President wants tsunami orphan

2005-01-11 10:07

Colombo - Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga wants to adopt a minority ethnic Tamil child orphaned by last month's tsunami, her spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Kumaratunga, who is from Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority, "is a caring mother and wants to adopt a Tamil girl child", Harim Peiris said.

"The president wants to undertake care and nurture an orphan because so many children are affected and many have become orphans," Peiris said.

Kumaratunga, who has two children, is against sending youngsters to orphanages, it said.

Asked if the decision sends a signal that it was the time for a rapprochement with the Tamil Tiger rebels, Peiris said: "The president's intention is not to politicalise the issue."

The December 26 tsunami killed more than 30 000 people, including 12 000 children, in this island nation, and people have expressed hope that the disaster will help Sri Lankans come together across the ethnic divide.

A truce between Tamil rebels and the government has held with few infractions since 2002, but peace talks broke down in April 2003.

A civil war between the two sides has killed 65 000 people since 1983. The rebels seek to carve out a Tamil homeland.

- AP