Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka (Autism Sri Lanka)

Congratulations to Murali, Muttiah Muralitharan, King of the Bowlers

2007-12-03T23:14:00.000+05:30

The Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka would like to send their best wishes and warm congratulations to Muttiah Muralitharan, 'Murali' for becoming the leading bowler in the world passing Shane Warnes record of 708 wickets. Murali is a World Champion, the best ever bowler - we want to say well done Murali.

Murali became the world best bowler on Monday 3rd December 2007, the International Day for the Disabled.

Gresha Schuilling Sri Lanka's Ambassador for Autism's Christmas Single

2007-11-25T22:40:00.000+05:30

Gresha Schuilling, Sri Lanka's Ambassador for Autism has just released a Christmas single 'Cold Cold Night.' The single was recently released in London by Media Eye Music and radio stations in Sri Lanka are poised to play 'Cold Cold Night' during the Christmas season.

'Cold Cold Night' was written by the father and son duo, Sri Lanka born singer/songwriter Nimal Mendis and his son Paul Marie Mendis.

Gresha Schuilling was appointed an Ambassador for Autism by the Autism Awareness Campaign UK and Sri Lanka.

To download Gresha Schuilling's 'Cold Cold Night' Christmas single for 49 pence please access the website:

http://www.mediaeyeproductions.com/gresha.html

Watch the Autism Action Film on You Tube

2007-09-21T18:11:00.000+05:30

Watch the Autism Action film by British film director Ian McLeod highlighting the call of the Autism Awareness Campaign to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to reach out to all people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

The soundtrack of the film includes the beautiful and moving Nimal Mendis song for autism, 'Open Every Door' sung by the British musician Rozagy who has Asperger's Syndrome. Nimal Mendis is a distinguished singer/songwriter from Sri Lanka - this is the first ever songfor autism composed by a South Asian singer/songwriter.

AUTISM ACTION ON YOU TUBE

Nimal Mendis Song for Autism fundraiser for Autism Speaks UK

2007-06-05T04:15:00.000+05:30

London, UK - Asian superstar, the award winning singer/songwriter Nimal Mendis announced in London that his Song for Autism, titled 'Open Every Door' will be used to raise funds for the British charity, Autism Speaks UK

The song for autism can now be downloaded from the mediaeyeproductions website. 50% of every download will go to Autism Speaks UK chaired by the highly respected Dame Stephanie Shirley.

Autism Speaks UK is a registered British charity that raises funds to accelerate biomedical research to determine and understand the causes and biological basis of autism spectrum disorders; and through that understanding to discover and promote new ways of improving the quality of life for all those affected.

Autism is a complex brain disorder that significantly impairs a person's ability to communicate, respond to their surroundings and form relationships with others. The exact cause or causes of autism are at present unknown but there is increasing evidence that accelerating autism research could transform people's understanding of autism and lead to more effective interventions and treatments. There are 587,900 people with autism in the UK. According to UK Researchers 1 in 100 children may have autism. There are 60 million people with autism around the world.

The 'Open Every Doors' CD was personally handed over to British Prime Minister Tony Blair by Ivan Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK. Mr. Corea has also handed over copies of the CD containing the song for autism to the Prime Minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown, the Leader of the Opposition David Cameron and the Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Menzies Campbell.

Nimal Mendis has joined British musicians in urging the Prime Minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown who is at present the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK to take decisive action on autism and Asperger's Syndrome and help parents, care providers and people with autism who are in need. They are calling for an end to the postcode lottery in education, health, specialist speech therapy and respite care in the UK. Many suffer without access to proper public services - some councils even withhold statements to autistic children on the grounds of cost. There is huge momentum in the British parliament for radical change in policy.

A copy of the Autism Report detailing the concerns and recommendations of the campaign was presented to the British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the 25th of April by Lee Scott MP and Ivan Corea, autism campaigner.

A copy of 'Open Every Door' was also presented to the influential British Parliamentarian, Lee Scott MP who has championed the cause of autism in the House of Commons.

Nimal Mendis hopes that his song for autism will help raise awareness of the condition around the world. 'Open Every Door' is the first ever song on autism written by a South Asian singer/songwriter. Mendis has written a moving song about the life of a child with autism.

To download 'Open Every Door' the song for autism in aid of Autism Speaks UK go to www.mediaeyeproductions.com/downloads.html

To find out information about Autism Speaks UK: www.autismspeaks.org.uk.

WORLD MUSIC CENTRAL INDIA NEWS REPORT
http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20070603033945273

Autism Awareness Ribbons presented to Freddie Flintoff and Mahela Jayawardene at Lords

2006-05-16T03:11:00.000+05:30

Autism Awareness Ribbons were presented to the England Captain Freddie Flintoff and Sri Lanka's captain Mahela Jayawardene during the First Test at Lords Cricket Grounds in St.John's Wood, London. The autism ribbons were handed over at Lords by Ivan Corea, founder of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK and Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's captain, Mahela Jayawardene, (Man of the Match ) scored a memorable century at Lords on Sunday bringing dignity back to the Sri Lankan side. Autism ribbons were also handed over to distinguished English cricketing personalities Jonathan Agnew and Henry Bloefeld who are members of BBC Radio 4's 'Test Match Special' commentary team. Writing to both Freddie Flintoff and Mahela Jayawardene, Ivan Corea urged the cricketing community to 'speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.' Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder that affects 535,000 people in the United Kingdom and 38,000 people with autism in Sri Lanka. Many struggle without access to public services in education, health, specialist speech therapy and respite care.

There are only two schools who can offer only a few places for children with autism in Sri Lanka. The vast majority have no access to education many are kept at home due to reasons of culture.

Ivan Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign has commended the efforts of the 'king of Baila' the London based Sri Lankan superstar, Desmond de Silva who hopes to embark upon a massive fund raising effort to build the first school for autism in Colombo. Desmond de Silva in his first concert for Autism Sri Lanka performed to a packed centre in Sydney Australia earlier this year. He plans to launch a roadshow covering several countries in his efforts to reach out to children with autism in Sri Lanka and raise funds for the new school.

Huge Success for Desmond de Silva's Concert for Autism in Sydney Australia

2006-04-15T14:51:00.000+05:30

The 'King of Baila' the Sri Lanka - born singer, Desmond de Silva, thrilled hundreds at the Oatlands Centre in Sydney, Australia when he performed at a major fundraising event. The Concert for Autism was held in Sydney in order to raise funds for the School of Autism in Colombo.The Concert for Autism was held on 31st March 2006.

Desmond de Silva is the first Sri Lankan entertainer ever to speak about Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. The superstar who has sold millions of CDs around the world and has entertained audiences as far afield as the United States, UK, Bahrain, Dubai, India, Singapore, Greece and Australia won a standing ovation when he raised the profile of autism at a music concert at the BMICH in Colombo in 2005.

Desmond de Silva told thousands at the BMICH in Colombo: ' Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder affecting so many around the world. Autism is not mental illness, these children and adults think differently. Albert Einstein they say was autistic. How many in the audience know that there are 38,000 autistic people in Sri Lanka? So we as entertainers, urge you all to ‘speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.’ Lets spread awareness of autism, particularly when numbers of autistic children are rising and we urge our government to also provide public services – who knows we may even produce Albert Einsteins if we provide education, health, specialist speech therapy for autistic children in our lovely island....'

Ivan Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka congratulated Desmond de Silva on his outstanding efforts at his Concert for Autism Sri Lanka in Sydney held on 31st March 2006. 'Desmond has a heart of gold, he is one in a million and through his dedication and commitment and that of his supporters we will see great things happening in Colombo to help children with autism,' he said.

Autism is a neuro developmental disorder affecting 38,000 Sri Lankans and some say there is an increase in numbers of those touched by autism and Asperger's Syndrome. Ivan and Charika Corea have been appealing to the Government of Sri Lanka to provide public services in education, health, specialist speech therapy and respite care for all people with autism in Sri Lanka. They launched their campaign in Colombo in 2003.

Ivan Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign met with His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse when he was Prime Minister. Mr. Corea spoke to H.E.Mahinda Rajapakse who was presented with an Autism Awareness Ribbon at the Sri Lanka High Commission in London.

President Rajapakse recently speaking in Colombo said: "I want the fruits of our work for children to spread evenly throughout the country from Point Pedro to Dondra Head and Colombo to Batticaloa encompassing the entire land.

"There is one dream that drives me, that is to see all children be they Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher and all others live as brothers and sisters of a single mother in the new Sri Lanka that we shall build," President Rajapakse said.

Ivan Corea urged the President to look into the crying needs of the 38,000 autistic children in Sri Lanka. Many are kept at home due to culture. Autism is also confused with mental illness. Life is a struggle for parents, carers and autists in Sri Lanka. Many remain undiagnosed. Teachers and medical professionals need training on autism and Asperger's Syndrome.Mr.Corea urged 'Equality for All' including children with special educational needs in Sri Lanka.

Desmond de Silva Autism Concert in Sydney Australia

2006-02-09T21:03:00.000+06:00

Once again, Sri Lankan superstar Desmond de Silva has pioneered the way by being the first Sri Lankan musician to headline the first ever Autism Concert in Sydney, Australia in aid of autistic children on the island of Sri Lanka. The concert is being held in 2006 which is Asperger's Awareness Year.

'Desmond has a heart of gold, he is reaching out to people with autism and the Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka are grateful to the 'King of Baila' for raising awareness about the condition. Desmond de Silva is making a difference,' said Ivan Corea who initiated the campaign in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2003.

Desmond de Silva is one of Sri Lanka's leading musicians. He has enthralled audiences all over the world. His CDs have sold millions all over the globe.Desmond was touched to hear about the plight of 38,000 autistic children in Sri Lanka - only a handful are being helped in schools and parents, carers and autists have to struggle to access public services in health, education specialist speech therapy and respite care on the island.

Other leading Sri Lankan musicians have come forward to support the Autism Awareness Campaign including Sunil Perera and the Gypsies, Mignonne Fernando of 'The Jetliners' fame and Nimal Mendis the distinguished singer/songwriter.

Last year Ivan Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign met with His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse when he was Prime Minister. Mr. Corea spoke to H.E.Mahinda Rajapakse who was presented with an Autism Awareness Ribbon at the Sri Lanka High Commission in London.

President Rajapakse recently speaking in Colombo said: "I want the fruits of our work for children to spread evenly throughout the country from Point Pedro to Dondra Head and Colombo to Batticaloa encompassing the entire land.

"There is one dream that drives me, that is to see all children be they Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher and all others live as brothers and sisters of a single mother in the new Sri Lanka that we shall build," President Rajapakse said.

Ivan Corea urged the President to look into the crying needs of the 38,000 autistic children in Sri Lanka. Many are kept at home due to culture. Autism is also confused with mental illness. Life is a struggle for parents, carers and autists in Sri Lanka. Many remain undiagnosed. Teachers and medical professionals need training on autism and Asperger's Syndrome.Mr.Corea urged 'Equality for All' including all children with special educational needs in Sri Lanka.

Desmond de Silva will headline the first ever Autism Concert for Sri Lanka in Sydney Australia on the 31st of March. Desmond de Silva will be backed by the highly acclaimed Raddy Ferreira Orchestra known in Australia as one of the finest, swingiest and most versatile dance orchestras. The exclusive dinner will be held on the 31st of March 2006 at Oatlands House, 42 Bettington Av. Oatlands 2117. The Oatlands House Functions Centre is situated in Sydney’s Hills and Hawkesbury region -located in the north west of Greater Sydney.

Desmond de Silva created history by being the first ever Sri Lankan musician to appeal on behalf of people with autism in Sri Lanka at a concert held at the BMICH in Colombo.

De Silva received a standing ovation when he told the audience of thousands at the BMICH: 'Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder affecting so many around the world. Autism is not mental illness, these children and adults think differently. Albert Einstein they say was autistic. How many in the audience know that there are 38,000 autistic people in Sri Lanka? So we as entertainers, urge you all to ‘speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.’ Lets spread awareness of autism, particularly when numbers of autistic children are rising and we urge our government to also provide public services – who knows we may even produce Albert Einsteins if we provide education, health, specialist speech therapy for autistic children in our lovely island....' said De Silva.

Sri Lankan entertainers are scheduled to join the campaign and support the message that people with autism in Sri Lanka need help. The Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka have urged western philanthropists and NGOs to come to Sri Lanka and build Autism Units and equip them with badly needed sensory rooms and other equipment in order to help children with autism - not just in Colombo but all over the island and work with the Ministry of Education to reach out to children with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.. Teachers also need training in educational strategies - but funding is needed.

For further details of the Desmond de Silva Concert for Autism, held in Sydney, Australia, please access the website:
Ozlanka - http://www.ozlanka.com/mar06/desmond.htm

The Tsunami in Sri Lanka - One Year On

2005-12-26T16:25:00.000+06:00

PERALIYA, Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka will pay emotional tribute on Monday to an estimated 31,000 people killed by the Asian tsunami exactly a year ago with a two-minute silence and coast-to-coast candlelight vigils.

As officials launch a new initiative to speed up slow-moving reconstruction work, President Mahinda Rajapakse will lead commemorative ceremonies with an address in the southern village of Peraliya.

More than 1,000 passengers perished here when their train was smashed by the giant waves.

"We hope everyone will observe the silence to remember those who died in the tsunami," said media minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa.

"We will launch the 'Jaya Lanka' project to coordinate all tsunami-related work and ensure faster reconstruction of homes as well as livelihoods," he added.

The official Ceylon Tourist Board is launching a candlelight vigil along the island nation's coast.

In the eastern coastal town of Arugam Bay, one of the worst affected areas, residents said they planned to offer free lunch to people still without homes after the tsunami.

The planned ceremonies have been marred by fears of Tamil rebel attacks and organisers said security has been stepped up for the president's visit here, some 95 kilometres (60 miles) south of the capital Colombo.

At least 64 people have been killed this month alone in violence linked to the long-running Tamil separatist conflict.

The tsunami initially raised hopes of a peace deal but the government and Tamil Tiger rebels squabbled over sharing billions of dollars in foreign aid.

Reconstruction efforts have been moving slowly, with the government on Saturday admitting that only one fifth of homes damaged -- 20,000 of 98,525 -- have been rebuilt.

"There have been several constraints. The local capacity constraint. The construction industry capacity... and the lack of labour and materials," said Finance Secretary P.B. Jayasundera.

However, he said he expected the reconstruction efforts to accelerate next year under the Jaya Lanka ('Victory Lanka') initiative.

The project aims to gather all state tsunami-relief organisations under one umbrella to improve coordination.

With more than 350 private charities and more than a dozen state organisations involved in rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, there had been wasteful overlapping of work, an independent think-tank said recently.

Sri Lanka marks the first anniversary of the tsunami with officials still unable to reconcile death tolls from different state agencies. The numbers vary from 17,500 to 41,000 deaths.

The loss of infrastructure was estimated at 900 million dollars and the country's total reconstruction and rehabilitation needs were placed at 2.2 billion dollars.

The government has said it received 3.2 billion dollars in aid pledges from international donors. - AFP/ir

Sri Lankan Governor at the Cavaliers Tsunami Dinner at Lord's

2005-10-24T23:42:00.000+06:00

The Governor of the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, Kingsley Wickramaratne flew in for a fundraising dinner in the Long Room at Lord's Cricket Grounds in London, organised by the Sri Lankan Cavaliers of Great Britain.

The fundraising event will took place on Saturday 29th October 2005.The dinner was in conjunction with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

The Sri Lankan Cavaliers is a private club and charity - it was founded by the business tycoon Lakhi Liyanage. Membership is by invitation - top world cricketers such as Sir Richard Hadlee, Mark Nicholas, Chris Cowdrey, Arjuna Ranatunga and others are members. The first UK cricket tour of the Sri Lankan Cavaliers of top Sri Lankan cricketers led by Arjuna Ranatunga took place in 1993. When Sri Lanka won the Wills World Cup and became World Champions in 1996, the Sri Lankan team subsequently embarked on a private tour of the UK as the Sri Lankan Cavaliers.

The dinner at Lord's will help launch the Cavaliers Tsunami Fund - the Sri Lankan Cavaliers are hoping to build houses for the tsunami victims. Also in attendance will be former England cricketer Gladstone Small. One of Sri Lanka's greatest singer/songwriters, Nimal Mendis launched a special CD in aid of the Cavaliers Tsunami Fund at the function in the Long Room at Lord's.

For further details:
http://srilankancavaliers.tripod.com

Nimal Mendis CD in aid of Sri Lankan Cavaliers Tsunami Fund

2005-10-23T17:42:00.000+06:00

Nimal Mendis is one of Sri Lanka's greatest singer/songwriters - he recently played his hits in front of thousands of fans at two concerts in Colombo. Nimal Mendis recorded 22 songs on the Decca Label in London in the height of the 1960s.

He also appeared on BBC TV's 'Top of the Pops' singing his hit 'Feel Like A Clown' with Sandra Edema. His songs have been aired over BBC Radio and Radio Luxembourg. He is a film maker of repute and his documentaries have been televised on BBC Television and Channel 4.

