Hopes of finding more survivors in Indonesia's shattered Sumatra island faded yesterday, one week after killer tsunamis swept across southern Asia, as food, water and other relief supplies trickled into the disaster zone. The death toll stood at more than 127,000, and was still climbing.
Rescue teams focused on the epicenter of the devastation in Sumatra, where US military helicopters flew in biscuits, energy drinks and instant noodles to hungry, homeless villagers. Aid workers enlisted elephants in the effort. The animals were used in the ruined provincial capital of Banda Aceh and in southern Thailand to clear away debris.
Around the devastated Indian Ocean rim, US$2 billion in promised international aid began to reach survivors.
The American military was mounting its largest operation in southern Asian since the Vietnam War, delivering supplies from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln stationed off Sumatra and sending a flotilla of Marines and water purifying equipment to Sri Lanka.
Desperate
In the wiped-out coastal village of Kuede Teunom, where 8,000 of the 18,000 population were killed in the disaster, haggard survivors caught bottles of drinking water tossed from a US Navy helicopter.
"The need is desperate. There is nothing left to speak of," said Lieutenant Commander Jeff Vorce.
Four Indonesian navy frigates loaded with supplies arrived off the coast of the fishing village of Meulaboh, one of Aceh's worst-hit spots.
In India's devastated Andaman and Nicobar Islands, some villagers said they had still not received any help from outside, despite government claims that aid was reaching all affected sites. Officials said most of the island's jetties had been destroyed, making it difficult for boats to dock.
UN officials said they expected the overall death tally to surpass 150,000, although the final total may never be known. Five million people were homeless.
In Sri Lanka, where almost 30,000 died, flood waters that had added to survivors' misery receded. About 2,000 people were evacuated from refugee camps near the island nation's devastated eastern coast on Saturday after days of steady rain triggered flash floods.
They returned to government-run centers, and there were no reports of casualties, police said. Hundreds of thousands were living in unsanitary camps, but those whose homes escaped serious damage were returning to them.
Health officials said no medical crisis has yet emerged, although getting clean water and sanitation to hard-hit areas was an urgent priority to prevent outbreaks of disease.
In Thailand, where the death toll approached 5,000, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited tsunami-ravaged Phuket island, hoping to prop up a tourism industry that is critical to the country's economy and pledging to set up a tsunami early-warning system.
Global Aid
Aid from around the world, meanwhile, has grown steadily as the global disaster unfolded in all its horror.
The funds could rise into the billions of dollars as governments dramatically increase their pledges and private donors respond massively to charity appeals by offering donations via credit card, cash or checks.
A series of donor conferences were to be held in the next few weeks, with the major one opening later this week in New York.
Japan on Saturday promised US$500 million to countries devastated by the waves, by far outpledging all other countries which are racing to help victims of one of the world's worst disasters.
UN officials said the Japanese contribution raises to nearly US$2 billion the money given for relief and reconstruction from massive seismic waves.
Even poor countries like Equatorial Guinea and Vietnam have chipped in.
Despite the broad array of aid, UN officials warned it could take weeks to deliver clean water, food and medical treatment to isolated areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other countries.
Also see stories:
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft