are coming to us," said K.G. Wijesiri at Sri Lanka's National Disaster Management Center.

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Are we ready for a tsunami?

2005-01-09T14:54:00.000+08:00

(Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the January 9, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

A TSUNAMI (pronounced soo-NAH-mee) is rare but destructive. The tsunami spawned by a magnitude 9 earthquake in the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26 killed more than 150,000 people in 12 countries in South and Southeast Asia and on the east coast of Africa.

World leaders, who gathered in Jakarta on Jan. 6 to figure out the best way to speed up aid to victims, agreed that a tsunami warning system like the one in place in the Pacific should be established in the Indian Ocean as quickly as possible. "It is proven that 10 minutes advance warning can save hundreds of lives." Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said.

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Don’t uproot tsunami generation, they’ve lost everything

2005-01-09T14:52:00.000+08:00

LONDON, JANUARY 8: People are calling them the Tsunami Generation. It is impossible in the chaos to list those who have been orphaned, those who have been separated from their loved ones. But the current estimate is that 30,000 children lost both parents to the killer waves.

People around the world have offered their homes, but a debate has broken out over the merits of international adoption.

‘‘It’s important for a child to be in their country of origin — however great the devastation — to be with their culture, their language, and their family,” says Lucy Handford, a spokesman for the British Association for Adoption

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Tsunami-hit tribe celebrates baby

2005-01-09T14:51:00.000+08:00

INDIAN officials celebrated a rare piece of good news in the tsunami-hit Andaman and Nicobar islands today - the birth of a baby girl to a teenage mother from a threatened "Stone Age" tribe.

Less than 100 of the hunter-gatherer Onge tribe remain, and concerns for the tribe's welfare have grown in the wake of the December 26 disaster.

"The baby is good news, we want the population to increase," said K C Ghoshal, assistant commissioner in the government's tribal welfare department in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

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Building of relocation camps is top priority: Indonesian government

2005-01-08T22:34:00.000+08:00

With some 500,000 homeless Indonesians in Aceh, the building of relocation camps is now the top priority for relief efforts there.

The Indonesian Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab revealed this to Singapore's Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Ng Yat Chung, who was in Banda Aceh on Saturday.

The Minister also praised Singapore's efforts in Meulaboh and Banda Aceh.

It is a shuddering scene of death and destruction.

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Law Society to offer legal aid to tsunami victims

2005-01-08T22:33:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : Singapore's Law Society says it is ready to extend legal aid for tsunami victims.

The legal aid will extend regionally, in the form of advice to neighbouring countries, where needed, on how to help victims with legal remedies.

And domestically on solving the death certificate issue - something next-of-kin would need in order to claim insurance or seek probate

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Car wash by Singapore Poly students raises $1,500 for tsunami victims

2005-01-08T22:32:00.000+08:00

Some 40 Singapore polytechnic students and their friends traded their books for brushes and buckets to raise more funds for tsunami victims.

At a minimum donation of $10 per car wash, the engineering students scrubbed away at 90 cars to raise over $1,500 to help victims of the disaster.

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Singapore to focus relief efforts in Meulaboh

2005-01-08T22:31:00.000+08:00

A pledge of US$10 million beyond what’s already promised plus focusing relief efforts on the Indonesian province of Meulaboh. That’s what Singapore will commit to, according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Special ASEAN Leaders Meeting on the Aftermath of Earthquake and Tsunami.

The Special Summit, initiated by Mr Lee, was held yesterday in Jarkarta, Indonesia. Valarie Tan with more in this report.

Indonesia is the worst hit country in this tsunami disaster.

The overall death toll in the country has now surpassed a hundred thousand and is expected to rise.

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Police guard tsunami orphans amid kidnap fears

2005-01-08T18:30:00.000+08:00

Indonesian police are guarding refugee camps in tsunami-hit regions to protect orphaned children from being kidnapped by trafficking gangs.

United Nations charity workers have confirmed two attempts to snatch children from the devastated Aceh province.

Indonesia has introduced restrictions on children leaving the country in an attempt to prevent youngsters being sold into forced labour or sexual slavery in rich neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.

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Singapore's new leaders have responded fast to tsunami disaster: SM Goh

2005-01-08T18:28:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: The tsunami disaster is the first major test facing Singapore's new team of leaders and they've responded well and quickly, says SM Goh Chok Tong.

Help was rendered immediately to tsunami-hit neighbours and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had initiated a regional meeting on future steps, noted SM Goh.

Speaking for the first time on the issue, SM Goh also commended Singaporeans on the way they've stepped forward to help.

Mr Goh was speaking at a ceremony to appoint 53 council members of the Southeast Community Development Council.

The event started with a moment of silence to remember the tsunami victims.

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Relief groups gather to share information on tsunami-hit areas

2005-01-08T18:27:00.000+08:00

Bringing the different relief groups together to share resources and cooperate - all in a bid to fight against time and get aid to the tsunami victims.

That is the aim of a tsunami relief sharing session hosted by the National Volunteer & Philantrophy Centre.

About 50 representatives came forward.

A medical team from Ren Ci Hospital and Code 4 made a four-day trip to Aceh.

They found out that while there are many relief groups in tsunami-hit areas, relief may still not be reaching the victims.

They believe sharing information between such groups is a step in the right direction.

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S'pore PM Lee in Jakarta for Special ASEAN Leaders' meet

2005-01-08T18:26:00.000+08:00

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be attending the Special ASEAN Leaders' meet in Jakarta on January 6th to discuss the aftermath of earthquake and tsunami.

He is accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs George Yeo, Minister of Defence Teo Chee Hean, Acting Second Minister for Finance and Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim and senior officials.

