"Kaushalyan came under attack about five or six kilometres from the nearest army checkpoint."

- It is unclear who carried out the attack, which took place about 40km (25 miles) north-east of Batticaloa, BBC - Mr. Kousalyan is the most senior LTTE official to be killed after Colombo and Tigers signed a cease fire in February 2002. He was returning from Vanni after discussing the expansion plans for Tsunami rehabiltation in the east, LTTE sources said, reports Tamilnet

"The buck starts here."

If only 30% of affected people were getting state aid after five weeks then that blame or responsibility has to be borne by none other than the President who was in overall charge of the relief work and is also head of government. Former US President Harry Truman had a sign plaque on his table in the White House oval office "The buck stops here." If the game of deflecting blame or passing the buck stopped with the White House in Washington the situation in Colombo is the reverse. "The buck starts here" is more appropriate at Janadhipathy Mandhiraya. - DBS Jeyaraj, in Sri Lanka, The state that failed its people

"This is a practice, which needs to stop and needs to stop now."

"Since the tsunami struck on 26th of December we have confirmed 52 cases of recruitment of children," he said. "So we are very pleased that 23 children have been released this weekend. But there are still 1400 children with the L.T.T.E. and this is a practice, which needs to stop and needs to stop now." Reports VOA

"After what happened yesterday we are not taking any chances."

"Baby 81" has become the visible face of the tsunami, Reports BBC - Showing a face for all other lives of children the sea took away? - In ushering the call of humanity? - As hopeful face needing lasting peace? "Baby 81" is so named because he was the 81st patient to be admitted to the hospital on the day the tsunami struck, BBC "The baby is currently under tight police protection at the (Kalmunai) hospital," Dr K Muhunthan told the AFP news agency, "After what happened yesterday we are not taking any chances."

"It's my home."

Smell the “kuzhal Puttu” - while the smoke rising from the wood burnt clay stove “aduppu”, make curls of gray clusters - that are visible through the white light beaming through the exterior made from strips of palmyrah leaf stems ; “kuzhal Puttu” the best, tastiest and loving breakfast one could ever ask for. Ideal seating to have the breakfast is crossed legged pretzel posture. Somini Sengupta may have been fortunate enough to be treated with Tamil hospitality; She reports for NY Times: Mr. Vairavamoorthy, 38, was taken to Britain when he was 2 years old. He raised money for the Tamil movement as a teenager in Britain, considered (but ultimately resisted) joining the Tigers and came here, to the Tiger capital, to volunteer with the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, officially an independent charity but closely allied to the rebels. He brooked no criticism of the Tigers. Asked about the widespread reports of the rebel recruitment of child soldiers - Unicef has said 40 children have been drafted since the tsunami alone, a charge the Tigers have denied - Mr. Vairavamoorthy said he was unaware of such allegations. "There's a pride, you know," he said over dinner at the rebel guesthouse where he was staying. "It's my home." Being displaced again – now by the tsunami; contrary to some reports, Selama seem to be holding onto her faith, with “thiru-neeru” (holy-ash) on her forehead….thousands of Tamil diaspora hearts responding to the call of humanity - also may be longing for such a breakfast; tsunami - finally bring us all – not just humanity, but also lasting peace!

"Under Bill Clinton, we started to get a sense of a community of man,"

Boca doctor's ideals bring him to refugee camp in Sri Lanka: - Dr. Mitchell Schuster of Boca Raton, Florida, where he practices general medicine spoke to Palm Beach Post, while volunteering in Thirukovil, Sri Lanka. - Former US President Bill Clinton has been chosen to be the UN's special envoy for tsunami relief in South Asia. Secretary General Kofi Annan selected him because of the "energy, dynamism and focus" he would bring to the job, a UN spokesman said. - Reports the BBC