Colombo, December 26 2009: Thousands of saffron-robed Thai monks chanted and prayed for victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami on Saturday as Asia marked the fifth anniversary of one of history's worst natural disasters.

The gathering of monks in Ban Nam Khem, a small fishing village on Thailand's Andaman Sea coast that lost nearly half its 5,000 people, was one of hundreds of solemn events across Asia in memory of the towering waves that crashed ashore with little warning on December 26, 2004, killing 226,000 people in 13 countries.

"All souls from all nationalities, wherever you are now, please receive the prayers the monks are saying for you," said Kularb Pliamyai, who lost 10 family members in Ban Nam Khem.

In Indonesia's Banda Aceh, about 100 people took part in a prayer ceremony close to a fishing boat that landed on the rooftop of a two-storey house after being swept miles inland.

Indonesia was the worst hit with the number of dead and missing over 166,000.Massive reconstruction aid in Banda Aceh has rebuilt a new city on top of the ruins, and many survivors are only now putting memories of the waves behind them.

Some villagers shed tears as they remembered the day their homes and lives were destroyed by the wall of water that rose as high as 30 metres, triggered by an undersea earthquake off the island of Sumatra.

"I will never forget it in all my life.

After the earthquake, we ran out of the house and within minutes people screamed on seeing the towering water," said Ambasiah, 40, owner of the house with the fishing boat where about 50 people took refuge.

"When the water got higher, suddenly a boat landed on top of the house.

We climbed and stayed there until afternoon.

We saw the waves from atop".

Indonesian Vice President Boediono attended another ceremony in Ulee Lheu, a port about 5 km (3 miles) from Banda Aceh which was worst-hit by the tsunami.

"After five years, the government of Aceh and Aceh people, with the help of the central government and the international society, have resurrected Aceh to start a new life and rebuild Aceh," he told a gathering of about 1,000 people.

Some locals such as Taufik Rahmat say they have moved on, helped along by new homes in the Banda Aceh region following one of the largest foreign fund-raising exercises.

But still pockets of people in his village remain homeless.

"Not all elements have been fulfilled, I think about 80 percent to 90 percent of the people still don't have proper housing," he said.

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