10 January, 2005

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement following the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean on the morning of Sunday 26th December.

In the early hours of 26th December, the earth moved along some 1200km of the seabed, creating first a sea in retreat, then a sea borne along by a wave of such force that it literally obliterated not just the area of the coast at Aceh nearest to it but land over 3000 km from its epicentre. It was a force of nature, so unimaginable in its power and catastrophic in its impact, it quite simply washed the life out of villages, towns, tourist resorts and anything alive on the water in areas across the entirety of the Indian Ocean. It affected Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Maldives, Thailand, Myanmar [Burma], Malaysia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, the Seychelles, Bangladesh The estimated number or people killed now stands at over 150 000, with millions of people forced away from their homes. As well as the devastating loss of life and immediate suffering, there are significant longer-term implications. Many people have lost their means of earning a living: fishermen have lost their boats and nets; farmers' crops have been destroyed; roads, bridges and buildings are damaged or destroyed; as are coastal areas where lives are dependent on tourism.

We should begin by expressing the total unity of this House in giving our deepest condolences for the loss of life in those countries directly affected by the tsunami and to all those in this country who have lost family members, friends and colleagues in this disaster. Scarcely any of us here will not know someone whose life has been touched by this event. None of us will have not been moved to tears as each night, we saw and with mounting horror, the human tragedy that followed the natural disaster.

I can announce today that there will be a Memorial Service later this year for the victims of the Tsunami which will be attended by Her Majesty The Queen. We will give more details in due course and will obviously wish to take account of the views of relatives in planning the service.

I will divide my statement into three parts: first, in respect of the loss of British lives; secondly, the immediate humanitarian help to the countries concerned; and finally the longer-term issues of redevelopment and reconstruction.