On a Decca folk album of Nimal Mendis, Record producer Ray Horricks says "His work combines an awareness of western melody and harmony with great originality in his story ideas, while there is a very exotic eastern flavour about his choice of words. Also he features several unusual rhythmic feelings..."

Nimal Mendis fully supports the Sri Lankan Cavaliers Tsunami initiative - he has released a very special CD of his hits in aid of the Sri Lankan Cavaliers Tsunami Project. The CD will be launched at the Sri Lankan Cavaliers Tsunami Dinner held in the Long Room at Lord's Cricket Grounds in St.John's Wood London on Saturday 29th October 2005 at 7.30 pm. The Cavaliers Dinner is in conjunction with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in London.

The Nimal Mendis CD contains his hits:Razor Edge, Light Floods In, Master Hand, Master Sir, Meditate, Feel Like A Clown (his hit on BBC TV's Top of the Pops), Look into Yourself, Second Chance, It's What I am and Tsunami - the song he composed to remember the victims of the Asian tsunami disaster of December 2004.

His 'Tsunami' song has been recorded in the UK, Sri Lanka and Australia. It has also been featured on television in Canada.

The CD is available from the Sri Lankan Cavaliers - priced £12 including postage and packing in the UK. For all international orders please add another £1 - we will need an international money order.

Please address UK cheques to: Cavaliers Tsunami Fund

please contact Lakhi Liyanage in the UK on 01737351132 if you would like to purchase the special Nimal Mendis CD. E-Mail: srilankan_cavaliers@yahoo.co.uk

Website:
http://srilankancavaliers.tripod.com

Autism Awareness Campaign welcomes Sri Lankan Education Ministry Initiative

2005-08-22T16:10:00.000+06:00

Ivan and Charika Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign welcomed the move by the Ministry of Education in Sri Lanka to reach out to the autistic community in the island.Ten autistic children who were already in special education units in schools in the Western Province were taken so that the National Resource Centre in Maharagama could train Sri Lankan teachers to be sent all over the country. Already, 30 special education teachers have been trained there. The Government of Sri Lanka are now committed to an 'inclusion policy' and are focusing attention on autistic children for the first time.

Ivan and Charika Corea have commended this start. 'Children with autism and Asperger's Syndrome in Sri Lanka desperately need help. We need to bring them into our world. We urge the Miistry of Education to develop autism units in schools and we are calling upon Sri Lankan businessmen to build and fund autism units in schools and build and maintain fully functional sensory rooms, we call upon the Sri Lankan expatriate community around the world to help all children with special educational needs in this way,' said Ivan Corea.

Thousands of autistic children are kept at home without any access to education. There are issues of culture and autism is also confused with mental illness. Medical and education professionals need training in autism. There are children who remain undiagnosed. There is a lack of awareness of autism in the provincial towns and villages.

The Corea Family have also been in touch with former US President Bill Clinton who is the United Nations Envoy to the tsunsmi hit countries. There is a real need for SEN schools in the tsunami hit regions.

Autism is a neuro developmental disorder affecting 38,000 Sri Lankans and some say there is an increase in numbers of those touched by autism and Asperger's Syndrome. Ivan and Charika Corea have been appealing to the Government of Sri Lanka to provide public services in education, health, specialist speech therapy and respite care for all people with autism in Sri Lanka. They launched their campaign in Colombo in 2003.

Backing for the Autism Awareness Campaign came from the highly influential European Union parliamentarian, Nirj Deva MEP who is visiting Colombo. Deva who was born in Sri Lanka and is one of the MEPs representing the United Kingdom reiterated his strong support for the campaign. Deva is a member of the European Union Development and Co-operation Committee,Substitute Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism Committee. He is also fully involved in the work of the EU in the tsunami hit regions.

Support also came from the Sri Lankan superstar Desmond De Silva who created history by being the first Sri Lankan musician to appeal on autism when he addressed over a thousand people at a music concert at the BMICH in Colombo on 6th August 2005.

De Silva is an international star who has peformed all over the world. He told the audience:' Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder affecting so many around the world. Autism is not mental illness, these children and adults think differently. Albert Einstein they say was autistic. How many in the audience know that there are 38,000 autistic people in Sri Lanka? So we as entertainers, urge you all to ‘speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.’ Lets spread awareness of autism, particularly when numbers of autistic children are rising and we urge our government to also provide public services – who knows we may even produce Albert Einsteins if we provide education, health, specialist speech therapy for autistic children in our lovely island,' said Desmond de Silva.

One of Sri Lanka's greatest singer/songwriters, the renowned musician Nimal Mendis also threw in his support for the Autism Awareness Campaign.

Desmond de Silva appeals on Autism in Sri Lanka

2005-08-09T17:08:00.000+06:00

Superstar, Desmond de Silva, who created history by becoming the first ever Sri Lankan artiste to appeal on behalf of the 38,000 people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome on the island.

Children and people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome struggle without access the public services of health, education, specialist speech therapy and respite care. There are only a handful of private schools catering to the needs of autistic children in Sri Lanka. The Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka have been appealing for more public services for all people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome on the island. The numbers of autistic children are rising in Sri Lanka and all over the world.Sri Lankan teachers and medical professionals need to receive training on strategies to deal with autism and Asperger's Syndrome. Many of these children are kept at home and do not have access to education.Many Sri Lankan children remain undiagnosed and parents are desperate for help.

Desmond de Silva is one of Sri Lanka's popular entertainers and is known as the 'King of Baila.' De Silva has performed all over the world and sold huge quantities of Baila CDs. He is the first top class musician to speak on a public stage in Colombo about children and people with autism.

The occasion was a 'Grand Salute to Vijaya Corea' the former Director-General of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation in Colombo who celebrated 40 years in showbizness. The music show was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Hall and organised by DR Entertainment. De Silva presented Vijaya Corea with a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' for raising awareness of autism. Vijaya Corea received a standing ovation from over 1,500 people present at the concert. Also present was the distinguished European Union parliamentarian, Nirj Deva MEP who is currently visiting Sri Lanka.

Desmond De Silva said in Colombo: ' Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder affecting so many around the world. Autism is not mental illness, these children and adults think differently. Albert Einstein they say was autistic. How many in the audience know that there are 38,000 autistic people in Sri Lanka? So we as entertainers, urge you all to ‘speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.’ Lets spread awareness of autism, particularly when numbers of autistic children are rising and we urge our government to also provide public services – who knows we may even produce Albert Einsteins if we provide education, health, specialist speech therapy for autistic children in our lovely island....'

Desmond de Silva presents Lifetime Achievement Award to Vijaya Corea

2005-08-07T14:51:00.000+06:00

Sri Lankan superstar, Desmond de Silva presented a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD on behalf of the Autism Awareness Campaign to Vijaya Corea who celebrated 40 years in show business. The award was presented by Desmond de Silva, Mignonne Fernando of the Jetliners fame, Sunil Perera of the Gypsies, Annesley Malawana, Nimal Mendis and other stars at a packed conference on hall at the BMICH in Colombo on Saturday 6th August 2005. Also present at the BMICH was the distinguished European Union parliamentarian Nirj Deva.

Desmond de Silva, addressing the large audience in Colombo said:‘ We are gathered here as entertainers for a very special moment in this spectacular concert. We are here to pay tribute to Dr. Vijaya Corea who celebrates 40 years in broadcasting and as a showbiz man. But there is a ‘little known’ fact - Vijaya has a heart for people and children with disabilities.

Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder affecting so many around the world. Autism is not mental illness, these children and adults think differently. Albert Einstein they say was autistic. How many in the audience know that there are 38,000 autistic people in Sri Lanka? So we as entertainers, urge you all to ‘speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.’ Lets spread awareness of autism, particularly when numbers of autistic children are rising and we urge our government to also provide public services – who knows we may even produce Albert Einsteins if we provide education, health, specialist speech therapy for autistic children in our lovely island.

Vijaya has a heart for children with autism – wherever he has travelled, he has raised awareness of autism. On behalf of the Autism Awareness Campaign I take great pleasure and I want Vijaya to come up to the stage so that we could present him with this LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.’

Nimal Mendis Charity Concert for Richmond Fellowship Sri Lanka

2005-08-04T14:57:00.000+06:00

Top Sri Lankan star, Nimal Mendis, now resident in London, has flown to Colombo to headline a key fund raising concert for the Richmond Fellowship in Sri Lanka.

Nimal Mendis will sing his Tsunami Sri Lanka song for the first time on the island. He is in Colombo to stage a concert to launch his Tsunami Sri Lanka song The Sea Speaks To You, Earth Mother Crying, War on the Environment, Shanti Town, The Forgotten People and Master Sir. His participation is towards a fund raising campaign for the Richmond Fellowship Lanka who are dedicated to rehabilitating the mentally ill with a view to integrating them to the family and society.

This concert will be held on August 7 at the Global Towers, Marine Drive, Wellawatte, Colombo at 7.00 p.m. A crusader for creative and original song writing, using the Sri Lankan folk idiom, Nimal Mendis was successful in influencing many a young lyricist and music composer in acknowledging the wealth in Sri Lankan folk music and adapting it with western overtones, to bring about a new identity in music.

On a Decca folk album of Nimal Mendis, Record producer Ray Horricks says "His work combines an awareness of western melody and harmony with great originality in his story ideas, while there is a very exotic eastern flavour about his choice of words. Also he features several unusual rhythmic feelings..."

The Richmond Fellowship Lanka will also hold an exclusive Exhibition and Sale from 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m., which will be on till Tuesday, August 9. The exhibition and sale which will also be at the Global Towers, Marine Dive, is an endeavor to promote the craftsmanship of our urban and rural brothers and sisters. Designers from Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh along with the urban and rural folk have created the most beautiful and fashionable silks, cottons, textured fabrics, saris, kurthas, shirts, jewelry, handicrafts, paintings, table and bed linen and more.

All proceeds from the concert by Nimal Mendis and by the Exhibition and Sale will go towards the building of the new home at Bopitiya for which two million rupees is required to complete the construction of the residency, and to enable the Richmond Fellowship to rehouse their residents after their home was affected by the tsunami.

Nimal Mendis will also sing his hit 'Master Sir' at a Grand Salute to Sri Lankan Showbiz personality Vijaya Corea at the BMICH in Colombo on the previous day. Mendis is one of only a handful of Sri Lankan musicians to make it in the United Kingdom. He has appeared on BBC Television's 'Top of the Pops' in the height of the 1960s.

World Music Central article:
http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20050802142714653

DESMOND DE SILVA FLIES FOR GRAND SALUTE TO VIJAYA COREA

2005-08-04T14:50:00.000+06:00

Desmond de Silva, the top Sri Lankan musician now resident in London flies down to Colombo on Sri Lankan Airlines to headline a star studded concert at the BMICH paying tribute to Vijaya Corea who clebrates 40 years as a showbiz personality. Desmond de Silva joins a line up which includes Alston Koch who flies down from Australia, Mignonne Fernando of Jetliners fame and others.

Also in the audience will be the Sri Lankan star Nimal Mendis - Nimal will sing one of his greatest hits 'Master Sir' at the BMICH Concert. Young, dynamic and vibrant, the voice of the inimitable Vijaya Corea was heard to adorn the airwaves through the only electronic medium in this country at that time - the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon. Little did he know then that he would climax his career as Director General of the same radio station which later became the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.

Vijaya Corea became a household name. No big show or dance ever went on the boards without him as Master of Ceremonies. His tall personality and the mellifluous flow of words that poured out with a spontaneity linked to his command of the English Language brought him much admiration. Twelve years down the line, in July 1976 when Sri Lanka hosted the 5th Non-aligned Summit Conference, in Association with Yugoslav Radio and Television, he was at the helm of the first ever television transmission in Sri Lanka.

Three more years down the line in September 1979 when Air Ceylon? switched to Air Lanka, Vijaya was the first to enunciate a 'Taste of paradise' during the promotional campaigns that were conducted in Europe and Southeast Asia. To add to his multi talented character, he has adorned the silver screen on many occasions.

He will, in fact, be seen in Udayakantha Warnasuriya's Hiri Poda Wessa which is due to be released in the latter part of this year.

Vijaya Corea has been a staunch supporter of the Autism Awareness Campaign in Sri Lanka. He has strived to raise awareness of autism both in Sri Lanka and as well on the international field.

Autism Awareness Campaigns urges Bill Clinton to reach out to the Disability Community in Sri Lanka

2005-06-05T15:29:00.000+06:00

Ivan and Charika Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign have urged former US President Bill Clinton to reach out to the Disability Community in the tsunami hit areas of the island. The campaign calls for the building of SEN Schools in the tsunami hit region as well as other parts of Sri Lanka.

The United Nations Envoy, former US President Bill Clinton visited Sri Lanka on May 27 - 28th. The Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka urged President Clinton to reach out to the disability community. The tsunami has led to many more people suffering a range of disabilities, children still suffer from mental trauma. Over 30,000 people have perished in the tsunami which struck Sri Lanka on 26th December 2004.

Ivan Corea said: 'A crying need for Sri Lanka are special schools (equipped with sensory rooms) to be set up in the tsunami hit areas as well as other parts of the country to cater for the rising numbers of children with special educational needs including autism spectrum disorder.'

The campaign appealed to reputed, established organisations in the UK,USA, Australia and in Sri Lanka to build special schools. 'This is a key need - we also hope that Sri Lankan expatriate businessmen will think about giving, to set up new SEN schools in the tsunami hit areas, in Colombo and other areas,' he said. Recently Ivan Corea presented Hon. Mahinda Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister with an Autism Awareness Ribbon in London. He said: 'I urge Sri Lankan expatriate businessmen who feel they want to give back something to the land of their birth, to go to Sri Lanka and set up, build and equip SEN schools, pay for training of staff so that they could help those who cannot speak up for themselves.' This is a desperate need in Sri Lanka.

Ivan and Charika Corea were recently honoured with the Highly Commended Certificate in the Leadership category of the prestigious Beacon Prize 2004 recently announced in London.' We were thrilled with the quality of the nominations received this year, reflecting the full depth and extent of charitable activity in the UK,’ commented Emily Stonor, Chief Executive of Beacon. ‘Being highly commended is thus remarkable. Ivan and Charika Corea’s nomination was judged alongside those for prize winners such as Sir Bob Geldof and Jamie Oliver.We are delighted to recognise Ivan and Charika Corea’s contribution to charity and we hope that their success story will be an inspiration to others,' said the Chief Executive of Beacon.

Listen to the top Sri Lankan hit 'We Shall Re-build Sri Lanka'

2005-05-28T22:02:00.000+06:00

A group of well known Srl Lankan musicians got together in January 2005, a few weeks after the tsunami devastated the island on 26th December 2004. They recorded a moving song 'Let's Rebuild Sri Lanka' in Sinhala, Tamil and English. It turned into a huge hit. The song is a message of hope, they say 'together we can make a difference.'

WE SHALL RE-BUILD SRI LANKA

Listen to this beautiful song by Sri Lankan musicians - cut and paste this link on your browser:

http://astream.net/links/asia/song1.asx

Former US President Bill Clinton visits Sri Lanka on 27th May

2005-05-26T08:20:00.000+06:00

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan's special envoy for Tsunami Reconstruction, former US President Bill Clinton is due in Sri Lanka on May 27. This is his first official visit to Sri Lanka after assuming the new post.

Mr. Clinton visited Sri Lanka in February this year with George H. W. Bush, another former US President, representing the US. They were able to witness the massive damage caused by the tsunami and had a first hand account of the tsunami relief program in several affected areas in the South. They took time to make a visit to the Children's trauma counseling camp in Matara during their visit.

The UN special envoy is expected to visit one of the worst affected areas either in the North or in the East during his short visit this time.

Diplomatic sources said that Mr. Clinton will meet the donor representatives based in Colombo and hold discussions with President Chandrika Kumaratunga on the tsunami reconstruction activities in the country.

A Children’s village will come up at Walahanduwa Watta, Akmeemana, in Galle District with the financial aid from former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Senator Hilary Clinton. The Clinton couple had donated US $ 15 million for this purpose.

Skill Development, Vocational Training and Technical Education Minister Piyasena Gamage said that the children’s village at Walahaduwa Watta will be for the benefit of the tsunami victim children who lost their parents at the tsunami disaster of December 26, 2004. He said that he was grateful to the Clintons for the generous contribution for the sake of children who were made orphans by the natural disaster.

The children’s village will have a school, a boarding house, a play ground for children, a meeting hall for the populace and a fully equipped hospital, the Minister said.

The Chief Sanga Nayake of New York Vihara, Chairman, International Temples Foundation and lecturer at the New York University Ven. Kurunegala Piyatissa Thera was also present at the ceremony to commence the project to create the children’s vllage.

AUTISM CAMPAIGN APPEAL DIRECTLY TO SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT & PRIME MINISTER

2005-05-08T04:45:00.000+06:00

Ivan and Charika Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign have appealed directly to Her Excellency Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the President of Sri Lanka who was recently in London,to take action over public services for people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

They have heard from Sri Lankan parents and carers who are desperate for public services in education, health, specialist speech therapy and respite care on the island. Some try to take their children for assessments in Australia and the UK but are unable to afford the high private fees. Autism is a neuro-development disorder - they say there are well over 38,000 children with autism in Sri Lanka. Autistic children think differently - they think in pictures. Albert Einstein they say had autism. In Sri Lanka autism is confused with mental illness.

