IN Indonesia’s Aceh province on Sumatra island, one survivor dismissively gestured at a jumble of scrap iron and plastic sheeting — all that remains of his neighbourhood.

The world remembered the fury of the Indian Ocean tsunami that swept away at least 223,000 people in 12 countries and laid waste to entire communities in one of the worst natural disasters in memory.

The world’s grief and compassion returned to the Indian Ocean’s tsunami-battered shores today, marking a year since giant waves crashed ashore in a dozen countries, laying waste to communities and sweeping away at least 216,000 lives.