Sri Lanka bans child adoption

Sri Lanka has banned the adoption of children orphaned by a deadly tsunami until further notice after receiving unconfirmed reports that some children were snatched in the wake of the disaster, government officials said yesterday.

The UN has voiced concern that criminals could target children orphaned or separated from parents across a host of countries devastated by the tsunami to sell them into slavery, but no confirmed cases have surfaced in Sri Lanka, where more than 9,000 children were hit by the disaster.

"Adopting the children until a permanent solution is implemented is illegal," government spokesman Managala Samaraweera told reporters after a Cabinet briefing. "Not even a Sri Lankan can adopt a child affected by this disaster until the government has come out with its programme," he said. "Even if they are relatives, they are not expected to take children without government permission."

Lalith Weeratunga, secretary to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, said the government had received several reports of child snatching from witnesses in areas affected by the December 26 tsunami.