Bush orders flag tribute to tsunami victims

CRAWFORD: President George W Bush on Saturday ordered the US flag to be flown at half-staff for five days to honour victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami as a White House delegation prepared to visit devastated areas. A day after he raised the US tsunami aid contribution ten-fold to $350 million amid pressure from critics, Bush used his weekly radio address to emphasise the need for private relief donations to a region where giant waves killed nearly 127,000 people and left 5 million homeless. “The carnage is of a scale that defies comprehension,” said Bush, who announced that $15 million of US aid has now been disbursed to relief organisations in the area. reuters

Home | Foreign