Asian nations remember the 230,000 killed in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

INDONESIA: Thousands of people fled beaches on Indonesia's resort island of Bali in a tsunami drill Tuesday, kicking off remembrances across Asia two years after devastating waves crashed into coastlines, killing 230,000 people and leaving millions homeless.

Elsewhere, survivors and mourners were marking the anniversary by visiting mass graves, lighting candles along beaches, observing a moment of silence and erecting warning towers in hopes of saving lives in the future.

Some volunteers were preparing to plant mangroves, saying they were key to protecting coastal communities.

The magnitude 9.0 earthquake that ripped apart the ocean floor off Indonesia's Sumatra island on Dec. 26, 2004 spawned giant waves that fanned out across the Indian Ocean at jetliner speeds, causing death and destruction in a dozen countries.

Walls of water two stories high swept entire villages to sea in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, submerged luxury resorts and fishing communities in Thailand and destroyed thousands of homes in India.

The drill Tuesday - which involved real-time warnings sent from the capital to radios along the beach - was as much about raising awareness as testing technology deployed in the country hardest hit two years ago. Nearly 167,000 of those killed were from Aceh province - hundreds of kilometers (miles) from Bali - where tens of thousands of people still live in temporary homes.

Sirens wailed as masses, many of them school children, briskly walked inland from the shore, accompanied by Indonesia's minister of research and technology and a handful of foreign tourists.

"The biggest challenge is working with the people to make them aware," said German geologist Harald Spahn, who is helping Indonesia set up its alert network. "It is a really complex job that many people underestimate."

Meanwhile in the tranquil morning light, survivors and relatives of those killed in the tsunami exactly two years ago gathered Tuesday to pay a quiet but moving tribute to the dead. As dawn broke, some threw flowers out to sea, while others stood silently to remember the 5,400 victims, half of whom were tourists, claimed by the waves on the southern Thai coast on December 26, 2004.

At about 9:30 am (0230 GMT), the first of the day's memorials began, with religious leaders presiding over a multi-faith ceremony in Ban Nam Khem fishing village, attended by some 500 mourners.

A similar event took place on Phuket's Patong beach, drawing about 1,000 tourists and locals. "I lost my father and his wife and my brother two years ago," said Linda Sander, 22, from Sweden.

"I feel strange. I don't understand what the ceremony is about, but we are staying at the same hotel they stayed, so it is nice," said Sander, who was one of a handful of foreigners who attended the Ban Nam Khem memorial.

"I will attend every ceremony held today," she said.

In Thailand, ceremonies were planned in Phuket, Ban Nam Khem and other villages affected by the disaster.

In the evening, King Bhumibol Adulyadej's daughter Princess Ubolratana, who lost her son in the tsunami, will preside over a candle light ceremony in Bang Nieng.

But in contrast to last year, when television crews invaded the beaches as hundreds of foreign relatives paid their respects, this year has been more low key. Across Thailand's coast, reconstruction has mostly been swift, particularly in tourist areas like Phuket and villages like Ban Nam Khem, which became a symbol of the devastation suffered in Thailand.

But the reconstruction work has not reached everyone. On Khao Lak beach, many smaller hotels remain in ruins, with owners lacking the funds to rebuild.

Thailand on Monday also said it would investigate alleged misuse of money donated by the United States and six European nations to help identify victims of the tsunami.

In India, where another 18,000 are believe to have died, interfaith ceremonies were being be held and in Malaysia, where 69 people were killed, volunteers were preparing to replant mangroves, saying the tsunami demonstrated how important the coastal forests can be in protecting communities.

The 2004 tsunami generated an unprecedented outpouring of generosity, with donor pledges reaching some US$13.6 billion (euro10.31 billion), but many of those homeless complain they are stuck with poorly built structures that leak, are termite-infested or located in flood zones.

Corruption has also marred the process, with several nongovernment organizations forced to delay projects or rebuild homes after contractors and suppliers ran off with the funds.

Bali, Ban Nam Khem, Tuesday, AP, AFP