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Anniversary stirs painful memories
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YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSPainful memories have been stirred Sunday, six months after the Asian tsunami that killed more than 176,000 people and triggered the world's largest humanitarian mission. Another 50,000 people are still listed as missing following the December 26 disaster. In its aftermath, more than 2.2 million people were either left homeless or forced to leave their homeland, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. A 9.15 earthquake triggered the tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean. The massive waves destroyed hundreds of towns. Indonesia was the worst hit, with 166,000 people dead or missing in Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra. Sri Lanka suffered more than 31,000 dead and 4,000 missing, while the toll in India stands at more than 10,700 dead and 5,600 missing. On Thailand's Phuket island Sunday, tourists walked along the beach at Patong, where international forensic experts, police and investigators earlier held a service to remember those killed. At Phuket's most popular beach, Patong, a trickle of visitors played pool and drank beer early Sunday, while vendors sold souvenirs and snacks on nearby roads where some businesses were washed away. Thailand's toll was almost 5,400 dead and more than 2,800 missing. While the physical devastation is still visible throughout the region, there are signs of healing. In Banda Aceh, capital of Indonesia's Aceh province, 45-year-old Muhamed Ali, a carpenter, didn't know until just a few weeks ago that his 16-year-old daughter was alive. "I am very happy because I finally can see my daughter again," he said when the pair were reunited June 22. But the happiness of the moment was dimmed when Handayani asked whether her mother and sister had been taken by the waves. Her father could only nod. In the chaotic aftermath of the tsunami, thousands of children were separated from their families, presenting a huge challenge for officials and agencies in charge of their welfare. In the Sri Lankan hamlet of Vakarai volunteers collected anything left from the rubble for an exhibition meant to help survivors mourn. School bags, shoes, tea cups, television parts were all brought to a school in Vakarai, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Batticaloa. "This pair of shoes, my daughter liked most" read an inscription near a shoe. In Galle, a city in southwestern Sri Lanka, fishermen once again have catches. A short distance away, miles of railroad track that was ripped apart has been repaired. And tourists are slowly returning. Fourteen members of Vidanadurage Kumari's family were killed by the tsunami. The mother of four children still cooks in the open because her house was badly damaged. "I wish my entire family had been killed by the tsunami. That would have been better than facing all our problems," she told CNN. But there were no memorials Sunday in a sprawling relocation village in eastern Sri Lanka, with survivors saying they want to leave the bitter memories behind and look to the future, The Associated Press reports. Some were busy laying foundations for new homes being built by a private relief group, while others mixed concrete or worked in vegetable gardens or small shops. In India's worst affected area of Nagapattinam, a fisherman burned incense sticks before a coconut sapling planted by the shore. The plant, named after the fisherman Ravi Shankar's niece Nandini K., is among 207 saplings planted in the memory of children who died at the spot. Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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