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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Follow-up: Tidal Waves Kill More Than 550 in Asia |
| 2004-12-26 |
| One of the world's most powerful earthquakes in years rocked northern Indonesia on Sunday and launched tidal waves that swamped villages and seaside resorts across Asia, killing more than 550 people in five countries. Some 300 were reported killed in Sri Lanka, 136 in India, 94 in Indonesia, 20 in Thailand and seven in Malaysia. Hundreds were reported missing, and the death toll was expected to rise. The U.S. Geological Survey said a magnitude 8.9 quake - one capable of massive damage - struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra at 8 a.m. Sunday. The USGS earlier said the quake was magnitude-8.5. Soon after it hit, immense waves or tsunamis crashed into several countries, and aftershocks in the magnitude-7 range were seen, the USGS said, raising the possibility of a catastrophic regional death toll. Waves crashed into coastal villages over a wide area of Sri Lanka - some 1,000 miles west of the quake's epicenter - killing some 300 people and displacing thousands of others, said military spokesman Brig. Daya Ratnayake. Parts of the northeastern districts of Muttur and Trincomalee were inundated by waves as high as 20 feet, said D. Rodrigo, a Muttur district official. "The police station in Muttur is under water and the area is badly affected," police spokesman Rienzie Perera said. "It is a very tragic situation." He said over 100,000 people have been affected in Sri Lanka. At least 136 people were killed in India, and hundreds of fishermen were missing at sea, officials said. The biggest toll was reported from Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, whose beaches turned into virtual open mortuaries with bodies of people caught in the tidal wave being washed ashore. At least 100 bodies were found on various beaches in Madras, said R. Natraj, the city police chief. Don Blakeman, an earthquake analyst with the USGS, said large tidal waves frequently follow quakes like the one seen in Indonesia, noting that a powerful quake in Alaska four decades ago caused waves that killed people as far away as Japan. He told The Associated Press that aftershocks are another concern. "We do expect large aftershocks after a large earthquake like this." At least 94 people were killed in Indonesia's Aceh province, hospital and local officials said. Bireun district head Mustofa Glanggang told The Associated Press that 50 people were killed in Bireun district, and 35 bodies were brought to Cut Meutia Hospital in the northern city of Lhokseumawe, an official there said. Nine others were killed in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, witnesses told a local radio station. Communications were down in several coastal towns facing the epicenter of the undersea quake off the western coast of Aceh, raising fears of widespread and as yet unreported damage in the region. "The ground was shaking for a long time," resident Yayan Zamzani told Jakarta's el-Shinta radio station. "It must be the strongest earthquake in the last 15 years." Twenty people died and many were missing in popular southern Thailand resorts, said Sorajak Chusaeng, of the Narenthorn Center of the Public Health Ministry. The center also reported that people were swept away in Phuket by a tsunami with waves surging as high as 16 feet. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said a powerful earthquake jolted a wide area of that country early Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The quake was reported to be a magnitude 7.3. Police in Malaysia said seven people were killed in tidal waves. Indonesia, a country of 17,000 islands, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on the margins of tectonic plates that make up the so-called the "Ring of Fire" around the Pacific Ocean basin. In Colombo, the Seismological Department said that they believe the tidal waves in Sri Lanka were caused by earthquakes earlier Sunday in the Southeast Asia. "We are not 100 percent sure, but this is our initial finding," S. Premalal, a Seismological Department officer said. The Indonesian quake struck just three days after an 8.1 quake struck the ocean floor between Australia and Antarctica, causing buildings to shake hundreds of miles away but no serious damage or injury. Quakes reaching a magnitude 8 are very rare. A quake registering magnitude 8 rocked Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on Sept. 25, 2003, injuring nearly 600 people. An 8.4 magnitude tremor that stuck off the coast of Peru on June 23, 2001, killed 74. |
| Posted by:.com |
