un agencies said on May 23, 2005 that even with the help of international aid, it will take at least five to 10 years for countries hit by the December 2004 tsunami to recover fully. "Usually it's more like 10 years,' un Development Programme (undp) disaster recovery specialist Andrew Maskrey said after a meeting of experts organised by the undp .

The meeting acknowledged that poverty, land disputes and other pre-tsunami conflicts also need to be tackled for effective reconstruction. The undp said the region is in "a critical stage of transition'. It said it wants to "build back better, build back stronger'. "We have to be careful of the tyranny of rush: it can actually put us behind,' warned Kathleen Cravero, of the un's humanitarian coordination office.