Tsunami stories: Victim found alive - in prison

A British man convicted of child pornography charges told his family he was going to Thailand rather than jail - but his cover was blown when they listed him missing in the Asian tsunami.

Mark Doogue, 47, had pretended he was going to work as a chef in Phuket for three months. His sons, Michael, 24, and Matthew, 19, issued an appeal for information through the Red Cross and UK police and found he was safe and well - and in a jail just a few kilometres away.

Michael said: "I haven't really got any interest in talking to my dad now.

"I did want to know whether he was safe or not but now I know that he is alive I don't want to talk to him."

All-star kick-around

Soccer is getting behind efforts to raise funds for tsunami victims with national league franchise Auckland City facilitating a charity match at Kiwitea Street, Auckland, next Thursday.

Celebrities and the media will play against a former All Whites side.

New Zealand Warriors rugby league coach Tony Kemp will be joined by one of his assistants, Ivan Cleary, in the All Star side.

Former Kiwi international and Fight For Life organiser Dean Lonergan will also be in the side, as well as former All Black rugby fullback Shane Howarth and media personalities such as Radio Sport and TVNZ's Tony Veitch, Sky Sport's Dennis Katsanos and comedian Andrew Clay.

Beware the sea

Sri Lanka's president has appealed to tsunami survivors not to rebuild their homes too close to the sea, a state-run newspaper said.

The Government has proposed upgrading a law that would ban construction within 200m of the sea.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga said those who lost homes in the December 26 tsunami disaster would be given new ones at the state's expense.

Finns in fundraiser

New Zealand's Finn brothers will join Australian Labor MP Peter Garrett in a one-off concert to raise funds for victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, organisers said yesterday.

Garrett will revive his role as Midnight Oil frontman for the concert, Wave Aid, to be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 29.

Other artists include Silverchair, Nick Cave, Powderfinger and the John Butler Trio.

The amount raised could reach A$1.74 million ($1.9 million).

Defence training put off

The New Zealand Defence Force's tsunami relief work has led to a joint New Zealand and Australian defence training exercise being postponed.

Exercise Joint Kiwi was to have run in Hawkes Bay from February 26 until March 5 but now may not go ahead until 2006.

Grim task for dentist

Identifying bodies decayed beyond recognition has become the gruesome daily task of a Hamilton forensic dentistry expert.

Zaf Khouri left for Thailand two weeks ago to head a team of New Zealand forensic dentists.

Seconded to Thailand by police liaison forensic dentist Warren Bell, he works in a makeshift morgue three hours drive from Phuket, trying to identify the dead by their teeth.

- AGENCIES