U.S. Response to Tsunami and Earthquake in Asia


Secretary of State Colin Powell, center, listens to speakers at the tsunami summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, January 6, 2005. USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios is at right. (©AP/WWP)

United States Will Support Nations Hit by Tsunami, Powell Says

Secretary expresses solidarity with global response to tsunami disaster

The United States will stand with the global community in its response to a “human tragedy of immense magnitude,” Secretary of State Colin Powell said January 6 as he addressed a special meeting on tsunami relief in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The government of Indonesia arranged the session in response to the December 26, 2004, earthquake and tsunami that killed at least 150,000 and injured more than 500,000, according to the latest estimates from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. (complete text)

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Tsunami Countries Offered Debt Repayment Freeze Through 2005

Major creditor nations meet in Paris, agree on terms of offer

The Paris Club has announced that countries affected by the Asian tsunami crisis may halt debt repayments to major creditor nations represented by the group through December 31 so as to devote more resources to humanitarian and reconstruction efforts.

In a March 9 communiqué, the Paris Club said that its 19 members had agreed to the offer during a meeting in Paris where they studied an analysis of the post-tsunami situation by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. (complete text)

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U.S. "Horrified" at Child Trafficking in Tsunami Aftermath

State Department will work with government, NGO partners to combat it

Reports of rape, kidnapping and trafficking of children already victimized by the Indian Ocean tsunami are considered credible by the U.S. State Department, according to department spokesman Adam Ereli, who addressed the subject in a briefing January 5.

The United States is “horrified that thousands of children orphaned by this disaster are vulnerable to exploitation by criminal elements who seek to profit from their misery,” said Ereli. International organizations and nongovernmental organizations have warned about the risk to unprotected children in the current chaotic environment of the tsunami-affected region. (complete text)

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