At least one tourist from Latvia has been reported hurt in the aftermath of the Dec. 26 tsunamis that claimed at least 80,000 lives throughout South Asia, the news agency LETA reports. Meanwhile, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says a total of 228 tourists from Latvia might have been in the affected countries.

Vladimirs Kuļišovs, a businessman from Latvia, lost a finger and suffered a broken leg when a tsunami hit the coastal resort of Phuket in Thailand, where he, his wife, his son and his son’s girlfriend were vacationing, according to LETA.

The Foreign Ministry said Dec. 29 that so far it has verified that 206 of the 228 tourists were not hurt.

Earlier, accounting for 126 tourists, the Foreign Ministry said the greatest number, 73,  were in Thailand. A total of 37 were believed to be in Sri Lanka. Nine were India, 26 were in the Maldives, five were in Malaysia, and seven were in Bali in Indonesia.

A number of tourists from Latvia in Sri Lanka and Thailand have lost their passports, the Foreign Ministry said.

The tsunamis were caused by a powerful earthquake—registering 8.9 on the 10-point Richter scale—that occurred the morning of Dec. 26 in the Indian Ocean about 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Particularly hard hit by the tsunami was the Sri Lankan coastal district of Batticaloa, where an estimated 12,500 people have perished, according to news reports.

Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga sent messages of condolence to the presidents of Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and Maldives, as well as to the king of Thailand, the president’s press secretary said.

(Updated 29 DEC 2004)

Latvians in Australia will celebrate their culture for the 50th time during the Australian Latvian Culture Festival (Austrālijas Latviešu Kultūras dienas) scheduled Dec. 26-31 in Melbourne.

The many different events scheduled during the festival will include staging of the classic Latvian play by Anna Brigadere, “Lolitas brīnumputns,” and a folk-dancing performance with a theme centred around the septiņdienu gredzens (Seven-day ring) and featuring dancers from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra.

The opening concert on Dec. 27 will feature soloist Baiba Zandere and a youth choir from Latvia, Resono, conducted by Edgars Račevskis.

Other features of the festival are an arts and crafts exhibition, a sacred music concert, a night for Latvian families at the Polly Woodside Maritime Museum, basketball matches, a darts competition and social get-togethers every night for the younger crowd at various venues in Melbourne.

A youth-oriented “Triple Bill Extravaganza” is scheduled Dec. 30 and will feature Brīvdiena, a band from Latvia, as well as performances of modern and folk music by the Latvian-Australian groups Kastietādi, Zigrīda ansamblis, Duk Duks and Bārdas tiesa.

The festival will conclude Dec. 31 with a New Year’s Eve Ball.

For further information about the festival, visit www.al50kd.org. For information about youth-oriented activities during the festival, visit www.ljaa.org.au.