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Tsunami in Sri Lanka NEWSBLOG
2005
Tourism remains slow in Sri Lanka
and despite several billion Dollar donations most tsunami
victims are still living in tents. Only well connected business
men have so far managed to benefit at a larger extent according
to BBC investigations.
German officials did arrive in Sri Lanka
to find out on how efficient donations have been forwarded
to tsunami victims.
Several British scientists have warned of another
Tsunami in Southern Asia which might happen within
the next few months.
The Government of Sri Lanka is accused
of keeping huge parts of donated tsunami relief funds whilst
President Kumaratunga claims at her website, that not even
five cents in cash have been received for the reconstruction
of tsunami hit areas.
S. Kalaiselvam, Director of Tourism
in Sri Lanka complains about a 90% decrease in bookings after
Tsunami. So far tourist promotion in Sri Lanka has remained
as poor as railways, roads and Internet facilities to make
the country much less competitive to Thailand where the recovery
had been extremely fast.
India and Thailand will not demand
any tsunami aid in order to leave all funds for Indonesia
and Sri Lanka.
In Sri Lanka the number of tsunami
victims has reached 38.195, in Indonesia
230.000 have died, in India 10.749 and in Thailand 5.313.
Overall the Indian Ocean regionhad faced a death toll of over
300.000 now.
However Negombo is now as clean as
never before, but no visitors at all make it a lonesome experience.
Corruption and filth prevent aid deliveries
in Sri Lanka, where massive protests have led to first dismissals.
Even the Sri Lanka government had to admit, that despite billion
Dollar donations so far only 35% of the homeless Tsunami victims
have received aid.
Repair efforts in Southern Sri Lanka
remain slow as well as victims still suffer from only limited
support despite huge amounts been delivered to the country.
First accusations of corruption and insufficient coordination
have been reported by the BBC.
International Aid for the tsunami
victims includes donations up to $6 billion with $500 million
from Japan, $600 million from Germany, $600 million from Australia,
$350 million from the U.S, $96 million from the UK and $90
million from China.
India and Thailand will not demand
any tsunami aid in order to leave all funds for Indonesia
and Sri Lanka.
In Sri Lanka the number of tsunami
victims has reached 38.195, in Indonesia
230.000 have died, in India 10.749 and in Thailand 5.313.
Overall the Indian Ocean regionhad faced a death toll of over
300.000 now.
Political Tamil Tigerleader E. Kaushalyan was killed on February
7 near Batticaloa by either regular army units or other competing
Tigers.
Only as little as 35% of the tsunami victims
have received help despite vast amounts of money and goods
have arrived in Sri Lanka. Also first arrests of corrupt local
distributors where reported by the BBC after public protests
have become big in Galle and Matara, where even until early
February electricity had not been available in several parts
of the heavily hit region.
Repair efforts in Southern Sri Lanka
remain slow as well as victims still suffer from only limited
support despite huge amounts been delivered to the country.
First accusations of corruption and insufficient coordination
have been reported by the BBC.
International Aid for the tsunami
victims includes now donations up to $6 billion with $500
million from Japan, $600 million from Germany, $600 million
from Australia, $350 million from the U.S, $96 million from
the UK and also $90 million from China.
India and Thailand will not demand
any tsunami aid in order to leave all funds for Indonesia
and Sri Lanka.
In Sri Lanka the number of tsunami
victims has reached 38.195, in Indonesia
174.000 have died, in India 10.749 and in Thailand 5.313.
Overall the Indian Ocean region expects a death toll of over
300.000 now.
| UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan has been refused a visit
to the tsunami hit Tamil rebel regions by the Sri Lanka
government. |
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On his tour through the tsunami hit region US Secretary of
State Colin Powell saw Galle in Sri
Lanka, where the government had strongly protested against
direct aid from Italy for the poor
Tamil regions in the north. In addition a new exchange of
verbal threats and accusations between Sinhal and Tamil leaders
increase the risk of another civil war.
In Galle, Sri Lanka up to 1.200 American
troops with bulldozers, generators, food, water and medical
supplies have landed to help the tsunami victims.
In Southern Sri Lanka Galle, Unawatuna,
Bentota, Matara and Hikkaduwa can now also be reached over
the coastal road. Before only the Rathnapura mountain road
had been free for evacuation, what had been ignored by foreign
embassies.
In Sri Lanka politicians prevent aid
deliveries to those, who can not make it into central camps
because of their injuries and missing public transports. Doctors,
aid workers and eyewitnesses report an administrative chaos
since the President of Sri Lanka is
forcing all foreign aid to go through slow government channels
and overflowing warehouses.
Information about first Cholera outbreaks
in Gall, Sri Lanka have turned out as false and UN coordinator
Jan Egeland expects another 3 days to go by, until all tsunami
victims on Sri Lanka will have clean water.
Even on the 4rth of January drinking water had been a problem
in the South of Sri Lanka though the
region can easily be accessed. At the same time German Airplanes
arrive empty at Colombo Airport instead of using their capacities
for badly needed bottled water.
Private initiatives emerge as the best support not only for
remote regions since the Sri Lanka government has left an
extremely poor impression in the first week after tsunami.
Local bureaucracy and power striving politicians prevent
aid deliveries from reaching those in need, who can not make
it into central camps because of their injuries and still
missing public transports.
Doctors, foreign aid workers and other eyewitnesses were
reporting an administrative chaos since the President
of Sri Lanka has forced all foreign aid to go through
slow government channels, which include many overflowing warehouses,
where aid goods perish fast.
In particular army and policy have failed
almost completely in protecting the suffering people from
loads of looters and criminals. Very few of the over 100.000
troops had come to help as well as it took the police in central
Sri Lanka several days to send teams to coastal areas.
Instead the Trinity College from Kandy
had sent a team to the remote Tamil city of Trincomale in
order to help those many in need.
Sri Lanka Government`s tsunami
page with survivor list.
Back in 1998 the Government of Sri Lanka
had received proposals for an affordable tsunami warning system
by lirneasia.net
2004
Only in Galle way over 2.000 have
died and the local hospital can not handle all the victims.
Galle, Matara, Bentota and Hikkaduwa are total shambles and
the danger of epidemics is described by doctors as highly
eminent.
Red Cross convoys have reached Southern
Sri Lanka as late as 72 hours after tsunami.
Authorities in Sri Lanka had not been
able to handle the situation when parts of the south had not
seen any police or military within the first 72 hours after
Tsunami.
No warning was given by any official or
scientific institute about the Killerwave
in the Asian region - there is no tsunami
warning system for the Indian Ocean like
the one US Scientists from NOAA operate for Pacific Areas
Tsunami
Facts
Southern Asia was shattered by a huge
tsunami tidal wave caused by an 8,9 earthquake.
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