Bush and Clinton meet with tsunami children

FORMER US Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush senior spent time with child survivors of Asia’s tsunami yesterday, getting clues to the emotional impact of the disaster after surveying the massive physical destruction it caused.

In the fishing town of Weligama on Sri Lanka's battered southern coast, Mr Clinton and Mr Bush visited temporary houses and sat with children who danced, sang and drew pictures of their experiences.

"Some of them are still drawing about the tsunami, and some of them are drawing life as they remember it and as they want it to be again," Mr Clinton said.

The two ex-leaders toured facilities built with US government aid to house people whose homes were washed away in the December 26 tsunami, which killed more than 30,000 people in Sri Lanka.

"We see the physical devastation. We see the adults struggling to rebuild their homes and start their businesses," Mr Clinton said in Weligama.

"There was a lot of emotional damage here that's not visible to the eye."

Mr Bush said: "You just can't help but feel something in your heart about these children."

In Koggala, Mr Clinton said he had shared fears of deadly disease outbreaks in the days following the disaster. "I was absolutely convinced we would lose another 100,000 people," he told aid workers.

"It's nice to be wrong sometimes. It's amazing that didn't happen, a great tribute to all of you."

The official tsunami death toll ranges from 169,070 to 178,118 with most of the victims in Indonesia, but with Sri Lanka, Thailand and India also hit hard. Tens of thousands are missing, most presumed dead.

On Sunday, the two former leaders visited the tsunami's ground zero at Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra.

US President George W Bush asked his father and Mr Clinton to lead the US effort to provide private aid to the tsunami victims.