Bush: Tsunami aid will be 'demand driven'
More funds possible but not certain, he says after Powell briefingThe Associated Press
Updated: 3:09 p.m. ET Jan. 10, 2005WASHINGTON - President Bush said Monday the United States “is committed today and we will be committed tomorrow” to tsunami victims in the Indian Ocean, but did not commit to any specific increase in U.S. aid to the region.
“We’ll see,” Bush said after receiving a report on the destruction from Secretary of State Colin Powell, just back from a tour of Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. “The dollars are demand driven.”
Earlier, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the tsunami-ravaged nations will need much more help than the assistance already pledged by the rest of the world and that the United States “will be there throughout to help the people of the region recover.”
Bush did not promise that the U.S. commitment of $350 million in aid would rise. “It could,” he said, when asked.
What is needed, the president said, is to consult with other nations to “make sure the money that is available actually achieves a coordinated objective” before there can be any decision to give more.
“The key is to provide immediate relief, which we are doing,” he said. “Now we’re in the process of beginning to rehabilitate and reconstruct these societies.”
The “most intense,” long-term need is in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, which Powell said had seen unimaginable devastation that will take years to rebuild.
Powell, just back from a tour of Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, said Sunday that the U.S. response to the disaster has been “quite good,” and that all the nations in the region have been thankful. He said people were not starving and food was reaching the region, “but there should be no illusion as to how long it’s going to take to rebuild these communities.”
More up dated iNfo for you all.
Helicopter crash, aftershock
In Indonesia, meanwhile, a U.S. helicopter on a relief mission crashed in a rice paddy 500 yards from the Banda Aceh airport Monday, injuring all 10 servicemen aboard. Mechanical failure was blamed for the crash.
Six of the servicemen had serious injuries and four had minor injuries. The worst injury was a dislocated pelvis.
Aftershocks from the massive earthquake that spawned the killer waves continued to rattle residents in the hardest-hit countries. A 6.2-magnitude temblor sent people scrambling from their homes early Monday in Banda Aceh; no injuries or damage were reported.
Beawiharta / Reuters
U.S. military personnel load aid supplies for refugees onto a helicopter at the airport in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Sunday.
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Indonesian authorities promised to speed up the grim task of recovering and burying the dead. Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab said 58,281 bodies had been buried in the shattered area on the northern tip of Sumatra island. He said some 50,000 more are “scattered” around the region.
Some corpses are still trapped in collapsed buildings and rotting under debris in canals and rivers. Their stench still hangs over some areas of the provincial capital.
Schools reopen
In the latest sign life is slowly returning to normal, children returned to school for the start of the new term — long before many institutions damaged in the disaster can provide proper education. Social workers hope the resumption of studies will help children overcome the trauma of the catastrophe.
About 80 students, some accompanied by their parents, showed up at state-run Vidyaloka, in Galle, Sri Lanka, a tiny fraction of the 2,400 who are registered. Some had no uniforms.
In a rare happy story, a 22-year-old Indonesian, Ari Afrizal, was rescued at sea sometime late last week by the United Arab Emirates-registered AL Yamamah, said Sasheila Paramsothy, a spokeswoman for the shipping harbor Westport Malaysia.
Ari was swept out to sea when the tsunami hit his home in Aceh, Paramsothy said, adding that the ship crew has not provided other details.
You know... America should really commit money to fixing it's own problems first. Especially since the aid mark is already at a few billion dollars at this point.
Bush is trying to make his **** look big with our tax dollars and I'm getting sick of it.
Where's all the money coming from all of a sudden? The nations education budget? And better yet, why didn't all this loot magically appear for problems/issues in America?!
You are partly right, but remember Bush is taking under advisement, so nothings is written in stone.
I feel the US efforts,which keep climbing should be sufficient.
A lot of the California stars are sending monies, but where is anything to speak of from the ME?
I saw last night on the news,one gentleman said the beaches now are more beautiful then when they were all commercialized by modern buildings.
Hell of a way to get back to Nature , doncha think?
D
aka deltacent aka deltater
Life may not be the party I had hoped for.......
But while I'm here I might just as well listen to the music and dance..
01-10-2005 09:03 PM
