S Asia faces challenge in absorbing tsunami aid

One of the main lessons of experience is involving local community leaders in reconstruction, which could prove difficult in this disaster because many influential people in coastal towns and villages have probably been killed.

An unprecedented outpouring of government solidarity has so far raised pledges amounting to four billion dollars worldwide for the relief effort, according to UN figures.

At a donors' conference Thur-sday in Jakarta, UN chief Kofi Annan said that 977 million dollars was needed immediately for specific projects to help five million people across 11 nations hit in the December 26 catastrophe.

But when the first-stage humanitarian effort begins winding down and the focus shifts to reconstruction, huge obstacles to implementing longer-term aid will have to be overcome, not least of which will be making sure that donors live up to their promises

"It will be a very interesting experience to see the extent to which the pledges which have been made translate into actual, firm commitments and expenditures," said development specialist Hunter McGill at the Paris-based Organi-sation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Reuters adds: Long-running rebellions cast a shadow yesterday over relief efforts in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, nations badly struck by the tsunami two weeks ago.

Indonesia's military beefed up security in Aceh, the region worst hit by the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami, after gunfire erupted in the provincial capital Banda Aceh early in the day.

There were no casualties, but one policeman said it could have been related to a long-running insurgency in Aceh.

In Sri Lanka, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the government should use the world's support to heal the country's ethnic divisions and end a civil war with Tamil rebels.