An initial welfare plan is to be launched immediately for the children left orphaned and unaccompanied by the Dec. 26 Tsunami disaster.

Save the Children Fund's Sri Lanka office said that welfare of Tsunami child victims is a priority.

The head of its disaster management unit, Manik Kalyanaratne, said that they would register all the children and assist the families who have taken care of them temporarily.

"We shall also provide recreation facilities at child welfare centers and arrange for counseling."

Kalyanaratne added that education opportunities would also be provided for the children.

Although no figures of orphaned children are available, it is estimated that thousands of children have been affected.

Probation and Child care Services Department officials are to visit the disaster hit areas in order to collect data.

Child Care Commissioner Sarath Abeygunawardena said several complaints have been received about individuals who took home children from refugee camps.

It is illegal to do so as most of these children are still in astate of shock and unable to identify even their close relatives, Abeygunawardena said.

The doctors' trade union, the Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA), said that they have urged the government to evacuate children from refugee camps in order to save them from paedophiles.

Dr. Anurudda Padeniya of the GMOA said that his union would volunteer to provide specialist child care services