Tsunami & After

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440 British dead or missing in tsunami disaster: Straw

     London: British Foreign Minister Jack Straw speaking on television from Thailand said today that 440 Britons had either died or were missing following the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean. Straw, speaking from the island of Phuket in an interview broadcast live in Britain, said that the 49 people were now confirmed dead and that 391 were still missing, reports The BBC. The previous official toll put the total dead at 41, with at least 199 missing. -Jan 7, 2005

Aid for rehabilitation of orphaned children pours in (Go To Top)

     Kanyakumari/Karunagapalli: In an effort to tide over the large crisis of the number of children left orphan the government is undertaking special measures to ensure that orphans are properly looked and cared after. K. Kalimuthu, the speaker of Tamil Nadu said, that the state has made arrangements for orphaned children and was working towards providing better relief facilities. "Tamil Nadu government will look after the orphans and children. Already all arrangements have been made. This hostel provides accommodation for a total of 18 children. One child lost her parents," Kalimuthu said. It's a tough life ahead for the orphaned children currently sheltered in relief camps. "I lost my father and mother in tsunami," said Lakshmir L, an orphan. Even as the Centre the adoption of the orphans, Mata Amritanandamayi announced her willingness to adopt the unfortunate children who fell victims of the tsunami waves. "The Amritanandamayi mutt is ready to adopt all the children, and if the government and relatives permit the mutt will provide free education to all children throughout India," said Amritanandamayi, popularly known as "Amma". Earlier, she had announced a relief worth one billion rupees for Kerala's tsunami victim. The government has also decided to provide educational and sustenance support to the orphaned children up to class 12.
- Jan 7, 2005

Sri Lanka bans tsunami adoptions (Go To Top)

     Colombo: The Sri Lankan authorities have banned the adoption of children affected by the tsunami until further notice. The move follows concern expressed by the UN that some orphans were being targeted by criminal gangs. According to The BBC, there are no statistics in Sri Lanka for the number of children orphaned by the disaster. The government says it is compiling a census. The government now says that 30,615 people were killed in the disaster. In addition, 4,356 are still missing. "Adopting the children until a permanent solution is implemented is illegal," government spokesman Managala Samaraweera told reporters after a cabinet briefing. "Not even a Sri Lankan can adopt a child affected by this disaster until the government has come out with their programme," he said. "Even if they are relatives, they are not expected to take children without government permission."
- Jan 7, 2005

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