The Prime Minister and his delegation are expected to return to Singapore on the same day. - CNA

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Annan Says Indonesia Tsunami Zone Destroyed, Empty of People

2005-01-08T18:24:00.000+08:00

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan toured Indonesia's tsunami-ravaged island of Sumatra and said he has never seen ``such utter destruction, mile after mile,'' as the U.S. military worked with relief groups to care for survivors.

``You wonder, where are the people, what happened to them?'' Annan said in Banda Aceh, one of the worst-hit areas on Indonesia's northern island Sumatra, according to a transcript provided by the UN.

Indonesia will need more than $2 billion to rebuild Aceh, according to the Finance Ministry, and the World Bank today pledged more than $300 million for the province. The Dec. 26 disaster killed an estimated 170,000 people across Asia and left 5 million homeless.

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UNICEF Confirms Tsunami Child Trafficking Case

2005-01-08T18:23:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA (Reuters) - The United Nations Children's Fund confirmed a case in Indonesia of trafficking in children orphaned or separated from parents by the Indian Ocean tsunami as ravaged countries were warned to be on high alert for kidnappers.

Reports of children being taken away surfaced soon after the killer waves swamped 13 nations, killing more than 153,000 people and leaving more than a million people injured and homeless. But the UNICEF report is the first confirmed case.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also said Friday that an Indonesian aid agency had reported seven cases of child-trafficking since the Dec. 26 undersea earthquake that sent giant waves crashing ashore across Asia and East Africa.

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G7 nations to freeze tsunami nations debt repayments

2005-01-08T18:22:00.000+08:00

Finance ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised countries say they have agreed to freeze the debt repayments of nations hit by the Asian tsunami.

The G7 finance ministers agreed to urge the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank and other multilateral institutions to make the strongest possible efforts to assist ravaged nations struggling with a tragedy that has left more than 150,000 people dead.

The relief would be available to countries that wish it.

"We would not expect debt payments from affected countries that request it until the World Bank and IMF have completed a full needs assessment of their reconstruction and financing requirements, recognising that some countries may be unable to make debt payments," the G7 said in a statement.

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Fears Tsunami Dead Could Rise Sharply

2005-01-08T18:20:00.000+08:00

With health officials warning that the death toll of more than 140,000 from last month's tsunami could jump sharply without a continual supply of aid, world leaders struggled Thursday to figure out the best way to help victims and to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.

Donors concluded an emergency one-day summit as relief workers scrambled to move aid to areas of Sumatra, the Indonesian island hit hardest by the earthquake and giant waves that crashed ashore Dec. 26. Volunteers hurled sacks of rice and instant noodles into trucks as U.S. helicopters loaded with other supplies buzzed overhead en route to isolated communities.

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Powell Horrified At Tsunami Scene

2005-01-08T18:19:00.000+08:00

Destruction on Indonesia's tsunami-wracked Sumatra island is the worst U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has ever seen, the battle-seasoned war veteran said as he prepared for a meeting of world leaders to coordinate history's largest relief operation.

"I can not begin to imagine the horror that went through the families and all of the people who heard this noise and then had their lives snuffed out by this wave," Powell said Wednesday after flying over flattened villages along Sumatra's northern coast, which was home to two-thirds of the nearly 150,000 killed across Asia.

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Volunteer doctors urged to prepare well

2005-01-07T16:39:00.005+08:00

South Australian health professionals wanting to help in the tsunami relief effort are being told it may be some time before they are needed in the region.

The state's Australian Medical Association branch is urging medical personnel to ensure they are properly prepared to work in the region by getting adequately vaccinated and improving their language skills.

State AMA president Dr William Heddle says health professionals should be congratulated for their prompt response to the call to help.

But he says it may be some months before their services are needed in the region.

"It's likely that for at least the next 12 months there will need to be on-going medical health support to Indonesia in particular because of the devastation which has occurred," he said.

"Obviously time will tell but there's likely to be capacity to take up all the volunteers who are wanting to go."

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Family, school friends farewell tsunami victim

2005-01-07T16:39:00.004+08:00

Hundreds of people have gathered in Melbourne to mourn the death of 16-year-old Paul Giardina, at the first Victorian funeral for a victim of the Asian tsunami.

The teenager, who had Down Syndrome, was holidaying in Phuket with his parents and was swept away in the torrent.

Relatives found his body in Patong Hospital three days later.

St Anthony's Catholic Church in Hawthorn was packed with his friends, family and classmates from the Merriang Special School for a traditional requiem mass.
John Lennon's Beautiful Boy was played as his flower-draped coffin was carried into the church.

Delivering the eulogy, his principal Ann Georgis described Paul as a sociable, happy teenager, who adored his family and had a trademark smile.

Speaking on behalf of his parents, she said Paul taught his family how to love and laugh, and was affectionately called the "love machine".

Coloured balloons were released into the sky as the church bells tolled to farewell the teenager.

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Europe asks for clarification on tsunami mass graves

2005-01-07T16:39:00.003+08:00

Sweden's ambassador to Thailand, as well as Dutch and German representatives, have formally asked the Thai Foreign Ministry for information about the reported use of mass graves to bury tsunami victims.
A spokesman for the Swedish Foreign Ministry says if the mass graves are confirmed, the European countries want to know whether the bodies of tourists are being buried there permanently, temporarily pending identification, or not at all.
Some media reports have said mass graves were only being used to bury Thais who had already been identified, while others said they were used to store the bodies of victims temporarily to prevent the spread of disease.
Meanwhile, the outgoing head of the United Nations Development Program, Mark Malloch Brown, says a long-term commitment to aid is essential for south Asia.
"Clearly, governments are indicating that not only are they going to kind of contribute today against the UN flash appeal, but they're going to stick with this," he said.
"Everybody's interested in making sure there are some long-term arrangements that keep things moving forward."

