Asia's governments have been urged to free the controlled media as well as to beef up natural defence systems to limit the loss of lives in future natural disasters.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) made these suggestions in separate statements issued in the wake of the tsunami that hit 11 countries in Asia and Africa on Dec 26, and which has taken 155,000 lives to date.

IFJ president Christopher Warren has written to the United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan, "calling on media reform to be a central part of the reconstruction effort following the devastation of the Asian earthquake and tsunami".

IFJ represents over 500,000 journalists in 105 countries including Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Somalia and Kenya, all of which were affected by the tsunami.

World leaders attending a special summit on tsunami aid - scheduled for Thursday in Jakarta - should be reminded of the importance of a free, independent and open media, Warren told Annan in the letter.

"In the reconstruction of the affected areas, we ask that you urge all countries to continue to build on the process of transparency and democracy," he said.

"We welcome the decision of the Indonesian government to open up Aceh to both local and foreign journalists. This is an important step in the continuing democratisation of that country."

Warren said he wanted Annan to convey a "simple message" to those attending the summit that "free media, independent public broadcasters and democratic societies are among the most significant safeguards" against tragedies, now and in the future.

Indonesia's Aceh province was hit first and worst by the tsunami, and almost all of the 94,000 deaths were recorded there.

The province in Sumatra has been closed to the international media, NGOs and humanitarian organisations, while military forces attempted to end a 28-year-old civil strife led by separatists groups.

Warren also welcomed the withdrawal of treason charges against four leading democracy activists in the Maldives, which has suffered extensive damage and mortalities from the tsunami.

"However, it is not too much to say that the inability of journalists in some of the affected countries to simply do their job has cost lives, whether it be through the lack of external journalistic scrutiny in Aceh, the continued repression in the Maldives or the interference in government-run media in Sri Lanka," added Warren.

Sri Lanka's official death toll has risen to 30,000 up to today, while 5,000 remain missing. However, the rebel movement - the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealem - has claimed that more than 18,000 are missing in the territories it controls.

Nature saves

FoEI, meanwhile, said nature's gifts have helpd save lives and prevent the death toll from being even higher when the tsunami struck.

"While the world's attention is on relief and reconstruction efforts, which is indeed most necessary, FoEI is heartened to note reports that in areas where there were extensive coral reefs and mangroves forests, the loss of lives and damage appeared to be much less," its statement read.

FoEI is the world's largest grassroots environmental federation with 71 national member-groups in 70 countries and more than one million individual members.

Quoting an Asian Wall Street Journal report, FoEI said: "The ring of coral in crystal waters around the Surin Island chain off Thailand's west coast forms a sturdy defence against the sea. So when the tsunami struck, it punched a few holes in the reef, but the structure mostly held firm."

According to Thai marine environmentalist Thon Thamrongnavasawadi, the reef may have saved many lives. Only a handful of people on the islands are known to have perished.

"In Malaysia's worst hit area, Penang, representatives of the Penang Inshore Fishermen Welfare Association observed that in areas where the mangrove forests were intact, there were reduced property damage and less impact on the coast," FoEI said.

(Residents there have been urging the government to stop the clearing of a mangrove forest near the Koay Jetty .)

FoEI also cited examples and statistics to show that parts of India and Sri Lanka with dense mangrove and green belts were spared extensive property damage and recorded fewer casualties.

"Tragically, the full fury and wrath of the waves were felt in areas where nature's green belts of coral reefs and mangroves no longer exist or were never present in the first place," it said.

"In many parts of the affected areas where dense mangroves and coral reefs once acted as natural buffers between the sea and coast, other developments (such as) hotels, shrimp farms, coastal highways, housing and commercial development have taken place."

"For those who were saved by the natural barriers, there is indeed a valuable lesson for all governments. Coastal zones, green belts and other natural barriers must be protected, regenerated and managed in a sustainable way."

Meanwhile, FoEI mourned the passing of an executive director in one of its member groups - the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) - who was based in Aceh. He died in the disaster together with his wife and child.

"Mohammad Ibrahim was an inspiring activist who was relentless in his efforts to protect the environment of Aceh and its peoples. We in FoEI are deeply pained by his loss and offer our deepest condolences to our friends in Walhi," the statement added.