5 Years Later, Questions Over Tsunami Aid

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Thousands prayed all around Indonesia Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Asian tsunami that left 230,000 people dead.

The devastating tsunami, which was sparked by a 9.2-magnitude underwater earthquake off the island of Sumatra, struck a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean rim on Dec. 26, 2004. Towering waves wiped out entire coastal communities, devastated families and crashed over tourist-filled beaches the morning after Christmas ( see pictures ).

A worldwide relief effort got underway almost immediately after the disaster, but some are wondering what ever happened to the aid.

Nearly $500 million in tsunami aid for Sri Lanka is unaccounted for and over $600 million has been spent on projects unrelated to the disaster, according to AFP .

Berlin-based Transparency International has demanded an audit of the tsunami relief money received by the Sri Lankan government. The group says there needs to be an explanation for the allegedly missing millions.

"There is no precise evidence to explain the missing sum of $471.9 million," a statement from Transparency International claims. An "audit should be done by the government to explain the utilization of the money received and the challenges faced."

In addition to the missing money, some say the money that has been spent to reconstruct housing has been wasted.

A massive tsunami rehousing scheme spanning over nearly 600 acres and 1,500 houses has sprung up in Siribopura, Sri Lanka, according to Time magazine . Some say the homes, which were built in an area where elephants used to walk, were constructed so poorly that they are not safe.

"Some of the houses were so bad, that no one could live in them," Charles Rathnayake, a resident who moved in after extensive repairs, told Time.

Businessmen have complained that the housing complex is too far from the business center, and many of the houses are being overtaken by shrubs.

Over 1,300 families in the town of Kalmunai, Sri Lanka, continue to wait for houses five years after their homes were swept away. Without houses to put up as a dowry, some families are finding it difficult to find husbands for their daughters.

"I built a nice house near the coast for [my daughter]. Nothing was left of it after the tsunami," Nafrath Sulthan told Time. "Our tradition is that girls have to get married when they are 21, 22. Time is running out for her," he added.

There are some positive relief stories , however. Of the more than $13 billion in aid money, nearly half went to one of the hardest hit and poorest areas -- Aceh, Indonesia.

Former President Bill Clinton said much of the aid was purposely sent to these areas.

"We did more than just build back; we built back better. ... Though some tsunami-affected areas have not fully recovered, the recovery process continues, and governments, communities, and people around the region are better prepared for the future," he said in a statement released Saturday by the Clinton Foundation.

A huge reconstruction effort has now rebuilt Aceh, providing more than 140,000 new homes, 2,227 miles of roads, 1,500 schools and 1,047 hospitals.