BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka -- As the sun sizzled over small, run-down houses in the eastern Sri Lankan town of Batticaloa, a 35-year-old mother struggled to keep her newborn baby cool in the front room of her home. She sat on the floor, cradling the infant as a ceiling fan slowly turned overhead.
The languid breeze from the fan, however, was a constant reminder of another worry. It was running on electricity illegally tapped from a nearby power line -- a secret the family keeps to "avoid getting into trouble." They resorted to this after their electricity was cut off five months ago, said the mother of three, Kausalya, who gave only one name to protect her identity.
