Sri Lanka court rules on custody of tsunami baby News
Sri Lanka court rules on custody of tsunami baby

[JURIST] DNA tests announced in a Sri Lanka court Monday confirmed that "Baby 81," [Wikipedia entry] a baby boy rescued from debris in the wake of the tsunami, does in fact belong to the couple who had launched a legal battle for his custody. The finding ended weeks of drama concerning the fate of the baby, who became a symbol for families torn apart by the natural disaster on December 26. Nine couples originally claimed the boy, but the Jeyarajahs, the boy's natural parents, were the only couple to file a formal claim. However, they could not document their custody of the baby, as records were swept away in the tsunami. The judge unsealed the results from an envelope during a hearing attended only by lawyers Monday, and then ordered the couple, hospital officials and baby to appear before the court on Wednesday. "This is the first such case in Sri Lanka and it is a historic case," Judge M.P. Mohaideen said after the hearing. AP has more.