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Thursday, August 25, 2005
First Humanitarian activity for Tsunami affected by Qatar Airways in Sri Lanka
For the first time Qatar Airways is sponsoring house construction for the Tsunami affected Sri Lankans and it has commenced work on building 25 houses at Jambuwatte, Balapitiya one of the worst affected areas.
Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways announcing this humanitarian project at Hilton Hotel Colombo on Tuesday said that staff at the Doha-based airline, which employs more than 400 Sri Lankans initiated a fund raising drive towards the construction of these houses.
He said that they are getting the project through an NGO Habitat International and the Airline also contributing towards building a new community centre in Jambuwatte. Though the people there did not lose their lives all these abodes and belongings were lost to the devastating waves.
Al Baker said that the house construction project would go on until they complete building 100 houses. He said the balance would be built in areas worst affected. He said that International aid agencies, helped by donations from around the world, swung into action soon after disaster struck in one of the world's biggest humanitarian relief efforts. He said that initially during the first few days hundreds of relief materials were airlifted by the Qatar Airways when the affected people were in desperation.
He said that by rebuilding homes damaged or destroyed by the Tsunami, they were helping a community get back on its feet and is extremely important that we fulfill our obligation and social responsibility to help in whatever little way they could.
In answer to the queries raised by the media personnel, Al Baker said that their Airline was not measuring the charitable humanitarian work in quantity and they were not interested in quantifying the monetary involvement in the project, all what they were interested was the commitment by everyone towards this humanitarian effort and it was their goal in helping the Tsunami affected people.
He said that though Qatar Government has helped all the Tsunami affected countries, in Sri Lanka only the Qatar Airways have launched this type charitable project.
He said that Sri Lanka has a huge potential for further tourism development, but the development hindered due to the conflict and instability of the security situation. He said that Maldives gained due to this factor, but otherwise if the country has been peaceful tourist industry would have reached very high levels.
He said that the temporary peace pact has been holding on and due to that peace, tourist industry is gaining and if it were converted into permanent peace, tourist industry would make headway and become a tremendous contributor to the economy and the development of the country.
He urged the media not over-dramatize the 'petty incidents', which has serious repercussions in the minds of the travelers arriving to Sri Lanka.
Jayraj Fernandopulle, Minister of Trade and Consumer Affairs was also present at the press briefing.
Source: Asian Tribune - Bangkok,Thailand
Kuoni results hit hard by Asian tsunami
The Asian tidal wave disaster last December has had a marked impact on the first half figures of Switzerland's largest travel group, Kuoni.
But despite Kuoni's operating profit being hit by SFr20-25 million ($15.8-19.7 million) because of the tsunami, net loss was not as bad as feared by market analysts.
It came in at SFr7.2 million, compared with a loss of SFr12.9 million for the same period the previous year.
The figure was helped by a higher financial result and a change in accounting, which meant that goodwill amortisation fell away.
Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast an average net loss of SFr15 million.
Sales stagnate
Sales rose only slightly, from SFr1.572 billion last year to SFr1.577 billion during the first six months, an increase of 0.3 per cent.
The company said in a statement from its Zurich headquarters that with 17 per cent of its sales generated in the affected region, it had felt the consequences of the disaster more than other major European tour operators.
Subsequent cancellations and booking declines had resulted in under-use of both Kuoni's own and bought-in flight capacities.
Kuoni reported a loss before interest, tax and amortisation (Ebita) of SFr14.8 million, compared with a profit of SFr5.6 million last year.
"The effects of the Asian tsunami did indeed reduce Ebita results by SFr20-25 million,"; the Kuoni statement confirmed.
Tsunami and attacks
The company has struggled with the consequences of the Asian tsunami as well as the deadly bomb attacks in London and in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Kuoni said in view of the "exceptional events" in the tourism industry this year, it was difficult to predict business results for 2005 as a whole.
But it said it was confident that the present recovery would continue, particularly in those regions adversely affected by the tsunami in the first half of the year.
The group added that in its home market, Switzerland, there was still a difficult market environment.