Due to culture - autistic children on the island are kept at home. Thousands of Sri Lankan children have no access to education, health, specialist speech therapy and respite care. School heads do not know much about autism and are unable to provide education for autistic children and other SEN children.Many remain undiagnosed. Medical professionals haven't received full training on the CHAT system to diagnose and assess these children. There is only the Chitra Lane School and one other school that caters for SEN children. Many more special schools need to be set up to cater for the growing number of SEN children including those with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.Sri Lanka needs to train more SEN Teachers and there are only a handful of speech therapists in the whole of the island.Many more specialist speech therapists are needed.

The tsunami which devastated Sri Lanka has also led to an increase of children with disabilities and mental trauma.The Autism Awareness Campaign in Sri Lanka has been working in partnership with the respected Rotary Club of Colombo Regency to reach out to the victims. Organisations from all over the world responded to the Autism Awareness Campaign's Tsunami Appeal.

Ivan Corea urged President Kumaratunga to look into the area of autism and Asperger's Syndrome in Sri Lanka. He appealed to the Sri Lankan business community in the UK,USA, Australia and in Sri Lanka to build special schools with well equipped sensory rooms. 'This is a crying need - we hope that Sri Lankan businessmen will think about giving to set up new SEN schools in the tsunami hit areas, in Colombo and other areas,' he said. Recently Ivan Corea presented Hon. Mahinda Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister with an Autism Awareness Ribbon. In a few weeks time Autism Awareness Week will be launched in the UK and around the world. He said: 'I urge Sri Lankan businessmen who feel they want to give back something to the land of their birth to go to Sri Lanka and set up SEN schools, pay for training of staff so that they could help those who cannot speak up for themselves.' This is a desperate need in Sri Lanka.

Ivan and Charika Corea were recently honoured with the Highly Commended Certificate in the Leadership category of the prestigious Beacon Prize 2004 recently announced in London. We were thrilled with the quality of the nominations received this year, reflecting the full depth and extent of charitable activity in the UK,’ commented Emily Stonor, Chief Executive of Beacon. ‘Being highly commended is thus remarkable. Ivan and Charika Corea’s nomination was judged alongside those for prize winners such as Sir Bob Geldof and Jamie Oliver.We are delighted to recognise Ivan and Charika Corea’s contribution to charity and we hope that their success story will be an inspiration to others,' said the Chief Executive of Beacon.

Autism Awareness Campaign highly commended by prestigious Beacon Prize 2004

2005-04-24T00:42:00.000+06:00

Ivan and Charika Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK have been highly commended after being nominated for the prestigious Beacon Prize 2004 for their philanthropic achievements. The Beacon Awards (given by the Beacon Fellowship Charitable Trust) were recently announced in London.

Beacon is a charitable initiative to raise the the profile of philanthropy in the UK, awarding the Beacon Prize to individuals whose giving, be it their time, their money, or their expertise, inspires others to do more.

Ivan and Charika Corea were nominated their contribution to raising awareness of autism spectrum disorder and Asperger’s Syndrome. Their efforts have been personally backed by the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Democrats. They initiated the largest ever movement for autism in the UK and launched 2002 as Autism Awareness Year supported by 800 UK organisations. The Judges applauded their work and they have received the Beacon Highly Commended Award Certificate for Leadership, second only to Sir Bob Geldof who was the winner in the Leadership category.

‘We were thrilled with the quality of the nominations received this year, reflecting the full depth and extent of charitable activity in the UK,’ commented Emily Stonor, Chief Executive of Beacon. ‘Being highly commended is thus remarkable. Ivan and Charika Corea’s nomination was judged alongside those for prize winners such as Sir Bob Geldof and Jamie Oliver.’

‘We are delighted to recognise Ivan and Charika Corea’s contribution to charity and we hope that their success story will be an inspiration to others,' said the Chief Executive of Beacon.

Ivan Corea said: ‘We are delighted to receive this Beacon Award Highly Commended Certificate. Autism is now an election issue. We have appealed to Tony Blair, Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy to take autism seriously and look at providing better public services for the 520,000 people autism and 90,000 children with autism. We still need the twin paths of inclusion in mainstream schools and special schools; we need further education and higher education opportunities for people with autism; special qualifications recognised by employers for young people with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome; labour market opportunities for all people with autism and a debate on autism and the elderly. There is still a great deal of suffering for parents, carers and autists and the next Government must move autism up the political agenda and give parents, carers and autists real choice and real opportunity to enable them to rise above the barriers placed before them.’

He urged party leaders to state how they plan to improve public services for parents, carers and autists.

Ivan Corea recently met the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Hon. Mahinda Rajapakse and presented him with an Autism Awarenss Ribbon. He urged the Government of Sri Lanka to do more for all people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome on the island. They say there are 30,000 autistic children in Sri Lanka. Most of them are kept at home with no real access to education or public services. Quite often autism is confused with mental illness in Sri Lanka. The Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka have appealed for public services in education, health, specialist speech therapy and respite care for people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

For more information on the Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka please see
http://members.tripod.com/autism_srilanka

England Cricket legend Ian Botham visits tsunami victims in Sri Lanka

2005-04-19T22:58:00.000+06:00

Cricket legend Botham to help tsunami victims

by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Daily News, Colombo

English cricket legend Ian Botham will arrive in Sri Lanka today on a fact-finding mission to assist tsunami affected victims. Kushil Gunasekera speaking on behalf of the Muralitharan-Gunasekera-Vaas Foundation which is handling arrangements at this end said that Botham has been sent on this mission as an ambassador of the Laureus World Sports Award in conjuction with the Shane Warne Foundation.

The Laureus World Sports Annual Awards is the first global sports awards program which honours the achievements of sportsmen and sportswomen around the world and has established a unique place in the sporting world.

Accompanying Botham will be CEO of the Shane Warne Foundation Brad Grapsas who was here in February when Warne himself made a personal visit to Sri Lanka to find out for himself how best his Foundation could help the tsunami victims.

Outlining the program for Botham's visit, Gunasekara said that he would travel to the Galle Cricket Stadium on Wednesday morning and survey the damage. Botham will also meet and talk with people connected with cricket.

In the afternoon Botham is scheduled to travel to Seenigama and Peraliya two villages ravaged by the tsunami.

At Seenigama, the village of Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan's manager Kushil Gunasekara, Botham will discuss current and future projects and also meet the children.

At Peraliya where the train tragedy occurred, he will discuss immediate needs and future projects.

Botham (48) was one of the finest all-round cricketers produced by England. Almost as legendary as his cricket was his achievement as a tireless fundraiser for Leukaemia Research where he undertook walks between 1985 and 1999 raising an astonishing 4.5 million pounds sterling. Awarded the OBE in 1992, Botham is also a renowned television commentator.

In February, Australia's legendary leg-spinner Warne paid a visit to Galle and Seenigama and promised help through the Shane Warne Foundation.

Warne had a personal affection for the Galle Stadium because it was the venue where he captured his 500th Test wicket when Australia toured Sri Lanka in 2004.

Census Department releases tsunami impact statistics

2005-04-19T22:50:00.000+06:00

How badly hit we are

Article from the Daily News, Colombo

BY DR. AMARA Satharasinghe, Deputy Director Department of Census and Statistics

THE biggest challenge that the Government is facing is bringing the lifestyle of the tsunami affected people to normalcy. This requires reconstruction of their damaged houses and providing them livelihood assets such as boats for affected fishing communities.

Reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure facilities is another high priority need. For planning and decision making on the rebuilding the nation devastated by this disaster, it is essential to have reliable and accurate information on the impact on the lives and properties caused by the disaster.

The Department of Census and Statistics conducted a census covering all affected districts to evaluate the damages to the lives and the buildings in the affected areas. This census was conducted in two stages.

All the buildings including those wiped out were listed during the stage 1 by updating the list of buildings prepared for conducting the Census of Population and Housing - 2001.

In addition to the listing of buildings, some information required to compile a set of key indicators on the damages to the buildings was also collected in this stage.

Detailed data collection was carried out during stage 2. Preliminary reports presenting the information collected during stage 1 of the census have been released for all the affected districts including those in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Methodology
This census was conducted in all affected districts namely, Puttalam, Gampaha, Colombo, Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Mulativu and Jaffna districts. Enumeration was done only in the affected census blocks of these districts, and it was conducted in two stages.

Sri Lanka is consisting of 9 provinces, 25 districts, 325 Divisional Secretary divisions and about 14,000 Grama Niladhari divisions. For the purpose of Census of Population and Housing - 2001 conducted by the department, each GN division was further subdivided into a few smaller areas called Census Blocks.

The objective of this sub division was to ensure that the enumerator assigned for the Census Block completes his field work on the final count within a given short period of time (about 6 - 12 hours). For urban areas, a census block included about 80 housing units while in rural and estate areas a census block included about 65 housing units,

Generally, the first step in any census taking operation is to update the list of all buildings to be enumerated and this list is used as the sampling frame for subsequent surveys. A frame consisting of all buildings for Sri Lanka was compiled for the Census of Population and Housing - 2001.

This frame pertaining to the affected census blocks was updated by the field staff. This frame was revised giving due consideration to the new buildings that have been constructed and demolished after the year 2001.

To provide information immediately needed for planning purposes, some key information pertaining to the buildings and the occupants was collected during the listing stage. The information collected during the listing stage is given below.

a. Postal address before the disaster

b. Name of the head of the household before the disaster

c. Type of building before the disaster: Housing Unit; Living Quarter, Institute; Non - Housing Unit

d. Whether the building is still existing

e. Present condition of the building (Completely damaged; partially damaged and cannot be used, partially damaged and can be used, not damaged)

f. Number of persons who lived in the building before the disaster g. No. of persons currently living h. Where do the usual residents of the unit now living (same unit, with friends/relatives; camp etc)

i. Address of the occupants if living outside the unit after the disaster

j. Economic activity of the unit before the disaster

k. Whether the economic activities are still carried out

Detailed information on the damages to the lives and buildings caused by the disaster was collected at the second stage of the census. Field staff of the department enumerated the occupants of the damaged buildings.

In the case of the completely damaged buildings attempts were made as far as possible to track where the occupants of such buildings were currently living and to collect the information by visiting them.

Data collection instruments (questionnaires) were so designed that some key indicators could be compiled before the commencement of computerization of completed questionnaires with the objective of releasing required key information soon after the data collection is over.

Preliminary reports presenting the findings based on the quick manual processing of data collected at the first stage of the census have already been released. These reports have been published in the Department's website: www.statistics.gov.lk.

Several key indicators have been compiled at District, DS division and GN division levels, based on the data collected during the first stage of the census.

These indicators include number of affected GN divisions, Number of affected Census Blocks, number of buildings (housing and other) in the affected census blocks before the disaster, condition of building after the disaster (completely damaged, partially damaged and cannot be used, partially damaged and can be used). Indicators were compiled for housing units as well as for other types of buildings.

In the affected Divisional Secretary (DS) divisions, there are 1971 GN divisions. Out of these GN divisions, 32 percent has been reported to be affected. Total number of census blocks in the affected GN divisions is 4,880. Of these census block, 2,611 i.e. 54 percent has been affected by the disaster.

Housing units
There had been 158,011 buildings used as housing units in the affected census blocks of Sri Lanka before the disaster. Of these buildings 25 percent have been completely damaged. Another 6 percent have been partially damaged and not usable.

That is, little over 30 percent of the housing units have been either completely wiped out or damaged to the extent that those cannot be used any longer. Percentage of buildings damaged but usable is 24 percent. The balance 44 percent of the buildings have not been affected.

The highest share of 49 percent, of the completely or partially damaged housing units is reported from the Eastern Province.

The next highest share of 23 percent was reported from the Southern Province. Western Province and Northern Provinces accounted for 15 percent and 13 percent of the completely or partially damaged housing units, respectively.

In the North Western Province, only Wennappuwa DS division of Puttalam district was affected and number of housing units affected was only 54.

When compared across the districts, highest number of housing units, damaged either completely or partially and unusable, was reported from the Ampara district. Total number of such buildings reported for Ampara district was 10,566.

This is followed by the Batticaloa and Galle districts and the corresponding numbers were 9,905 and 6,169 units respectively.

(To be Continued)

Let us join hands to rebuild the Motherland - President of Sri Lanka

2005-04-13T20:00:00.000+06:00

The Sri Lankan President's message for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year

The Sinhala and Tamil people of our country are closely knit by a common cultural heritage. Forgiving wrong and requesting forgiveness for wrong is a noble new year tradition our people have observed for a long time.

Therefore let us eschew all differences and join hands to rebuild our motherland, said President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga in a message issued to mark the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

"The tsunami disaster is like a silver lining among dark clouds. A situation where all Sinhala, Tamil, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim Communities and faiths can work together is now emerging. If we can make the joint mechanism for providing relief to people in the North East a success it will be a fine foundation for finding a lasting solution to the national problem," President Kumaratunga said.

The message: "Today is New Year Day considered as the National New Year by the Tamils and Sinhalese alike. This is the common festival of the entire Sri Lankan people and truly our most delightful cultural festival.

However our people are celebrating New Year this time from a completely different environment than past years. Only three months have lapsed after the tsunami which was a natural disaster unprecedented in our history.

All this time we have been hearing about damage to lives and property caused by earthquakes, high tides and volcanic activity in other countries of the world and thinking how fortunate we have been. But on December 26, 2004 we too had to experience that unfortunate calamity. It caused the untimely death of nearly 40,000 of our brethren and damaged properties worth tens of millions of rupees.

That moment which grabbed away the expectations filled in our hearts and our loved ones has endowed us with a permanent agony. We understand the mental pressure and pain caused in you by it. Programs to relieve that pain have now been launched by places of religious worship, the government and other interested citizens.

Since Sri Lanka has been identified as a country falling within a region prone to natural disasters lately plans are now under way to set up a natural disaster early warning centre in Sri Lanka too. Apart from this elaborate plans to rehabilitate all people affected by the tsunami have been formulated and implemented within the last three months.

In this situation it is pointless for us to wallow in pain feel disgusted anymore. Therefore let us make the New Year which has dawned a year of resolve to rebuild the country and usher in peace and prosperity.

When we consider the New Year Day it is common to both Sinhala and Tamil people. This is neither a Sinhala New Year nor a Tamil New Year but a National New Year.

The Sinhala and Tamil people of our country are closely knit by a common cultural heritage. Forgiving wrong and requesting forgiveness for wrong is a noble new year tradition our people have observed for a long time. Therefore let us eschew all differences and join hands to rebuild our motherland.

The tsunami disaster is like a silver lining among dark clouds. A situation where all Sinhala, Tamil, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim Communities and faiths can work together is now emerging. If we can make the joint mechanism for providing relief to people in the North East a success it will be a fine foundation for finding a lasting solution to the national problem.

Furthermore this new year is celebrated on the occasion of the first anniversary of the UPFA Government headed by me. The UPFA government which was elected to office last year giving a new strength and awakening to the dawn of New Year has now laid the foundation for a new socio-economic and cultural order where social justice will rule supreme.

Much more has to be done to take the country forward on that foundation.

I hope that the strength, courage and matured thinking needed for it will dawn on every one on this new year.

Wish you all a happy New Year."

Get together to rebuild the Nation: Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

2005-04-13T19:49:00.000+06:00

Let all of us get together regardless of race, colour, religion or and other political or social affinity and evolve a phoenix rise to rebuild the Nation, said Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse in a message to mark the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

The message: "The Sinhala and Tamil New Year festival, based on the transition of the sun symbolises the Sinhala-Buddhist and Hindu-Tamil solidarity and prosperity.

Ironically it dawns close upon the heels of the tsunami crisis which gripped the nation in sorrow. No doubt it is the worst calamity ever to have experienced by us, and one may feel that the prevailing environment is not compatible for such festivities.

However we cannot afford to overlook our common traditions and ethics of yore. Under any such situation as they tend to promote the much needed amity and solidarity through a climate of friendship among our neighbours, particularly between the two communities, Sinhala and Tamil.

We are a nation galvanised to face vicissitudes of nature. I am of strong opinion that this event will be a welcoming fillip to enhance the mutual friendship on our march to promote a lasting peace.

No doubt that 'tomorrow' will be a brighter day for all of us, who inherit a dignified common culture.

So, on this New Year day let all of us get together regardless of race, colour, religion or any other political or social affinity and evolve a phoenix rise to rebuild the nation.

Wish you all Sri Lankans a happy New Year!"

Tsunami: The Process of Healing

2005-04-13T19:40:00.000+06:00

Text of speech made by Industries, Tourism and Investment Promotion Minister Anura Bandaranaike, at the forum of the Sri Lanka-America Friendship Society

I am delighted to be a part of this forum, at a time when every Sri Lankan is especially grateful, for our long friendship with the United States of America; one that we see, manifest now in the partnership that Her Excellency Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga - President of Sri Lanka and His Excellency George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, have demonstrated in the fight against global terrorism; one that touched every Sri Lankan heart, when the former Presidents, George Bush and Bill Clinton visited the innocent children, separated from their loved ones by the tsunami, and now living in welfare centres.

