UN chief ends Asian tsunami tour<\/p>\n
Amal Jayasinghe, Agence France-Presse\/Male<\/p>\n
United Nations chief Kofi Annan wrapped up his tour of tsunami-
\nbattered countries on Monday urging the international community
\nto look beyond casualty figures and stump up with a billion
\ndollars immediately to help survivors.<\/p>\n
As he left the Maldives after a 24-hour visit, the UN
\nsecretary general told reporters that although death and
\ndestruction in this tiny Indian Ocean atoll nation was not as bad
\nas in other Asian countries, it had paid a high social price.<\/p>\n
Annan had already viewed the destruction in Indonesia and Sri
\nLanka, where a bulk of the more than 156,000 tsunami-related
\ndeaths occurred, but said the tragedy could not be defined purely
\nin terms of death tolls.<\/p>\n
\"One cannot look at it in terms of numbers alone,\" Annan said
\nwhen asked for his assessment at the end of his tour.<\/p>\n
\"The destruction and death in other countries is worse, but
\nextensive damage has been caused in the Maldives where one third
\nof the population has been affected.\"<\/p>\n
According to latest figures, 82 people were killed in the
\nMaldives by the giant waves that crashed ashore on Dec. 26, with
\n26 people still missing.<\/p>\n
He said the Maldivian social system had been destabilized
\nafter the sea surge that affected almost all of the 1,192 coral
\nisland. Some two dozen tourist resorts out of 87 were also washed
\nout.<\/p>\n
Annan is hoping to raise a billion dollars at a pledging
\nconference the United Nations is calling in Geneva on Tuesday. He
\nsaid a part of that money will go to the Maldives, but could not
\nsay how much.<\/p>\n
However, the UN office here said they were looking at US$66.5
\nmillion for immediate relief work. The Maldives has estimated its
\nlosses at $1.3 billion.<\/p>\n
Annan said that along with the outpouring of sympathy for the
\nvictims, the world should now help the survivors.<\/p>\n
\"Now we must look to the future. See what we can do for the
\nsurvivors,\" Annan said, adding that the welfare of children was a
\ntop priority for the UN and its programs to help countries in
\ntheir recovery efforts.<\/p>\n
He said he was also pushing to ensure that the affected
\nnations did not merely rebuild what had been lost, but improve on
\ninfrastructure.<\/p>\n
\"We must take advantage of this not only to rebuild but to
\nimprove the infrastructure,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The region's focus, he said, would shift to establishing early
\nwarning systems to prevent another catastrophe and noted that a
\nUN-led conference on the rise of sea levels scheduled for
\nWednesday in Mauritius will address the issue extensively.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, Annan was flown in a sea plane to the
\nremote Kolhufushi island where all the 878 inhabitants have been
\nmade homeless. He also visited the nearby Vilufushi island.<\/p>\n
The 1,156 residents of Vilufushi have been moved out to four
\nnearby islands that escaped relatively unscathed in the sea
\nsurge, which was caused by an underwater earthquake near
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said the best way
\nforeigners could help the Maldives would be by spending their
\nholidays in this country known as one of the most exotic tourist
\ndestinations in Asia.<\/p>\n
Gayoom used the tragedy to pardon dissidents accused of
\ntreason, withdrawing charges against four of his key opponents
\nwho were locked up after an unprecedented uprising against his
\none-party rule in August, and calling for unity.<\/p>\n
He also postponed parliamentary elections set for Jan. 22
\nbecause of the disaster.<\/p>\n
The Maldives has accused scientists of not sharing information
\nthat could have reduced the tsunami destruction.<\/p>\n
The death and damage in the Indian Ocean atoll nation could
\nhave been minimized if authorities had been alerted when the
\ntsunamis began, Foreign Minister Fathulla Jameel said.<\/p>",
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