Its Swiss business unit generated sales of SFr339 million in the first half, an 8.6 per cent decline on the SFr371 million of the January to June period last year.
Source: Swissinfo - Switzerland
Monday, August 22, 2005
Tsunami sinks Andaman's sex ratio
A dipping sex-ratio with half the female population wiped out. Nearly 35% children dead. Perhaps a generation lost. Statistics collated and processed by the Anthropological Survey of India (ASI)�a tsunami impact-assessment team among Great Nicobar's tribals-paints an alarming picture.
The report, to be handed over to the Centre and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration by this monthend, was commissioned to gauge the true extent of tsunami damage the island's population suffered on December 26. Painstaking field study by the ASI experts on the islands of Great Nicobar, Katchal, Nancowry and Chowra led to the findings.
While none, including ASI director V R Rao, was willing to comment on the report, TOI has learnt that the sex-ratio (on Great Nicobar) has slumped to 850 per 1,000 males from the previous 980/1,000 males. This, together with the death of 50% women and nearly 35% children, would result in 'delayed generati on,' researchers said�an undesired phenomenon.
This would result in late succession. When the present generation ages, the next one will mature late by several years. This won't just affect economic activities, but fewer women would slow down the reproduction rate. Researchers questioned the manner in which the tribal population is being rehabilitated and pointed out several shortcomings. Forced to depend on interim settlements, government-built pre-fabricated houses are stifling for these tribals. Some tribals have turned idle. The 180 Nicobarese families now put up at the Camball Bay relief camp show no desire to fend for themselves. The Nicobarese, researchers say, prefer to sow crops that can be harvested once in a year. Their food habits have changed and they've turned desperate. They no longer hanker after their favourite dish—wild boar meat. Instead, they eat only vegetables and rice.
The Great Nicobar coastline took a huge hit in the December-26 fury. Plantations were swept away, paddy fields were completely washed out, cane forests decimated. Much of the soil went under saline water. No matter how much the administration wants to encourage the Nicobarese to sow crops, it cannot because the saline content in the soil is still much too high. Making matters worse is the fact that it is no longer safe to venture into the forests to harvest honey. The tribals today are deeply troubled people.
Source: Times of India - India
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Thailand identifies foreign tsunami victims
Thailand gave a breakdown on Wednesday of the nationalities of the 2,166 bodies identified so far out of the more than 5,000 killed in Thailand in the Dec. 26 Indian ocean tsunami.
Police General Noppadol Somboonsub told Reuters the Thailand Tsunami Victim Identification on the resort island of Phuket still had at least 1,500 corpses in cold storage waiting to be identified.
Thailand's official death toll from the disaster stands at 5,395, of which 2,436 are believed to be foreigners. Another 2,817 people are listed as missing.
Noppadol gave the following breakdown of the nationalities of the identified bodies: COUNTRY BODIES Thailand 527 Sweden 487 Germany 466 Finland 154 Switzerland 82 Norway 79 Great Britain 76 Austria 68 France 62 Denmark 37 Netherlands 27 Italy 19 Canada 15 Japan 13 Australia 11 Singapore 10 South Korea 6 Poland 5 Portugal 5 Philippines 4 Belgium 4 Ireland 3 Spain 2 Israel 2 Lumemburg 2 3 Spain 2 Israel 2 Lumemburg 2.
Source: Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
Foreign tsunami ID teams to quit Thailand in Dec
Foreign experts identifying thousands of unknown bodies killed in the December 26 tsunami will leave Thailand at the end of the year when their Thai colleagues will take over, a senior Thai official said on Wednesday.
The world's biggest forensics operation will also move its operations from the resort island of Phuket to Bangkok where work will continue on identifying some 1,500 unknown bodies.
'By the end of this year, all DVI teams from overseas who are helping us identify the bodies will go home and we will move our DVI operations from Phuket to Bangkok,' Police General Noppadol Somboonsub said of the 100 Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) experts now in Phuket.
'It will be more convenient for us to seek help from doctors in Bangkok and save a lot on air fares flying down there,' Noppadol, who heads the international identification effort.
