SINGAPORE, March 24 (Reuters) - Nearly three months after a series of deadly tsunami waves triggered by the Dec. 26 earthquake in the Indian Ocean wreaked havoc on the region, this is the current state of affairs in the worst-hit countries:
INDONESIA
The latest (March 22) government figures put the death toll in Indonesia's Aceh province at 126,602 and the missing at 93,638. The combined total of dead and missing is over 220,000, and more than 514,000 people have been displaced from their homes. Some are staying with relatives or friends while others are housed in everything from semi-permanent camps with barracks to tents and makeshift shelters. Aceh's population was estimated at around 4 million before the tsunami.
153 non-governmental organisations are providing relief, along with U.N. and foreign government aid agencies. The World Food Programme says it is feeding 600,000 in Aceh.
Various international agencies and others have estimated Indonesia's recovery costs cost from the tsunami would be in a range of $4.5 to $5 billion. Total humanitarian assistance pledged is $6.35 billion, of which $2.1 billion had been paid up.
The government has appointed international accounting firms to track aid to ensure it does not get misused. Indonesia is rated among the world's most corrupt countries.
Major aid agencies say emergency relief operations are mostly over and the focus now is on "phase two" reconstruction and rehabilitation.
More than a dozen countries from around the world sent military units and equipment to aid in the emergency phase. The United States was most prominent with some 13,000 military personnel, 16 ships including an aircraft carrier, and at least 21 helicopters. Australia, Britain, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Germany, France, Russia, Pakistan, Japan, Spain, Mexico, Switzerland and New Zealand were among others providing help from their militaries.
Indonesia set a target of March 26 for foreign military personnel to withdraw from its borders and waters, although it has since said a few units may remain longer. According to the government, among those who would be completely gone by or on the deadline are the United States, Australia, Japan, Germany, Pakistan, Spain and Mexico.
Indonesia had spoken of applying the March 26 deadline to some civilians and certain foreign private and government aid agencies working in Aceh, but has extended that target for a period of 30 to 60 days.
Helicopters and ships are still the main means of delivering aid to much of Aceh's shattered western coast, where many roads are impassable and at least 130,000 homeless are in camps.
Initial fears about widespread outbreaks of contagious diseases have abated, but tetanus, measles, malaria, dengue and malnutrition-related diseases remain a concern.
Tsunami-destroyed beaches, damaged reefs, and polluted ground water have put animal species in danger of extinction and rendered much farmland useless. The United Nations said the tsunami caused $675 million in environment damage to Aceh alone.
SRI LANKA
Death toll is 38,938, with a further 4,100 missing and presumed dead.
Over 516,000 people are still displaced. The government says over 400,000 displaced are now living with friends and relatives, waiting for temporary houses to be built. But around 100,000 people are still living in tents and shelters.
NGOs are building thousands of temporary homes for the displaced, but officials in the rebel-held north say tens of thousands of people will likely have to wait around a year before enough such homes are finished.
NGOs say reconstruction in the hard-hit south and east is going slowly.
Many Sri Lankans in the south are building their own wooden shacks, many defying a 100-metre (yard) coastal buffer zone the government has imposed and building on the foundations of ruined homes.
housands of fishermen are still unable to return to sea for lack of boats and nets, relying on handouts of dry rations.
The government estimates it will cost $1.8 billion to rebuild damaged infrastructure and flattened towns, but says it has only received a fraction of pledged aid -- in turn delaying reconstruction.
INDIA
The latest death toll is 10,749 with 5,640 missing, presumed dead. Most of the dead and missing are from the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu and the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, close to the epicentre of the undersea quake that triggered the tsunami.
More than 100,000 people are living in temporary shelters in more than 250 relief camps.
Relief workers are racing to build sturdy accommodation for the refugees before the monsoon hits -- in April in the Andaman and Nicobars and June on the mainland.
Most of the victims were fishing families living close to the beaches on the mainland and primitive tribespeople in the islands.
The tsunami has had virtually no impact on India's economy. The affected areas had no industry and were not major tourist destinations.
India has provided $23 million in aid for neighbouring Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Maldives, as well as sending military personnel to help with medical care and temporary accommodation.
India declined foreign aid for the emergency response, but is accepting funds from the Asian Development Bank and other institutions for rehabilitation.
THAILAND
As of March 15, the death toll is 5,395 people, at least 1,953 of them foreigners. Another 2,932 are missing.
The biggest forensic operation in history is working to identify the dead, but progress is slow. As of March 23, the identities of 1,010 people had been confirmed. Officials say they are identifying around 20-30 bodies per day.
On Phuket island, one of Asia's premier beach resorts, efforts to entice tourists are well under way, with an international marketing blitz and range of cut-price deals on rooms and flights.
On Khao Lak beach, north of Phuket where most of Thailand's deaths occurred, crews are cleaning up debris and engineers are examining the crumpled remains of hotels and resorts. Few of the major hotels are expected to reopen within the year.
The tsunami is expected to cost Thailand's lucrative tourist trade some 30 billion baht ($780 million) in lost revenues in 2005.
Temporary housing is being erected. The government plans 3,600 new homes and will repair another 3,000 in the six affected southern provinces.
Thailand, a relatively wealthy country, has declined financial aid, but has accepted technical, especially forensic, expertise. It has promised to spend 1.7 billion baht ($44 million) rebuilding the tsunami-hit region, which is heavily dependent on tourism.
The results of a Thai government study of the tsunami disaster will not be made public. Officials say this is partly due to a foreign lawsuit demanding Thailand, U.S. forecasters and a French hotel chain answer accusations that they failed in their duty to warn people a tsunami was coming.