[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 2 (Thursday, January 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E40]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES AND SUPPORT FOR ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS OF 
 EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMIS THAT OCCURRED ON DECEMBER 26, 2004, IN SOUTH 
                           AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

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                               speech of

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 4, 2005

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues and all Americans 
to express my deepest sympathy for the victims and the displaced 
families affected by the earthquake and resulting tsunami in southern 
Asia on December 26, 2004.
  While the tidal wave wreaked a path of destruction that was felt from 
Indonesia all the way to eastern Africa, the devastation rippled all 
the way around the world, including my district in San Francisco's East 
Bay area. As one of the most ethnically diverse districts in the 
nation, hundreds of my constituents have family and friends in affected 
regions of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Indonesia. My thoughts and 
prayers go out to them, also.
  Mr. Speaker, to date, it is estimated that over 140,000 children, 
women, and men perished in this terrible natural disaster. I am 
heartened by the outpouring of international aid in the wake of the 
disaster--including the $350 million pledged by President Bush on 
behalf of the American people. We must do everything in our power to 
ensure that emergency aid and supplies to the estimated 3 to 5 million 
displaced survivors reach all those in need. But in the coming months, 
when reports of the tragic disaster begin to recede from the headlines 
of the world's newspapers, we must make sure that development aid to 
the region continues to support the reconstruction effort.
  Our efforts today will ensure that the generation of children who 
lost a parent or guardian or were left orphaned will grow up in a world 
where it is important to help your neighbor. It is important to care.

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