| #18 This is a good time to show the people of the world what we Americans are made of and give without expecting anything in return. The sentiment of compassion is OUR Judeo-Christian heritage. We've been doing that already. Look at Bosnia - we got involved there to save Muslims from being whacked en masse (something I didn't particularly support, for obvious reasons), and what thanks do we get? In Iran, we offered up assistance when they had that earthquake in Bam. And what do we have to show for it now? It's nice to be charitable, but at some point in time after having been taken advantage of repeatedly, seeking something in return for aid isn't an unreasonable expectation. The alternative would be being played for suckers. Again. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-12-27 12:13:29 AM |
| #17 Zenster, overkill is not the answer. Your gung ho, "death to all Muslims" solutions consistently lack the temper of realism. Nowhere, ever, do I advocate "death to all Muslims." Talk to .com about that attitude, but DO NOT try and pin it on me. Either that, or start supplying some cites to back up your allegations. I want immediate death for all violent jihadists. Benevolent Muslims are not even on my list. GET A CLUE. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-12-26 8:52:24 PM |
| #16 Why become the shriveled souls the Anti-American press tells everyone we are, when living happy, generous lives is so much more fun? Maybe because I want to live. There is nothing "shriveled" about ensuring that we do not finance the recovery of our enemies. For America to continue its incredible largess without manifestly linking our hard-earned dollar contributions to some sort of authentic return in political capital is simply insane. While this disaster was in no way an act of terrorism, the massive cost in human life does have connections to the spineless attitudes many Southeast Asian governments show towards Islamism. I doubt anyone here is going to argue that the region is known for its superb disaster preparedness, despite being centered upon the seismically active "rim of fire." Japan, Taiwan and, perhaps, Korea are the only nations that spring to mind in terms of such civil emergency measures. India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives? Let's take India. While reasonably cooperative with respect to anti-terrorism, anti-Christian violence is rising and corruption is rampant nation-wide. Try to remember that Indian governmental corruption often manifests as an anti-Muslim bias. How does that help fighting terrorism? Thailand has been going through the motions but still has huge strides to make in quelling internal dissent and their own corruption problems. Here's a link to Transparency International. See what they have to say about these "friendly" countries. Law enforcement authorities are perceived to be the most corrupt public institutions in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka "Across South Asia, public spending on basic services such as drinking water, education, health and law enforcement represents a significant allocation of scarce resources," said Gopakumar Krishnan, Asia Programme Manager at the TI-Secretariat. "The survey results show that even when public services are meant to be freely available, bribes and delays keep many from receiving them, and it is most often the poorest in society that suffer most." Let's take a look at Transparency International's corruption indicators index (on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being best): Malaysia 5,0 (4.5 - 5.6) Thailand 3,6 (3.3 - 3.9) Sri Lanka 3,5 (3.1 - 3.9) India 2,8 (2.6 - 3.0) Palestinian Authority 2,5 (2.0 - 2.7) [just for reference] Indonesia 2,0 (1.7 - 2.2) Vietnam 2,6 (2.3 - 2.9) Philippines 2,6 - (2.4 - 2.9) Pakistan 2,1 - (1.6 - 2.6) [because it is mentioned in the above report] Myanmar 1,7 (1.5 - 2.0) Bangladesh 1,5 (1.1 - 1.9) These appear to be among some of the most corrupt nations on earth. Where corruption thrives, so does incitement to terrorism. One more time, we must tie future disaster relief and economic aid in general to measurable improvements in the quality of life for those country's citizens. Governments who are unable to properly distribute such unearned wealth are, perforce, our enemies. Take a close look at the corruption index listing and then correlate exactly where all the terrorists come from. Do I need to assemble that chart for you too? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-12-26 8:42:33 PM |
| #15 Cingold, that's beautiful. Is the Cinti airport fully functioning yet? |
| Posted by: Gleaper Thomomble7223 2004-12-26 8:23:56 PM |
