Tsunami aid: World Bank willing to go extra mile
Colombo: The World Bank said on Saturday it will consider significantly boosting its aid to countries stricken by the Asian tsunami. At a press conference in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, the head of the World Bank, James A. Wolfensohn, said, "We could ourselves go up to a billion dollars I think without any difficulty." But he said funding should be transparent and go directly to local communities.

Speaking at the end of a one day visit to Sri Lanka, where more than 30,000 died, he said the disaster could also present the country with an opportunity to solve its decades-long conflict. The tsunami battered Sri Lanka's southern and eastern coastlines, causing heavy damage to houses, hotels and commercial buildings and devastating the country's fishing industry.

The World Bank has already pledged $175 million in assistance to the 11 countries in Asia and Africa hit by the December 26 disaster.
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