ASIA - UN High Commission for Refugees among the organisations assisting tsunami affected people in south east Asia

Saturday, 8 January 2005

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Jakarta (Fides Service) - The United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR whose mandate is for refugees fleeing persecution and violence immediately responded to the emergency in south east Asia following the December 26 tsunami making available personnel and relief material on the spot. UNHCR has launched an appeal for 75 million dollars, of which 15 million are needed for aid to Sri Lanka and 60 million for Indonesia, for a six month period until June 2005, for Somalia UNHCR hopes to provide 500,000 dollars worth of aid to cover a 3 month period until the end of March this year.
In Sri Lanka UNHCR opened its warehouses distributing material in local stockpiles - plastic sheeting, cooking sets and clothing for 100,000 people. Since December 26 aid for 10,000 stricken families includes 24,500 plastic sheets, 11,000 plastic rope, 25,000 rubber mattresses, 5,000 sari, 5,000 sarong, 7,500 towels 3,600 T-shirts, 15,000 plastic plates and 15,000 plastic cups. More aid is on the way.
UNHCR will coordinate the living-sector as well as logistics and distribution assisting 100,000 people (25,000 families) in operations areas in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara, on the east coast and at Hanbantota
For Indonesia UNHCR organised air lifts carrying 400 tons of aid to about 100,000 people: 100,000 blankets 20,000c cooking sets, 20,000 plastic sheets, 20,000 water cans 2.000 emergency accommodation. A 16 person UNHCR emergency team is already working in Banda Aceh and more staff is on its way. UNHCR has opened offices in Medan and Banda Aceh.
At the same time UNHCR is helping to create 35,000 living units as part of a long term plan for 175,000 disaster victims.
UNHCR aid has also reached Somalia where a UN assessment team said that about 54,000 people (18,000 family groups) are in need of aid in the most affected the islands of Hafun, Bendere Biela and Garacad. The UN team in Somalia asked UNHCR to co-ordinate aid the living-sector: emergency living units, as well as water and mattresses for about 5,000 families (15,000 people). In the next few days 20,000 blankets and 3,000 plastic sheets will arrive in Bossasso to be distributed immediately.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 8/1/2005 righe 36 parole 345)