The tsunami that devastated Sri Lanka on the morning of December 26, was the most destructive natural disaster, in our recorded history. 30,974 people died, 4,698 people are yet missing, 553,287 people have been displaced, 1,169 children have been orphaned, 3,729 children have lost one parent, 114,000 houses destroyed.

The tsunami that struck our shores, did not discriminate. It destroyed Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim homes. It destroyed the lives of Christians and Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. Within hours of the event, Sri Lanka had united. In true Sri Lankan tradition, those who were fortunate were helping those who had been stricken.

The first Prime Minister of India - Jawaharlal Nehru, said:

A time comes in the life time of a man, a society, or a

Nation, when a call to duty is ordained by destiny;

It rings out loud and clear,

It cannot be deaf to the call of a Nation"

One hundred days ago, in the immediate impact of this horrendous disaster, all sections of our multi-structured society responded magnanimously and positively. Under the leadership of Her Excellency the President, the institutional mechanisms for relief operations were set up promptly, and without delay, under the Presidential Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation (TAFREN).

Despite the never-ending barrage of often-lopsided criticism of State agencies, alleging inaction, in fairness to the State agencies, both at the center and the periphery, it must be admitted, that there was a significant measure of success in relief operations in immediate response to the disaster.

None died of starvation or famine; none died for lack of medical care; there were no outbreaks of disease, when epidemics of various sorts were expected, which was ratified by the World Health Organisation; law and order was effectively maintained and the authorities ensured that there was no replay of scenes so vividly brought to life by Decaprio and Lewis in the movie 'Gangs of New York'.

Thank God for that. Basic infrastructure such as roads, telecommunications and electricity restored within a week; In a few days our engineers of the much-malign Ceylon Government Railway, restored 40 kilometres of railway track - acclaimed by the BBC as a heroic response by a dedicated set of people.

The first phase of the rescue and relief operation was, in my view, handled admirably well, by the Sri Lankan Government and its organisations. In fact, visiting dignitaries such as Kofi Annan, Colin Powell, Paul Wolfensohn - President of the World Bank and so many other world leaders, shared in this admiration of State-sector efficiency.

Many countries and world communities came to our aid and assistance, in various ways. It took my mind to what William Shakespeare wrote in the 'Merchant of Venice':

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven,
Upon the place beneath; it is twice bless'd
It bleseth him that gives, and him that takes,
It is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch, better than his crown;
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself.

Amongst others, America and American friends of Sri Lanka have helped us, in numerous ways, in our times of need. American marines worked shoulder to shoulder with Sri Lankans to clear the wreckages and rubble; to this we are indeed grateful!

This crisis that affected all races, particularly destroying the North and East of the country, has given a golden opportunity for those who have been at war with the State, for the last 20 years, to come into a feasible arrangement with the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure that the tsunami relief reaches their people, without making political points. The lives of the Tamil people and the rehabilitation of the North and East, is important to us as the rest of the country.

Our Tamil brethren lost lives and livelihoods in Trincomalee and Batticaloa. Our Muslim brothers suffered likewise in Ampara in the East and the Sinhalese were affected in the South.

Immediate relief efforts did not in any way discriminate. Relief efforts took place in LTTE controlled areas as well as in Government-controlled areas. Sri Lanka's network of armed forces played a lead role in providing emergency rations, water and basic needs.

The men were mobilised for an unconventional 'war'. The part played by the hundreds of armed forces staff in the field and on the ground, though low-key and hardly acknowledged publicly, was a vital factor in the steady provision of essentials in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami. It was a reaching out to the hearts and minds of those who had suffered.

Today, this has translated into the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government working out an agenda of relief assistance, together. Isn't this a reason for optimism? Perhaps we can win enough trust to sit together and discuss other matters as well.

What of the second phase, which has as its main objective, the normalisation of life of those shattered by the disaster. The short-term relief package covered the ration card, funeral benefits, kitchen utensils and resettlement allowance, within a total budget of Rs. 10,890 Million.

I believe this phase too has been more or less well handled in execution. The major issue in the second phase, for which a solution is yet not in place, relates to transitional shelter for those in uncomfortable tents, schools and temples or with relatives and friends in congested living rooms.

Here we see the worst of our society and systems emerging and active as a severe impediment to efficient solutions from the initial, positive emotions of magnanimity. We are shifting to our usual game of narrow minded, parochial, find-faulting, endless and destructive criticism, jealousy, petty politics, disgust and frustration, inefficiency and proliferation of corrupt practices.

The inherent weaknesses and restrained factors within the system, have caused confusion further aggravated by mushrooming of various individuals and agencies, some with their own disguised private agendas without a care for those devastated by the tsunami, and yet languishing hopelessly, under the sweltering heat of a tent meant for the cold climates of Scandinavia!

Working on the obviously wrong precept, that the State can do no good, there has been a mushrooming and unbelievable proliferation of a new society of over 6000 NGOs, some national and others international. I have no doubt that the majority of these NGOs, that are receiving billions of dollars from international donors, are well intentioned and doing a magnificent job.

Stories abound of the wrongful practices by certain NGOs, siphoning funds and material, even luxury vehicles, consumer electronics and material for their personal use, while victims of the tsunami continue to suffer.

A major drawback in the second phase of the relief effort has been the breakdown of coordination of relief activities and the hopeless lack of access to vital information.

Our private sector, I must say, magnificently rose to the occasion, displaying an incredibly high degree of responsibility. Companies sought out their employees who had "gone missing" in the aftermath, to ascertain the status of their well-being and safety.

Many private sector institutions, local and foreign investors and businesses have come forward to reconstruct the homes of those affected.

The events in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami also revealed woeful inadequacy of our disaster preparedness, when the waters receded, unwittingly, into the valley of death, rode our men, women and children.

For a country that has not experienced the full force of a tsunami, Sri Lanka was taken completely unawares, on the day after Christmas, when disaster struck. Even if people has been warned nobody would have believed it. Especially, as most of those who died, were in vehicles or entrails. Even the receding of the sea, unless you are an expert, you would not have known what it meant. Now the situation is different. The scale demonstrated on the 28th of March, when institutions and people responded to the possibility of a tsunami, diligently.

It is, however, perceived that we Sri Lankans have very short memories and that is true.

John F. Kennedy - a former President of the United States said, after the Cuban Missile Crisis:

"We can't win them all; I have been close enough to disaster to know that what seems worth sh..... one moment, You could barely remember the next"

I also believe that above all, a greater national awareness of disaster preparedness must be created amongst all segments of our society. This should be a subject in our school curriculum.

As for when the next tsunami will strike us, I cannot forecast as my expertise is politics and as in the past, I can only forecast with certainty, the events yet to unravel on the political stage. However, I would say, don't be afraid of the sea, despite the horrors of the tsunami, the sea is not a monster. Go enjoy your Sunday mornings on our golden beaches.

Let us now look at the reconstruction aspect in the aftermath. It provides a massive business opportunity for the building and construction industry. Where NGOs are involved, Sri Lanka's building industry will be able to work side-by-side with overseas companies, learning new techniques improving their knowledge and forging new links...... Yes, I would definitely consider tsunami reconstruction as an opportunity for our building and construction industry.

On the matter of housing, we are proud to note that foreign grants and other organizations have committed to re-build the entire housing sector of the affected, and today, most of the reconstruction of houses have been undertaken and commitments made. Like the phoenix rising out of his own ashes.... the reconstruction of what was lost, gives an opportunity to the construction industry to kick-start the economy, to revive itself.

As I have said before, at some length, there was national, political ethnic and ideological understanding across the political arena, immediately on the aftermath of the tsunami. Unfortunately, political perfidy overtook all that, and now bickering has begun on minor details, completely forgetting the large picture.

The Government that I represent knows that other leading political parties in Sri Lanka can show the required political maturity to come together in times of crisis. But there must be the political will to do so.

Our people, shedding political differences, rose to the occasion providing us - the country's leaders - with a shining example. Shouldn't we as the country's leaders humbly acknowledge and follow this example? I am sure you will agree that reflecting the best interests of our country and our people, it is very vital for all political parties to put aside petty politicking and work together if we are to create a united, prosperous country.

The Government that I represent has pledged to help our people to recover from this disaster with dignity, and accelerate the healing process. Therein lies the reason for my conviction that the aftermath of the tsunami can be used very effectively and creatively to resolve our national, political and ideological conflict and that we can build a united and prosperous country.

To them that have lost everything, their homes, their livelihoods their families and who have to deal with the trauma of the event, the terrible personal losses and grief of our people, the orphaned children, now learning to cope through school programmes, we can offer our sympathy and compassion and take heart from the words of James Wolfensohn - President World Bank.

"The only way to begin the process of healing from this terrible tragedy is to actively engage the people in decisions about their own recovery, and through this participation, give them hope".

As Minister of Tourism, I wish to place before you some of the strategies adopted by me and the Government for the revival of the industry. The tsunami disaster occurred at a time Sri Lanka tourism was heading for a permanent recovery, after facing continuous drawbacks from during the past two decades.

The highest arrivals of 566,202 recorded in the year 2004 while earning to the economy USD 416 million for the first time in the history of Sri Lanka tourism. Tourism generates 112,000 direct and indirect jobs.

As a result of the tsunami, 56 hotels along the East Coast, South Coast and the South West Coast, went out of business rendering 3,500 rooms un-operational. As a result of the mental trauma that was created in the minds of the tourists due to extensive international media publicity, several tour groups cancelled their scheduled travel to Sri Lanka during the winter season, which was a sad situation.

As a result, tourist arrivals during the months of January to February dropped by - 20% compared to the arrivals during the corresponding period in the year 2004. Hotel occupancy rate which was around 85% throughout the year 2004 dropped to 30 to 35% in January & February other than in Colombo hotels. To face this situation strategically, I appointed a Tourism Task Force which included top level hotel and travel industry personnel and senior officials and advised them to draw up an action plan for the resurgence of the declining tourism industry.

On their recommendation, the "Bounce Back Sri Lanka' advertising campaign was vigorously launched for confidence building and mind setting of the tourists.

I recall the tourism conference in Milan, Italy, specially designed to support tsunami affected countries including Sri Lanka, coincided with the BIT Trade Fair where I led a delegation. Likewise, the WTO appointed a task force committee to ascertain the various relief assistance to be given to Sri Lanka and other affected countries in which my Ministry Secretary is a member.

To restore accommodation facilities back to normal, the Government of Sri Lanka has agreed to introduce a duty free importation package for importation of material and equipment for refurbishment and reconstruction of the damaged hotel properties. To ease the financial difficulties faced by the industry, a special loan scheme has been introduced wherein an affected hotelier or a tourism businessman can obtain a loan of Rs. 10 million for a 6% interest with a grace period of one year.

My Government is taking measures to strengthen the administrative mechanism of the tourism industry to inject dynamism to tourism which has been already recognized as a thrust industry.

For this purpose a new tourism law will be brought to Parliament very soon for approval. This law proposes to set up a separate public and private sector driven bureau, to undertake tourism marketing and promotion in a professional manner.

This function is handled as of now by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board. With this new change the present Sri Lanka Tourist Board will be elevated to a Tourism Development Authority, which will exercise enforcement of regulations and Tourism Development, Research and International Affairs.

In conclusion let me quote one of the greatest poets and freedom fighters of India, Rabindranath Tagore:

"Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high,
With courage and determination,
Into that heaven of freedom;
O' my Father lead my country..."

Thrishana Pothupitiya's Poem: ' Tsunami You Hit My Island Home.'

2005-04-03T09:40:00.000+06:00

17 year old Thrishana Pothupitiya studying at Bishop's College Colombo was one of the first Sri Lankan teenagers to put pen to paper and write about the tsunami which struck the land of her birth.Her essay 'The Power of Humanity' was published in the Daily News in Colombo. The British Red Cross said she wrote powerfully and eloquently'about the tsunami which devastated parts of Sri Lanka on 26th December 2004. Her essay is now being used as an educational resource around the world. International charities, working in the tsanimi disaster areas in Sri Lanka, have highlighted her essay.

Former US President, Bill Clinton recently wrote to the young student. President Clinton is due back on a return visit to Sri Lanka in a few months time. Thrishana Pothupitiya has also written a poem - soon to be published in an international book of poetry - about the tsunami and the spirit of hope dwelling in the hearts and minds of the people of the island.

TSUNAMI YOU HIT MY ISLAND HOME

The day was clear

The sun shone bright

Upon my island home

When all at once wailing, echoed from her shores.

And it came whirling, swirling, churning and sweeping

A monstrous twenty-foot wave

With a booming voice and mighty hurt

Destroying everything in its way.

For hours the waves swept in

Devastating her shores

Countless people lost their lives

From countless faces hot tears poured.

It came so fast in swirling rage

No time to think, to save themselves

The waves so high swept above their heads

And swept back with their lives.

A heart felt cry echoed throughout

Our beautiful island home.

The whirling sea swept of the smiles

From Sri Lanka’s livelihood.

Father and mother grieving

For their loving children lost.

Little children searching everywhere,

Searching for their parents lost.

A grieving father stands by the sea

His dead son in his arms

His agony spread throughout the land

And touched every man’s heart.

The waves destroyed many homes,

It swept off many lives.

But through this pain and sorrow

Our people began to rise.

From far away people came

To lend a helping hand

Humanity poured through the veins

Of every man and child.

The Tsunami which hit our land

On “Uduwap” poya day

Has freed us from ourselves

Has shown us the correct way.

Together all of Sri Lanka

Should get over this ordeal

Every one working together

Regardless of nationality colour and creed.

The waves shattered Sri Lanka

Yet humanity it could not break.

Compassion, love and kindness reached out to all,

And gave hope in every way.

Oh Tsunami you hit us

Expecting us to fall.

But we will rise stronger,

Much better than before.

Tsunami early warning system - how it works

2005-03-22T07:52:00.000+06:00

by Kapila Dahanayake, Senior Professor of Geology, University of Peradeniya
(Daily News)

Tsunamis or earthquakes can be neither prevented nor predicted. An early warning system that can give sufficient hours of advance notice to coastal communities is a primary way of effective mitigation of this disaster.

Water level gauges are an essential element of a tsunami warning system. They can be used to confirm the generation of tsunami waves following an earthquake. To be effective for warning purposes, water level gauges should be located near the tsunami source region to get the most rapid confirmation of the event. Forecasting tsunamis requires adequate understanding of the phenomenon, good and quick collection of earthquake and sea level data and accurate and fast assessment and interpretation of data.

A tsunami warning centre such as that in operation around the Pacific ocean could have saved thousands of people who died in the Indian Ocean earthquake. Both Sri Lanka and India did not have such a facility mainly because large tsunamis were in the past extremely rare in the Indian Ocean.

In the Pacific Ocean a few tsunamis are reported in any given decade. Between 1975 and 1998 there have been at least eighteen (18) in the Pacific and the adjoining seas resulting in significant human casualties and damage to property. In countries like Japan or USA, people living in coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean where more than 90% of all tsunamis recorded have occurred in the past, are warned and taught to move away from coastal regions after a tsunamigenic earthquake. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) operated by the US in Hawaii and supported by 26 member countries, including Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Japan, USA etc., has many seismic stations, water level reporting stations and dissemination points scattered in the Pacific Basin. Functioning of the system begins with the detection by any participating seismic laboratory of an earthquake of sufficient size to trigger alarms, set at the threshold value of 6.5 on the Richter Scale. PTWC collects seismic data, locates the earthquake and computes its magnitude. When reports from water level stations show that a tsunami has been generated posing a threat, a warning is transmitted to the relevant dissemination centres within shortest possible time.

Japan is located in the circum Pacific tectonic zone where seismic activity is extremely high. Japan being an island nation surrounded by sea is one of the most tsunami-prone countries in the world.

Since 22,000 people died in the Sanriku Tsunami of 1896 and another 3000 in 1933, Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) has been in the forefront of providing tsunami warnings for more than 100 years.

Over the years, JMA has been able to reduce the target time of tsunami warning to just 3 minutes since 1994 by using state-of-the-art technology. JMA has improved its seismometer networks (numbering more than 180) and seismic data processing by getting rapid estimation of magnitude of earthquake and location and observing sea level changes using tidal data from more than 100 stations. Even the most modern computer will require much time to study tsunami generation and propagation. JMA has calculated tsunami generation and propagation for 100,000 different simulated cases and obtained estimated tsunami heights and arrival times which are stored as a database.

Essential elements
Minimal information required for tsunami warning constitutes time of origin, location, magnitude and depth of earthquake (hypocentre) and tidal data giving sea level rise. Principal components are the following:

* Network of seismic stations to observe seismic waves * Tidal stations to monitor sea level changes * Dedicated telephone lines to transmit observed data in real time * System to determine immediately the hypocentre and magnitude of the earthquake * Evaluation of possibility of generation of tsunami using sea level changes obtained from tidal stations via satellite * Communication network to disseminate warnings to mass media , local authorities, police and eventually to residents at risk.

Once the tsunami warning is rapidly communicated to people at risk they should be able to respond positively without panicking.

