India halts remote island mass evacuations

THE Indian government yesterday halted the mass evacuation of island survivors whose homes were smashed by tsunamis, focusing instead on bringing relief directly to the victims as demanded by aid groups.

However, the government did not change its policy barring international aid groups from the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, citing concerns for indigenous tribes there and security at a military air base.

Instead, for the past week, more than 12,000 villagers were ferried from the archipelago to Port Blair, capital of the federally administered territory, where they were housed in camps.