| 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
while 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. |  |
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. | 