Rising sea levels could undo post-tsunami reconstruction

2005-01-07T16:39:00.002+08:00

An Australian think tank says the reconstruction of coastlines damaged by the Asian tsunami must take into account the effect of climate change on sea levels.

Clive Hamilton from the Australia Institute says the billions of dollars in aid committed to the rebuilding effort could be wasted, if infrastructure is rebuilt in the same place.

He says sea levels are expected to rise by almost a metre by the end of this century, and any new buildings should be constructed at least 50 metres back from the existing shoreline.

"It's vital that adequate zones of protection are provided between any new structures, roads, railways, houses and the shoreline and some countries are already preparing for sea level rise by establishing 'no-build' zones close to the current high tide marks," he said.

"Enormously tragic as this tsunami has been, it does provide an opportunity for us to rebuild in those devastated regions in a way that will protect them from sea-level rise in the future."

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PM calls for a minute's silence on day of mourning

2005-01-07T16:39:00.001+08:00

The Prime Minister has revealed more details of plans for Australia's national day of mourning for the tsunami disaster.

John Howard has encouraged people to observe a minute's silence at 11:59am on Sunday January 16.

It is the same time the earthquake struck nearly two weeks ago and triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean.

Mr Howard has also asked people to wear wattle on the day and says Australian flags will fly at half-mast.

As well as attending a Christian church service, the Prime Minister will also attend a Buddhist or Hindu place of worship.

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Tsunami death toll passes 165,000

2005-01-07T16:39:00.000+08:00

The number of people killed when an earthquake and tsunamis devastated Indian Ocean coastlines on December 26 has passed 165,000 as more deaths were confirmed.

In Indonesia, which bore the brunt of the disaster, the death toll has climbed to 113,306, the Social Affairs Ministry's relief coordination centre told AFP on Friday.
The United Nations has warned that tens of thousands more dead may be as yet unaccounted for in Indonesia.

The figure, given by the head of the relief coordination centre, Haji Daeng, raises the number of people confirmed killed in Indonesia by nearly 20,000 from the previous day's tally of 94,200.

In Sri Lanka, 30,615 were confirmed killed, the Government said. Another 4,356 people were still missing.

In neighbouring India, the official toll stood at 9,995 people confirmed dead, but the number of missing dropped to 5,679, most of them presumed dead.

Interior Ministry figures for Thailand put the death toll at 5,291 - 2,568 Thais, 2,510 foreigners and 213 whose indentity could not be determined.

The number of people listed as missing fell sharply to 3,570 - 1,143 foreigners and 2,427 Thais - down from nearly 3,716, as some people were found to have made reports of missing people at several centres, an official said.

Burma's Prime Minister Soe Win said on Thursday 59 people were killed in the tsunamis and more than 3,200 left homeless. This was down from the UN's estimated 90.

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Donor nations agree to set up tsunami warning system

2005-01-07T16:37:00.000+08:00

The number of missing in Indonesia from the tsunami disaster has nearly doubled to more than 10,000.
Annan is touring the area to see first hand the magnitude of the disaster.
Nearly 163,000 people are now confirmed dead from the earthquake and tsunamis that hit twelve nations.
The U.N. head has also called for the international community to stop the threat of a second wave of death from preventable diseases.
World leaders have pledged to work together on relief and reconstruction and establish a warning system to help avoid a similar disaster in the Indian Ocean.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday in Jakarta that the United Nations will take over coordination of the relief effort from a core group of nations.
Powell had convened the core group -- the United States, Australia, Japan, India, Canada and the Netherlands -- at U.S. President George W. Bush's request following criticism his administration had not responded aggressively enough to the crisis.

Tsunami Death Toll Rises to About 145,000

2005-01-07T16:36:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA, Indonesia - World leaders wrapped up a one-day summit on Asia's earthquake and tsunamis, hoping to find the best way to help victims — and to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again. Indonesia reported more than 4,000 new deaths on Friday, pushing the overall toll to about 145,000.

Even as more deaths from the initial effects of the natural disaster were announced, health officials warned that secondary deaths from hunger or disease would push the toll higher without a steady supply of aid to the region.
Donors concluded an emergency summit Thursday as relief workers scrambled to move aid to areas of Sumatra, the Indonesian island hit hardest by the earthquake and giant waves that crashed ashore Dec. 26. Volunteers hurled sacks of rice and instant noodles into trucks as U.S. helicopters loaded with other supplies buzzed overhead en route to isolated communities.
A new potential danger emerged, this time to the American and Australian military teams assisting the tsunami survivors. A radical Islamic group once headed by an al-Qaida-linked terror chief set up a relief camp in Sumatra. The militants, known for attacking Christians on Indonesia's far-flung islands, insisted they would not interfere with foreign troops — so long as they kept to humanitarian operations.

Death toll in Somali tidal wave climbs to nearly 300: govt

2005-01-06T15:27:00.000+08:00

MOGADISHU - The toll of people killed in Somalia when a deadly tsunami tidal wave struck the country's Indian Ocean coast ten days ago has climbed to nearly 300 people, officials said on Wednesday, updating the toll from 176.
"Some 298 people have died. This includes those who are not yet accounted for," Mohammed Abdi Gagab, the vice president of the Somali northeastern state of Puntland, told a press conference in region's capital Garowe. Over the weekend, Somalia authorities gave the toll as 176, basing it on the number of bodies recovered so far. Gagab explained that some 17,000 families were displaced by the tsumani wave, which was sparked by an earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, and spread carnage across Indian Ocean shorelines. Nearly 150,000 have been confirmed dead in the four hardest hit nations -- Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand -- in what the United Nations suggested could end up as one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded. On Tuesday, United Nations said more than 54,000 people were affected by the wave and appealed for 13.1 million dollars (9.9 million euros) to assist them. Somalia, which is the only hard-hit African country, lacks any effective disaster-response mechanism, having been ravaged by anarchy since 1991 when dictator Mohammed Siad Barre was toppled, plunging the nation into lawlessness. Accordingly, insecurity is widespread and basic infrastructure has been ruined. These bottlenecks have barred aid workers from accessing all areas affected by the deadly waves

Surfer rode tsunami wave to safety

2005-01-06T15:18:00.004+08:00

A veteran surfer has told how he was forced to ride a towering tsunami to save his life as it engulfed an idyllic Sri Lankan village.