| #14 The only country whose people really hate America is Indonesia This is untrue. Indonesia is hardly anti-American. You may have some Indonesian people who hate the US, and some who just dislike the US. **//Gosh golly, that sounds like Berkley or Boston //** Most Indonesians are busy with their own lives and neither hate nor love the US. A great number of Indonesians really look up to and admire the US. Many more Indonesians like or love the US than hate it. This is a good time to show the people of the world what we Americans are made of and give without expecting anything in return. The sentiment of compassion is OUR Judeo-Christian heritage. Zenster writes, So many of these countries hate us already. What possible harm can it do to finally wring some functional concessions out of these reluctant "allies" in our fight against terrorism? GREAT HARM, because we are not opportunists. Our values and ideals are not self-serving. To try to advance our cause by âwringing concessionsâ out of people who are suffering the effects of a natural disaster is SICK and DISGUSTING, and does a disservice to our national heritage. Zenster, overkill is not the answer. Your gung ho, "death to all Muslims" solutions consistently lack the temper of realism. Don't give up on Muslims, in general. They, too, bleed and die and hope daily for a better life. Places where Islamo-fascist tyranny rules, like Palestine (NOT Indonesia), simply prove that the gentrification of entitlement, without personal responsibility and true democratic voice, always leads to thuggery. If we follow the policies of President Bush, there is much reason to hope millions more can be set free to pursue life, liberty and happiness. We have the sword for the warring, and our right hand of friendship for the peaceful. |
| Posted by: cingold 2004-12-26 8:15:53 PM |
| #13 So many of these countries hate us already. India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives? The only country whose people really hate America is Indonesia, and there the government is about as friendly with the US as they can be without being accused by their opponents of being slaves to the west, American puppets etc. |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2004-12-26 6:32:42 PM |
| #12 If this were an act of terrorism, possibly I could agree that our aid be less than forthcoming. Cause meet Effect. But an earthquake? A tidal wave? Why become the shriveled souls the Anti-American press tells everyone we are, when living happy, generous lives is so much more fun? My prayers go out to both the victims and their rescuers and as soon as I can find a reputable coordinator, my charity will go out too. |
| Posted by: Adriane 2004-12-26 4:29:01 PM |
| #11 The total casualties are going to be huge. The communications in the areas hit are slow under normal conditions this just makes it far worse. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-12-26 3:02:58 PM |
| #10 BaR, I've posted at greater length about this over in the "screamer" headline thread. I'd be glad to hear your own thoughts regarding this. No better opportunity is going to arise for America to begin obtaining a genuine quid pro quo for all the monetary and material foreign aid we shovel overseas each year. So many of these countries hate us already. What possible harm can it do to finally wring some functional concessions out of these reluctant "allies" in our fight against terrorism? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-12-26 2:58:13 PM |
| #9 Before rendering assistance, how about asking, "What's in it for us?" I would be very interested in worldwide reaction to that sort of inquiry. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-12-26 2:48:09 PM |
| #8 And not to be cynical but all of these counrties that bitch and moan about Uncle Sam will be crying for help from guess who I'll out-cynic you all. Maybe the first person off the plane needs to be a policy wonk wanting some ink on an anti-terrorism pact. If these countries want our assistance, it's time for them to earn it. Don't think I'm not interested in helping any of them. I'm just fed up with the "thanks for all the foreign aid, you running Yankee dogs" mentality. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-12-26 1:58:24 PM |
| #7 CH, I bet the c-130 is already in the air. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2004-12-26 12:16:19 PM |
| #6 Kofi and the all-powerful UN? Kofi's first question: Can Kojo lead the rescue effort financial resources? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-26 12:08:03 PM |
| #5 And not to be cynical but all of these counrties that bitch and moan about Uncle Sam will be crying for help from guess who |
| Posted by: Cheaderhead 2004-12-26 11:41:17 AM |
| #4 Bangladesh will have 500,000 dead from a sympathetic, contact drowning. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-12-26 9:54:19 AM |
| #3 http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/26/asia.quake/index.html |
| Posted by: God Save The World 2004-12-26 6:44:32 AM |
| #2 Theres a lot more then that - Theres thousands missing in over 5 countries. Bangladesh just got smashed by a earthquake & now more Tsunami's are on the way. In one country theres over 200 tourists who were out on a scuba diving trip that are missing. This death toll is going to keep climbing and span over lots of countries. |
| Posted by: God Save The World 2004-12-26 6:42:17 AM |
| #1 Now they're saying 700 here. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-12-26 3:32:29 AM |