Abhilasha Jeyarajah (19 October 2004), sometimes spelled Abilash Jeyarajah and known as Baby 81, was a survivor of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and the subject of a parental identity row. October 19 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Animation of the tsunami caused by the earthquake (see also the full-length version) The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. ...

Abhilasha was found on the beach of the Sri Lankan town of Kalmunai in the midst of debris and dead bodies. He was taken without any family to Kalmunai hospital on the day of the disaster (26 December 2004) after no relatives were found in the vicinity. He was named Baby 81 after being the 81st victim taken to that hospital after the tsumani hit Sri Lanka. The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (ශ්රී ලංකා in Sinhala / இலங்கை in Tamil) (known as Ceylon before 1972) is a tropical island nation off the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent. ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Nine couples attempted to claim the child for themselves, though only one pair took legal action to prove the baby's identity – Murugupillai and Junitha Jeyarajah claimed he was their four-month old son, Abhilasha. They said how the boy had slipped from his mothers arms when the waves hit, and that the documents of his birth, along with all their other possessions, were washed away in the disaster.

The courts initial attempts to take custody of the baby were blocked by the hospital. On 2 February 2005, they ordered DNA tests of both the baby and the couple in an attempt to prove the case. The judge stated that the court would reconvene with the results on 20 April 2005, though hoped an earlier date may be set. Hearing this, the couple, along with over 70 supporters, attempted to take the child from the hospital – the pair were arrested for assault and criminal trespass. On 9 February 2005, escorted by nurses, police and a court official, the baby was taken to Colombo to undergo the tests. On 14 February 2005, results of the tests confirmed their claim. February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... DNA replication Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid which is capable of carrying genetic instructions for the biological development of all cellular forms of life and many viruses. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Towers of downtown Colombo Colombo (derived from Sinhalese name Kola-amba-thota which means mango harbour, altered by the Portuguese to honour Christopher Columbus), population 737,396 (Colombo metropolitan area: 2,234,289) (2001), is the largest city and commercial center of Sri Lanka. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• "Tsunami 'Baby 81' identified (http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-02-14T064814Z_01_HOL936128_RTRUKOC_0_QUAKE-LANKA-BABY.xml) at Reuters, 14 February 2005
• "DNA test on disputed tsunami baby" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4248681.stm) at BBC News, 9 February 2005
• "DNA test for tsunami survivor 'Baby 81'" (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/03/content_414671.htm) at China Daily, 3 February 2005
• "DNA Test Ordered in Tsunami 'Baby 81' Case" (http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=465226) at abcnews, 2 February 2005