Martin Hambrook, 40, from Porthcawl, south Wales, was in the sea off the island's southern coast waiting for what he hoped would be a perfect wave.

Partner Vicky Maxwell, 42, and son Jai, 7, were watching from the beach as the horrific form of the tsunami appeared on the horizon.

The family-of-three fly to Sri Lanka every year and were staying at the Hansa Surf Lodge, in Hikkaduwa, when the giant wave hit on Boxing Day.

His partner and son were forced to flee to the safety of their nearby hotel balcony and watch in horror as the wave scooped him up.

"It was really terrible because I was surfing on a wave I wasn't supposed to be on," Mr Hambrook told Wales on Sunday newspaper in an exclusive interview.

"As an experienced surfer, when I saw the wave come I realised something was wrong, but I couldn't escape because the surfboard was tied to my ankle."

Despite the ferocity of the wave, he stayed on his board as he was carried over the sandy beach right up to the hotel.

He leapt off in the restaurant as the sea withdrew and a second wave, about 10 metres high, rolled in. The family then fled to higher ground.

All three survived the devastation which has claimed thousands of lives and have opted to stay on the island to help local people clear wreckage

Tsunami catastrophe spawns tidal wave of generosity from touched Canadians

2005-01-06T15:18:00.003+08:00

TORONTO (CP) - The tsunami catastrophe that devastated coastal communities around south Asia and east Africa has spawned a deluge of generosity from Canadians for whom the seemingly far-flung disaster appears to have hit close to home.

Experts say soaring cash donations from individuals are being fuelled in part by a deep-rooted need to do something to help the victims, many of them children, and partly by a sense of belonging to an ever-shrinking global village.

"There's some sense of identification with (the victims)," said Leslie Greenberg, a psychology professor at York University.

"I feel a lot of compassion or concern because that could have been me and then I want to do something."

In Peterborough, Ont., for example, children and adults alike literally lined up at the Red Cross, some clutching piggy banks, others simply with chequebooks in hand, as they patiently waited to make a donation to the relief effort.

The disaster struck during a holiday season marked by family get-togethers, good will and gift-giving as many Canadians were still digesting their Christmas dinners, in stark contrast to what was occurring halfway around the planet.

"It's a time when people are with family, people's psyche is around giving, around generosity," said Linda Tripp, vice-president of World Vision Canada.

"It really motivated people to say, 'I've got so much. I'm so blessed. I need somehow to respond to this.' "

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A survivor's tale

2005-01-06T15:18:00.002+08:00

NOTE: THIS IS AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENED ON 26th DECEMBER 2004 TO ONE OF THE TSUNAMI SUVIVOR

No clue. We just knew that Thai people were crying and that we had to go."

Within minutes of the giant wave a warning went out. Michelle and the others in the market were rushed up to the mountains. "We felt extremely lucky because we would have been on that beach. We would have been snorkeling that day."

Instead she was safe on a hillside hearing the harrowing stories of survival. "What they described is like the water went out fifty meters and then came in and just came over their heads and they just held onto a tree and held on." Hours later Anglin would see the destruction for herself. Anglin considers herself very lucky, especially now. "Great to know that I can hug (her relatives) again and like be here."

Anglin's mother did not wait for her daughter to come home. She met her in England and they made the last leg of this trying trip together. "It's good to have the little gal home," says Nancy Anglin. "Home for the holidays I told her next year."
Anglin's family is planning a welcome home party for her this weekend

Tsunami Didn't Redraw Asian Coastlines

2005-01-06T15:18:00.001+08:00

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Aerial images of tsunami-battered coastlines suggest the world map may be changed forever, with chunks of land sinking into the sea. But did the quake and the killer wave it spawned really significantly reshape the Indian Ocean's outline? Scientists say probably not.

Almost all the apparent land fragmentation is likely due to temporary flooding, experts say. However, there are signs — still too early to verify — that a handful of isolated Indian islands near the center of the quake or its aftershocks may indeed have changed.

Cecep Subarya, of Indonesia's National Coordination Agency for Surveys and Mapping, says no new islands have been spotted, and no existing islands have been seen to vanish or split up off the northwest coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island, the earthquake's epicenter.

Nor has Sumatra's coast been reshaped, he said.

Experts say nearly all the rest of the region is too far from the epicenter for the physical geography to have been affected. Those areas look different now because of flooding from the tsunami, but the water will recede.

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World Leaders Open Tsunami Aid Conference

2005-01-06T15:18:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA, Indonesia - World leaders opened an emergency summit Thursday with a moment of silence for the tens of thousands of tsunami victims, before focusing on the best way to rush nearly $4 billion pledged worldwide to millions of survivors.

Secretary of State Colin Powell announced that the group of countries, including the United States, which led initial relief efforts, will now turn its work over to the United Nations

"The core group helped to catalyze the international response. Now having served its purpose, will fold itself into the broader coordination efforts of the United Nations," Powell said in remarks presented at the summit.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the gathering that the world was in a race against time to get food, medicine and supplies to the neediest.

