Special report: Asian Tsunamis Disaster

Acehnese Lina Hasibuan prays at a tsunami victims' mass grave in banda Aceh December 26, 2007. Hasibuan lost her husband and two kids during the 2004 tsunami. Thousands of Indonesian factory workers and villagers scrambled up the hills of Java island on Wednesday as sirens blared in a drill to mark the third anniversary of the deadly Asian tsunami.  (Xinhua Photo)

    JAKARTA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Aceh province in the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra Island on Wednesday commemorated the tragedy of tsunami three years ago that killed over 170,000 people in the province and Nias Island of North Sumatra out of 230 fatalities in 12 Indian Ocean countries from East Africa to Indonesia.

    The catastrophe devastated infrastructures in coastal areas of the province and led a massive displacement of over a half-million people.

    The commemoration was carried out at Calang in Aceh Jaya regency, a spokesman of the provincial administration A. Hamid Zein told Xinhua from the site of the ceremony.

    Over 4,000 students, clerics, officials and residents attended the anniversary gathering, he said.

    "One of the main agendas of the anniversary activities is to pray for the spirits of thousands of fatalities and for the better future of Aceh," he told Xinhua through phone.

Tsunamis triggered by a massive earthquake in Indonesia smashed into coastal areas of the Indian Ocean ring nations Dec. 26, 2004, destroying villages and flooding cities and killing more than 11,000 people. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The head of the Aceh Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR), Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, said in a statement that overall relief works had been on the right track even though there were some achievements that were still far from targets.

    "There are still some works that can not reach targets, we will improve them, but in overall the works have reached a satisfying achievement," said Kuntoro.

    The agency would complete its term on April next year, he said.

    The Dec. 26 catastrophe had drawn global solidarity. The world pledged some 13.6 billion U.S. dollars for the countries hit by the tragedy. Seven billion U.S. dollars had been pledged for Aceh and 4.6 billion U.S. dollars has been realized, according to Kuntoro.

    The head of the agency said that by November the agency had built over 102,691 out of 120,000 houses planned to be built, 800 school buildings, 613 hospitals and health centers,

Children listen to the teacher under a tree in a refugee camp in Banda Aceh, capital of Indonesia's Aceh Province, Jan. 8, 2005. Children staying in temporary refugee camps have resumed classes.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Kuntoro said over 64,000 hectares of farm land had been rehabilitated, 2,191 kilometers out of 3,000 kilometers road had been built, and 17 sea ports and ten airports had been repaired and rehabilitated.

    The natural resources rich province of Aceh suffered three decades of fighting between the government and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) that killed over 15,000 people. The conflict ended with the signing of a peace agreement in 2005, months after the tsunami.

    Aceh economy grew by 2.4 percent in 2006 and predicted to expand in 2008, an economic expert said.

    Meanwhile, in Banten province near Jakarta, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhyoyono attended a drill of evacuation for tsunami, which was participated by thousands of residence in the province.

    The president admitted that the respond at disaster in the country was still slow and he asked for improvement.

    "Our country is vulnerable from tsunami, we could not avoid it. What we do today, is to secure us from the tsunami," said President Susilo.

    "I see the efforts in handling disaster in this country is still slow, it should not happen in that way again, all (efforts) must be quickly," he said.

Two local men try to carry away useful objects found in the debris caused by tsunami in Banda Aceh, capital of Indonesia's Aceh Province, Jan. 9, 2005. In preparation for future reconstruction, local government and residents are cleaning up the remains by digging out useful objects and carrying away debris at the moment. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The president said that according to the historical record, 86 earthquakes occurred in each 100 years were potential to cause tsunami.

    "We hope when a tsunami comes the damages could be minimized," said Susilo.

    Indonesia has installed tsunami warning system in coastal areas.

    The president cited the progress in disseminating warning to the people in tsunami.

    More than 200 people were killed in a tsunami triggered by a quake measuring 6.8 on the Ritcher scale in the southern coastal areas of West Java in July 2006 with a late warning.

    "In 2005 the message can be delivered to the people in nine minutes, in 2006, seven minutes and this year five minutes after quake occurs. It is getting better," he said.

    Indonesia lies at a vulnerable zone, so called "the Pacific Ring of Fire", where two continental plates, stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia, meet that cause frequent volcanic movements.

Commemorations held in Thailand for 3rd anniversary of tsunami

Tourists hold red roses during a memorial ceremony marking the three-year anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami in Khao Lak, located in Thailand's Phang Nga province, about 110 km (68 miles) north of Phuket Dec. 26, 2007. The Indian Ocean tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004 killed almost 6,000 people and left nearly 3,000 missing in Thailand.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

    BANGKOK, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Various remembrance ceremonies were held in Thailand's southern coast provinces along the Andaman Sea Wednesday to mark the third anniversary of the Dec. 26 tsunami that hit the region, killing more than 5,000 persons.

    Families of tsunami victims and tourists attended a rite at the Patong Beach, Phuket province, one of the busiest resort as well as the most seriously hit site in the disaster three years ago.Full story