For smooth evacuation in potentially danger areas, prior to the event it is essential to (i) conduct awareness programmes about tsunamis (ii) prepare hazard maps giving previous heights of tsunamis (iii) identify evacuation routes and shelters and (iv) conduct evacuation drill practices periodically for schoolchildren and villagers at risk.

Continuous effort is essential for education and training since people tend to forget the dangers as probability of tsunami occurrence in the Indian Ocean countries particularly is low if old records are any indicator.

In the aftermath of the massive and disastrous tsunamigenic earthquake of 26/12 we have to learn from the long and successful post-tsunami experiences of the Pacific Rim countries and take appropriate steps to establish a tsunami warning facility in Sri Lanka / SAARC region and be prepared for any possible future threat from the Indian Ocean. It should be noted that the geological conditions of the occurrence of earthquakes in the Indian Ocean region are different from those in the Pacific Ocean. It is necessary to recognize the type of tsunami -local or distant or both - that could attack the countries in the region. If there is no risk from local tsunamis, it would be sufficient to establish a system to monitor a tsunami warning from a regional Tsunami Warning Center 24 hours a day and each country could determine its responsibility and initiative and decide if a warning should be issued or not.

Although research studies indicate that the probability of an immediate repetition of a tsunami is low from the same location of the earthquake, there is always the possibility of an earthquake from a different location.

Past records and years of earthquake research have shown that it is not yet possible to predict with precision the exact date and time of earthquakes even with modern equipment available in countries like USA and Japan. Present thinking is that an earthquake can happen anywhere anytime. Same is true for tsunamis. But with a tsunami warning system in place, most people will have time to evacuate to high ground or safe locations (e.g 3rd floor or above of nearby strong buildings- ideally reinforced concrete buildings) unless the earthquake occurred very close to the coast.

Since the minimum period required to give warnings about tsunamis currently is three minutes, it may be too late for residents of such coastal areas by the time they receive the warning.

Therefore they should run immediately to high ground if they feel a strong earthquake had occurred as judged by strong earth shaking and damage to houses. Even in countries like ours, until the tsunami warning system is established - which may take a considerable period of time- people living in coastal areas should be on high alert if they feel a strong earthquake and run to high ground or to 3rd floors or above (considering the height of the previous tsunami) of strongly built houses of the vicinity.

Awareness and education programmes are sometimes more effective than sophisticated and expensive warning systems.Such programmes also can save hundreds and thousands of human lives. In this regard it is essential that measures are taken to include Disaster Management and Mitigation as a subject in the school curriculum so that awareness programmes will continue without much effort.

(The writer was recently in Tokyo attending a Workshop on Tsunami Early Warning Systems and conducted field visits to tsunami preparedness facilities in Numazu City, Shizuura District).

Kadirgamar calls on donors to set up tsunami reconstruction maintenance fund

2005-03-18T07:45:00.000+06:00

Rodney Martinesz reporting from London
(Published in the Daily News, Colombo - 17/3/2005)

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has called on all donor agencies engaged in tsunami reconstruction work in Sri Lanka to set up a special "maintenance fund" to ensure the work does not fall apart due to want of funds.

He said this in the context of the vast financial resources poured into capital expenditure at present and the chances of the Government in the end being saddled with the maintenance of funds to ensure tsunami reconstruction projects are completed. This could blow a big hole in the government's national budget, he said. The Minister reiterated that the Government will take all measures to ensure transparency and accountability in the handling of its own funds and that in the case of the NGOs the responsibility was theirs.

The Minister was meeting the International Federation of Red Cross in Geneva on Tuesday. The IFRC has already presented a US$ 340 million "Draft Action Plan" for post-tsunami Sri Lanka which includes the reconstruction of 15,000 homes destroyed in the tidal wave.

The Lankan Foreign Minister also stressed the need for preventing any imbalances in society through the perception of special treatment of tsunami victims and wanted the donors to enhance the scope of their assistance to cover other areas and sectors.

The Minister urged the donors to employ local talent wherever possible in reconstruction work. "As a matter of policy the Government will not be concerned with the day-to-day micro issues of NGO funded reconstruction activity".

The Minister also called on the NGOs to take pro-active measures to dispel the spurious propaganda that the North-East has been sidelined in the tsunami reconstruction plan.

The Minister was also given an assurance by the Red Cross group that they would not condone religious conversions under the cover of the tsunami tragedy. "I asked them to wield some influence among their compatriots to stop this," the Minister told the press.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State for International Development Hilary Benn yesterday paid a handsome compliment to Sri Lanka for the rapid progress being achieved in tsunami relief work.

He conveyed this impression to Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar at their official meeting in London. Minister Kadirgamar repeated his complaint made the previous day to Secretary to State for Foreign Affairs Jack Straw on the acquisition of verified air capability by the LTTE.

Minister Kadirgamar thanked the British Government for the latter's decision to absorb 10 per cent of Sri Lanka's debt commitments to the multi lateral donor community for a period of 10 years.

The Secretary of State who visited the tsunami ravaged East in January told the Minister that he was impressed with the immediate relief operations and got the idea that the operation was well organised.

Minister Kadirgamar suggested the need for a review mechanism with the Government and NGOs which will benefit reconstruction work in the long haul. Benn also stressed the importance an early warning system for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka tsunami suffering may inspire Sting song

2005-02-24T23:47:00.000+06:00

Report in the Daily News, Colombo

COLOMBO, Wednesday (Reuters) Pop icon Sting has been deeply moved by the suffering of Sri Lankan children who lost parents to Asia's tsunami and may pen a song about the island's worst natural disaster, his wife said on Wednesday.

Sting and his actress wife Trudie Styler, who is an ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), are visiting devastated seaside towns and villages along Sri Lanka's tsunami-battered southern coast.

"Sting ... has been very moved and saddened by the plight of the people in Sri Lanka," Styler told Reuters by telephone from the remains of the southern fishing town of Hambantota. "What he has seen will definitely influence his work, a song in the future maybe."

Sting was to visit Sri Lanka as a part of his world tour earlier this year, but the gig was called off after the Dec. 26 tsunami ploughed into the island's palm-fringed south, east and nothern coastline killing nearly 40,000 people.

"A song or a performance, in whatever way Sting can help, he will always be there," Styler said. "(It) is going to take the rest of our lifetime and more to rebuild the countries that have been affected."

Data on tsunami-hit disabled people in Sri Lanka not available

2005-02-20T14:09:00.000+06:00

An article by Nimna Edirisinghe (Sunday Island)
20th February 2005

No one has so far collected data on disabled people who have been affected by the tsunami and a long term rehabilitation programme had not been introduced for their welfare, Premadasa Dissanayake, president of Rehab Lanka claimed at a press conference on ‘Equity in Development’ organised by Development with Disabled Network.

"The tsunami disaster affected disabled persons in many ways. They have lost their loved ones who took care of them and they are now neglected among the displaced population. They have also lost their assistive devices and their health care programmes have been interrupted," he said pointing out that most of these disabled victims have difficulties in accessing the emergency registration systems.

"In addition, these disabled persons have lost their livelihood and people who provided for them. Most of them are facing mental trauma. We must do something for them", he said blaming governmental institutions of neglecting these issues.

"At present, any consideration for physically handicapped people had been merely restricted to collecting information. This is an unfortunate situation as they seem to consider us as secondary citizens," he said.

"Information is a vital component in long term planning. Still relief and rebuilding plans have not been given any emphasis to reach and fulfil basic and specific needs of many affected disabled persons. Most disabled tsunami victims have moved to houses of their relatives or hospitals as the camps for displaced does not cater to their needs. Lack of information and difficulties in accessing them are the main reasons for this," Dissanayake said.

He emphasised the necessity to share the information available in different NGOs and ensure that people with disabilities are integrated to society and the mainstream of development.

"If proper attention is not paid to around 16,000 people injured and around 15,000 pregnant mothers affected by tsunami, the number of people with disabilities in Sri Lanka could rapidly increase," he warned stressing that a dialogue on issues, needs and the importance of inclusion of disabled people in the rebuilding process should be initiated.

"People with disabilities should actively involve in the development process by promoting employment opportunities for them. Ensuring education for children with disabilities and effective implementation of the National Policy on Disability are also important. Rebuilding efforts can be used as an opportunity to address access mobility issues of disabled people."

A consortium of Disability Organisations comprising of the Disability Organisations Joint Front, Motivation, The Spinal Injuries Association, Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG), Handicap International, Christoffel Blindenmission (CBM) and John Grooms has launched ‘Access for All’ campaign to promote the inclusion of disabled people in all relief, reconstruction and development programmes in the wake of tsunami. They plan to meet all the political party chief organisers to raise awareness on the importance of architectural access in all construction and take measures to make it legally enforceable.

The consortium urged that steps be taken to incorporate the regulation on accessibility for persons with disabilities into legislature, which had not been done so far though the amendment to Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act No. 28 of 1996 was approved by Parliament in October 2003.

US Presidents Bush, Clinton to gain first-hand information on tsunami

2005-02-20T13:55:00.000+06:00

Washington D.C. - Former President George H.W. Bush, father of incumbent US President George W. Bush, and former President Bill Clinton, are scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on 20-21 February, to assess damage caused by the Tsunami disaster and explore opportunities for cooperation with Sri Lanka in rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. They are undertaking this visit at the request of the U.S. President George W. Bush.

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga will welcome the two former US Presidents, and have discussions with them at a meeting scheduled for Sunday 20th February. During the visit, the two former US Presidents will visit Matara to gain first-hand information on the devastation wrought by the December 26 Tsunami and ongoing relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. Their visit to affected areas will include a site visit to a debris clearing project where USAID is providing cash-for-work and equipment to Tsunami affected people to help expedite the clean up operation.

Ambassador Devinda R. Subasinghe, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United States said "Sri Lanka is pleased to welcome this historic visit of two former Presidents, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, who are very distinguished and enjoy wide respect, to gain a first-hand account of the devastation caused by this unprecedented tragedy. Their visit reflects the U.S. pledge to stay engaged in Sri Lanka in the long haul and, the leadership they provide, will no doubt, inspire Americans, to stay engaged with the reconstruction and recovery effort."

Soon after the disaster, President Bush named former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush to lead a nationwide private fund-raising effort to encourage private-sector financial support for Tsunami relief to help countries devastated by the Tsunami saying, "I have asked two of America’s most distinguished private citizens to head a nationwide charitable fund-raising effort." Immediately after the announcement, President George W. Bush, together with former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and First Lady visited the Sri Lanka Embassy to sign the Book of Condolence. They also discussed with Ambassador Subasinghe the extent of the Tsunami disaster and, relief and rehabilitation needs.

Former Presidents Bush and Clinton launched a joint effort in a bi-partisan manner to raise money for victims of the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami after the White House initiated them in January to lead an effort to drum up private donations. It was estimated that the total pledge of assistance from American private donations stood at US$800 million, and is expected to reach US$900 million shortly.

President Bush has requested the U.S. Congress for US$950-million for relief and rebuilding in the aftermath of the Tsunami. The funds will go to help affected countries restore roads, bridges and other damaged infrastructure and also to defray the cost of U.S. military relief efforts and build an early warning system for future tsunamis and typhoons. Sri Lanka also will be eligible for as much grant funding from the Millennium Challenge Account as required for infrastructure, micro-finance, and other activities.

U.S. humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, included search and rescue missions, debris clearing operations and the distribution of emergency supplies such as, food, drinking water, clothing and medical supplies. The US Government, military, NGOs, individuals and the corporate sector contributed immensely to the US Tsunami relief effort.

—Embassy of Sri Lanka, Washington D.C.

Two tsunami songs mentioned in the British parliament with kudos to Nimal Mendis

2005-02-13T14:47:00.000+06:00

Article published in the 'Sunday Island' newspaper in Colombo
13th January 2005

by Nan

I mentioned in a previous article the fact that Nimal Mendis was so moved by the destruction and destitution caused by the tsunami that he inspirationally composed a song of the sea-caused tragedy. That was his way of coming to terms with what had happened to his homeland, which he loves so well. Nimal, needless to mention, is the composer of both the lyric and music for that wonderful plea of a tea plantation worker for justice from his British Periaya Dorai. Master Sir was the theme song of the film Kalu Diya Dahara (correct me if I am wrong on the film’s title), which song has remained perennially popular. In fact a popular singer uses it as the title of her concerts, with no by-your-leave, copyright permission or whatever from Mendis. Such are the liberties taken by our folk, through sheer inconsideration or ignorance. I tend to feel it’s the former for we as a nation are thick-skinned about appropriating what is not ours, for our benefit. So intellectual property rights are cast overboard with no compunction.

Feelings that prompted NM’s song

Coming back to my subject, Nimal Mendis composed his tsunami song as his way of saying he felt one with the people who suffered. This is his family’s special contribution. The song has already won fame. It has been translated to Tamil and Sinhala and would soon be heard by us.

According to Nimal: "I was stunned by the tsunami. Even though I was not there, I underwent the trauma of a man losing his grip on his child and the child being swept away by the water. That is what led me to write the song in ten minutes. I did not write the song for myself I wrote it for them who suffered and even as I say this, my eyes fill with tears.

"I now think of men getting drunk, taking to drugs, and isolating their women because of the suffering in their minds. I think of children and mothers and another extra great tragedy they have to cope with now, greater than the poverty and struggle they always went through in their lives, whether they be in the south, the north or east or some parts of the west. They are all our people and they are suffering and its time people do not tempt fate. As I ask in my song, ‘Did you need the Tsunami to leave wars behind?’ Each and everyone must ask this of oneself irrespective of ethnicity. It is to awake from this great slumber some Sri Lankans indulge in more than others. Do we need war and do we need another tsunami?

"As I told you, being here I prefer to crawl into a hole and cover my head and think it all is a bad dream. My only wish is that however small the funds got from my song are, it will go towards easing, if it ever can, the fragile minds that have been shattered by this disaster suffered by all - young and old, men, women and children. All of them who have been left behind to cope with bereavement that will linger on in their lives until memory fades. In an apparition of The Blessed Virgin, She once said: ‘There will come a time when the living will envy the dead."

That was Nimal speaking his heart out, not expecting to be quoted in print. But I got his permission to write about his song and the other.

The motion in the British Parliament

On February 6, it was reported in the media that British MPs deplored the racist Tsunami Song aired over Hot 97, the hip hop radio station in New York.

"Parliamentarians of all parties have objected to the tsunami song aired for over a week on Hot 97 and sung by Miss Jones and a team. Two members of the team have been fired by Emmis Radio. The song has angered people all over the world — including tsunami hit countries.

"British MPs of all parties have signed the early day motion 638 sponsored by the highly influential British Parliamentarian, Linda Perham, MP for Ilford North. EDM 638 reads thus:

‘Hot 97’s Racist Tsunami Song

That this House deplores the racist Tsunami Song aired on Hot 97 radio station in New York, calls upon Richard Cummings, President of Emmis Radio, to take firm action against those who aired the song beyond the temporary suspension, and commends the heartfelt tsunami song composed by British-Sri Lankan Nimal Mendis.

Let’s repeat that last section in the decision taken by that most prestigious body of legislators, the British Parliament: "commends the heartfelt tsunami song composed by British-Sri Lankan Nimal Mendis". Isn’t that a great honour for the composer and his country?

Many are calling for the resignation of Miss Jones. The US President has been urged to take action over Emmis Radio and Hot 97 as they have brought America into disrepute.

The two songs

I will give you the two lyrics.

The first is the Tsunami Song, aired between 18 and 27 January with DJs Miss Jones and Todd Lynn.

There was a time, when the sun was shining bright,

So I went down to the beach to catch me a tan,

Then the next thing I knew

A wave 20 feet high came and wash your country away

And all at once, you can hear the screaming Chinks.

And then no one was save from the wave

There was Africans drowning, little Chinaman swept away.

You can heard God laughing, swim you *(censored)* swim

So now you’re screwed. It’s the tsunami.

You better run and kiss your ass awake, go find you mommy

I just saw her float by, a tree right through her head

And now your children will be sold to child slavery

(imitating Michael Jackson)

Oh no, please not the kids. I’ll pay for all the kids.

All the little Indonesian kids, the little Asian kids, the Chinese kids,

The black, oh well, not the Black kids.

The white kids, the Puerto Ricon kids.

I love them all. I’ll pay for everything.

I promise, I won’t touch them."

Disgusting racism, innuendo and sheer bad taste. Thank goodness a vigilant British MP brought the disrespect to light and had the offenders duly punished for their incredible bad taste; and the song withdrawn.

In contrast is Nimal Mendis’ song, composed as he said in ten minutes. His son Paulmarie had come over for a weekend to Paris from London and was on Internet, when Nimal, getting up from an afternoon nap, told Paulmarie to word process what he was going to say. And thus was the song written with no later editing.

First verse

Oh see the foam/ The foam-crested wave

Everyone is dying/ No one to save

Rising terror thirty feet/ Crashing on the shore

Rolling horror on the land/ Destroying door to door

Did you need the tsunami/ To leave war behind

To come together/ Love each other

My child I cannot find

Chorus

Tsunami tsunami / Can I forget this day

My hand has lost its grip /My child is washed away

Tsunami tsunami/ From the bottom of the quake

Why have you done this?

Hundreds and thousands to take.

