COLOMBO, Dec 31, 2006 (AFP) - Fighting in Sri Lanka is expected to intensify in the new year in the absence of fresh moves by peacebrokers to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table, analysts and politicians said.

Some 3,671 people have been killed in the past year in the palm-fringed resort island in an upsurge of violence despite a Norwegian-arranged truce in place since February 2002.

The two sides in the conflict between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority say they are still upholding the ceasefire and accuse the other of violating it.

Il y a deux ans, le monde était sous le choc après la tragédie du tsunami qui s'était abattu sur les côtes de l'Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est. Aujourd'hui, les conséquences dramatiques de cette catastrophe naturelle sont encore visibles. Cependant, l'espoir est là: la solidarité et l'afflux de dons sans précédent ont permis à la Croix-Rouge suisse (CRS) d'acheminer rapidement une aide d'urgence aux populations sinistrées ainsi que de planifier et de mettre en œuvre de nombreux programmes de reconstruction en Inde, au Sri Lanka et en Indonésie depuis le début de l'année 2005.

From the earliest reports of the terrible devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004, it was clear to humanitarian organizations like Oxfam that we would be required to provide emergency response and reconstruction on an unprecedented scale.

The total death toll of 230,000 people told only part of the story. Nearly two million people were forced from their homes. Millions, too, saw their livelihoods wiped out or threatened. Many of those affected were already living in poverty. The people of Aceh,

KILINOCHCHI & MULLAITIVU DISTRICTS

Situation update

There has been sporadic shelling in the evenings of December 23-27 in the Muhamalai areas.

On 26 December memorial events for the 2nd anniversary of the tsunami were organized in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts by various organizations while in Kilinochchi, the Council of NGOs organized a peace parade.

On 22 December the acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sri Lanka Amin Awad visited Kilinochchi and met with the political leadership of the LTTE.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006 - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Two years after a tsunami devastated the Sri Lankan coastline and forced thousands of people to resettle inland, many families have settled into new homes. This includes families who have moved to a brand new community in Walahanduwa near the southern city of Galle. While the people in this community are thankful for their new homes, conditions around the homes have deteriorated to the point that residents face a renewed threat of illness and disease.

Following is the statement by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the situation in Sri Lanka on the second anniversary of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, issued today:

In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean two years ago, there was great hope that recovery and reconstruction would be underpinned by a new spirit of peace and reconciliation, as the same disaster engulfed friend and foe alike. And indeed, in Aceh, and at least initially in Sri Lanka, solidarity among the victims, crossing political, national and ethnic lines,

COLOMBO, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Church and temple bells will toll across Sri Lanka on Tuesday for the victims of the 2004 tsunami but commemoration ceremonies in rebel-held areas, which were the worst hit, will be deliberately low-key.

While the Sinhalese dominated south has picked up the pieces and moved quickly to rebuild, the war-torn, Tamil Tiger-controlled northeast which took the brunt of the waves has been left pretty much on its own.

A resurgence in Sri Lanka's long-running civil war this year has added to the sense of desperation in the east,

The headlines are gone.

Two years after the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 26, 2004, work continues on the long, hard road to recovery. Direct Relief's work in tsunami-affected areas has continued unabated.

This report is about our work and expenditures of tsunami funds entrusted to our organization, both of which have been conducted in strict adherence to guidelines and self-imposed accountability standards we established immediately after the tsunami. We are pleased to report how these activities have been conducted and how resources have been spent.