Thailand's official death toll from the Indian Ocean disaster stands at 5,395, of which 2,436 are believed to be foreigners. An additional 2,817 people are listed as missing.
Noppadol said the number of unidentified bodies had come down to about 1,500 from 3,777 in March.
Among the 2,166 identified bodies returned to their families, 1,639 were foreigners, he said.
The forensic operation -- which at its peak included experts from 35 national police forces worldwide -- uses fingerprints, dental records and DNA to put names to the bodies.
The Sarajevo-based International Commission on Missing Persons and a government lab in China are helping to analyse tissue samples taken from the bodies.
Australia said on Wednesday its contracted partner, disaster specialists Kenyon International, had handed over hospital supplies, computer software and other DVI equipment to the Thailand Tsunami Victim Identification (TTVI) centre.
"Our emphasis is on providing training and capacity-building to the Royal Thai Police," the Australian Embassy in Bangkok said in a statement.
The 1,500 unknown bodies would remain in cold storage in Phuket at least until the end of 2006.
"By the end of next year, we should have a clear picture of what we need to do with the remaining bodies that cannot be identified," he said.
"We may put them in coffins and bury them. If we continue to receive contacts from relatives, we may have to continue to store them in refrigerated containers," he said.
Noppadol suspected that many of the unknown bodies were illegal migrant workers who would never be identified because their relatives in Thailand were afraid to come forward.
Source: Reuters.uk - UK
Monday, August 15, 2005
Students to develop biz plans for tsunami-affected villages
Engineering and management students in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry will try to come up with a business proposal to provide health, sanitation and water to tsunami-affected villages, which can make them richer by Rs 100,000.
Under a contest being organised by Tata Consultancy Services, IIT-M and US-based Stanford University on August 20 and 21 in Chennai, the students are expected to come out with business proposals on tackling issues related to health, sanitation and water in tsunami-hit villages.
This move is also aimed at developing social entrepreneurship and leadership skills among the students. A cash prize of Rs 100,000 will be given to the first placed student.
The second and third places will receive cash prizes of Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively. 'However, the winners will be given only 10 per cent of the money. Remaining 90 per cent will be given when they start implementing the project,' Vice-President, TCS, K Anatha Krishnan told reporters on the sidelines of a workshop being organised on Saturday and Sunda in connection with the contest.
About 100 colleges have already registered and around 400 students are expected to participate in the contest.
Source: Economic Times - India
After tsunami, a peace deal
Efforts to end one of Asia's longest-running conflicts will reach an important pass Monday when Indonesia is due to sign a far-reaching peace accord in Helsinki with Acehnese rebel leaders.
If the peace holds, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono can lay to rest a conflict that has disrupted the northern tip of Sumatra island since 1976, claiming over 12,000 lives and traumatizing an entire generation of men and women. The accord could pave the way for Indonesia to calm other restive areas, most notably Papua, where separatist sentiment runs high. It could also provide pointers for other Asian countries, such as the Philippines, in how to untangle seemingly intractable separatist rebellions over long-standing grievances.
'If we can deal with Aceh, it means that autonomy could work in Indonesia without splitting the country apart. It's an important lesson,' says Umar Juoro, a political scientist at the Center for International Development Studies in Jakarta.
To be sure, major hurdles lie ahead, not least the demilitarization of a province awash in illegal arms. The path to peace in Aceh is littered with the wrecks of truces, including two failed efforts in the past five years.
This time, however, optimism is far more palpable among Jakarta's political elite, who have lined up squarely behind the accord. In Aceh, the mood is reportedly more somber, while still hopeful of peace.
In return for surrendering their arms, the fighters in the Free Aceh Movement, whose dwindling forces are put at 3,000, will be offered an amnesty and a chance to run for political office in an autonomous Aceh. In addition, 70 percent of the revenues from Aceh's abundant natural resources, including oil and gas, will go to the provincial government.
Indonesia's parliament last week voted unanimously to back the accord, though nationalist lawmakers remain skeptical over giving ground to the rebels, known by the Indonesian acronym GAM.