"Millions in Asia, Africa, and even in far away countries, are suffering unimaginable trauma and psychological wounds that will take a long time to heal," he said. "The disaster was so brutal, so quick, and so far-reaching, that we are still struggling to comprehend it."

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Tsunami stories: Star boosts reliefaid by $1.4m

2005-01-06T01:01:00.000+08:00

Sandra Bullock has given US$1million ($1.4 million) to the American Red Cross tsunami relief fund, the organisation said.

The funds from the Hollywood actress will be used to provide relief supplies, financial support and technical assistance.

The star of Speed and While You Were Sleeping also gave US$1 million after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

London department store Harrods kicked off its New Year sale by pledging to donate 2 per cent of the day’s takings - an estimated £150,000 ($407,000) - to the tsunami relief effort.

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12 Singaporeans still missing, 30 uncontactable after tsunami disaster

2005-01-05T23:59:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : More Singaporeans, who were reportedly in the tsunami-struck areas on Boxing Day, have been contacted.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, those uncontactable have been narrowed from 51 on Monday to 30 on Tuesday afternoon.

The number of Singaporeans dead remains at nine.

Twelve others are missing, all in Thailand.

As at 1pm on Tuesday, the number of Singaporeans that are now contactable has increased to 1775.

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Singapore's PM Lee visits tsunami-stricken Indonesian cities

2005-01-05T23:58:00.000+08:00

BANDA ACEH : Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday became one of the first leaders to visit the most devastated parts of Indonesia following the tsunami disaster.

Together with Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, he flew via military aircraft into the devastated areas in Medan, Meulaboh and Banda Aceh.

Mr Lee said his visit has given him a clear insight into the devastation that has been wreaked on communities in Indonesia.

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Singaporean relief workers return with tales of shock and grief

2005-01-05T23:57:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : Since the deadly tsunami struck, hundreds of Singaporeans have been helping out in relief efforts to the disaster stricken areas.

Many were unprepared for the scale of destruction they witnessed, but still did their best to aid victims.

It has been a long and ardous journey for Mr Ang Choon Kiat, Member of the Land Rover Relief Convoy, and his wife.

The couple, along with a convoy of 29 other land rovers, had driven for 24 hours from Singapore to Krabi, delivering much needed food and medical supplies to tsunami-stricken victims.

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26 states, int'l organizations confirm summit attendance

2005-01-05T23:56:00.000+08:00

The international community has welcomed the initiative to hold an emergency summit in the wake of the tsunami disaster with 26 countries and international organizations confirmed to attend.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Tuesday that 14 heads of government as well as ministers from several countries and international organizations would be attending the one-day emergency summit.

"This is a clear expression of global solidarity and in this meeting we hope to reach a global commitment to assist in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the affected countries," Hassan said after a limited Cabinet meeting led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

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Memorial for tsunami victims

2005-01-05T23:55:00.000+08:00

Service also a chance to pray for the missing, injured: Dr Balakrishnan

EVEN as flags across Singapore fly at half-mast this Sunday, an open memorial service will be held to mourn Asia's tsunami and quake victims, two weeks after the catastrophic events.

To be held at the Singapore Expo Hall 2 at 5pm, the service will include inter-religious prayers by leaders from nine faiths and an address by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. It will be broadcast live by MediaCorp's television and radio stations.

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Police Guard Tsunami Orphans Amid Kidnap Fears

2005-01-05T23:54:00.000+08:00

Police guards were posted at tsunami refugee camps in Indonesia today to protect orphaned children from being kidnapped by merciless trafficking gangs.

Two attempts to snatch youngsters were confirmed by United Nations charity workers in the devastated Aceh province as the alarmed authorities brought in restrictions on children leaving the country.

Unicef, the UN’s children’s agency, has said the disaster would be the “perfect opportunity” for traffickers in Indonesia to sell the youngsters into forced labour or sexual slavery in rich neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.

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Call for donations for tsunami victims may be scams

2005-01-05T23:53:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : Have you been receiving emails and SMSes asking you to donate to the Tsunami victims?

While some seem suspicous, others which are perfectly genuine, are being slammed as scams.

So how do you know if you are donating to the right parties?

It says 'Do not call these numbers 1900-9111110 and 1900-9111150 for it is a scam!'

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Foreigners Dead, Missing in Asia Calamity

2005-01-04T17:40:00.000+08:00

The tally of foreigners confirmed dead from the quake and tsunamis throughout southern Asia, according to their countries' foreign ministries.

Figures also include the most recent available numbers of missing based on official estimates by governments.
- Germany: 60 dead. More than 1,000 missing.
- Sweden: 52 dead. 2,322 missing.
- Britain: 40 dead. 159 missing.
- Switzerland: 23 dead. 500 missing.
- France: 22 dead. 90 missing.
- Japan: 21 dead.
- Italy: 18 dead. 436 missing

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Elephants Help Clear Debris in Thailand

2005-01-04T17:38:00.000+08:00

BANG NIENG, Thailand (AP) -- A year ago, they were filming battle scenes for the movie "Alexander." Now six elephants are pitching in to help with the massive cleanup from the tsunami that devastated many of Thailand's prime tourist destinations.

The massive waves, which killed 5,000 and left nearly 4,000 missing in Thailand, dumped debris more than a mile from the popular beaches of Phuket island and Phang Nga province a week ago. While heavy machinery works on the tangled wreckage that used to be posh seafront resorts, some areas are too muddy or hilly for anything other than 4 foot drive.

So the Wang Chang elephant farm in the 17th-century Thai capital of Ayuddhaya offered to send in its best pachyderms. They arrived by truck Sunday in Phang Nga and got to work immediately - after a quick shower to cool off in the tropical heat.

"The six were chosen because they are smart and can act on command," said Romthongsai Meephan, one of the elephant farm's owners.