The sea speaks to you man/ The sea speaks to you

I’m cleansing your sins man /And all of your motherland

2nd verse

I was watching the sea gull/ Diving for the fish

It caught the swimming eel/ Out of the deep

I remembered the bullet/ Past my ear with a swish

I grabbed my child, saved ourselves

With one mighty leap.

Give me an answer/ You transgressed the law

What is in your mind now /My child is no more.

And what are we doing?

I have a rude answer to that of two words "b...a...!"

Its disgusting, disturbing.......

Prince Charles to see tsunami devastation in Sri Lanka

2005-02-09T22:30:00.000+06:00

Britain's Prince Charles is to visit Sri Lanka later this month to see first-hand the devastation left by the December 26 tsunami, his press office said Tuesday.

No specific dates have been fixed, but the visit will take place ahead of the Prince of Wales's tour of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji scheduled for February 28 to March 11.

"It's a country for which he has a particular affection," an aide to the heir to the British throne said.

"In the wake of the disaster he has been anxious to do what he can to help. He has been receiving briefings on what's going on and has given generously to the appeals."

Charles last visited Sri Lanka, a Commonwealth member country, in 1998.

Baby 81 in Sri Lanka

2005-02-09T22:14:00.000+06:00

Baby 81 has hit the headlines all over the world. Baby 81 was called by that name because the baby was the 81st victim to be registered at Kalmunai Hospital on the east coast of Sri Lanka on December 26th 2004 after the tsunami hit the island. 9 couples had claimed the baby. Magistrates have now called for DNA testing to determine who were the genetic patents of the baby. One couple have gone to courts toclaim the baby who was found among corpses on the east coast of the island.

An editorial from the Daily News:

Baby 81

The moving story of Kalmunai's "Baby 81" has hugged the headlines during the last few days. The story could have come straight out of a film: a baby survives a tsunami, a passerby finds him, several couples claim to be the baby's parents and a court orders a DNA test to verify these claims.

Alas, the story is a real-life drama. It took an even more dramatic turn when a couple tried to snatch the baby from the hospital, where he is being looked after.

A court has ordered DNA testing on the four-month old baby as well as the purported parents to prove the veracity of the couple's claim. The physical destruction caused by the tsunami is all too clear.

Most of us have seen the enormous damage with our own eyes and television gave blanket coverage to the disaster, filling our living rooms with horrific pictures of death and destruction. But the emotional damage caused by the tsunami is not so visible. Those who have been left untouched by the waves cannot really feel it.

On the other hand, those who braved the waves and survived will carry the mental scars for the rest of their lives. The loss of parents and relatives as well as the fear induced by the tsunami itself will haunt them for life.

More than 800 children have lost both parents in the tragedy. Hundreds of other children have lost either mother or father. Many parents have lost one or all of their children.

The mental agony suffered by these children and parents is simply undescribable. In fact, many parents who lost children in the disaster have allegedly tried to snatch orphaned children in order to claim them as their own.

The Baby 81 incident indicates the need for a comprehensive national policy on the tsunami orphans. The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) and the Department of Probation and Childcare Services together with the Centre for National Operations (CNO) and the Task Force for Rescue and Relief (TAFRER) are now developing such a national policy. They have requested public help to gather further information.

The CNO and TAFRER has requested all relatives caring for children including surviving parents to register with the authorities; all unrelated persons including institutions/orphanages who have been caring for orphans to register with the authorities; and the public to provide information related to tsunami children as such information is necessary to identify missing children, provide future assistance, facilitate temporary foster care and adoptions and to provide educational needs and schooling.

Their future must not be bleak. We must ensure that they overcome the fear and insecurity to face the future with confidence.

British MPs deplore Hot 97's cruel Tsunami Song

2005-02-06T12:35:00.000+06:00

British Parliamentarians have raised the issue of the racist Tsunami Song aired over Hot 97 the hip hop radio station. The song was blatantly racist and was a slur against the Sri Lankan victims of the tsunami. Sri Lanka lost well over 40,000 people in the disaster. Over 2 million have been made homeless. No one is laughing in Sri Lanka and the song has angered Sri Lankans.

Hot 97's Tsunami Song laughed at the deaths of tens of thousands of people who perished as a result of the terrible tsunami of 26th December 2004 which devastated Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South India, Thailand, Maldives, Andaman Islands and even affected Malasiya and Myanmar. It was the world's worst natural disaster.

Sri Lankans all over the world joined with the Sri Lankan Community in New York, protesting against the racism of Hot 97.

US President George Bush has been urged to take action against Emmis Radio and Hot 97 for bringing America into disrepute.

Emmis Radio have only suspended Miss Jones for two weeks despite her racist outbursts and being a willing singer of the Tsunami Song. People in the UK are calling for the resignation of Miss Jones. Others have even called for the resignation of Richard Cummings, President of Emmis Radio for ignoring the cruel song which was aired for over a week on Hot 97 radio.

Now British parliamentarians- of all parties - have deplored the Tsunami Song in an early day motion tabled in the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster.

EDM 638 states:

HOT 97'S RACIST TSUNAMI SONG

'That this House deplores the racist Tsunami Song aired on Hot 97 radio station in New York; calls upon Richard Cummings, President of Emmis Radio, to take firm action against those who aired the song beyond the temporary suspension; and commends the heartfelt tsunami song composed by British Sri-Lankan Nimal Mendis..... '

EDM 638 was sponsored by the highly influential British Parliamentarian, Linda Perham, MP for Ilford North.

Sri Lankans have been requested to send their protests in writing to:

Hot 97 WQHT-FM
395 Hudson Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10014
Phone: 212-229-9797
Fax: 212-929-8559
E-mail: jdimick@hot97.emmis.com
E-mail: hot97@hot97.com
E-mail: morningshow@hot97.com

Barry Mayo, General Manager, Hot 97 WQHT-FM
John Dimick, Program Director, Hot 97 WQHT-FM

Emmis Communications
One Emmis Plaza
40 Monument Circle, Suite 700
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-266-0100
Fax: 317-631-3750
E-mail: IR@emmis.com

Jeffrey H Smulyan, Chairman and CEO, Emmis Communications

Federal Communications Commission
Enforcement Bureau, Investigations and Hearings Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554
Phone: 1-888-CALL-FCC
E-mail: fccinfo@fcc.gov
Web: www.fcc.gov/parents/content.html

To listen to Hot 97's Tsunami Song:
http://www.asianmediawatch.net/missjones/index.html

Sri Lankans Protest at evil Hot 97 Tsunami Song

2005-02-03T21:00:00.000+06:00

Sri Lankans all over the world have joined with the Sri Lankan Community in New York in denouncing the cruel and racist Tsunami Song by Miss Jones and Todd Lynn aired over Hot 97, the hip hop radio station in New York. Miss Jones who was only given a temporary suspension by Richard Cummings, President of Emmis Radio, is to get her job back in two weeks time. US President George Bush has been urged to take action against Emmis Radio. Cummings has been asked to visit Indonesia and Sri Lanka and see the devastation for himself.Sri Lankans in New York are calling for the resignation of President of Emmis Radio Richard Cummings and program presenter Miss.Jones.

The news of Hot 97's racist tsunami song is filtering through to the tsunami hit countries of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand, South India. People are incensed at the song which goes beyond human decency. The governments of the tsunami hit region have been urged to take the matter up with the US Government as it insults the deaths of so many tsunami victims. Sri Lanka has lost over 40,000 people in the tsunami according to the latest count.

Sri Lankans have joined in the demonstrations in New York supported by New York City Councillors.

Here are the lyrics:

TSUNAMI SONG

Date aired: Morning of January 18TH-27TH 2005 (multiple airings)
Station call letters: WQHT-New York (Hot 97)
Offending DJs: Miss Jones and Todd Lynn
Offending lyrics:

“There was a time, when the sun was shining bright
So I went down to the beach to catch me a tan
Then the next thing I knew
A wave 20 feet high came and wash your country away
And all at once, you can hear the screaming chinks.
And then no one was save from the wave.
There was Africans drowning, little Chinaman swept away
You can heard god laughing, swim you bitches swim.

So now you're screwed, it's the tsunami,
You better run and kiss your ass awake, go find your mommy
I just saw her float by, a tree right through her head.
And now your children will be sold in child slavery.

(Imitating Micheal Jackson)
"Oh on, please not the kids. I'll pay for all the kids.
all the little Indonesian kid, the little Asian kids, the Chinese kids.
the black, oh well, not the Black kids.
the White kids, the Puerto Rican kids.
I love them all. I'll pay for everything.
I promise I won't touch them."

Sri Lankans all over the world wishing to protest are requested to write to their local American Embassy and to -

Hot 97 WQHT-FM
395 Hudson Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10014
Phone: 212-229-9797
Fax: 212-929-8559
E-mail: jdimick@hot97.emmis.com
E-mail: hot97@hot97.com
E-mail: morningshow@hot97.com

Barry Mayo, General Manager, Hot 97 WQHT-FM
John Dimick, Program Director, Hot 97 WQHT-FM

Emmis Communications
One Emmis Plaza
40 Monument Circle, Suite 700
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-266-0100
Fax: 317-631-3750
E-mail: IR@emmis.com

Jeffrey H Smulyan, Chairman and CEO, Emmis Communications

Federal Communications Commission
Enforcement Bureau, Investigations and Hearings Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554
Phone: 1-888-CALL-FCC
E-mail: fccinfo@fcc.gov
Web: www.fcc.gov/parents/content.html

To listen to Hot 97's Tsunami Song:
http://www.asianmediawatchdog.com/missjones/extendedtsunami.mp3

Tsunami song receives positive reviews in the UK

2005-01-28T09:26:00.000+06:00

Daily News, Colombo, Sri Lanka
27th January 2005

The Tsunami Song written by one of Sri Lanka's greatest singers/songwriters, Nimal Mendis has received positive reviews in the UK even before it has been recorded in London.

People from all over the world - including the UK - have been e-mailing Nimal Mendis following the publicity in the Sri Lankan newspapers about his heartfelt composition. Nimal was in the forefront of the world of popular music in the UK in the 1960s and 1970s and was on many a music tv program including BBC Television's 'Top of the Pops.'

The English version of Nimal Mendis' song 'Tsunami' has already been recorded in Australia by brothers Rohan and Nalin Jayawardena. They hope to cover the Sinhala version later on this year. Nimal wanted the Sinhala version by Varadatta Aravinda to come out first in Sri Lanka. They decided to record the English version for their many fans in Australia and abroad as the song is generating much interest and publicity. Proceeds from the song will go to the victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka.

Vocals and orchestration was performed by Rohan and the 32 track digitalised recording was by Nalin, in their own studio in Perth. Rohan was accompanied by Minali Gamage in Vocals.

Mendis is still looking for a British sponsor to record the song in London. He hopes that a British company would come forward to support the song - every penny will go to the tsunami victims in Sri Lanka through the President's Fund. A call has now gone out to British companies doing business with the island to support Nimal Mendis.

He hopes to fly down to Colombo to record the song - Band Aid style with a number of top Sri Lankan artistes - many have contacted him in France requesting to join a group to sing his composition.

Seva Vanitha launches SOS Appeal in the United Kingdom

2005-01-22T12:27:00.000+06:00

The Seva Vanitha Unit, the welfare organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched an appeal to collect funds towards the children's village in Komari in the wake of the tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka.

The appeal was launched by Ameena Musthapha, President, Seva Vanitha UK branch based at the Sri Lanka High Commission in London. Mrs Ameena Musthapha is the wife of the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the Court of St. James.

The Seva Vanitha branch has appealed to the vast Sri Lankan community in the United Kingdom, to support the children's village through raising much needed funds for SOS the reputed organisation.

Mrs. Ameena Musthapha wrote: 'As you are aware, consequent to the tsunami disaster, there has been wide scale death, injuries, devastation and homelessness caused in Sri Lanka. Children are amongst those who are worst affected.'

The Seva Vanitha Unit, the welfare organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched an appeal to collect funds towards the children's village in Komari on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka.

This children's village will be managed by SOS, a highly reputable international organisation, devoted to uplift the welfare of needy children.

Sri Lankans wishing to contribute to the Seva Vanitha Appeal have been asked to contact the Sri Lanka High Commission in London on Tel: 0207 262 1841 Fax: 0207 262 7970. The High Commission is situated at 13 Hyde Park Gardens, London W2 with Lancaster Gate as the nearest London Underground station.

A Letter from the Seva Vanitha Unit of Ministry of Foreign Affairs detailing exactly what SOS plan for the Children's Village in Komari was also released in the United Kingdom:

SOS villages are set up to care for orphaned children, while providing them with a normal family atmosphere. The SOS village in Komari, in the Eastern province, for tsunami affected children will include children from all ethnic communities.

The SOS village in Komari will have approximately 10 houses. Each house will accommodate 10 children under the care of a 'mother' who would be in charge of them.

The estimated cost of a house in the SOS village in Komari will be approximately Rs. 3 million; i.e. the cost of building, supply of water, electricity, furniture etc. The Seva Vanitha Unit of the Foreign Ministry envisages to contribute towards the building of houses in the Komari village for children.

The estimated cost to establish the SOS village in Komari is Rs. 150 million.

Meanwhile a large scale tsunami relief concert takes place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday January 23. The special fund-raising event, which will feature many of the UK's best known and loved bands, is aimed at raising Sterling Pounds 1m for stricken families in south-east Asia.

There will be space for up to 60,000 fans to join the party in the Welsh capital and they will be able to enjoy more than six hours of top flight entertainment and join the rest of the world in raising money for those left with so little after the tsunami disaster on Boxing Day.

Every Sterling Pounds 100 raised, will buy a tent in which a displaced family can live or pays for emergency food parcels to feed 60 families for one month; Sterling Pounds 30 will buy enough water purification tablets to give 320 children a litre each; Sterling Pounds 25 will buy plastic shelter and food parcels for two families for two weeks; Sterling Pounds 15 will buy a hot meal for 125 people in emergency feeding centres.

The tsunami left almost 150,000 dead, more than one third of which were children, and at least five million people without food and water. It is estimated that around three million are homeless. Profits from the concert will go to the DEC's Tsunami Appeal Fund.

It was not known whether any Sri Lankan musicians were to participate in this major event to help the tsunami victims in Sri Lanka and other nations in the region - there was a call for the Tsunami Song released by Sri Lanka's outstanding singer/songwriter Nimal Mendis to be played at the Tsunami Relief Concert in Cardiff. His composition has provoked huge interest in the United Kingdom and around the world.

Amid the Ruin and Sorrow in Sri Lanka, the Reservoir of Kindness Remains

2005-01-22T03:55:00.000+06:00

By LAURA DUNHAM
Published in the USA: January 16, 2005

WOMEN shrieking and what sounded like the roar of a freight train awakened me. I jumped out of bed and ran to the balcony door of our second-floor guest room to see water - filled with wood and cars and pieces of twisted metal - swirling below us.

Damika,the owner of the inn, and some of his family had run up the stairs to our balcony. I looked over their shoulders at the rising waves and went cold with fear. I shouted to Kate, my friend and travel partner, who was getting ready to go to the beach, to grab her money belt, and then rushed back to watch the sea escalate to the bottom of our balcony in an agonizingly prolonged 20 seconds.

It was 9:25 a.m. on Dec. 26 and we were in Unawatuna, a beach town in southern Sri Lanka. A few minutes earlier, it had been clear and calm. Kate's decision to take her morning walk on the beach a half-hour later than usual was one of many fateful choices that we had made or that had been made for us. Ultimately, Damika's decision to give us a room on the second floor instead of the ground floor was what saved us.

Many days later, we would learn that the series of tsunamis unleashed by an underwater earthquake off the shore of Sumatra had taken the lives of more than 150,000, including more than 30,000 in Sri Lanka. But on the morning of Dec. 26, there was no explanation for the relentlessly rising sea. Eventually it slowed, then stopped, and there was silence. Almost instantly, it was replaced by screams. Everywhere I looked, people were scrambling onto any high surface they could find - rooftops or balconies.

Paul, an Englishman who was sleeping in the room below us, swam out of his room. We hauled him onto the balcony. A young Sri Lankan woman splashed up to the stairs shouting: "My grandmother. I let go of her hand." Damika was banging his chest and sobbing, "My father, my brother, my uncle ..." A British teenager, who was in shock, and screaming "My mum, my dad, my sister, my 8-week-old brother!" was dragged over the railing. He had lacerations all over his body, and his clothes were torn and muddy. We tried to console him, but each second brought new screams of terror.

Now I realize that the strange calm I felt at the time was shock. The scene outside had become increasingly more terrifying, more surreal. The water was slowly receding, but now buildings were starting to collapse around us, and the noise brought fresh waves of panic. Half of Damika's house, right in front of our balcony, came crashing down. Would our building be next? The mantra I repeated to myself would continue for the next four days: "I want to go home. I want to see my family. I don't want to die."

Below us, the water was teeming with all the objects that once held so much importance: televisions, furniture, cars, shoes. Life was the only thing that mattered now, and people were screaming out for the ones who had lost it.