A former Islamic sultanate that fiercely resisted Dutch colonization, Aceh has long complained of misrule from Jakarta. Over the past 20 years, the province has been offered varying degrees of autonomy, along with both carrots and sticks in an effort to pry the guns from rebel hands. None has taken hold, and many Acehnese doubt both the government's willingness to share power and GAM's sincerity in talking peace.
Suspicions also run high of Indonesian security forces that underpin Jakarta's rule and profit from the black-market web spun around the fighting.
This poisonous stalemate was broken by a natural disaster: Aceh was the epicenter of the massive Dec. 26 earthquake that triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean. At least 126,000 people died, and many more were left destitute.
As in Sri Lanka, where humanitarian aid crossed battle lines, the devastation cast an international spotlight on the conflict and forced politicians and guerrillas to set new priorities.
Over the past weekend, Sri Lanka suffered a major setback in its own peace process when the nation's foreign minister was assassinated. The government in Colombo declared a state of emergency as security forces scoured the city, eventually arresting 12 ethnic Tamils. The rebel Tamil Tigers have denied involvement in the killing, which threatens to shatter an already fragile three-year-old cease-fire.
Indonesia, however, has made more of its post-tsunami opportunity to make peace. The tragedy has created a space for political dialogue and has mobilized billions of dollars in long-term reconstruction funds. Analysts say the lucrative aid operation is part and parcel of the drive to bring Aceh into the Indonesian fold by peaceful means.
"This means that funding is available for the peace process and there's an enormous amount of creativity and 'by the seat of their pants' thinking within the government about how to make this agreement works," says Sidney Jones, head of the International Crisis Group in Jakarta.
Even before the tsunami struck, Indonesian government officials had begun exploratory talks with GAM's exiled leaders in Europe. Indonesia also put out feelers to field commanders in Aceh, says Ms. Jones, mindful of the potential disconnect between the exiled elite and those they claim to represent. A military crackdown since 2003 has depleted rebel ranks, though observers say the flow of weapons and money into the province has continued.
SCOTT WALLACE - STAFF
Whether the two military forces involved adhere to the unfolding political process remains a wild card. Indonesian Army chiefs have pledged their support, while giving warnings of the risk of pulling out troops too quickly.
Under the peace deal, army units based outside the province are required to withdraw as GAM begins to disarm. But analysts say this may prove too much for Indonesia's top brass to swallow.
"GAM has agreed on a tactical basis before to a number of pauses [in fighting]. But they never gave up their weapons - they just take the opportunity to regroup," warns Ken Conboy, a military historian and security consultant in Jakarta.
But Yudhoyono - a retired general - might enjoy more success than his predecessors in the task of keeping Indonesia's powerful military in line.
Since defeating Megawati Sukarnoputri in a run-off election last September, Yudhoyono has improved the conditions in Jakarta for a peaceful solution to the Aceh conflict by taking a more conciliatory tack.
Vice President Yusuf Kalla, who has brokered peace deals in sectarian conflicts in Indonesia's troubled eastern islands, has also brought a pragmatic approach to the GAM negotiations drawing on his experiences elsewhere. Mr. Kalla also has the support of Golkar, the largest party in parliament.
At the same time, both leaders have faced repeated cries of sellout from politicians who fear a repeat of East Timor's breakaway from Indonesia in 1999 and giving succor to other separatist movements. Observers say the administration's willingness to upset allies has been key to their success so far.
"We shouldn't underestimate the difficulties they [Yudhoyono and Kalla] have gone through. They were committed even before the tsunami. There's a political will to carrying this through," says a Western diplomat in Jakarta.
Source: Christian Science Monitor - USA
Friday, August 05, 2005
Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System Readied for Next Year
An Indian Ocean tsunami warning system is expected to be fully operational by the middle of next year. Representatives of more than 20 countries are gathered in Perth in Western Australia under United Nations auspices this week to discuss the project's technical and scientific requirements
The framework for the Indian Ocean tsunami warning system is already in place. The meeting in Perth will determine how far the project has come and how much more needs to be done.
