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United Nations says more money needed to continue tsunami reconstruction efforts By CHRIS BRUMMITT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — The United Nations said governments have only given a fraction of the money they pledged for tsunami aid and warned that more cash is needed to fund long term reconstruction efforts. In Sri Lanka, corruption allegations continued to hamper relief operations Tuesday. The global body was also considering moving its base in Indonesia’s worst-hit Aceh province because of security concerns. Al-Qaida linked suicide bombers have targeted Westerners in Indonesia three times in the past three years. Estimates of the number of people killed by the Dec. 26 tsunami that struck 11 nations ranged from about 162,000 to 178,000 — most of them in Indonesia. Another 26,000 to 142,000 are missing, but officials say it’s too early to add them to the toll with bodies still being found. Indonesia said Tuesday it had found 1,055 more corpses, raising the country’s confirmed death toll to at least 115,756. The State Department said 18 U.S. citizens died in the disaster and that 15 others are presumed dead. Ten perished in Thailand and eight in Sri Lanka,* said Adam Ereli, the deputy spokesman. Of the 15 presumed dead, 14 were in Thailand and one was in Sri Lanka. New earthquakes rattled the region early Tuesday, but there were no reports of damage or injury. Temblors were felt in Taiwan and Papua New Guinea, which were unaffected by the disaster. With the emergency phase of relief operations over, Japan said it will pull its relief troops out of Indonesia by the end of March, in line with Jakarta’s wishes. But hundreds of thousands of survivors are still in need and the United Nations begged governments to deliver promised aid. Nations have pledged $977 million, but only $360 million has reached the world body’s coffers, said Margareta Wahlstrom, special envoy of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. “This is our key message to government donors: Please convert your pledges into hard cash in the bank. It’s only cash in the bank that makes it possible to do work on the ground,” she said Monday in Geneva. Although the United Nations is not short of funds to maintain its humanitarian relief operations, it warned that money is still needed in the long run for reconstruction. Governments “are very generous classically with food, health, and children, but they are very slow in filling us up on livelihoods and shelter,” she said. The State Department said last week that Washington has given nearly $119 million out of $350 million it has pledged in tsunami aid. But in Sri Lanka, corruption was hampering aid operations. Officials have been accused of plundering relief supplies, demanding bribes from tsunami victims, and being drunk on duty. Several people were suspended last week, with others under investigation. The U.N. World Food Program will soon dispatch more food aid monitors to try to “abolish any corruption within the government system,” coordinator Dawit Getachew said. Dozens of tsunami survivors staged a noisy protest that disrupted traffic on a main road in a village near Colombo, accusing a village official of giving food and cash aid only to his supporters. In Indonesia’s Aceh province, security concerns prompted U.N. officials to consider relocating the base for the massive international relief effort there. Joel Boutroue, U.N. deputy humanitarian coordinator, said the United Nations “does not expect to be a target” of an attack. But he said the walled compound in Banda Aceh, where 100 aid workers live and work, had “structural weaknesses” and “is not optimal ... from a security perspective.” a Outstanding Woman of the Year at (JSC ||ow would The Office of Women's Student Services is accepting applications ^ for the Outstanding Woman of the Year at (JSC award. VOU SCO If Purpose of the Award * The month of March is Women's History Month and we would ja^e a FREE practice test at like to recognize (ISC women who ere making a difference Kaplan’s Test Drive and find out. in their community o Saturday, February 26, 2005 Basic Eligibility 10 00 am "Undergraduate with 60 credit hours or more usc. Gambrell Hall "Must have attended USC for at least one semester "Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better Call or visit us online today to register! Applications are available in suite 227 of the Russell House and are due Friday. February 25th by 5 p.m. to suite 227 in the 1 -800-KAP-TEST Russell House. kaptest.com/testdrive Applicants and finalist will be recognized on Tuesday, March 29th at _ 7^^™« 4:30 p.m. at the Outstanding Women of the USC Celebration in the Test Prep 3nd Adm,ss,ons § Russell House Ballroom. •Test names are registered trademarks of their respective owners. 1 I Please call 777-7130 if yoa have any questions. ^ ■ LEUKEMIA Continued from page 1 house must be kept painstakingly sanitaty. She can’t eat anything that might harbor bacteria: no raw vegetables, fresh fruit or dairy products. She can’t go out to dinner, or down to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. Except for an occasional visit from her friends or family, she is isolated. She’s not allowed to spend time — or even be in the same room — with children. Her twin half-brothers can’t visit. “When I get to come home,” she said, “they can come ride up in my stepdad’s car, and they can wave at me through the window or something, but they can’t get out and be around me.” Nevertheless, Terry said she was enjoying her “long weekend” away from the leukemia and lymphoma floor where her friends die. Today she goes in for an important biopsy. This one will tell her whether she has beaten the leukemia again. The data will tell doctors how much more chemo she needs, when she needs it and how strong it will need to be, but she won’t recover completely without the bone marrow transplant she might never get. Until then, she’ll fight disease over and over again. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockneivs@gtrm.se. edu ■ MARROW Continued from page 1 There will also be a benefit at Rafter’s today from 9:30 p.m. until the bar closes. The party for anyone over 18 will have a $5 cover charge. The proceeds will go to the marrow drive, and any left over will be donated to Terry’s family to cover medical bills and living expenses. Cheek said she remembered when Terry first went to the hospital. “We were in the hospital at the same time, when I had my gallbladder taken out,” she said. “Actually, she went in for back problems, and they gave her some medicine. When she reacted, they found out she had leukemia.” Cheek said she was confident that Terry would recover, though. “She knows she’s coming back to USC. She definitely knows she’s going to be okay, and I think that’s what’s keeping her together,” she said. Comments on this story ? E-tnail gamecocknews@givm.sc. edu j MEET COLUMBIA MAYOR BOB COBLE | I Please meet City of Columbia mayor, Bob Coble, on Wednesday, Feb. J 9, 2005 at 5pm in the Russell House Theater. We will be discussing ■ I campus safety and building a better relationship between the Carolina I I STUDENT GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIPS Student Government Scholarships are due Wednesday, February 16. If you are interested in applying for any of these $500 scholarships, ! stop by 227 Russell House and pick up an application. The scholarships are available to all full-time students. I! PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE Please join us for the presidential candidates debate on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2005 on Greene Street at 12:30pm. If you have any questions contact j the office of Student Government and Student Organizations. f I ! I_ - * I