PHILIPPINES:Two powerful earthquakes off Taiwan triggered a tsunami alert yesterday as thousands commemorated the second anniversary of the Indian Ocean disaster.
On December 26th, 2004, giant waves triggered by one of the most powerful earthquakes on record destroyed villages along Indian Ocean shores, killing or leaving missing about 230,000 people.
Hours after ceremonies in which thousands across the region stood in silence for two minutes, earthquakes measuring 7.1 and 7.0 magnitude hit southern Taiwan, prompting a tsunami alert for the Philippines. This was later lifted and there were no reports of major damage in the region.
At a mosque in Ulee Lheue, in Aceh, imam Usman Dodi told worshippers the disaster had been a religious warning.
"Please forgive the people who have left us for their wrongdoing," the imam prayed.
The seaside mosque in Ulee Lheue was the only building left standing after a magnitude 9.15 earthquake ruptured the ocean floor off the tip of northern Sumatra, triggering waves that slammed into the coastlines of a dozen Indian Ocean nations.
In stark contrast to Aceh, where the disaster led to a landmark peace settlement of a three-decade insurgency, commemorations in rebel-held areas of Sri Lanka were muted.
A resurgence in Sri Lanka's two-decade civil war has forced thousands of Tamils, including tsunami survivors, to flee homes and camps for the second time in two years. - (Reuters)