Keep opening wallets for tsunami victims

Aid workers battling to ease the plight of survivors of the devastating quake and tsunami across south east &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/366/14771_tsunami.html ' target=_blank>Asia were today warned they faced a dangerous new threat to efforts.

Indonesia warned aid workers there that separatist rebels are sheltering in camps for &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/science/ 19/94/377/14778_Earthquake.html ' target=_blank>tsunami survivors, and in Sri Lanka a burst of violence signalled a potential resurgence of long-simmering rebellions that could hamper help for victims of the two-week-old disaster.

Adding to the survivors’ misery, tropical downpours complicated relief efforts already hamstrung by impassable roads and destroyed bridges. The deluge compounded the plight of tens of thousands of survivors living in little more than tents, informs the Scotsman.

According to the Al-Jazeera News, in Aceh, where aftershocks from the undersea earthquake on 26 December that spawned the huge waves continued to be felt on Sunday, many communities remain inaccessible by land and are dependent on food aid dropped by helicopter.

"People in helicopters say they've seen people presumably walking to Banda Aceh (the provincial capital) and living on coconuts," Maria Theresa De la Cruz, head of relief operations for Aceh in the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), said.

IOM is coordinating airdrops with the US navy.

The UN World Food Programme's spokesman in Jakarta, Mike Huggins, added: "I'm not saying everyone is getting food. The vast majority of people who need food are getting it although maybe not enough."

President &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/399/14556_ballots.html ' target=_blank>George W. Bush urged Americans to keep opening their wallets for South Asia tsunami victims. He also detailed the ways in which the US is trying to help victims.