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India Accused of Blocking Tsunami Aid

2005-01-04T17:36:00.000+08:00

PORT BLAIR, India (AP) -- India's refusal to allow access to the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands is preventing aid from reaching the most desperate survivors of last week's tsunamis, international aid groups said Monday, as the country's death toll was expected to top 15,000.

Despite the Dec. 26 tsunami that ripped through the low-lying atolls, the Indian government has stood by its long-standing policy of restricting entry to the islands out of concerns for the security of a military air base as well as the protection of indigenous tribes.

"This closed-door approach of not allowing NGOs (non-governmental organizations) is delaying relief efforts," said Shaheen Nilofer, program manager for Eastern India for international aid agency Oxfam.

"Valuable time has been lost because of this delay. (India is) accelerating the miseries of the poor people," she said. "Somewhere, someone has to be responsible. If you don't take care of the survivors, the number of deaths can far outnumber the deaths from the tsunami."

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Scientists: Tsunami Could Hit West Coast

2005-01-04T17:35:00.000+08:00

Tsunami scientists and public safety officials are closely watching an earthquake-prone nation with thousands of miles of crowded coastlines for signs of an imminent disaster. Indonesia? Japan? Try the United States.

Experts say the West Coast could experience a calamity similar to the one they have been watching unfold half a world away.

"People need to know it could happen," said geologist Brian Atwater of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Scientists say grinding geologic circumstances similar to those in Sumatra also exist just off the Pacific Northwest coast. They are a loaded gun that could trigger a tsunami that could hit Northern California, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia in minutes - too fast for the nation's deep-sea tsunami warning system to help.

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Airport Closing Hurts Tsunami Aid Efforts

2005-01-04T17:17:00.000+08:00

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) -- The world's efforts to pour aid into Indonesia's tsunami-battered Sumatra island hit a snag on Tuesday with the closure of its main airport for relief flights after a supply plane hit a herd of cows on its runway.

Global leaders, meanwhile, were heading to southern Asia to get a firsthand glimpse of the damage by the Dec. 26 disaster and to hammer out a plan to help the millions of victims. Secretary of State Colin Powell - who was in Thailand on Tuesday - pledged America's full support.

The confirmed death toll for Asia and Africa stood at 139,410 - almost 100,000 of those in Sumatra

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Powell touring tsunami countries, says relief going 'exceptionally well'

2005-01-04T13:25:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK, Thailand – Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday the relief effort for countries devastated by the tsunami was going "exceptionally well" and he sees no immediate need for more U.S. governmental money.

In Washington, President Bush announced a nationwide, private fund-raising effort to provide additional aid for tsunami victims. "Cash donations are most useful," the president said.

Powell is spending several days in Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, three of the Indian Ocean countries with heavy damage and loss of life. The death toll from last week's disaster is approaching 140,000 and is expected to rise.

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Tsunami survivors 'too weak to get aid'

2005-01-04T13:23:00.000+08:00

Villagers who fled to higher ground when the tsunami ravaged Indonesia's Sumatran coast more than a week ago may now be too weak from hunger to come down to get aid that is finally getting into the area, a relief official says.

US Navy helicopters flew more than two dozen relief missions to stricken towns on Monday, dropping food parcels and evacuating about 60 people to an ad hoc aid station at a provincial city airport staffed by medical teams from Australia, China, Taiwan and other places.

But many others in need may still be in the jungle-clad mountains inland to which they fled, scrounging for whatever food they can find and gradually weakening from hunger, said Supranto, an official with the UN-affiliated International Organisation of Migration.

"These people haven't eaten rice for five or six days," said Supranto, who like many Indonesians uses just one name.

"For an Indonesian, that's really bad. No matter how poor you are in Indonesia, you can always eat rice.

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Singapore Red Cross raises S$15 million for tsunami victims

2005-01-04T13:21:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : A week after its launch, the Singapore Red Cross relief fund has raised more than S$15 million for tsunami victims.

Thirty-five crates of relief supplies, including rice, drinking water and masks, from the Red Cross were loaded onto the Navy's Landing Ship Tank RSS Persistence at Changi Naval Base to be sent to Aceh for tsunami victims there.

The ship heads for Aceh on Tuesday.

The Public Utilities Board is also doing its part by sending more than a thousand bags of water to the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Aceh.

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Families of tsunami victims trying to come to terms with loss

2005-01-04T13:20:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: Eight days after Stephanie Ong and Edlyn Yap were killed in the tsunami disaster, their families and friends are still trying to come to terms with the sudden loss.

Three-year-old Tan Wei En is the pride and joy of Stephanie Ong who lost her life in Phuket when the tsunami hit.

The 42-year-old mother tried many years before she had her first and only child.

But the boy may not remember just how much his mother loved and doted on him, or the tragic event which took her away.

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U.N. accepts Singapore's relief hub offer

2005-01-04T13:19:00.000+08:00

Singapore, Singapore, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The United Nations Monday accepted Singapore's offer to serve as a hub to organize its relief efforts in the areas affected by the recent quake and tsunami.

Singapore's offer includes the use of its Air and Naval bases, the use of its aircraft and helicopter carriers and the setting up of the U.N. Regional Coordination Center, a dedicated administration, secretariat, command, control and communications, and media support center.

The United Nations has indicated logistical constraints caused by overloaded airports and other bottlenecks are holding up the distribution of aid, and a coordinating center in Singapore should help alleviate the problem.

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Funeral for Land Rover relief mission leader to be held on Friday

2005-01-04T13:18:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: The funeral of Richard Fong, leader of a Land Rover relief mission to Krabi, will be held on Friday.

Richard was killed in a road accident two days ago when his Land Rover swerved suddenly and flipped a few times before crashing to a stop.

