PACIFIC DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION NETWORK (PDMIN)
1 Jarrett White Road MCPA-DM, Tripler AMC, HI 96859-5000
Telephone: 808.433.7035 · PDMIN@coe-dmha.org · http://www.coe-dmha.org

Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami Emergency Update

April 20, 2005

Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.

Table of Contents:

Overview......................................page 2-6

Indonesia.....................................page 7-15

Sri Lanka.....................................page 16-23

Thailand.......................................page 24-28

Overview

· The overall focus of attention is on relief, recovery, and rehabilitation for the December 26 earthquake and tsunami disaster. The death toll from tsunamis triggered by an undersea earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale off the west coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island has recently been revised to some 228,000 people along the coastal areas of 11 countries in the Indian Ocean, largely due to the Indonesian government revising its estimate for the number of people missing from 93,458 to 37,063, an approximate 60 percent cut. Reuters reports that the change in the missing reflects the identification of people who were listed as missing but were actually among those displaced after the disaster destroyed their homes.

· Tsunami-related deaths were recorded in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Maldives, Bangladesh, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya. The loss of life is particularly severe in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. Some 166,000 dead and missing are from Indonesia. The death toll in Sri Lanka climbed to 30,000 and is expected to go higher. In India, at least 10,672 died in Tamil Nadu State and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The death toll on Thailand’s west coast climbed to around 5,400, including some 1,953 foreigners from at least 36 countries. More than 400 combined deaths have been reported in the other countries.

· Preliminary costs are: Indonesia – US$4.5 billion, Sri Lanka - US$3.5 billion, India - US$2 billion, Thailand - US$235 million and Maldives - US$1.3 billion. The world’s largest reinsurer, Munich Re, estimates the total cost of the disaster will exceed US$13.6 billion. On February 16, UN Assistant Secretary General Hafiz Pasha said rebuilding the affected areas would cost some US$10-12 billion dollars over the next three to five years. (Feb-16, AFP) In the four worst-affected countries, namely Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, the economic impact is expected to be manageable. The GDP growth for India is expected to be unaffected. The 2005 projected GDP growth rate now stands at 5.4% for Indonesia; 4.2% for Sri Lanka; and 4.3% for Thailand. According to a joint assessment carried out by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the World Bank (WB), reconstruction cost for areas affected by the disaster is likely to exceed well over preliminary estimates of US$7 billion. Former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush senior visited some tsunami-affected countries in February and said at the end of their tour, that some US$11.5 billion was needed for reconstruction.

· Coordination: The UN announced on March 14 an agreement with accounting firm Price Waterhouse Coopers for 8,000 hours of pro bono work to monitor disbursement of its some US$977 million tsunami relief fund. A website is planned to be set up to allow people to track how the money is spent. (Mar-14, UN)

· Logistics:

o UNJLC has a detailed list of civilian/commercial transportation assets available on its website www.unjlc.org (Feb-3, UNJLC)

· Food: Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, estimates 2 million people are in need of food aid. FAO says overall food availability in the region is adequate to cover needs. The agency is working to rehabilitate fisheries and agriculture.

o On March 25 the WFP said that the starvation and malnutrition crisis feared after the disaster has largely been averted. WFP says that more than 1.75 million people are receiving food aid from the agency. WFP says it has shipped more than 50,000 tons of food. (Mar-25, AFP)

o The UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) warned that a build up of excessive fishing capacity must be avoided in tsunami-affected countries. (Feb-21, FAO) The FAO said that the tsunami cost the fishing industries of the 7 hardest hit countries some US$520 million in damages. (Feb-17, AP, UNNC)

· Health/Medical: World Health Organization (WHO) officials estimated that up to five million people displaced and at risk, with some 750,000 estimated as displaced in Indonesia. WHO estimates 500,000 people were injured. There are scattered reports of diarrhea, malaria, dengue, measles, pneumonia, tetanus and skin infections, but no disease outbreaks.

· Security: Reports of continued violence in Sri Lanka’s east.

o The Indonesian government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) representatives wrapped up a third round of peace talks on Saturday (April 16) in Helsinki, Finland one day earlier than scheduled.  The talks were described as “positive and constructive.” Both sides agreed to hold a fourth round of peace talks from May 26 to 31. Despite the talks, sporadic clashes between TNI and GAM in Aceh also reported.

· Shelter: On March 8 Aceh Governor Azwar Abubakar said that the GoI will stop building shelters in Aceh and instead focus on making sure existing ones have proper sanitation and clean water. He says that the decision was reached after many survivors indicated that they would rather stay with relatives than in temporary housing.

