- Title: SRI LANKA: SEVERAL WOMEN IN KALMUNAI LAY CLAIM TO AN ORPHANED TSUNAMI BABY
- Date: 19th January 2005
- Summary: (BN10) KALMUNAI, SRI LANKA (JANUARY 19, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. WS: CHILDREN AND THEIR MOTHERS IN THE PAEDIATRIC WARD OF THE KALMUNAI BASE HOSPITAL 0.06 2. NURSE ENTERS THE ROOM FOR THE SPECIAL TREATMENT 0.12 3. VARIOUS OF THE BABY IN BED (2 SHOTS) 0.23 4. NURSE REMOVES NET PROTECTION OVER BABIES BED 0.29 5. DOCTOR KANDASAMY MURUGANANDAN IN HIS OFFICE 0.35 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KANDASAMY MURUGANANDAN, MEDICAL SUPERINTENDENT OF THE KALMUNAI BASE HOSPITAL, SAYING: "After three or four days only two or three female came claming that baby was their baby, but actually we do not know who the baby belongs to." 0.45 7. CLOSE UP OF THE BABY 0.51 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KANDASAMY MURUGANANDAN, SAYING: "So lot of people are demanding and asking to adopt the baby and to look after the baby. But we cannot give the baby to them to look after because even our hospital staff is also willing to take the baby. We cannot give the baby simply for the adoption. So we are waiting for the real mother to come and appear to us or appear to the court or police, who can proof their identity as the baby's parents." 1.17 9. SCU: ONE OF THE WOMEN IN THE WARD WATCHES THE BABY THROUGH THE GLASS 1.23 10. CU: BABY LYING IN BED 1.28 11. WIDE OF BABY AND WOMAN BEHIND THE GLASS 1.34 12. WOMEN AND CHILDREN SITTING ON THE BED 1.39 13. WIDE OF THE PAEDIATRIC WARD 1.44 14. CU: WOMAN HOLDING HER BABY 1.49 15. THE BABY LYING IN BED 1.54 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 3rd February 2005 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KALMUNAI, SRI LANKA
- Country: Sri Lanka
- Reuters ID: LVAAJCG9XYZLHYFCLGA5FDXPE1A4
- Story Text: Group of women each lay claim to orphaned tsunami
baby.
On December 26, a baby aged between three and four
months was brought by an old man to Kalmunai hospital. The
child was in very bad condition, with lot of bruisers and a
head injury. At first, doctors thought that baby was dead,
but after treatment in the intensive care, they managed to
revive the child.
A few days later two or three women came to the hospital
and claimed that they were the baby's mothers. As
none of them was able to prove it, the hospital
superintendent sought the help of the police and police
involved the court.
The court has ruled that the baby must stay in the
hospital until someone proves that they are the real
mother.
The hospital superintendent says that only DNA test can
determine real parent of the baby.
If no woman can prove that the baby is hers, the
hospital will hand it over to a probation officer, who will
make the final decision on who should look after the baby,
with the possibility not ruled out that the baby could stay
with the probation officer. Although it is more likely a
relative will be found or a caring home which will probably
be Tamil, since that is the ethnicity of the baby.
UNICEF says preliminary data indicate that nearly 1,000
children were orphaned by the tsunami in Sri Lanka and
another 3,200 lost one parent. There is still no final
report about the number of tsunami victims in Ampara
district, but it is believed that more than 50% of those
killed were children.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