Richard was on his way to deliver much-needed supplies to tsunami-stricken victims when he met with the accident.

To his friends, Richard was the adventurer, always game for excitement.

To his family, Richard was the filial and only son in a family of six sisters.

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Singapore's PM, defence minister to visit tsunami-hit Indonesian cities

2005-01-04T13:17:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean will on Tuesday visit the Indonesian cities of Medan, Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, areas where most of Singapore's relief personnel are stationed.

As part of the second phase of its relief efforts in the tsunami-battered country, Singapore is sending four more Chinook helicopters to Indonesia.

Mr Teo says that Singapore is responding to an urgent need for heavy-lift helicopters to ferry supplies to the least accessible disaster areas.

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Many Thousands Cut Off From Relief

2005-01-04T13:16:00.000+08:00

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Jan. 3 -- U.N. relief officials warned Monday that tens of thousands of people affected by the earthquake and tsunami in South Asia have not received help and that some are dying because ruined roads and bad communications are preventing the distribution of supplies.

International relief groups have delivered only one-eighth of the 400,000 tons of food flown into affected parts of Indonesia, said Michael Elmquist, chief of the U.N. office coordinating the rescue effort in the country. He said the delivery of lifesaving food and medicine has been slowed by impassable highways, severed telecommunications and airports unable to accommodate enough relief flights.

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Tsunami Toll May Rise as Sumatra Villages Are Reached

2005-01-04T13:15:00.000+08:00

Jan. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The death toll from the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster may rise above the estimated 150,000 victims, as rescuers start to reach remote villages on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the Indonesian Red Cross said.

Indonesia's death toll ``could exceed 100,000,'' Iyang Sukandar, secretary general of the Indonesian Red Cross, said today in a telephone interview from Medan in Sumatra. Indonesia said yesterday that more than 94,000 are known to have died.

Aceh province on the west coast of Sumatra was closest to the epicenter of the magnitude-9 earthquake that triggered the tsunamis. It may never be known how many of the 2 million people living in fishing villages were washed to sea and may never be found, Jan Egeland, United Nations emergency relief coordinator, said yesterday in New York.

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Bogus emails anger authorities

2005-01-03T21:11:00.000+08:00

In Hong Kong emails falsely asking for donations for victims of last week's killer tsunami have been discovered doing the rounds, while in England a man has been charged for sending hoax emails telling families of people missing that their loved ones were dead.

Police and charity workers said today the fraudulent messages in Hong Kong claims to be from Oxfam and urges donors to deposit money into a bank account in Cyprus.

It was not known whether anybody had been fooled by them, a police spokeswoman said.

Oxfam is among a number of worldwide relief agencies mobilisingtsunami aid.

Oxfam Hong Kong spokeswoman Christy Ko said the emails were a sick attempt to extort money from people at a time of tragedy.

However, she did not believe they would harm the agency's campaign to raise funds for relief efforts.

"It was a very badly put together email, I don't think many people would have been fooled," she said.

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Chaos hinders tsunami aid

2005-01-03T21:10:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The $2 billion (1.04 billion pound) Asian tsunami relief operation is encountering chaos and "a wall of devastation" in Indonesia as aid workers struggle to help thousands of survivors huddled in makeshift camps.

As aid logjams at Asian airports, bursting with hundreds of tonnes of emergency supplies, began to ease on Monday it was the destruction left by nature that was proving the biggest obstacle to the biggest relief operation since World War Two.

"It's absolute chaos," said Titon Mitra of CARE International, which is running 14 survivor camps in Indonesia's Aceh province where about two thirds of the 144,000 people killed by the December 26 Indian Ocean tsunami died.

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Tsunami Aid Faces Destruction and Possibly Pirates

2005-01-03T21:09:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) - The massive Asian tsunami relief operation faces absolute chaos and "a wall of devastation" in Indonesia as well as the threat of pirates plundering aid, relief groups struggling to help thousands in camps said on Monday.

As aid logjams began to ease at Asian airports, bursting with hundreds of tons of emergency supplies, it was the destruction left by nature that was proving the biggest obstacle to the $2 billion relief operation, the biggest since World War II.

"It's absolute chaos," said Titon Mitra of CARE International, which is running 14 survivor camps in Indonesia's Aceh province. About two thirds of the 144,000 people killed by the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami died there.

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Humanitarian supplies airlifted from Singapore onto US navy ships

2005-01-03T21:08:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : Humanitarian relief donations have been airlifted from Singapore onto US naval ships heading to tsunami-hit areas in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

With a large volume of relief supplies creating a bottleneck, it is now a logistical challenge to get them delivered to the survivors.

US Marine helicopters are more accustomed to transporting troops; instead they are carrying much needed relief supplies, like bottled water picked up from Guam.

As soon as the relief aid arrived at Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base, it was airlifted by choppers and stored onboard the USS Bonhomme Richard.

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Mother, daughter came from Singapore to be killed by tsunami

2005-01-03T21:06:00.000+08:00

For 14-year-old Jesima Begum and her mother Jerina Begum of Singapore, their sojourn in India ended in tragedy as they were killed by the tsunami waves, which struck the region on December 26.

Jesima and Jerina came to spend the year-end holidays in Senthamangalam village near Porayar, the native place of Jerina's husband Mohammad Rafeek who had settled down in Singapore with his family.

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Singaporeans find different ways to help tsunami relief effort

2005-01-03T17:15:00.000+08:00

Three officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross have arrived in Singapore and are setting up a logistics base for the relief effort in Aceh. Meanwhile, over S$10.5 million in tsunami aid has been raised by the Singapore Red Cross, as of 6 pm on Sunday.

