Nations remember tsunami victims

8220;We hope this will be part of the healing process for those who lost loved ones,8221; said Chamroen Tankasem, a government official in southern Thailand, a tropical paradise that was turned into a graveyard in a matter of

minutes.

The magnitude 9.0 earthquake that ripped apart the ocean floor off Indonesia8217;s Sumatra island on Dec 26, 2004 spawned giant waves that fanned out across the Indian Ocean at jetliner speeds, killing an estimated 230,000 people in a dozen nations.

Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on an arc of fault lines, accounted for nearly two-thirds of those killed. It will mark Tuesday8217;s anniversary by preparing for future deadly waves.

Ten thousand people are scheduled to take part in an evacuation drill on the resort island of Bali, which was unaffected by the 2004 tsunami, fleeing homes in four villages after authorities set off sirens, said Pari Atmono, a Ministry of Research and Technology official.

In Thailand, ceremonies will be held along the Andaman coast with Buddhist prayers to remember more than 8,200 killed. In Sri Lanka, where the resurgence of a civil war has added to the misery of survivors, Hindu and Buddhist temples will ring bells to mark the time the first wave hit.