09/01/2005 insurgencies Cast Shadow Over Tsunami Relief By David Fox
GALLE, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Long-running armed rebellions in Indonesia and Sri Lanka cast a shadow on Sunday over massive relief efforts in two nations devastated by a deadly tsunami two weeks ago. Indonesia's military beefed up security in the Aceh region, the worst hit by the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami, after gunfire erupted in the provincial capital Banda Aceh early in the day. There were no casualties, but one policeman said it could have been related to a long-running insurgency in Aceh. In Sri Lanka, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the government should use the support it was receiving from around the world to heal the country's ethnic divisions and end a civil war with Tamil rebels. The government blocked Annan from visiting tsunami-hit areas in the rebel-held north and east of the island on Saturday, citing security concerns. "The world wants to help Sri Lanka in the task to recover and rebuild," the secretary-general told a news conference on Sunday. "I hope that Sri Lanka would use the support and the goodwill, not only to recover from this tragedy but as an opportunity to unite in the work for peace. "I'm hoping to be able to come back and some day be able to visit all parts of the country, not only to visit all parts of the country which I hope will be rebuilt but also to celebrate peace." The government's two-decade war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels has killed more than 64,000 people but is on hold thanks to a three-year cease-fire. Meanwhile, it was not clear whether an elderly Sri Lankan man found dazed and ill in the ruins of a building swamped by the tsunami had been trapped since the waves overran Asian coastlines two weeks ago. The man, identified as H.G. Sirisena, was found on Saturday in the devastated seaside town of Galle and the local Sunday Times newspaper ran a photograph of him on the front page, saying he had miraculously survived despite being trapped in the rubble. But residents said he was seen in the locality just a few days ago. "We have seen him around the area a few times since the tsunami," said W. D. Somasiri Wijowoora. "He seems to be a bit crazy. We have offered him food and clothes, but he refuses." A doctor treating him said he could not gauge how long the man had been out in the open. "We treated the patient for a fractured lower arm, mild pneumonia and dehydration," said Dr. Lalith Perera. "It is impossible to say if these injuries were caused by the tsunami or something else." At least 156,000 people were killed across Asia by the earthquake and tsunami, the most widespread natural disaster in living memory. Thousands more are still missing and there is little hope of finding many of them alive. The shooting in Banda Aceh raised concerns about the safety of hundreds of Western aid personnel pouring into Aceh province, where almost all of Indonesia's more than 104,000 deaths from the tsunami and earthquake occurred. Although one policeman blamed rebels waging a separatist campaign in Aceh, another said a disturbed government soldier fired the shots outside a deputy police chief's house and near the main U.N. aid office. Of the other dead, more than 30,000 were in Sri Lanka, about 15,000 in India and over 5,000 in Thailand. People also died in Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh and several East African nations. In an unprecedented response, governments and agencies have pledged more than $5 billion in aid. Corporations and private individuals, from Hollywood stars and professional athletes to children donating lunch money, have promised $1.5 billion more. Rich nations pledged on Friday to suspend debt repayments by tsunami-hit nations, which may free resources for rebuilding. World Bank President James Wolfensohn, visiting Sri Lanka, said the Bank would also consider debt relief and could hand out up to $1.5 billion in aid. But he cautioned he was concerned about how funds are spent. In India's stricken Andaman and Nicobar Islands, aid workers complained a visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday had put the brakes on their attempts to reach the remote interior because officials were busy with his itinerary. "For the last three days, officials have done little else except make pie charts, graphs, files for the prime minister's visit," said Vikram Tirkey, a doctor on the remote island chain. Forty nations lost nationals in the catastrophe in addition to the 13 countries swamped by the tsunami. Some 7,500 foreign tourists are dead, missing or unaccounted for. (Additional reporting by Dan Eaton and Achmad Sukarsono in Banda Aceh, Simon Gardner in Colombo) (For more news on emergency relief from Reuters AlertNet visit http:/www.alertnet.org email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; +44 20 7542 2432) http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7272935&pageNumber=1 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! 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