Both the interim system and a final version will actually be a network of separate alert systems operated by individual countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India.
The backbone of this coordinated system will be an array of hi-tech sensors measuring waves, tides and water pressures. The sensors transmit information about climate and other scientific data every hour or so, providing a rudimentary alert system.
The system, mimicking one already in place in the Pacific Ocean, is designed to avoid a repeat of last December, in which a tsunami triggered by an earthquake off Indonesia crashed without warning into a dozen countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa. More than 200 000 people died, many hundreds of thousands were left homeless and the devastation was enormous.
Patricio Bernal is executive secretary of the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, which is spearheading the new warning system. He says the system requires at least three major components.
'One is the detection, the one that we are speaking of right now, but the other two are very essential,' he said. 'One is the assessment of the risk, and this has to be done by each of the nations of the region, and the third element is, of course, preparedness - emergency preparedness."
Officials say the current, interim system already has the capability to detect the presence of a tsunami.
A second, more sophisticated network is expected to be completed by next July. This will involve the installation of a series of pressure gauges on the Indian Ocean sea floor that would more accurately - and far more quickly - detect the approach and direction of a major tsunami.
But Mr. Bernal notes that detecting and warning of a tsunami will accomplish little if the nations in the wave's path are not ready to act on the warning.
"There is no use to have a very fine warning system if you don't have plans to prepare and evacuate populations and to communicate to them, alert the authorities and co-ordinate logistics to move people," he said.
Reliable communication is also considered essential, and countries around the Indian Ocean are being urged to improve their communications efficiency.
Source: Voice of America - USA
Phase I housing for tsunami-hit by Sept
The first phase of the permanent housing in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam for tsunami-affected people is expected to be completed by September while the entire 70,000 houses will be completed by December.
Inaugurating the Tamil Nadu Tsunami Resource centre (TNTRC), R Santhanam, special commissioner and commissioner of revenue administration, Tamil Nadu, said that only about 22,000 to 25,000 people were living in the 31,000 temporary shelters.
We have suggested that people living within 200 metres from the sea move to the permanent shelters which are being constructed at a cost of Rs 1.5 lakh per house, he added.
Santhanam said that almost 80 per cent of land acquisition for the permanent housing has been completed.
'About Rs 800 crore have already been sanctioned to NGOs working towards tsunami relief and rehabilitation,' he added.
Maxine Olson, UNDP resident representative and UN resident coordinator in India, said that TNTRC had a soft launch in April 2005 with an investment of Rs 2.3 crore ( $600,000).
TNTRC is funded by United Nations Development Programme, Oxfam International, Save International, Save the Children, World Vision, Catholic Relief Services and Caritas India. The centre will be operational for the next two years, she added.
The objectives of TNTRC will be to facilitate information and knowledge networking among all agencies engaged in reconstruction and rehabilitation of tsunami-affected communities, to ensure proper coverage, reduce duplication of efforts by facilitating a functional and geographical coordination between recovery stakeholders, and to facilitate dialogue, networking and collaboration among all stakeholders on specific sectors or thematic areas.
Source: Business Standard - India
Monday, August 01, 2005
Artists unite to help victims of tsunami horror
WHEN Daisy Bell's uncle died while helping people during the Boxing Day tsunami, she decided to do something positive to help the aid charity he directed.
Friends suggested a sponsored run, or maybe a student art exhibition. But the Edinburgh undergraduate had an ambition to raise �10,000. So instead of amateurs she decided to write to some of Britain's best-known artists, asking them to send a postcard with an example of their work.
Now, three months later, Bell has compiled one of the most extraordinary collections of postcards ever seen in Scotland. Displaying work from almost 200 artists, writers, musicians, actors and celebrities, the exhibition ranges from doodles by Sir Paul McCartney, actor Bill Nighy and singer Charlotte Church to serious watercolours by Scottish artists Antony Gormley, Hugh Buchanan and Elizabeth Blackadder.