Suddenly, the sister and mother of the British boy appeared on the balcony of the guesthouse next door. They were overjoyed to see each other alive, but their father and baby brother, it seemed, were still missing. At that moment, the father shouted from the ground floor of our guesthouse. He was holding the limp baby in his arms. I yelled down, "Give the baby C.P.R.! Give the baby C.P.R.!" but neither he nor his wife was able to do anything other than stroke the motionless bundle.

I furiously tried to remember the infant C.P.R. lesson I had been given by my friend shortly before I left. Three fingers and cover the mouth and nose to give mouth-to-mouth were all I could remember. But it was too late. Quietly, the mother took her baby up to the balcony and cradled him to her breast. I walked back upstairs to our room and threw my soggy money belt on the bed.

Shouts in Sinhalese from the neighbors across the > way brought us to our feet, and to the balcony door again. Someone had seen another wave coming. That was it. "We're going to die here," I told Kate. I thought of my mother having the same look as those around us - inconsolable sorrow.

There was nothing we could do but wait. After an interminable hour of intensely watching the receding water, we saw dry patches of ground. Kate and I decided to leave. We packed a small backpack for survival: bottled water, flashlight, water purification tablets, extra socks. My other belongings were left behind.

We plowed through the thigh-deep, debris-filled water toward an undamaged hotel on the hill. The journey took no more than 15 minutes, but each second brought jolts of fear that another surge of water was about to strike. The hotel was filled with people in varying states of shock and despair. Everyone had stories, stories that on their own would be chilling almost beyond belief. Together, they created a portrait of sorrow in surreal proportions.

We wanted to be higher still, and, with the help of a local man, Raja,
struggled up the cliff behind the hotel. Raja told us that the entire bay had
emptied of water; the sea had withdrawn and was no longer visible. Halfway up, we heard shouts from below and then the dreaded sound that I still listen for. It was the sound of the ocean as it pelted its entire being, once again, onto the battered shore, traveling farther inland as there was less resistance from the fallen buildings. We ran, stumbling, over logs and up embankments, through the jungle, helping the injured and shocked, to get to higher ground. At the top, we turned and watched the sea enfold the once sleepy tourist-filled village. Only the palm trees were visible.

The village at the top had not been physically affected by the water, but grief was everywhere. People, dressed only in tattered bathing suits or wet pajamas, were dazedly walking around asking if others had seen their wife, daughter, husband, aunt. How could any of us get through the next minutes, hours, days or years?

Together. That is how. We survived the trauma of this disaster because we had the generosity and hospitality of the Sri Lankans. Every family in the village took in tourists for the three days we had to wait before we were evacuated. They shared their meager belongings, their limited food and their precious water. They, who had nothing and had lost much, gave everything. Forty of us slept on mats outside the home of a family who came around at regular intervals with sugary tea, bananas and coconuts. They cooked us dinner for two nights. They let us drink water out of their well. They slept beside us to protect us from possible looters. Only one person spoke English, a man named Siri, who had owned a bar and restaurant on the beach. He had lost his business, his home and a nephew, yet he never stopped looking out for us.

We gave all our extra money, water purification tablets, clothing, antibiotics, malarial medication and shoes to Siri and his family, and also to Damika when we saw him on the day of our evacuation. By then, Damika had already buried three members of his family. He now stood in the only clothes he had, waiting with us for an hour until our bus arrived to take us away, to safety.

Since I will not return to my job as a teacher at Valley Stream South High School on Long Island until September, I plan to drive around the United States, visit schools and do presentations on my experience, which revealed the generosity of a people who live in a country that many Americans cannot even find on a map.

Thrishana Pothupitiya on 'The Power of Humanity'

2005-01-20T09:35:00.000+06:00

The power of humanity

16 year old Thrishana Pothupitiya of Bishop's College Colombo writes about the tsunami which devastated her island home.

(Published in the Daily News, Colombo 19th January 2005)

I woke up on the day after Christmas, the 26th of December. I got out of bed and having washed my face, I made my way down to have breakfast with my family. The dogs were barking, children were playing outside our gate, the birds were chirping, my mother was shouting at my brother to get ready....it was just another ordinary day in Peliyagoda..... or so it seemed.

A few hundred miles down the road an extraordinary event was unfolding, there too families woke up and were having breakfast around the table, there too mothers were asking their children to get ready, there too the dogs were barking, the children were running onto the beach to play, picking shells and even playing cricket. But a boom a thunderous boom broke the peaceful morning....it came rushing, churning, swirling, smashing, destroying, emptying, hurling everything in its path......in a sweeping murderous instant a 20-foot tsunami had broken the heart of Sri Lanka.

It was devastating, soul destroying bringing tears to a father who held his dead son gently, his tears flowing down the child's body, a river of grief....his wail echoed around the world in the homes of London, New York, Tokyo, Melbourne, New Delhi, Moscow, Cape Town and Bejing.

Parts of the south and east coast were decimated, there was blood and carnage everywhere, bodies were flung from trains, hotels and ordinary homes. The wave swept over Sri Lanka and then receded with the dead and the dying.

It was a catastrophe; the world's worst natural disaster had struck Sri Lanka after a massive earthquake in the sea near Indonesia, registering 9 on the Richter scale. It registered an even greater depth of sadness and heartbreak in Sri Lanka - whole communities were wiped out and it brought death and destruction.

Sri Lanka dominated the world's headlines as people woke up on Boxing Day to view the devastation on their television screens.

The image of a loving father grieving from the depths of his soul, grieving for his son who appeared only to be asleep shook the world - it broke the hearts of many from Stratford in East London to downtown Tokyo.

The scenes from our country galvanised people into action...bloggers sent message screaming down the internet, an SOS was sent across the globe.....the tears of Sri Lanka brought tears to humanity, it provoked compassion as Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales said when he visited the London Buddhist Vihara in Chiswick, Great Britain and met Mahanayake Ven Vajiranana and the many volunteers from the Sri Lankan Community.

This spirit of compassion brought forth extraordinary tales - waiters fully knowing their families had perished went out to save the lives of tourists, a child who had learnt about the tsunami in her classroom fore warned her family and took them to safety, a mother smashed the window of the bathroom in her hotel and pushed her daughter out before the murderous waters took her life, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka saving the life of his political opponent and that of his family who were stranded on a rooftop, churches giving shelter to Buddhist and Hindus, temples giving shelter to Christians. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga appealed for humanitarian assistance.

The tidal wave shattered Sri Lanka but it could not break the power of humanity. It was human kindness and compassion that reached out to the people of our land - and out pouring of love, of generosity that overwhelmed our nation...... Children sold their Christmas presents in the UK to raise funds for the tsunami victims in the Asia-Pacific, the dollars, the yen, the pounds, the rupees flowed in of every currency from virtually every land.

People are giving, without a thought for themselves as they see the devastation day in day out on their television screens, reality television at its worst and yet out of this disaster comes hope, hope in the form of human compassion and kindness.

They come from all parts of the world to re-build our land. To re-build schools and whole communities washed away by the giant wave.

It is the strength of humanity. Disasters bind us together with chords that cannot be broken. Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Americans, Britons, Swedes, Australians, Germans, French, Nigerians, Arabs, Singaporeans among the multi-national, multi-coloured kaleidoscope of humanity all working together to help Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is a cricket loving nation and what a wonderful sight it was to see the world's cricketers spurred on by Shane Warne who stood side by side with Muttiah Muralitharan to reach out to our country in a one day match in Melbourne, Australia.

Our cricket team have also launched an appeal.

They say it will taken 10 years and billions of dollars. But more than the colour of money it is the colour of humanity, the same blood that runs through the veins of humanity has reached out to help the distressed and the dying in Sri Lanka. It was an act of love. An act of compassion. An act of humanity.

Albert Einstein said: 'A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.

This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.'

This tsunami has freed people from self and they have opened their hearts, their minds and their wallets embracing the needy not only in Sri Lanka but in Indonesia, in Thailand, in the Maldives, in South India.

The great Martin Luther King said:' An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.'

This disaster has been a fine example of the people of the world going beyond the narrow concerns of themselves and embracing humanity in South East Asia.

We are surrounded by teams helping our fellowmen from all four corners of the earth - this has never ever happened in Sri Lanka and we have never ever had such a disaster such as a devastating tsunami. But we can drink from the cup of human kindness, we can gain strength from that solidarity and support, just as a child who has fallen raises her hands to seek help to stand on her own two feet, the world has come to our aid and has extended hands of friendship, love and support.

The ties of humanity will help us to get through this ordeal, we will one day stand up on our own two feet again, and we will rise like the proverbial phoenix. We will say thank you to human beings of all nationalities, creed and colour who came to our aid who responded to the call of Mother Lanka in her hour of need.

Ten years down the line there will be a new, vibrant, positive, compassionate Sri Lanka - and we pray that it will be a vision of Sri Lanka at peace with herself and her fellowmen.

We will draw strength from those simple acts of humanity that helped us, extending hands of friendship and support when we fell as the water rushed at us and threatened to flow over our souls. We will never forget.

Dream Harvest College London Supports Sri Lankan Tsunami Victims

2005-01-18T11:30:00.000+06:00

The London based Dream Harvest College urged students to support the tsunami victims in Sri Lanka. The appeal was launched at the first Open Evening of 2005,held at the college, based in East London.

Over one hundred students from the United Kingdom and around the world heard an appeal from Dream Harvest College, in Stratford, London, for humanitarian assistance for the tsunami victims on the island of Sri Lanka.The students were attending a highly successful Open Evening held at the East London Centre in Stratford.

Dream Harvest College London are working in partnership with the Autism Awareness Campaign in Sri Lanka and the respected international organisation - the Rotary Club Colombo Regency,to raise funds and urgent dry rations, medicine and equipment for the people of Sri Lanka - particularly on the east and south coasts of the island.

Dream Harvest College is one of the leading minority ethnic educational institutions in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of students from the UK and around the world are enrolling on the teacher adapation course and other courses offered by the college.

'The tsunami has devastated parts of the Asia Pacific region. We have many students from the island of Sri Lanka. We have seen the terrible devastation on our television screens. Dream Harvest College have urged students to support the tsunami victims of Sri Lanka,' said Obeng de Lawrence, Director of the College.

People who wish to support the appeal could donate online by accessing the Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka website: http://members.tripod.com/autism_srilanka

The Autism Awareness Campaign in Sri Lanka are not collecting funds themselves but are working in partnership with Rotary Club Colombo Regency. People who would like to purchase dry food rations and medicine can do so online through www.lankafood.com

For further information on Dream Harvest College London:
www.dreamharvest.net

Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka -
http://members.tripod.com/autism_srilanka

Tsunami Sri Lanka -Online contributions for disaster relief

2005-01-18T11:24:00.000+06:00

The Bank of Ceylon, the People's Bank and the Central Bank have established three separate websites to facilitate on line contributions to the President's Fund for disaster relief. Contributions could be made accessing these websites, states the Office of the President of Sri Lanka.

Bank of Ceylon - www.bankofceylong.net

People's Bank - www.peoplesbank.lk

Central Bank - www.centralbanklanka.org

Donations can also be made by cheque or cash at all branches of the Bank of Ceylon and People's Bank.

People's Bank - A/c No. 204-100-190-136-245

Bank of Ceylon - A/c No. 222524

Donations via the Central Bank should be drawn to favour Central Bank of Sri Lanka O/A Disaster Relief A/C No. 46060.

The mailing address; Chief Accountant, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo 01, Sri Lanka.

Nimal Mendis composes Tsunami Song

2005-01-15T02:04:00.000+06:00

Nimal Mendis is one of Sri Lanka's outstanding singer/songwriters. He is a composer with dual nationality of Sri Lanka and Britian. At present Nimal Mendis is living in France. He had 22 songs recorded in Britain in the sixties and appeared on the popular TV show “Top of the Pops " in 1968 with my own song " Feel like a Clown ". It was with his singing partner Sandra Edema as Ranee and Raj. It was a guest appearance.

One of his songs " Master Sir " has been a popular song in Sri Lanka for many years. He also wrote " Ganga Addara " for the late Vijaya Kumaratunge, the Sri Lankan President's husband who was assasinated in 1988 . He has written these and many other popular film songs for our country’s foremost filmmakers Lester and Sumitra Pieris 's . The two songs mentioned are still played often in Sri Lanka.

Following the destruction and horror of the Tsumani that struck Sri Lanka Nimal Mendis composed a new song. It is based on the unprecedented sadness that the entire island of Sri Lanka is experiencing. The song will be translated into Sinhala and also to Tamil. Nimal Mendis needs sponsorship for a recording of this song by an organization who could do it like the Band Aid effort by British artistes that collected a huge sum of money for charity. He does not want anything for the song. Money collected should be sent to the President’s fund directly.( copied below )

To conatct Nimal Mendis:

Tel: ( 0033 ) 5 45 65 17 66 - nimal.mend@wanadoo.fr

His son ( Paulmarie Mendis ) contact details: in London. Tel: ( 0044 ) 207 272 5748 - datamyst@aol.com

In Sri Lanka - Varadatta Aravinda -

mobile: Tel: ( 00941 ) (0) 777 749420 -saman_li@yahoo.com

TSUNAMI RELIFE IN SRI LANKA - THE PRESIDENT'S FUND DETAILS:

Name of the Account : “ President’s Fund for Disaster Relief”
Bank : People’s Bank- Head Quarters Branch
Account Number : 204 100 190 136245
Type of the Account : Current Account
Swift Code : PSBKLKLX
Sort Cord : 204-7135
Online Transfer : Facility not available

THE COMPOSITION BY NIMAL MENDIS:

1st Verse

Oh see the foam

The foam-crested wave

Everyone is dying

No one to save

Rising terror thirty feet

Crashing on the shore

Rolling horror on the land

Destroying door to door

Did you need the tsunami

To leave war behind

To come together

Love each other

My child I cannot find.

CHORUS

Tsunami Tsunami

Can I forget this day

My hand has lost its grip

My child is washed away

Tsunami Tsunami

From the bottom of the quake

Why have you done this?

Hundreds and thousands to take

The sea speaks to you man

The sea speaks to you

I’m cleansing your sins man

And all of your motherland.

2nd Verse

I was watching the sea gull

Diving for the fish

It caught the swimming eel

Out of the deep

I remembered the bullet

Past my ear with a swish

I grabbed my child, saved ourselves

With one mighty leap.

Give me an answer

You transgressed the law

What is in your mind now

My child is no more.

CHORUS

Words and Music by Nimal Mendis.

Warne wants to visit Sri Lanka to help Asian tsunami relief

2005-01-10T03:23:00.000+06:00

Warne wants to visit Sri Lanka to help Asian tsunami relief

(Daily News Colombo)

Test cricket's leading bowler Shane Warne said he wants to visit Sri Lanka to help in the tsunami relief effort.

Warne, one of the world stars playing in the Cricket Tsunami Appeal one-dayer against Asia here on Monday, said he had spoken to World Vision Australia boss Tim Costello and Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan about trying to arrange a visit.

The devastated Sri Lankan city of Galle holds special significance for the 35-year-old Australian leg-spinner who made his return to Test cricket after his drug ban and took his 500th Test wicket there.

The Galle cricket ground was destroyed in the December 26 disaster. "It's just a matter of trying to work in between games," Warne said on Sunday.

"When you see the footage, it really is devastating and it has touched everybody.

"You want to try and do what you can and sometimes you can't do enough. "If I go over there I can put some smiles on children's faces, lend a hand and try to help out."

Warne, who increased his world record tally to 566 wickets in 120 Tests during last week's final Test against Pakistan in Sydney, said he would talk more with Muralitharan after Monday's match about the best way he could help.

Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who won't play in the appeal match because of an elbow injury, has still come to Australia to support the match.

Tendulkar said he wanted to be a part of the occasion even though he was unable to take part. "It is our responsibility to get together and through cricket, we can help the needy ones," Tendulkar said here on Sunday.

"Everyone understands how serious this cause is.

"To all those who've lost their dear ones and loved ones, our thoughts are with them."

The Asian XI team features a virtual who's-who of Asian cricket with skipper Sourav Ganguly, Sanath Jayasuriya, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, Muralitharan and Tendulkar.

'School in a box' for Sri Lanka

2005-01-06T04:35:00.000+06:00

(BBC News Report)

Carol Bellamy wants schools to re-open in Sri Lanka

Children in Sri Lanka whose schools have been destroyed by the tsunami are to be helped by "school in a box" kits being sent by Unicef. The United Nation's children's agency is delivering the first batch of 100 kits which will help teachers to set up temporary outdoor classrooms.

The kits include books, pencils, a blackboard, chalk, posters and teaching materials for up to 80 pupils. Unicef wants to help schools in Sri Lanka to re-open next week.

"Nothing will signal hope more clearly than re-building and re-opening schools," said Unicef's executive director, Carol Bellamy.

Makeshift classrooms

The children's agency says that restoring education services must be a priority.

What the box contains :

"Being in a learning environment gives children something positive to focus on, and enables the adults around them to go about the business of rebuilding with greater confidence," said Ms Bellamy.

The school in a box kits are intended as a fast, portable way to re-open schools - and in Sri Lanka it is suggested these classes could take place beneath the shade of a large tree.

The kits are intended for two classes of 40 pupils - and the aluminium boxes contain materials to allow teachers to begin lessons in makeshift classrooms in the aftermath of such disasters.