· Political-Military:

o The Malaysian government said on April 5 that it would soon withdraw all its some 150 remaining troops from Aceh after GoI asked Kuala Lumpur “to take measures to bring them home.”

o Malaysia began crackdown on illegal workers in the country on March 1. UNHCR expressed concern that some asylum seekers and refugees from Aceh may be caught up in the crackdown. Over 4,000 illegal migrants, most of them Indonesians, have been detained in March. (Mar-30, Jakarta Post) Refugees International (RI) says that Aceh refugees in Malaysia are facing a triple threat: Families and lands were devastated by the tsunami; communities in Aceh continue to be in the crossfire as the conflict between the GAM and GoI continues; and they are subject to arrest and deportation in Malaysia as illegal immigrants. (Apr-12, RI)

· International Assistance: The UN reported that humanitarian assistance to tsunami-affected countries totaled some US$6.28 billion. The UN says some US$935 million of the some US$977 million promised to meet a UN flash appeal for 6 months has been paid or committed for payments, with private contributions totaling US$63 million. UN says it already has some US$550 million in the bank. (Mar-1, IHT, Feb-25, Reuters) The multinational development banks, namely the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), are also providing US$412 million, US$675 million and US$500 million respectively.

· Last Wednesday (April 13) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan officially introduced former US President Bill Clinton as the UN special envoy to head UN operations for recovery and reconstruction. “We have to have a sense of priorities. We’ve got to restore livelihoods as quickly as possible and make sure temporary housing is there, and deal with the fundamental public health issues, like sanitation and clean water, over the long run. I think we have to make a special effort to help the displaced persons, obviously,” Clinton said. Annan says among Clinton’s tasks are to ensure that donors not only pledge but also disburse the money needed for rebuilding and that it also reaches those who need it the most, as well as mobilize support for regional early warning and disaster mitigation mechanisms. (Apr 13, 14, Indonesia-Relief, UNNS)

· Jan Egeland, the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said on Wednesday (April 6) that the initial response to the tsunami disaster was successful, but the problem now was to maintain the momentum of aid. “There is in some communities a growing frustration. They have heard of the large sums of money pledged but they have not yet got their house rebuilt nor their livelihood and it will take more time,” Egeland said. Egeland says the UN was raising its initial appeal of US$970 million to US$1.08 billion. The UN says some 80 percent of the appeal had been raised or pledged. He says that the total international promise of aid totals nearly US$6 billion, although much of it could take years to materialize. (Apr-6, Reuters)

· In a report on its activities in the first 90 days since the tsunami, UNICEF reported that up to 90 percent of children in the most affected communities have been able to return to school, most within the first month following the disaster. Additionally, UNICEF says that very few children had died from preventable diseases in the aftermath of the tsunami. The agency says it plans to spend some US$90 million on rebuilding schools devastated by the recent disasters in Indonesia. UNICEF also says it wishes to train more than 1,200 new teachers in Indonesia. (Apr-6, AFP)

· The Asian Development Bank (ADB) says that 2 million more Asians have joined the ranks of the poor even though the overall impact on the economies of the affected countries looks small. The bank warns that it could take the affected years to recover from poverty and also urged governments to ensure that funds are not lost through corruption. “Despite the huge scale of loss of human life, homelessness and displaced populations, the macroeconomic impact of the disaster appears limited. Nonetheless, the economic impact will be felt severely at the local and community levels, dragging a significant number of already poor people into deeper poverty,” the ADB said in a statement. (Apr-6, AFP) ADB reported a US$4.22 billion shortfall in the US$7.76 billion estimate for required funds to help rebuild the four countries worst-affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster: India, Indonesia, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka.  To date, donor nations and agencies have committed US$3.54 billion.  At an ADB-organized conference in Manila on March 18, the ADB presented its data in a “Tsunami Recovery Tracking Matrix.”  An ADB spokesman acknowledged that while the matrix was not definitive, it was hoped to be used as a fundamental planning tool, to get a broad view of what is needed, where it is needed, and how much it will cost.  ADB on Monday (April 11) said that it approved a US$300 million grant for Indonesia, reportedly its largest grant ever, to rebuild areas hardest hit by the disaster. The money will be used for restoring essential public services, reviving economic activity and rebuilding infrastructure. (Apr-11, Reuters).

o The FAO reported at a workshop in Bangkok on March 31-April 1, that soil salinity in affected areas was less severe than previously thought. The FAO says that of the 47,000 hectares (ha) (116,100 acres) of agricultural land damaged by the tsunami in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Maldives, India and Thailand, some 38,000 ha (93,900 acres) can be cultivated this year, while the remaining 9,000 ha (22,240 acres), mainly in Aceh have been overtaken by the sea or can no longer be used. (Apr-6, FAO)

o Paris Club grouping of 19 wealthy nations last week offered to freeze payments of tsunami-affected nations until the end of the year and allow the deferred payments to be repaid over five years with a one-year grace period. (Mar-11, Reuters) Sri Lanka reportedly immediately accepted the offer and said it would lobby to extend the offer to 2006 or 2007. Indonesia on March 14 said that it would accept the debt moratorium offer. (Mar-14, Xinhua, Tempo Interactive)

o UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura, has called on countries affected by the tsunami to “really” commit themselves to setting up an early warning center within the next 14 months. (Apr-19, UNNS, PTI) The International Oceanographic Commission said April 16 that donors have pledged US$5.5 million dollars in extra funds to set up an Indian Ocean early warning tsunami system. Officials estimate some US$20million-US$30 million would be needed for the system, officials announced at a three day meeting in Mauritius. Around 250 delegates from 25 Indian Ocean states, 8 IOC countries and 10 International organizations attended. (Apr-16, AFP) On Monday (April 18) UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Director Salvano Briceno said that plans for the tsunami warning system is advancing well. (Apr-18, Irin) At a meeting in Paris, countries affected by the tsunami disaster and UN experts agreed on a timetable for an early warning system. The US and Japan will begin providing tsunami warning to countries around the Indian Ocean as a stopgap measure. Under the plan, both the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and Japan’s Meteorological Agency will give out alerts after analysis of quakes in the region. A second step will see tidal movement gauges upgraded, while gauges will be fitted near Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. In the last phase, estimated to be completed by the end of 2006, a regional warning center will be built, with links to a network of gauges and sensors across the region. (Mar-9, BBC)

o The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), along with support from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), has pledged some US$145 million for Indonesia’s Aceh province, to be largely spent on children orphaned by the tsunami. (Feb-20, AFP)

· Leaders of more than a dozen international sports organizations have pledged to join UN-led recovery efforts. According to the UN, the International Volleyball Federation has announced US$3 million to recovery, and the international Rugby Board has sent US$3.35 million to the WFP. (Apr-14, UNNS)

· International Development & Relief Organizations:

o Oxfam International says that the tsunami disaster has left a gender imbalance in affected areas because in some places, the disaster claimed four times as many women as men. Oxfam says women were worst-hit because they were waiting on beaches for fishermen to return or were at home looking after their children. Oxfam did the study in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. Oxfam’s policy director, Becky Buell, says “this disproportionate impact will lead to problems for years to come unless everyone working on the aid effort addresses the issue now.” (Mar-26, BBC, AFP)

Indonesia

Organization

Overview …………………………………………………………page 8

Sectors……………………………………………………………page 11

Overview: Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported Monday (April 18) that according to official data, Indonesia’s confirmed death toll rose by 1,800 to 128,715, compared with figures released more than a week ago. The number of missing remains at 37,063 according to the national disaster coordinating agency. (Apr-18, AFP) The Indonesian government (GoI) earlier in April revised its estimate for the number of people missing from 93,458 to 37,063, an approximate 60 percent cut, because of better data collection. Reuters reports that the change in the missing reflects the identification of people who were listed as missing but were actually among those displaced after the disaster destroyed their homes.

The Jakarta Post reports that Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has formally inaugurated the special government agency tasked with coordinating reconstruction in disaster-hit Aceh province and Nias island.  The agency, the Executive Agency for the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Aceh and Nias, will take over from the provincial government for reconstruction.   The agency will manage some US$5 billion in reconstruction funds over the next 5 years as well as award tenders to the private sector for reconstruction work, the Jakarta Post reports.  State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that the agency was expected to start work this week.  “The regulation stipulates that the agency will have wide powers to manage the reconstruction efforts in Aceh and Nias, including dealing directly with the private sector, and donor countries and agencies,” he said.  “The provincial administrations will handle other functions that are not related to the reconstruction process. However, to avoid any overlapping, a number of provincial officials will hold ex officio positions in the agency,” Yusril added.  According to the Jakarta Post, the government would appoint the Supreme Audit Agency, the State Development Comptroller and private accounting firms to audit financial reports from the agency to ensure accountability of the money spent. The Aceh governor will serve as the vice chair, while the chair is expected to be a professional or senior bureaucrat with a “clean” reputation, according to the Jakarta Post.  The body will be directly accountable to the president and financially accountable to the Ministry of Finance.  Yudhoyono is expected to issue a presidential decree on the appointment of members over the next few days, according to Yusril. According to the International Herald Tribune, a former minister of mines and energy, is expected to be appointed as head of the agency.

The challenge is to translate the master plan into new homes and jobs as soon as possible, Bo Apslund, United Nations resident representative in Indonesia said. “It’s clear that people want the blueprint not just to be signed but to also start making an impact in what’s happening on the ground,” he said.

