fuck. i read some reports on The Straits Times Interactive and this is wat i get:

Fraudsters try to swindle tsunami donations

HONG KONG - Suspected fraudsters are trying to swindle tsunami relief donations by sending out fake fund-raising e-mails, the Hong Kong branch of aid group Oxfam said on Sunday.

Oxfam informed the police about the e-mails, which call on recipients to deposit donations into a Cyprus bank account and fax deposit receipts to an office in Spain, the group said in a statement.

Lum Kwok-choi, an Oxfam spokesman in Hong Kong, said the unauthorised e-mails contained excerpts from the group's press releases describing its relief efforts and mentioned other aid groups as well.

Oxfam Hong Kong has set up two local bank accounts to receive donations for relief efforts in areas struck by tsunamis after a magnitude 9.0 quake hit off the coast of Indonesia on Dec. 26.

The waves swept southern Asian coastlines and Africa's east coast, killing more than 123,000. -- AP

fucking ppl trying to pull off money from this incident???

another one:

Sri Lanka gets reports of child rapes after tsunami

COLOMBO (Sri Lanka) - A teenager who escaped death but was left orphaned and homeless by the Asian tsunami met yet one more agony: gang rape, one of several cases of child abuse being investigated in the disaster zone, an official said.

Of all the human tragedies emerging from the worst natural disaster in decades, sexual abuse of vulnerable children in refugee camps must be among the most shocking.

But experts say it's not uncommon in times of conflict and trauma.

'When there is displacement and chaos, the possibility of this type of behaviour is higher,' Mr Harendra de Silva, head of the National Child Protection Authority, said on Saturday.

With nearly 1 million losing their homes, Sri Lanka has immediate concerns of survival, rolling out relief trucks as cargo planes ferry food, drinking water and medical supplies from donor nations.

But psychological and behavioural problems are certain to become more important as the authorities gain control over the life-threatening issues.

Mr De Silva said his governmental agency already is investigating several complaints of sexual abuse in centres housing tens of thousands of survivors.

So far, the cases of suspected abuse have been isolated. But officials are concerned that the trauma of the catastrophe, coupled with the close quarters in the refugee centres, could spawn many more cases.

'In the aftermath of displacement and shock you do see an increase of abuse and violence against women and children,' said Mr Ted Chaiban, head of the UN children's agency in Colombo.

He said Unicef was funding the survey by Mr de Silva's group to identify abused children and provide them with extra protection.

Mr De Silva gave few details of the case of the gang-raped 17-year-old girl, which occurred in the area of Galle on the southern coast but not in a refugee centre. Hours after being washed ashore and left orphaned and homeless, she was raped by six men, he said.

Since Friday, two other cases of suspected abuse of children were reported, including one by a man who attempted to molest his granddaughter, he said.

All the reported cases were in the south, he said after a tour of camps in the region. A team from his office will soon visit other areas. -- AP

this one EVEN WORSE. wat the fuck.

more:

Police arrest looters in devastated Sri Lanka

COLOMBO (Sri Lanka) - Looters with loaded trucks carrying refrigerators, washing machines and furniture have been arrested in tsunami-stricken Sri Lanka, police said on Monday.

'Villagers are plundering whatever they can get hold of,' said Mr M.K. Sugadadasa, a senior police officer in the devastated south.

Four men were taken into custody after driving off with household appliances as well as cameras and mobile phones from a hotel at Sri Lanka's Yala National Park - flattened in the disaster, he said.

The tsunami roared into the park on Dec 26, killing 200 people including 40 foreigners.

Another six people were arrested with loot including a shotgun from the government's wildlife department, he said.

Nearly 100,000 homes were completely destroyed in the earthquake-driven tsunami, forcing about 1 million people into temporary shelters. Sri Lankan authorities say the human death toll is likely to top 35,000.

One woman and five men were also taken into custody after cupboards, tables and chairs stolen from coastal homes were found in inland houses, he said.

'We have asked survivors at refugee centres to return to their destroyed homes during the day time to guard whatever remains and report losses,' said a police chief in the south. 'This looting has become an added problem for us.' -- AP

wat a SAD SAD world.

and i got some pics from the tsunami disaster on the straits times website.


A still image made from an amateur video, shot by a British family vacationing at Thailand's Phuket resort, of the tidal wave coming ashore. The video of the tsunami, sparked by Sunday's earthquake off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island, was filmed from the balcony of the family's hotel on the resort's Patong Beach. -- AP


The aerial view taken last Monday shows that tsunami-stricken areas near the coastal outskirts of Banda Aceh, capital city of Indonesia's Aceh province, are still waterlogged. The death toll in a tidal wave triggered by an earthquake that slammed into coasts of several south and south-east Asian countries have now exceeded 140,000 . -- AP


An aerial view of tsunami-damaged Aceh, Indonesia. -- AP