Individuals and companies round the island have given generously and one Singaporean even donated something very special -- a song that he wrote. Local composer Simon Ng hopes the song will encourage volunteers, relief workers and families affected by the tsunamis. Called "Hope", it is a song of comfort, of peace and most of all, of hope. The composer has donated the copyright to the Red Cross. "When I watch the news on TV and I saw people piling up and people were crying and they don't know what to do and they're so lost, I think music can really heal somebody. It's one of the best medicines around," Mr Ng said.

Companies like MediaCorp are also chipping in to help the victims. MediaCorp's three Chinese radio stations have started an islandwide donation drive, which has raised some S$60,000 so far. Radio DJs have also been busy visiting shopping malls around Singapore to drum up support.

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Dead bodies pose least health threat in disaster-hit areas

2005-01-03T17:13:00.001+08:00

In the aftermath of the quake and tsunami disaster, there have been concerns that diseases will set in, as affected countries cope with dead bodies in water-logged areas, poor sanitation and contaminated water. But experts say dead bodies -- although in thousands in some areas -- probably pose the lowest health threat.

With drinking water in many areas contaminated by sea water and poor sanitation, there are fears that water-borne diseases like cholera, dysentery and malaria will bring a new set of problems. Said Dr Ooi Peng Lim of the Health Ministry's Disease Control Branch, "The diseases can set in once the infectious agents are introduced into a conducive environment. Depending on the disease, the incubation period could be anywhere between a few hours, as in the case of cholera, to a few weeks, in the the case of Hepatitis A." The incubation period for malaria and vector-borne diseases might take even longer, as the mosquito vector will have to build up before the transmission of diseases. But amid these fears, experts have played down at least one threat -- that of rotting bodies, some of which are being burnt in mass burials.

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Giving a helping hand

2005-01-03T17:10:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : Foreign workers and Singaporeans joined hands on Sunday for a minute of silence to remember the tsunami victims. Through the event, organisers also want to extend a hand of friendship to foreign workers in Singapore affected by the disaster.

About 50 people gathered at the memorial organised by the Transient Workers Count Too - amongst them, religious leaders, embassy staff and maids. The rain might have reduced their numbers but it didn't lessen their pain. Amy Fatah, Muslim Converts' Association, said, "I feel very sorry to all the victims wherever they come from and we pray for them and for their loved ones...pray hard to God, help others, help humanity, extend your understanding..." Indonesian maid Siti Muyasaroh said, "Singaporeans have been very good...they're concerned for the people in Aceh and other countries as well and I'm very deeply moved." There are about 150,000 maids and hundreds of thousands of foreign workers in Singapore And with tens of thousands of victims still unaccounted for, many are still worried about their loved ones back home. Braema Mathi, Chairperson, Transient Workers Count Too, said, "We can send money, very (much) needed, we can send goods, needed, but at the same time we must also touch them and say we understand this is a very tough period for you.

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Trying to Move Ahead

2005-01-03T16:55:00.000+08:00

As dawn brings the first rays of light into the deserted fishing hamlet of Nambiar Nagar, a few locals venture in. An hour later, more people arrive and by midmorning, the place is teeming.

They are the residents of the fishing village on the edge of the Bay of Bengal who fled as last week's tsunami hit. Many survivors are now returning from government relief camps inland to pick up the pieces and resume their lives.

"We have to move on," S. Meenakshi, 45, said, sitting inside her tsunami-damaged home.

India's official death toll from the Dec. 26 tsunami, which battered a dozen nations from Asia to Africa, is more than 9,000, most in southern Tamil Nadu state. The United Nations expects the total number of people killed in the disaster to reach 150,000. Five million people were left homeless by the waves.

Six days after the carnage, survivors like Meenakshi have returned to their rustic huts to assess the damage. With little outside help, they are putting back the wooden planks, tightening loosened poles, cleaning out knee-deep sludge and resurrecting their homes.

"We can't live the life of refugees forever," Meenakshi said.

The steps back are tentative, as survivors grapple with an urge to go home amid fear that another wave may hit.

Many spend the day in their villages, but return to the relief camps at night.

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A Tsunami Blessing

2005-01-03T13:12:00.000+08:00

In light of this week's tsunami devastation, the following blessing is offered as a prayer for those of various faiths. May it be useful as we move
into a new year together.

A Tsunami Blessing

Blessed are those who mourn for the tsunami's victims; may they
find comfort in their pain and hope in their helplessness.

Blessed are those who found a way to survive; may they now find
sufficient strength and healing as they reassemble the scattered
pieces of shattered lives.

Blessed are those who tirelessly strive to give relief; may they
be amply encouraged in their valiant efforts.

Blessed are those who generously give money and supplies...may
they know the deep satisfaction of having made a difference.

Blessed are those in every nation who unite now in compassionate
service and love; may they show us what it means to be family.

Singapore offers to be UN disaster hub

2005-01-03T13:09:00.000+08:00

Singapore has offered to be the United Nations' regional tsunami disaster coordination center, to ease the congestion of in coming relief supplies.

"We see this as an imperative because of the reports we've been receiving. Aid is building up at ports and airports; the system is becoming overloaded. We are concerned if we don't address this situation quickly, if we don't come in pre-emptively to offer our facilities and bases for the UN relief agencies to do their work, we may have to bear with another crisis of sorts," said Andrew Tan of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, ChannelNews Asia reported Monday.

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China Wen to attend Thurs. tsunami meeting

2005-01-03T13:07:00.000+08:00

More heads of states will attend the Jakarta meeting Thursday to discuss coordination of relief efforts for the Indian Ocean tsunami tragedy.

China was the latest to announce attendance at Thursday's summit - hosted by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono - saying that Premier Wen Jiabao would be in Jakarta.

The meeting was proposed by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake triggered giant waves that swamped countries on December 26, over 125,000 of people.

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