A strong 6.4-magnitude (USGS) earthquake shook Nias Island late Saturday (April 16) reportedly causing panic among residents, but no casualties were reported.  Nias, which took the brunt of the fatalities and damage of the March 28 8.7-magnitude quake, which killed over 600 people, lost electricity and people reportedly rushed to higher grounds in fear of a possible tsunami.  An official at the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency in Medan, Albertus Simanullang, said the epicenter of the quake was about 44 kilometers (27.34 miles) northeast of the main town of Gunung Sitoli.  He says that Saturday’s quake was the largest since the March 28 quake.  The temblor reportedly caused some cracks in some buildings, but no buildings were reported to have collapsed.  Police reportedly used megaphones in an attempt to restore calm.  An earlier quake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale shook the seabed some 159 miles (26 kilometers) west of Sumatra Island in the afternoon.  Additionally, two smaller earthquakes measuring 4.5 and 5.6 on the Richter scale shook the western coast of Sumatra on Monday (April 18) but no damages or casualties were reported, the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Office reported.  Indonesia has been hit by a series of earthquakes since the December 26 earthquake.  Additionally, close to a dozen volcanoes have come to life, which Indonesian scientists say is related to the December quake.  At Mount Talang, some 43,100 people reportedly have been evacuated as of Saturday (April 16), as the volcano continued to spew out ash. The 2,690-meter (9,825-foot) Talang is located some 528 miles (938 km) northwest of Jakarta.  Mas Ace Purbawanita of the Vulcanology Office said that residents had begun evacuating last Tuesday (April 12).  However, vulcanologists lowered the status of Talang to "watch" from "alert" status on Sunday (April 17) as activity at the volcano decreased.  The Jakarta Post reports that the Solok administration has told residents they can return home, the coordinator of the Solok Disaster Prevention Center, Elfi Syahlan said.  Indonesian scientists are closely watching 10 other volcanoes that have recently sprung to life.  The Jakarta Post on Friday (April 15) reported that of these, vulcanologists were paying close attention to at least five: Mt. Talang, Mt. Tangkuban Perahu, Mt Anak Krakatau in west Sumatra, Mt. Semeru in East Java and Mt. Merapi in Yogyakarta, on Java.  However, scientists had ruled out any imminent major eruption. The Indonesian government reported April 8 that the country would need some US$326.4 million (Rp 3.1 trillion) to rebuild areas damaged by the March 28 8.7-magnitude earthquake.  The money is needed to rebuild damaged roads, bridges, and buildings that are mainly on the island of Nias, The epicenter of the March 28 earthquake was around 100 miles (160 km) southeast of the epicenter of the massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake on December 26. The epicenter was located at a depth of some 18.6 miles (30 km) and was some 880 miles (1410 km) northwest of the capital Jakarta, according to the USGS. The quake was reportedly centered on the same fault line where the December 26 earthquake generated the devastating tsunami. Residents of Sumatra’s west coast are particularly nervous in light of the three and a half months of aftershocks and rumors spread rapidly.

The Indonesian government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) representatives wrapped up a third round of peace talks on Saturday (April 16) in Helsinki, Finland one day earlier than scheduled.  The talks were described as “positive and constructive.” Both sides agreed to hold a fourth round of peace talks from May 26 to 31.  The talks have been mediated by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, who heads the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI).  Ahtisaari says that “the principle of outside monitoring has been approved,” but emphasized that “no one has been approached so far,” to take on the task.  Also at the talks, the sides agreed to try and define a framework for the local administrative structure of Aceh, a possible amnesty for the rebels and the possibility of reform involving local elections, Agence France-Presse reported.  “The only outstanding question is security arrangements and we believe this could be done in the next round,” GAM spokesperson Bakhtiar Abdullah said.  Despite the progress, clashes continue on the ground between GAM rebels and the TNI. The Indonesian military (TNI) announced on Thursday (April 14) that it was sending another 3,000 troops into the province, but after the talks concluded, the head of the Indonesian delegation, Communication and Information Minister Sofyan Djalil, said that the troops were just relieving troops in Aceh.  More than 12,000 people have been killed in Aceh since the GAM began fighting for independence in 1976. Meanwhile, despite the progress of the peace talks, the Indonesian military (TNI) said last week (April 14) it would increase its presence in Aceh.  Some 3,000 troops, or three extra battalions, will join an estimated 40,000 troops already in Aceh, and help to “restore security” in the province.  A military spokesperson says that extra troops would also be deployed to other areas.  In reaction to the announcement, the GAM said that the move could harm the progress of the talks.  “It gives the impression that the government is not serious about a negotiated settlement,” Bakhtiar Abdullah said. 

The Malaysian government said Tuesday (April 5) that it would soon withdraw all its remaining troops from Aceh after GoI asked Kuala Lumpur “to take measures to bring them home.” There are currently around 150 Malaysian troops left, down from some 400 earlier. “We have already reduced the number of our soldiers and in a short time all will return,” Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said. (Apr-6, AP)

According to a Government of Indonesia (GOI) press release issued on Tuesday, March 22, foreign aid workers working for humanitarian organizations and aid agencies in Aceh province would be able to renew their visas for a further one-month period after March 26.  GOI is requesting organizations wishing to continue their activities in Aceh to submit information about their planned activities and sources of funding by April 27, to help the government ascertain how they can best meet the reconstruction needs of the province.  Based upon the information provided by the organizations, the GOI would identify organizations with proven capability, capacity and experience in reconstruction activities and invite them to continue their involvement in rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.  GOI says the measures were not intended to limit the activities of legitimate humanitarian organizations, but were aimed at establishing transparency in their activities and to ensure that their activities were in line with the needs of local communities.  The Jakarta Post has reported that at least 140 NGOs from 83 foreign countries are operating out of Aceh.  UNJLC has reported some 150-200 organizations.

On March 8, Aceh Governor Azwar Abubakar said that the GoI will stop building shelters in Aceh and instead focus on making sure existing ones have proper sanitation and clean water. He says that the decision was reached after many survivors indicated that they would rather stay with relatives than in temporary housing. Survivors had also expressed concerns that the centers were too far from places where people would seek employment. The government had planned to house some 100,000 people in at least 24 temporary centers across the province. It was unclear how many had been built so far. However, in February, the Jakarta Post reported that some 3,281 families, or more than 11,500 people, were moved into more than 300 temporary barracks in Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar, Sigli, North Aceh, Aceh Jaya and West Aceh. GoI had planned on building some 803 semi-permanent barracks to accommodate the displaced for up to two years. Social Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab had said that after construction of the barracks, work would start on a second phase during which some 800,000 houses, each measuring some 387 square feet (36 square meters) would be constructed. Plans had some 30,000 of the houses to be built around Banda Aceh and 10,000 in Calang on the west coast. Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First had expressed concerns that some Acehnese might be forcibly relocated or prevented from returning home. The groups also expressed concerns over the involvement of the military (TNI) in the relocation. (Feb-8, Reuters)

GOI put tsunami/earthquake losses at US$4.5 billion. The Consultative Group on Indonesia, made up of 30 international lenders, pledged US$1.7 billion in tsunami aid for 2005, consisting of US$1.2 billion in grants and US$500 million in soft loans. The aid is in addition to US$3.4 billion donors pledged that will mostly go towards reducing the national deficit. During the international ministerial tsunami meeting in Geneva on January 11, several countries pledged US$900 million for a six-month period to Indonesia. Asian Development Bank (ADB) allocates US$800 million, in addition to tsunami relief. World Bank will provide US$300 million in initial support for Indonesia. (Jan-14, AlertNet) The GoI has so far announced a series of checks and balances to assuage fears of graft. Information Minister Sofyan Djalil says the GOI will set up a “credible” oversight scheme for international aid. American accounting firm of Ernst &Young will audit the aid. Welfare Minister Shihab says the government would make official monthly announcements of the amount of aid received and spent. State Minister for Development Planning, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, said March 14 that the GoI will accept the offer of a debt moratorium from the Paris Club. The total debt on which repayment will be delayed is US$2.6 billion. (Mar-14, Tempo Interactive) Indonesia has some US$48 billion in foreign debt to donor countries under the Paris Club. (Mar-14, Xinhua)

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday (April 20) said that it plans to lend some US$519 million to Indonesia in 2005. The ADB said it already approved US$64.7 million in loans and US$16.5 million in grants this year to help some 1,500 communities in rural Indonesia that were affected by the disaster. Five more projects amounting to US$454 million are proposed for the rest of the year. Earlier this month, the ADB approved a US$300 million emergency assistance grant, reportedly its largest ever. (Apr-20, ADB) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday (April 6) reported that damage to the agriculture and fisheries sector in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces had increased the number of poor by more than a million, raising the national head count ratio for the poor by half a percentage point to 18.7 percent. (Apr-6, AFP)

Banda Aceh vicinity: City returning to some semblance of normalcy. UNJLC reports that there are somewhere between 150-200 NGOs in Banda Aceh, of which only some 50 are registered with OCHA and reporting activities on a regular basis. (Feb-23, UNJLC)

West Coast of Aceh Province/Western Islands: The Indonesian military (TNI) reopened the road from Banda Aceh to Meulaboh on March 25. Soldiers have built some 64 temporary bridges and more than 80 kilometers of roads from scratch. Road surface remains rough and local government will be responsible for pouring asphalt. It takes approximately 8 hours to make the trip. (Mar-25, Reuters) A January UN, GOI and US military report says the tsunami destroyed virtually every village, town and roads and bridges along a 170-kilometer (105-mile) stretch of coast that was not more than 10 meters (33 feet) above sea level. An assessment of the western islands off the coast of Sumatra found considerable damage to housing and livelihoods. UNICEF assessment found that at least 80 percent of education facilities on Simuelue have been destroyed. (Mar-10, Jakarta Post) A recent UNICEF assessment following the March 28 quake revealed that virtually all remaining education facilities were destroyed. The west coast of Aceh had a population of about one million in its six regencies, with about 500,000 in the heavily damaged northern three and 500,000 in the southern three.