Damien Hirst has drawn an image of his infamous shark, while controversial artists the Chapman Brothers have drawn a two-headed figure shouting an obscenity. Radio One DJ Chris Moyles offered a doodle of the word 'peace'.
The collection, which will be auctioned at Edinburgh's Ocean Terminal at the end of September, is expected to far outstrip the �10,000 Bell hoped to raise for the development agency CARE international, of which her uncle, Robin Needham, was UK director.
Bell, 20, who is organising the exhibition with her Edinburgh University friends Mary Ramsden and Marianna Chidley, says she has been overwhelmed by the response. She said: 'I went away at Easter and sent a batch of blank postcards from the airport. When I returned, sitting on my kitchen table were two replies - one from Antony Gormley and the other from the Chapman brothers.
'I then realised this was going to be big. I had only sent a letter to the Chapman brothers a week before, so they must have opened it and painted it immediately, which is very impressive. We started in March and by the time we reached April we already had more than 90 replies."
She added: "Most people said don't be that optimistic, you will never get 200 replies, but we have exceeded that.
"One person said: 'Why on earth are you doing this? Why don't you just do a sponsored run around Arthur's Seat, dress up as teddy bears and raise the money that way?'
"But this is not only an interesting idea, it is attractive to a broad range of people both young and old. Not only are we getting very modern work, we are also getting quite traditional work like watercolours and oils.
"I wrote five letters to Damien Hirst and got five replies from his PA saying that he gets a lot of offers but sadly he couldn't do this one. Then I found out my sister goes to school with a girl whose step-sister's father lives next door to Damien Hirst. It sounds tenuous and I didn't think it would work but it did."
Bernard Williams, director of Christie's Scotland, who will host the auction in September said the response had been extremely surprising.
"We are potentially looking at tens of thousands of pounds. The Hirst and the McCartney are the star lots.
"If one was to take a ball-park figure of a postcard-size Damien Hirst, you are looking at anything between £5,000 and £10,000 - but then how many of them are around? He is a very difficult artist to buy.
"There is a beautiful Blackadder, which at that scale must be worth around £500. With the madness in the evening, hopefully it will make more.
"Her uncle's story has obviously struck a chord with a lot of people who wouldn't normally respond. A lot of the people featured in this exhibition get begging letters daily, so it takes something a little bit special to respond."
Needham died when the giant wave struck while he was on holiday on Koh Phra Thong, a small coastal archipelago off southern Thailand, with his wife Lucy and their four children. He was last seen shepherding people to higher ground and all his family managed to survive.
A 25-year career in CARE had seen him undertake disaster and development aid posts in Kenya, Nepal and Bangladesh. All proceeds of the sale will go towards the fund set up in the name of Robin Needham with CARE International UK, to help specific villages destroyed by the tsunami.
Hugh Buchanan, who sent in a small landscape, said: "Hats off to them. They were quite well organised. They wrote first then followed it up with a call. These sorts of things make the difference as I hate it when people just call up and say can I donate a picture.
"I always say: 'I have a much better idea, why don't you go round every fund manager in Edinburgh and ask them to donate their lawn mower for a charity auction because artists are always underwriting these charities.' But they were so nice I thought I would help them out.
"I must say it's a very eclectic list they have compiled. There are some very unusual names like Charlotte Church and Chris Moyles - the mind boggles."
The auction will be held on September 30 at Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh. To preview the postcards and for more information, visit www.artofcare.co.uk
Source: Scotsman - United Kingdom
Rotary Club buys fishing boats for tsunami victims
The Rapid City Rotary Club has raised $51,000 to buy fishing boats, motors and nets for Sri Lanka families affected by last year's tsunami.
The money will buy 15 boats to be cooperatively owned by two Sri Lanka families who made their livelihoods from offshore fishing before the disaster, according to the club.
The program was inspired by David Whiting, son of Rapid City Rotary club member Fred Whiting. Whiting's college fraternity brother is a Sri Lanka native and president of a Rotary Club in that country.
The local chapter teamed with clubs in Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom on the project.
Source: Aberdeen American News - Aberdeen,SD,USA
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