World leaders convened in Jakarta in January 2005 to coordinate relief for a tsunami that struck 11 countries and killed more than 146,000 people. Governments pledged up to four billion dollars in aid to reach survivors and begin reconstruction.
Aceh, on Sumatra's northern tip, entered the crisis already weakened by 28 years of separatist conflict that had killed around 12,000 people. The province of 4.5 million is rich in oil and gas yet remains deeply impoverished, with critics accusing Jakarta of drawing off its energy revenues. India's Andaman and Nicobar chain, 572 islands stretching 800 kilometers, sheltered ancient tribal communities including the Stone Age Shompen and the Jarawa, whose numbers were already falling before the disaster.
Eastern Sri Lanka had endured three decades of war between Tamil Tiger rebels and the Colombo government, a conflict that cost more than 60,000 lives, before the waves struck its coast. A Norwegian-brokered ceasefire had been holding for roughly two years.
Southern Thailand's six Andaman Sea provinces, including Phuket and worst-hit Phang Nga, drew about 2.75 million tourists a year and generated over two billion dollars. Tamil Nadu, India's most affected state, had 2,260 kilometers of coastline battered and a population of 62 million; its capital Chennai (formerly Madras) is India's fourth-largest city.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in January 2005, in its own words.