Sector Status
Affected Population	Aceh province had an estimated population of 4.1 million before the disaster; 575,000 people were in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh and surrounding Aceh Besar Regency. Multi-agency assessment finds some 125,000 IDPs along the west coast. (Jan-28, Reuters) The National Coordination Board for Natural Disaster Management (BAKORNAS) reported on February 28 that some 400,376 people remain displaced across 20 districts/cities. In North Sumatra province, 19,260 people are displaced, with 14,731 people located in Medan City. Reuters reports more than 514,000 total have been displaced. (Mar-24, Reuters) Refugees International (RI) says that Aceh refugees in Malaysia are facing a triple threat: Families and lands were devastated by the tsunami; communities in Aceh continue to be in the crossfire as the conflict between the GAM and GoI continues; and they are subject to arrest and deportation in Malaysia as illegal immigrants. (Apr-12, RI)
Coordination	Information and Communication Minister Sofyan Djalil says that the GoI plans to use text messages (SMS, or Short Message Services) to alert people of impending disasters predicted by an early warning system. He says such a system would allow over 80 percent of all cell phone users to be quickly informed. The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) will run the warning system and will also liaise with the media to ensure that the warnings are sent out as early as possible. (Apr-20, AFP) President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered his government on April 1 to educate the public about the signs of imminent tsunamis and earthquakes. Home Minister Muhammad Ma’ruf says that Yudhoyono wanted all provincial and local governments to have plans in place to issue early warnings and to aid the evacuation of vulnerable people. Local governments would also set up coordination centers involving the GoI and security forces, Ma’ruf said. (Apr-6, AFP) Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab coordinating GOI response. GOI established Disaster Management Centre (DMC) in Jakarta with UN. A Joint Liaison Unit, comprised of the GOI, UN and major NGOs to improve coordination between the GOI and international aid agencies, is operating in Banda Aceh. Foreigners, including aid workers, journalists and military, must coordinate their travel plans outside of Banda Aceh and Meulaboh through the TNI. Organizations may be escorted by TNI.
Logistics	Latest UNJLC land route maps of the West Coast are available on the UNJLC website (www.unjlc.org) GOI initiated humanitarian aid customs clearances procedures. See http://unjlc.org/content/index.phtml/itemID/28240. (Feb-1, UNJLC) Weather should not add to the burden of increased trucking. With February historically the driest month, the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) in Hawaii estimates that rainfall in February, March, and April will be below average.
Food	WFP revised its beneficiaries to 720,000 for April. This includes victims of the recent March 28 quake that affected Nias and Simeulue. In May, the number will be 805,000 and then it will go down to 780,000 from July through December. (Apr-13, UNJLC) A French-Indonesian project dubbed “1,000 boats for Indonesia,” aims to help fishermen in Meulaboh to restore their livelihood. (Apr-21, Indonesia-Relief.org) WFP says 350,000 schoolchildren, 55,000 pregnant women and nursing mothers, and 130,000 children under the age of five are now main recipients of food aid. (Mar-30, AFP) UNJLC reports total number of WFP beneficiaries at 590,570 people and says WFP has distributed some 21,665 MT of food aid thus far. (Mar-23, UNJLC) World Food Program (WFP) says assessment found that some 790,000 survivors are still unable to feed themselves and will need food rations for many more months. The Aceh provincial disaster mitigation and refugees handling agency says that the rice stock in Aceh province is enough for 4 months. (Feb-8, Antara) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says 42,000 in Aceh made a living from fishing. 70% of the fishing fleet destroyed. Fish provide over 50% of the animal protein in Indonesia. At least US$30 million needed to rebuild Aceh’s fishing fleet. More than 6,500 fishermen were killed and some 5,200 boats lost, FAO says. (Feb-18, AP)
Water and Sanitation	Oxfam says it has been asked to manage installation of water supplies at 10 settlements in Banda Aceh, Meulaboh and Lhokseumawe. (Feb-9, Oxfam) CARE intends to continue providing safe water to at least 500,000 people a month for several months. (Feb-7, CARE) Committee formed between UNICEF, GoI and Oxfam to manage water and sanitation projects. (Jan-28, Oxfam)
