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'Yes, Baby 81 is yours'
14/02/2005 08:07 - (SA)
Kalmunai, Sri Lanka - DNA test results on Monday showed that an infant boy found in the debris of the Indian Ocean tsunami belongs to the couple who launched a wrenching court battle for his custody, a Sri Lankan court official announced.
"It has been confirmed that the baby belongs to that couple," court official Mohammed Nazir said. "We are about to issue notice to the parents and the hospital summoning them to court on Wednesday."
The finding was based on last week's court-ordered DNA test of the couple and the boy, nicknamed "Baby 81". It ended eight weeks of uncertainty and drama surrounding the infant, who became a symbol of families torn apart by the December 26 tsunami.
Eight couples originally had claimed the boy at the hospital in Kalmunai, 300km east of the capital, Colombo.
Jenita and Murugupillai Jeyarajah were the only couple to file a formal custody claim, but they couldn't document it, saying the tsunami swept away their family records. The court had ruled that the baby must stay in the hospital until DNA tests could confirm his parentage.
"I am so happy, and I only have to thank God for giving my child back," the boy's father, Murugupillai, said upon hearing the news.
"We've got the results for all our hardships," he added.
The Jeyarajahs say the child's name is Abilass, and that he was born on October 19. They say he was pulled from his mother's arms when the tsunami hit on December 26.
Jenita Jeyarajah has said that when she regains custody of her baby, she will keep her vow to smash 100 coconuts at a temple of the elephant-headed Hindu god, Ganesh, offer sweet rice to the warrior god, Murugan, and kill a rooster for the goddess Kali.
The family lost all their belongings to the tsunami and have been living in a camp close to the town.
- AFP
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