20 years after the Indian Ocean tsunami, a boy found in the mud embraces being known as 'Baby 81'

KURUKKAL MADAM, Sri Lanka (AP) — Pulled from the mud as an infant after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, and reunited with his parents following an emotional court battle, the boy once known as “Baby 81” is now a 20-year-old dreaming of higher education.

Jayarasa Abilash's story symbolized that of the families torn apart by one of the worst natural calamities in modern history, but it also offered hope. More than 35,000 people in Sri Lanka were killed, with others missing.

The 2-month-old baby was washed away by the tsunami in eastern Sri Lanka and found some distance from home by rescuers. At the hospital, he was No. 81 on the admissions registry.

His father, Murugupillai Jayarasa, spent three days searching for his scattered family, with little left to his name in those early hours but a pair of shorts.

First he found his mother, then his wife. But their infant son was missing.

A nurse had taken the baby from the hospital, but returned him after hearing that his family was alive.

The ordeal, however, was far from over. Nine other families had submitted their names to the hospital, claiming “Baby 81” as their own, so the hospital administration refused to hand over the child to Jayarasa and his wife without proof.

The family went to the police. The matter went to court. The judge ordered a DNA test, a process that was still in its early stages in Sri Lanka.

But none of the nine other families claimed the baby legally, and no DNA testing was done on them, Jayarasa said.

“The hospital named the child ‘Baby 81’ and listed the names of nine people who claimed the child, omitting us,” he said.

“There was a public call to all those who said the child was theirs to subject themselves for DNA testing, but none of them came forward,” he recalled. Jayarasa said his family gave DNA samples and it was proven the child was theirs.

Soon, the family was reunited. Their story drew international media attention, and they even visited the United States for an interview.

Today, Abilash is sitting for his final high school exam. Solid and good-natured, he hopes to attend a university to study information technology.

He said he grew up hearing about his story from his parents, while classmates teased him by calling him “Baby 81" or “tsunami baby.” He was embarrassed, and it worsened every time the anniversary of the tsunami arrived.

“I used to think ‘Here they have come’ and run inside and hide myself," he said as journalists returned to hear his story again.

His father said the boy was so upset he wouldn’t eat at times.

“I consoled him saying, 'Son, you are unique in being the only one to have such a name in this world," he said.

Later, as a teenager, Abilash read more about the events that tore him from his family and brought him back, and he lost his fear.

He knows the nickname will follow him for life. But that's all right.

“Now I only take it as my code word," he said, joking. “If you want to find me out, access that code word.”

He continues to search online to read about himself.

His father said memories of those frantic, searching days 20 years ago remain fresh, even as others fade.

Over the years, the extensive publicity his family received has also affected them negatively, Jayarasa said.

His family was excluded from many of the tsunami relief and reconstruction programs because government officials assumed they had received money during their visit to the U.S.

The experience also led to jealousy, gossiping and ostracizing of the family in their neighborhood, forcing them to relocate.

The father wants his son and other family members to remain grateful for their survival, and he wants Abilash to become someone who can help others in need.

From time the boy was a toddler, his father collected small amounts of money from his work at a hairdressing shop. When Abilash turned 12, the family erected a small memorial to victims of the tsunami in their front yard. It shows four cupped hands.

The father explained: “A thought arose in my mind that since all those who have died have gone, leaving Abilash behind for us, why not a memorial site of our own to remember them every day."

FILE - Jayarasa Abilash, popularly known as 'Baby 81", naps in the arms of his mother Jenita, as his father, Murugupillai, helps make him comfortable during a photo opportunity in New York, Wednesday, March 2, 2005. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

FILE - Jenita Jayarasa, left, the mother claimant of the infant dubbed "Baby 81" holds the child and father claimant Murugupillai Jayarasa, center, shouts as a doctor, center, tries to prevent them from taking the infant, inside a ward at a hospital in Kalmunai, about 210 kilometers (131 miles) east of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)

FILE- A Sri Lankan policeman guards the tsunami survivor infant dubbed "Baby 81" inside a ward as people watch from outside at a hospital in Kalmunai, about 210 kilometers (131 miles) east of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Feb. 3, 2005. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)

Jayarasa Abilash, known as Baby 81 after he was swept away by the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami, smiles as he speaks to Associated Press at his residence in Kurukkalmadam, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Floral tributes sit at a monument for the victims of 2004 Indian ocean tsunami at the residence of Jayarasa Abilash known as Baby 81 after he was swept away by the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami in Kurukkalmadam, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Jayarasa Abilash, known as Baby 81 after he was swept away by the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami, goes through his photo album at his residence in Kurukkalmadam, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

People ride past the surroundings of Jayarasa Abilash, known as Baby 81 after he was swept away by the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami, in Kalmunai, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Jayarasa Abilash, known as Baby 81 after he was swept away by the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami, goes through his photo album at his residence in Kurukkalmadam, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Jayarasa Abilash, known as Baby 81 after he was swept away by the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami goes through his photo album at his residence in Kurukkalmadam, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Jayarasa Abilash, left, known as Baby 81 after he was swept away by the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami stands in front of a monument built in memory of tsunami victims out side his residence with his father Murugupillai in Kurukkalmadam, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Jayarasa Abilash, known as Baby 81 after he was swept away by the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami, stands in front of a monument built in memory of tsunami victims outside his residence with his father Murugupillai in Kurukkalmadam, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Jayarasa Abilash, right, known as Baby 81 after he was swept away by the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami, shares a light moment with his father Murugupillai at his residence in Kurukkalmadam, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Jayarasa Abilash, known as Baby 81 after he was swept away by the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami, stands in front of a monument built in memory of tsunami victims outside his residence in Kurukkalmadam, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to foreign diplomats in Tehran, insisted “the situation has come under total control” in fiery remarks that blamed Israel and the U.S. for the violence, without offering evidence.

“That’s why the demonstrations turned violent and bloody to give an excuse to the American president to intervene,” Araghchi said, in comments carried by the Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network. Al Jazeera has been allowed to report from inside the country live despite the internet being shut off.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)