Public Health/Medical	IOM says that the first of 51 pre-fabricated satellite health clinics located at temporary shelter sites across Aceh is scheduled to be completed this week. (Apr-19, IOM) GoI said Monday (April 4) that some 70 percent of Acehnese are showing signs of mental stress from the tsunami, ranging from anxiety to depression. Absence of functioning mental health system has hampered efforts to treat some 400,000 patients in Aceh. Findings were presented at a two-day seminar aimed at formulating a psycho-social program for survivors. WHO reports only 5 local psychiatrists in Aceh. Aceh’s one mental hospital was heavily damaged and 25 of its 252 staffers died. (Apr-6, AP) UNICEF says it has provided medical supplies and equipment for more than 95,000 people. Agency has also distributed kits for midwives to help pregnant women, and provide school and recreation materials to some 373,000 children. UNICEF says it has spent some 46 percent of its tsunami relief budget on Indonesia. (Apr-5, AFP) Minister of Health, Siti Fadilah Supari, said some US$131.14 million is needed to rebuild health service facilities throughout Aceh. (Feb-16, Antara) West coast lost some 50-70 percent of its health services. (Jan-24, The Age) Tsunami destroyed 30 health clinics out of 240, seriously damaged 77, and caused minor damage to 40 others. (Jan-18, UNJLC)
Shelter	IOM says its first transitional housing site at Tingkeum, Aceh Besar is nearing completion. IOM will provide some 107 houses. (Apr-19, IOM) World Vision International (WVI) says it will build 15,000 permanent houses benefiting some 60,000 IDPs. (Apr-7, WVI) International Organization for Migration (IOM) on April 1, pledged to build 11,000 houses for survivors as soon as possible. (Apr-1, Antara) On March 8, Aceh Governor Azwar Abubakar said that the GoI will stop building shelters in Aceh and instead focus on making sure existing ones have proper sanitation and clean water.
Infrastructure	UNICEF says it will spend some US$90 million on rebuilding schools and hopes to train more than 1,200 new teachers. Estimates of the number of destroyed schools range from 700-1,000. GoI says some 1,750 primary school teachers are dead or missing and more than 180,000 children have no place to go to. UNICEF has signed a MoU with the government to repair 200 schools and rebuild 300 more in a US$90 million project. Reconstruction will take some 2 years. (Apr-6, AP) NATO has donated 565 meters of bridge equipment valued at some US$6 million. (Mar-29, DPA) Officials say they have recovered some 45,000-50,000 land ownership deeds thought to have been lost in the disaster. (Mar-23, Reuters) GoI announced its blueprint for the reconstruction of Aceh province on March 16, with some US$5 billion being allocated for rebuilding over the next five years. (Mar-16, DPA) The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the GoI, will coordinate a six week-long province-wide assessment of all housing and settlements in Aceh affected by the disaster. (Mar-16, IOM) Indonesian and German scientists will begin installing a US$60 million tsunami early warning system in the Indian Ocean by October. The Trade Ministry says it will rebuild some 293 markets, which would include 18 central market areas and 19 storage facilities across Aceh and North Sumatra provinces. Costs are estimated at some US$25.5 million. GOI estimates more than 1 million homes destroyed, along with some 277 miles (450 km) of roads and scores of bridges. (Jan-30, AP) The Aceh education office says that at least 1,057 school buildings were damaged or destroyed, causing losses of some US$21.85 million. (Feb-4, Antara) The UN says that emergency plans are being drafted to help revive the agriculture sector. Estimates of damages to farmland are at some 9,000 hectares (22,240 acres) on the east coast and some 27,000 hectares (66,720 acres) on the west coast. Additionally, a total of some 50,000 hectares (123,600 acres) of wetland and dryland were affected. FAO estimates aquaculture losses at US$210 million and estimates 100,000 acres (150 sq. mi.) of agricultural land devastated. (Feb-02, Star) United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) says environmental damage in Aceh and North Sumatra are 25,000 hectares (ha) (61,800 acres) of mangroves (US$118.2 million), 32,000 ha (74,130 acres) of coral reefs (US$332.4 million) and 120 ha of seagrass beds (US$2.3 million). Coastal forests and a 200-mile (300 km) stretch of coastal lands were damaged or lost. (Jan-21, UNCC, AP)
Security	The Indonesian government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) representatives wrapped up a third round of peace talks on Saturday (April 16) in Helsinki, Finland one day earlier than scheduled.  The talks were described as “positive and constructive.” Both sides agreed to hold a fourth round of peace talks from May 26 to 31. Total of TNI troops is around 50,000; 38,000 troops were already in Aceh for military operations against the GAM. TNI said 517 soldiers were killed in the tsunami. Indonesian police deployed around 800 officers to Aceh Province to fill the posts of 450 killed in the disaster. Aid workers are restricted to Banda Aceh and the town of Meulaboh. Travel outside of those areas will need permission and will be accompanied by TNI escort.

