12-30-2004, 06:33 PM
Sri Lanka: Monks step in (?)
<b>SRI LANKA
23,000 dead
MISSING: Unknown </b>
BUDDHIST monks are handing out rice and curry to survivors at temples.
The death toll on the island rose steadily yesterday as corpses continued to be pulled from rivers and lagoons.
An estimated million people are homeless.
In a rare gesture, the government invited leaders of the Tamil Tigers separatist movement to help relief efforts.
The Tigers echoed a government appeal for aid just a month after vowing to restart the war stopped by a ceasefire two years ago.
Their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran issued a statement of condolence to the southern Sinhalese he has been fighting for more than two decades.
Health authorities began receiving reports of widespread diarrhoea — caused by drinking contaminated water — and measles.
Bodies are being photographed, fingerprinted and buried without being identified.
In the countrys second city, Galle, nearly all the homes within half a mile of the coast were destroyed or damaged.
All 135 children at an orphanage run by Tamil women rebels were killed.
THE Foreign Office has issued an emergency number 020 7008 0000 for those who wish to check on relatives and friends affected by the tsunami or to pass on information about them.
For travel advice on the affected countries visit the Foreign Office website at www.fco.gov.uk or telephone 0870 606 0290. For other general enquiries call 020 7008 1500.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-20046...4602250,00.html
<b>SRI LANKA
23,000 dead
MISSING: Unknown </b>
BUDDHIST monks are handing out rice and curry to survivors at temples.
The death toll on the island rose steadily yesterday as corpses continued to be pulled from rivers and lagoons.
An estimated million people are homeless.
In a rare gesture, the government invited leaders of the Tamil Tigers separatist movement to help relief efforts.
The Tigers echoed a government appeal for aid just a month after vowing to restart the war stopped by a ceasefire two years ago.
Their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran issued a statement of condolence to the southern Sinhalese he has been fighting for more than two decades.
Health authorities began receiving reports of widespread diarrhoea — caused by drinking contaminated water — and measles.
Bodies are being photographed, fingerprinted and buried without being identified.
In the countrys second city, Galle, nearly all the homes within half a mile of the coast were destroyed or damaged.
All 135 children at an orphanage run by Tamil women rebels were killed.
THE Foreign Office has issued an emergency number 020 7008 0000 for those who wish to check on relatives and friends affected by the tsunami or to pass on information about them.
For travel advice on the affected countries visit the Foreign Office website at www.fco.gov.uk or telephone 0870 606 0290. For other general enquiries call 020 7008 1500.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-20046...4602250,00.html
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