diff --git a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ICUListResourceBundle.java b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ICUListResourceBundle.java
index 91b60ea77b..d356e50d5d 100644
--- a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ICUListResourceBundle.java
+++ b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ICUListResourceBundle.java
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
  *******************************************************************************
  *
  * $Source: /xsrl/Nsvn/icu/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ICUListResourceBundle.java,v $
- * $Date: 2003/11/21 00:23:35 $
- * $Revision: 1.17 $
+ * $Date: 2003/12/31 21:23:41 $
+ * $Revision: 1.18 $
  *
  *******************************************************************************
  */
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ public class ICUListResourceBundle extends ListResourceBundle {
         return data;
     }
 
-    private static char[] readToEOS(InputStreamReader stream) {
+    private static char[] readToEOS(InputStreamReader stream)throws Exception {
         ArrayList vec = new ArrayList();
         int count = 0;
         int pos = 0;
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ public class ICUListResourceBundle extends ListResourceBundle {
                 } while (pos < length);
             }
             catch (IOException e) {
-                e.printStackTrace();
+                throw e;
             }
             vec.add(buffer);
             count += pos;
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ public class ICUListResourceBundle extends ListResourceBundle {
         public ResourceString(String name){
             resName=name;
         }
-        public Object getResource(Object obj){
+        public Object getResource(Object obj) throws Exception{
             if(expanded==null){
                 // Resource strings are always UTF-8
                 InputStream stream = obj.getClass().getResourceAsStream(resName);
@@ -316,7 +316,12 @@ public class ICUListResourceBundle extends ListResourceBundle {
                 //if not we donot guarantee that this will work
                 int j = className.lastIndexOf(".");
                 packageName=className.substring(0,j);
-                bundleName=className.substring(j+1,className.indexOf("_"));
+                int underScoreIndex = className.indexOf("_");
+                if(underScoreIndex>=0){
+                    bundleName=className.substring(j+1,className.indexOf("_"));
+                }else{
+                    bundleName = className.substring(j+1,className.length());
+                }
                 keyPath=pathToResource.substring(i+1);
 
                 if(i!=-1){
@@ -324,14 +329,24 @@ public class ICUListResourceBundle extends ListResourceBundle {
                 }else{
                     locale=keyPath;
                     keyPath=parentKey;
-                    className=packageName+"."+bundleName+"_"+locale;
+                    if(locale==null || locale.equals("root")){
+                        className=packageName+"."+bundleName;
+                    }else{
+                        className=packageName+"."+bundleName+"_"+ locale;
+                    }
+                    
                 }
 
             }
+            
             ResourceBundle bundle = null;
             // getResourceBundle guarantees that the CLASSPATH will be searched
             // for loading the resource with name <bundleName>_<localeName>.class
-            bundle = ICULocaleData.getResourceBundle(packageName,bundleName,locale);
+            if(locale==null || locale.equals("root")){
+                bundle = ICULocaleData.getResourceBundle(packageName,bundleName,"");
+            }else{
+                bundle = ICULocaleData.getResourceBundle(packageName,bundleName,locale);
+            }
             
             return findResource(bundle, className, parentKey, index, keyPath, visited);
         
diff --git a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ICULocaleData.java b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ICULocaleData.java
index bbcc5269d9..bd760c2405 100644
--- a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ICULocaleData.java
+++ b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ICULocaleData.java
@@ -193,11 +193,13 @@ public class ICULocaleData {
         if (b == null) {
             ResourceBundle parent = null;
             int i = name.lastIndexOf('_');
+            final Locale rootLocale = new Locale("", "", "");
+ 
             if (i != -1) {
                 parent = instantiate(name.substring(0, i));
+
             }
             try {
-                final Locale rootLocale = new Locale("", "", "");
                 Locale locale = rootLocale;
                 i = name.indexOf('_');
                 if (i != -1) {
@@ -208,6 +210,8 @@ public class ICULocaleData {
                 Class cls = ICULocaleData.class.getClassLoader().loadClass(name);
                 if (ICUListResourceBundle.class.isAssignableFrom(cls)) {
                     ICUListResourceBundle bx = (ICUListResourceBundle)cls.newInstance();
+                    
+
                     if (parent != null) {
                         bx.setParentX(parent);
                     }
@@ -221,6 +225,22 @@ public class ICULocaleData {
                 addToCache(name, b);
             }
             catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
+
+                int j = name.indexOf('_');
+                int k = name.lastIndexOf('_');
+                // if a bogus locale is passed then the parent should be
+                // the default locale not the root locale!
+                if(k==j && j!=-1){
+                    
+                    String locName = name.substring(j+1,name.length());
+                    String defaultName = Locale.getDefault().toString();
+                    
+                    if(!locName.equals(rootLocale.toString()) &&
+                        defaultName.indexOf(locName)==-1){
+                        String bundle =  name.substring(0,j);
+                        parent = instantiate(bundle+"_"+defaultName);
+                    }
+                }
                 b = parent;
             }
             catch (Exception e) {
@@ -237,7 +257,12 @@ public class ICULocaleData {
      * class path?
      */
     private synchronized static ResourceBundle instantiateBundle(String name, Locale l) {
-        return instantiate(name + "_" + l);
+        String s = l.toString();
+        if(s.length()!=0){
+            return instantiate(name + "_" + l);
+        }else{
+            return instantiate(name);
+        }
         //    ResourceBundle rb = ResourceBundle.getBundle(name, l);
 //          try {
 //              Class cls = ICULocaleData.class.getClassLoader().loadClass(name + "_" + l);