Sri Lanka

Overview…………………………………………………..page 17

Sectors…………………………………………………….page 19

Overview: Sri Lanka reportedly now has combined the figures for its dead and missing into one figure for dead and presumed dead and missing. The combined total stands at 38,916. (Apr-8, Reuters) The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is using a final toll of around 40,000 for planning purposes in its recovery plan. Justice Minister John Senevirathne says that the current period of one year before a missing person can be declared dead would be reduced to one month for people who were last seen or heard from on December 26, 2004. (Feb-23, AFP)

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that some 518,698 people remain displaced with most living with relatives and friends, some in “collective accommodation centers” or in camps. UNICEF says that according to the GoSL, 800,000 people were initially displaced. UNICEF says it has carried out a rapid assessment to collect information on what the IDPs think of their situation and options available to them. The agency says that along with the UNHCR, they have undertaken a survey of some 226 families in Ampara, Jaffna, and Galle as well as 76 host families. (Apr-19, UNICEF) UNJLC had reported in mid-February that 141,985 IDPs are in “welfare centers” and 411,302 are with relatives or friends. (Feb.16, UNJLC)

Police said on March 30 that at least 5 people were killed when thousands fled coastal areas during the tsunami warning from the 8.7-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia’s Sumatra Island on March 28. Sri Lankan lawmakers on Tuesday (March 29) called for a single agency to issue warnings after people complained of a lack of information concerning the tsunami alert after the disaster. (Mar-30, AFP)

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga says that the latest tsunami scare justifies her government’s decision to ban rebuilding 100 meters from the ocean. Critics of the ban have accused the government of wanting to keep poor fishermen off the beach in order to attract expensive resorts. Fishermen have staged several protests against the new rule. (Mar-30, PTI)

The GoSL says that it has received donor pledges amounting to some US$2 billion as tsunami assistance following the disaster, however, only US$750 million has been made available for disbursement. (Apr-11, GoSL) On April 7, the GoSL had said that a national reconstruction plan could finally get under way because donors had firmly committed some US$1.5 billion worth of tsunami aid. Donors pledged US$2 billion, but around US$500 million is yet to be signed and firmly committed. A few weeks ago, the GoSL had complained that rebuilding had been delayed because aid was only trickling in. (Apr-7, Reuters) The GoSL plan involves building some 62 townships, 75 miles (120 km) of electric railway, improving 55 miles (89 km) of highway and granting assistance to affected families to rebuild housing. Chair of the GoSL Taskforce for Rebuilding the Nation, Mano Tittawella, estimates that it will take 6-9 months to build houses, 1-3 years to build roads and a modern water supply system, and another 1-3 years to build new railway lines. (Mar-23, Reuters)

An international donors meeting attended by former US president Bill Clinton who is also the UN Special Envoy on tsunami reconstruction, will be held in the capital Colombo in May to evaluate the progress of donor-assisted projects, Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama said. The meeting will reportedly be the first of quarterly meetings held by donors. (Apr-8, DailyNews)

UNOCHA reports that an FAO salinity expert says that some 10,400 acres of farm land have been destroyed by the tsunami, which includes some 8,000 acres of paddy land. Additionally, a total of 27,000 home gardens were destroyed. The Sri Lankan Minister of Agriculture says that direct damage to the farmers of the tsunami was some US$3.5 million. An FAO Agriculture Advisor says that around 148,000 chickens, 7,600 cattle, 4,900 buffalo, 14,200 goats and 118 pigs were killed in the tsunami. He adds that some 273 tons of paddy seed with just over 1,000 tons of fertilizer and funds for vegetable production and other field crops are needed in the four districts of Amapara, Hambantota, Matara, and Galle for the Yala season. FAO is focusing on restoring the poultry sector as soon as possible. Forty percent of the damaged land should be ready for cultivation this Yala season and 70 percent for the Maha season.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture (FAO) organization reports that poor farmers face losing a whole season’s worth of crops unless they are helped immediately. The first growing season since the disaster struck is due when monsoon rains begin later in April. FAO estimates around 40 percent of affected lands are ready for cultivation. The agency says there is an immediate need to rebuild fences, repair pumps and agro-wells, and supply farmers with tools, seeds and fertilizer. (Apr-1, FAO)

Despite optimism expressed by visiting Norwegian peace envoy Erik Solheim that a deal between the GoSl and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on jointly handling aid for tsunami survivors could be just weeks away, a main Marxist party in President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s Freedom Alliance coalition government said they opposed a so-called “joint mechanism” between the two sides. The Marxist JVP, or People’s Liberation Front, which reportedly holds the balance of power in the 225-member parliament, had earlier stated to Kumaratunga that they would pull out of her coalition if she went ahead with seeking a deal with the rebels. Solheim has been working on getting both sides to agree on the tsunami aid deal, in a bid to revive a stalled peace process in the country. However, LTTE senior rebel negotiator S. Puleedevan said on Monday (April 18) that a deal was still some ways off. Additionally Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that a diplomat close to the peace process said that talks between LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan this week ended without a breakthrough. In a traditional New Year’s message last week, Kumaratunga said that a “joint mechanism” will be the foundation for a final peace deal with the LTTE. The joint mechanism reportedly will make it possible for donor countries, such as the US and Japan, to provide aid indirectly to LTTE-controlled areas without violating laws barring direct aid to the LTTE, which both countries have blacklisted as terrorist organizations. A shaky ceasefire has been in place between the GoSL and LTTE since February 2003, however, continued violence in the east has threatened the peace process. US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca also visited the east separately from Solheim to visit US-funded projects for the repair of schools. (Apr-19, 20, AFP, Reuters)

Sri Lanka’s central bank said on February 16 that reconstruction work and foreign aid will more than offset the economic losses suffered during the disaster. The bank revis