Charles witnesses tsunami devastation

The Prince of Wales yesterday witnessed the devastation left by the Asian tsunami, as he stood on a rubble-strewn Sri Lankan beach where the tidal waves claimed thousands of lives.

Charles trekked across the sand on the battered eastern coast of the island among the remains of homes washed away in the disaster.

In the village of Navaldy and along the coastline of Batticaloa district, one in ten villagers was killed in the Boxing Day tragedy. Two months later, one third of those who survived have returned, but the scars remain.

With flowers around his neck and a yellow and white pootu mark on his forehead, a traditional Sri Lankan greeting gesture, the prince was shown the village’s Hindu temple, decorated with brightly coloured carvings, which was damaged in the tsunami, and stood in part of the ruins.

The prince was also keen to hear whether local people were being consulted over the rebuilding work and how the vital fishing industry had been affected.

scotsman

Four years to rebuild after tsunami, Clinton says

Asian coastlines ravaged by the tsunami will take up to four years to rebuild, former U.S. president Bill Clinton said Tuesday, as Indonesian officials announced it could be another six months before a draft recovery plan is even finished.

In Sri Lanka, the infant who was the subject of a weeks-long custody battle after being separated from his parents was heading Tuesday to the United States to appear on TV, while European nations prepared to donate boats to help revive Asia's battered fishing industry.

Mr. Clinton, who recently travelled with another former U.S. president, George H. W. Bush, to countries that suffered damage in the tsunami, said hardest-hit Indonesia and Sri Lanka would take the longest to recover.

theglobeandmail

Tsunami Survivor 'Baby 81' Arrives in America

In his young life, 4-month-old Abilass Jeyarajah — known to the world as "Baby 81" — has survived the tsunami in Sri Lanka and endured a legal battle to be reunited with his parents, becoming a symbol of hope during the tragedy.

Now the three of them have arrived in New York, where they will take in the sights and share their story Wednesday in an exclusive interview on ABC News' "Good Morning America."

abcnews

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