"what is left?'"

"People directly impacted by the tsunami lived by the sea and thought they knew it. They had felt the effects of conflict but discovered they are not safe from nature either. They now are asking,`what is left?'" In terms of psychological and physical health, some of the significant issues now threatening the communities of the north in the aftermath of the tsunami are an increase in depression, sleeping disorders, suicide, and alcoholism. Women and children constituted a large number of those killed and in many cases men witnessed their demise, helpless to save them. In a society where gender roles are clearly defined, men now find themselves confronting a double burden as heads of single parent households. Their personal loss, combined with the destruction of their boats and livelihoods, leaves them at greater risk of suffering from the psychological impact of the disaster. Dr. Daya Somasundaram of Jaffna University confirms that psychosocial assistance is a priority need for people impacted by the tsunami. He notes that children and youth are also suffering, as shown by nightmares, fears and heightened emotions. But the head of the psychology department for the faculty of medicine stresses that well-meaning organisations must take into account the type of psychological assistance required as well as the cultural context in which it is delivered; reported in The Toronto Star

"Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Thank you for all that you do,:

Former President Bill Clinton Recovering from Successful Surgery [VOA News] Doctors in New York say they expect former U.S. President Bill Clinton to make a full recovery from a surgical procedure, lasting almost four hours, to drain fluid from his left lung and remove scar tissue. The doctors expect Mr. Clinton to be walking within 24 hours. President Clinton while visiting Sri Lanka with President Bush Sr. in Sri Lanka: "There was a lot of emotional damage here that's not visible to the eye, and it's most pronounced for these children."

"A climate like this can open the door to sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse,”

"A climate like this can open the door to sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse,” she said. “Exploitation of women and children can include trafficking. Fortunately, incidents of trafficking following the tsunami did not occur in hard-hit areas of Indonesia because of the great attention paid to the issue and the efforts that were quickly put in place by the media and organizations like Save the Children. The time is now. These legislative efforts must be passed. The lives of women and children depend on it." Sri Lankan Tsunami Family, Baby, Visit US Congress: VOA News

“Mr. Solheim was optimistic a joint mechanism for aid distribution could be established soon,”

Mr. Solheim, accompanied by Ms. Solfried Lien, an Executive Office at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, met with Mr. Balasingham at the latter’s London residence Wednesday for two hours of discussions on the political situation in Sri Lanka and the outlook for Oslo’s long-running peace effort in Sri Lanka, the LTTE Chief Negotiator told TamilNet. “Mr. Solheim was optimistic a joint mechanism for aid distribution could be established soon,” Mr. Balasingham said.

"The lifestyle and customs of the residents of this village markedly differs from those of other traditional Tamil villages,"

Residents of Alikambai, an ancient tribal village in Amparai coast, from a community of 231 families were delivered relief supplies including clothing Sunday by the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), a Sri Lanka Government registered NGO which works exclusively in the NorthEast, sources said. The Grama Sevaka of the district assisted in distributing the supplies to the villagers. Head of the Amparai district TRO, P Aathavan and Special co-ordinator Mr Selvarajah participated in the delivery of supplies to the residents. The lifestyle and customs of the residents of this village markedly differs from those of other traditional Tamil villages, officials said: TamilNet

"..hope president Bill Clinton will be able to bring the two sides together to work towards rebuilding of the devastated areas,"

While stressing the importance of "the Norwegian effort to create a joint government-LTTE mechanism to be successful" for Sri Lanka to recover from the tsunami disaster, and expressing hope that "UN special ambassador and former U.S. president Bill Clinton will be able to bring the two sides together to work towards rebuilding of the devastated areas," Professor Oberst pointed out that "[The] sad reality of the Sri Lankan conflict has been the remarkable ability of both sides to allow opportunities for peace and reconciliation to slip away from their grasp," when he talked to TamilNet this week commenting on post-tsunami development in Sri Lanka: TamilNet