Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia - November 29, 2005

But visiting communities living amid the ruins of Sri Lanka's east coast ahead of tsunami's one year anniversary, Clinton -- said much still had to be done in areas swamped by the waves before any aid could be passed on.

"There are still some...funds that have not been spent," he told Reuters in a destroyed hospital.

"In every country but the Maldives, the pledges exceed the estimated damages. Until all the work is done...the people who donated the money have to the right to expect it will be spent in the way they intended it."

The December 26 tsunami sparked an unprecedented outpouring of donations and pledges from both governments and individuals -- some $12 billion -- but some aid workers trying to tackle food shortages, worsening poverty and the effect of AIDS in Africa say donations to them have fallen off as a direct result.

Clinton said surplus tsunami funds could be redirected to help fight crises in African countries such as Malawi and Lesotho, where AIDS is slashing agricultural production and the cost of sickness, funerals and lost labor drives already vulnerable families deeper into poverty. "The real answer to this is the AIDS programs, the TB programs, the malaria programs, the clean water programs, putting all these kids in school," Clinton said. "They're cheap to do and they would do so much good for so much people."

WORK STILL TO DO

Some aid workers who have spent time in Africa say they are sometimes distressed by the sheer volume of funds available for tsunami victims, complaining Sri Lanka's temporary shelters are far superior to much housing in the world's poorest continent.

But Clinton said that before any money was redirected, the thousands still living in the wood and corrugated iron structures or tents in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere should receive permanent accommodation.

"We still have a lot of work to do -- just look around," said Clinton, surrounded by the foundations that are all that remain of many homes. "We need to honor the donors' wishes, put these lives back together and then get on with dealing with these other problems."

Flanked by U.S. Secret Service agents and heavily armed troops and policemen, Clinton said he believed Sri Lanka had done better than some other affected nations such as Indonesia, but that more needed to be done.

The disaster killed as many as 232,000 people around the Indian Ocean, and many Sri Lankan survivors complain little aid has filtered through. Clinton said he felt the government was doing well -- better than others in the region -- but that more needed to be done.

But he said he was concerned by the island's troubled peace process between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels, seen at its lowest point since a ceasefire in 2002 with some analysts saying war is possible as both sides seem unwilling to compromise despite saying they will attend new talks.

"If there were, God forbid, a return to significant violence it would significantly impact on theprocess," he said. "I'm certainly worried about it. But everyone I have spoken to is aware of the risks and I hope that they are also well aware of the opportunities."

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