These are designed to be useful for all cultures, such as exercise books without margins, so that they can be used by pupils writing either left to right or right to left. The blackboard is created by painting the aluminium box with paint provided in the kit.

The standard kits are then supplemented by materials in local languages and appropriate toys and musical instruments.

WHAT IT CONTAINS
The Unicef kit is about 80 x 55 x 65 cm and weighs 52 kgs.

Teachers get:
1 x Bag, Unicef, blue nylon, 360mmx230mmx610mm
2 x Pen, ball-point, black
2 x Pen, ball-point, red
2 x Pen, ball-point, blue
1 x Triangle chalkboard, 30-60-90 degrees
1 x Triangle chalkboard, 90-45 degrees
3 x Chalk, assorted colours/box-100
3 x Chalk, white/box-100
2 x Book, exercise, A4, ruled-8mm, 96 pages
1 x Clock, teaching, wood
1 x Pens, felt-tip, ass.colours, 0.8-1mm/pack-6
2 x Marker, flipchart, colours, tip-4.5mm/pack-4
1 x Scissors, all purpose, sharp, 180mm
1 x Tape-measure, vinyl-coated, 1.5m/5ft
2 x Paint, chalkboard, black
1 x Brush, paint, for chalkboard, 60-65mm
1 x Box, metal, lockable for storage
1 x Set of 3 posters, plasticized paper
1 x Poster, multiplication table
1 x Poster, number table
1 x Poster, alphabet table
1 x Compass, chalkboard, 40 cm
1 x Ruler, chalkboard, 100cm
1 x Cubes, wood or plast., coloured, set of 100
2 x Register, A4, squared, 40 sheets
1 x Duster/wiper for chalkboard
2 x Decal, Unicef, round, diameter 205mm
1 x Guidelines for the kit
1 x Tape, adhesive, transp 1, 5cm x 10m/box-20

Students' materials:
48 x Crayon, wax, assorted colours/box-8
120 x Eraser, soft
100 x Book, exercise, A5, 5mm-square, 48 pages
100 x Book, exercise, A5, ruled-8mm, 48 pages
100 x Pencil sharpener, plastic
144 x Pencil for slates
144 x Pencil, HB grade, black
80 x Bag, carrier, A4, interlock seal
10 x Ruler, plastic, 30cm, set of 10
40 x Scissors, safety, school, B/B, 135mm
40 x Slate, student's, A4 (210 x 297mm)

Source: Unicef catalogue

Australia: National Day of Mourning 16th January 2005

2005-01-05T19:16:00.000+06:00

SUNDAY, January 16, would be a national day of mourning for tsunami victims, says Prime Minister John Howard of Australia.

"Many Australians will mark that by attending church services, others will choose to do it different ways," he said. "I respect the fact that Sunday is not a day of religious observance for all faiths in this country."

The Prime Minister indicated he would attend a service at a mosque as well as church service that weekend.

"It's my intention, as well as attending a Christian service that weekend, to mark the occasion by a visit to a place of worship of other faiths, particularly having regard to the extraordinary number of people of the Islamic faith who've lost their lives in this terrible disaster."

Mr Howard paid tribute to Australians for their voluntary aid to tsunami victims, which has reached more than $85 million. "They have been truly impressive," he said. "I'm just blown away by the great generosity of people."

Mr Howard said Australia would provide more aid to affected countries, with that matter to dominate discussions with Indonesia and other nations at tomorrow's summit in Jakarta.

"We will provide further assistance, I've made that clear. What that assistance will be and precisely where and in what form is something to be further discussed and decided," he said.

"In a situation like this it's important that you provide generous, immediate pledges of financial help, you provide immediate effective on-the-ground assistance and then, as the extent of the disaster and the type of response needed crystallises, you provide further assistance."

Mr Howard said Australia's efforts, such as the provision of a water purification plant in Aceh, had considerably helped alleviate the suffering of survivors.

"We have a single mission and that is to provide assistance, to get it through in the most practical way possible," he said.

Fact Sheet: How to Help Tsunami Disaster Victims

2005-01-04T23:01:00.000+06:00

The White House - USA Freedom Corps
Contact: Erik Hotmire
202-456-7381

Message from George Bush, President of the United States of America:

This morning, I spoke with the leaders of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia, and expressed my condolences and our country's condolences. I told them of our support; I praised their steadfast leadership during these difficult times. We're grateful to the American and international organizations that are working courageously to save lives and to provide assistance, and I assured those leaders this is only the beginning of our help.
- President George W. Bush

(29th December 2004)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Information contained on this sheet has been gathered from sources at the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information on the South and Southeast Asia Earthquake and Tsunamis, please visit http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/tsunami/.

The list below is provided by USAID and can be retrieved from their website http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/tsunami/ngolist.html. Please check back at this site for updates.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VOLUNTEERING

Volunteer opportunities in disaster settings are extremely rare, and are usually limited to people with prior disaster experience and technical skills (such as health, engineering, etc). To register your skills and experience for a possible volunteer opportunity, go to the Center for International Disaster Information's registration page.

DONATIONS

The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. USAID encourages cash donations because they: allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, warehouse space, etc); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; ensure culturally, dietary, and environmentally appropriate assistance. The agencies listed below are accepting donations for assistance they or their affiliates are providing to those affected by the earthquake and tsunamis:

Action Against Hunger
247 West 37th Street
New York, NY 10018
212-967-7800
www.actionagainsthunger.org

ADRA International
Asia Tsunami Crisis Fund
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904
800-424-ADRA (2372)
www.adra.org

Air Serv International
6583 Merchant Place, Suite 100
Warrenton, VA 20187
540-428-2323
www.airserv.org

American Friends Service Committee
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
888-588-2372
www.afsc.org

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc.
JDC-South Asia Tsunami Relief
P.O. Box 321
847A Second Avenue
New York, New York 10017
212-885-0832
www.jdc.org

American Jewish World Service
45 W. 36th St., 10th Fl.
New York, NY 10018
212-736-2597
www.ajws.org

American Refugee Committee
Tsunami Relief
430 Oak Grove Street, Suite 204
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-872-7060
www.archq.org

AmeriCares
88 Hamilton Ave
Stamford, CT 06902
800-486-4357
www.americares.org

Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT)
Tsunami Fund
6810 Tilden Lane
Rockville, MD 20852
301-984-0217
www.amurt.net

Baptist World Aid
Asia Tidal Waves
405 North Washington Street
Falls Church, VA 22046
703 790 8980
www.bwanet.org/bwaid

B'nai B'rith International
B'nai B'rith Disaster Relief Fund
2020 K Street NW
7th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
212-490-3290
www.bnaibrith.org

Brother's Brother Foundation
1200 Galveston Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
412-321-3160
www.brothersbrother.org

CARE
151 Ellis Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
800-521-CARE
www.care.org

Catholic Medical Mission Board
10 West 17th Street
New York, New York 10011
800-678-5659
www.cmmb.org

Catholic Relief Services
209 West Fayette Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
877-HELP-CRS
www.catholicrelief.org

CHF International
8601 Georgia Ave. Suite 800
Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA
301-587-4700
www.chfhq.org

Christian Children's Fund
Child Alert Fund
PO Box 26484
Richmond, Virginia - 23261-6484
800-776-6767
www.ChristianChildrensFund.org

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)
South Asia Earthquake
2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE
Grand Rapids, MI, 49560
800-55-CRWRC
www.crwrc.org

Church World Service
PO Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515
800-297-1516
www.churchworldservice.org

Concern Worldwide, US
104 East 40th Street, Suite 903
New York, NY 10016
212-557-8000
www.concernusa.org

Direct Relief International
27 South La Patera Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
805-964-4767
www.directrelief.org

Episcopal Relief and Development
South Asia Relief Fund
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017
800-334-7626, ext. 5129
www.er-d.org

Food for the Hungry, Inc.
Food for the Hungry
Asia Quake Relief
1224 E. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
800-2-HUNGERS
www.fh.org

Habitat for Humanity International
Asia Tsunami Response Fund
121 Habitat St
Americus, GA 31709
229-924-6935
www.habitat.org

Heart to Heart International
401 S. Clairborne
Suite 302
Olathe, KS 66062
888-800-4327
www.hearttoheart.org

International Aid
17011 W. Hickory
Spring Lake, MI 49456
800-968-7490
www.internationalaid.org

International Medical Corps
Tsunami Emergency Response
1919 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 300
Santa Monica, CA 90404-1950
800-481-4462
www.imcworldwide.org

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)
Asia Disaster Response
P.O. Box 630225
Baltimore, MD 21263-0225
877-803-4622
www.iocc.org

International Relief and Development, Inc.
1621 N Kent Street, Suite 400
Arlington, VA 22209
703-248-0161
www.ird-dc.org

International Relief Teams
Asia Earthquake/Floods
3547 Camino Del Rio South, Suite C
San Diego, CA 92108
619-284-7979
www.IRTeams.org
International Rescue Committee
PO Box 5058
Hagerstown, MD 21741-9874
877-REFUGEE or 733-8433
www.theIRC.org

Latter-Day Saint Charities
Welfare Services Emergency Response
50 East North Temple Street, Room 701
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84150-6800
801-240-3544
www.lds.org/humanitarian

Lutheran World Relief
South Asia Tsunami
700 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-230-2700
www.lwr.org

MAP International
P.O. Box 215000
Brunswick, GA 31521
800-225-8550
www.map.org

Mercy Corps
Southeast Asia Earthquake
Dept. W
PO Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208-2669
800-852-2100
www.mercycorps.org

Mercy-USA for Aid and Development
Tsunami Disaster Relief
44450 Pinetree Drive, Suite 201
Plymouth, Michigan 48170-3869
800-556-3729
www.mercyusa.org

Network for Good
8615 Westwood Center Dr.
Suite 1A
Vienna, VA 22182
703-265-3683
www.networkforgood.org

Northwest Medical Teams
SE Asia Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 10
Portland, OR 97207
800-959-4325 (HEAL)
www.nwmedicalteams.org

Operation Blessing International
Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Relief
977 Centerville Turnpike
Virginia Beach, VA 23463
800-730-2537
www.ob.org

Northwest Medical Teams
SE Asia Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 10
Portland, OR 97207
800-959-4325 (HEAL)
www.nwmedicalteams.org

Operation USA
8320 Melrose Ave. #200
Los Angeles, CA 90069
800-678-8876
www.opusa.org

Oxfam America
Asian Earthquake Fund
PO Box 1211
Albert Lea, MN 56007-1211
800-77-OXFAM
www.oxfamamerica.org

Plan USA
Asia Disaster
155 Plan Way
Warwick, RI 02886
800-556-7918
www.planusa.org

Project Concern International
5151 Murphy Canyon Road Suite 320
San Diego, CA 92123
858-279-9690
www.projectconcern.org

Project Concern International
5151 Murphy Canyon Road Suite 320
San Diego, CA 92123
858-279-9690
www.projectconcern.org

Project HOPE
Asia Tsunami Response
255 Carter Hall Lane
Millwood, VA 22646
800-544-4673
www.projecthope.org

Red Cross (American Red Cross)
International Response Fund
2025 E St. NW
Washington, DC 20006
800-HELP-NOW
www.redcross.org

Relief International
Asia Earthquake Response
1575 Westwood Blvd., Suite 201
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-478-1200
www.ri.org

Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO)
South Asia Relief Fund
615 Slaters Lane
Alexandria, VA, 22313
800-SAL-ARMY
www.1800salarmy.org

Samaritan's Purse
P.O. Box 3000
Boone, NC 28607
Phone (828) 262-1980
Fax (828) 266-1053
www.samaritanspurse.org

Save the Children
54 Wilton Road
Westport, CT 06880
1-800-728-3843
www.savethechildren.org

Stop Hunger Now
SE Asia Crisis
2501 Clark Ave, Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27607
888-501-8440
www.stophungernow.org

United Methodist Committee on Relief
Advance #274305, South Asia Emergency
475 Riverside Drive
Room 330
New York, NY 10115
212-870-3815
www.methodistrelief.org

United Way International
United Way South Asia Response Fund
701 N Fairfax St
Alexandria, VA 22314 USA
703-519-0092
www.unitedway.org/tsunamiresponse

US Fund for UNICEF
General Emergency Fund
333 E. 38th Street
New York, NY 10016
800-4-UNICEF
www.unicefusa.org

World Concern
Asia Earthquake and Tsunami
19303 Fremont Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98133
800-755-5022
www.worldconcern.org

World Emergency Relief
2270-D Camino Vida Roble
Carlsbad, CA 92009
760-930-8001
www.worldemergencyrelief.org

World Hope International
Asia Relief
P.O. Box 96338
Washington DC 20090
888-466-4673
www.worldhope.org

World Relief
SE Asia Earthquake/Tsunamis
7 East Baltimore St
Baltimore MD 21202
800-535-5433
www.worldrelief.org

World Vision
P.O. Box 70288
Tacoma, WA 98481-0288
800-56-CHILD
www.worldvision.org

(This list is provided by USAID and can be retrieved from their website http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/tsunami/ngolist.html.

Tsunami Emergency: Sri Lanka Tourist Board Website

2005-01-04T22:44:00.000+06:00

Sri Lanka Website Reaches Out Across the World
Call Centre and Web Site

Colombo, Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka Tourist Board's website has reached out to people in all parts of the world, providing vital updates on the Tsunami emergency and helping to reunite friends and family.

The website - www.contactsrilanka.org - was established on December 27, to facilitate the dissemination of information including an Online Traveller Inquiry Form, which allows those concerned to provide details of missing persons to aid in the search.

"A critical function of the website has been to provide a forum for people searching for their friends and loved ones," said Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, Mr Udaya Nanayakkara. The web site was supported by a 24 hour call center manned by volunteers who worked with the tourist industry to trace and evacuate travelers who were in the tsunami affected areas.

"In conjunction with the National Council of Economic Development, we also maintain a list of people who have registered with us and this list is constantly updated.

"There has been a steady stream of enquiries as a result and the service has been very successful in providing information on displaced tourists - we have reunited friends and family from Australia to the United Kingdom," he said.

The website also contains contact details for essential services such as the police, hospitals, flight and airline information and hotels.

Tourist Evacuation Completed in Affected Areas. Some Opt to Stay.
While most affected tourists have been evacuated, a remarkable number have stayed behind to continue with their vacation.

UK resident, Mrs Heidi Happ, her husband and two children - aged thirteen and two have also decided to stay on and continue their holiday. They were staying at the Taj Exotica when the Tsunami stuck.

"The staff were wonderful and they made us feel so safe and secure. We decided to stay back to support the hotel and the country and just two days ago my husband and thirteen year old daughter trekked through the Sinharaja rainforest. We intend to complete our vacation as scheduled on January 7 and we will be back for sure" said Mrs. Happ.

Latest figures show that of the 7,682 rooms affected by the Tsunami, 3,651 were back in full operation yesterday (Monday January 3, 2005)

Across the island, there are over 10,500 rooms in full operation as of today.

NOTE: All media enquiries should be directed to the dedicated media hotline at the Sri Lanka Tourist Board on tel: +94-11- 4740219.

Foreign Office Emergency Number

2005-01-04T22:31:00.001+06:00

The FCO emergency telephone number is:
020 7008 0000.

UK citizens in Sri Lanka caught up in the tragedy should contact the British High Commission in Colombo which is open on an emergency 24 hour basis. Its telephone number is : (00-94) 112437336.

Detailed report to local, foreign organisations providing relief

2005-01-04T22:31:00.000+06:00

Detailed report to local, foreign organisations providing relief

by Uditha Kumarasinghe
Article in the Daily News in Colombo:

The Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Ministry has decided to present a detailed report to the Government to be submitted to local and foreign organisations who have pledged their assistance to provide relief to the people displaced by tsunami disaster.

The report will stress on the key areas where aid and relief should be granted and also highlighting the quantum of aid to be granted for specific areas, Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi told the Daily News.

The Minister has taken this decision following a discussion with Ports, Civil Aviation and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera held at Cultural Centre, Nupe Matara last week.

A special discussion to educate the Galle district Samurdhi Managers and Samurdhi Development Officers (SDOs) on this program will be held at Galle District Secretariat under the patronage of Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi on January 5 at 10.00am. The Samurdhi Authority requests all SDOs and Samurdhi Managers to attend this discussion.

The Minister has already given instructions to the Ministry officials to prepare a detailed report on the number of deaths, properties damaged and source of income lost in each affected families. In order to coordinate these activities, a Samurdhi Coordinating Centre will be established in each affected Grama Niladari division. One Samurdhi Manager and three SDOs have been appointed from the unaffected areas to gather information on the displaced families.

The Minister has also given instructions to the officials to supply labour to remove the debris of the destroyed homes with the consent of the residents.

Meanwhile, the SDOs and Samurdhi Managers will also conduct a survey on all state and private sector properties destroyed by tidal waves.

In addition,a Samurdhi Manager will be appointed for each affected district to collect data on the death of Samurdhi officers and the properties damaged of Samurdhi officers by the tsunami disaster. The Minister has already appointed a Samurdhi Manager to the Matara district for this purpose.

In addition to this survey, the Ministry has appointed one Samurdhi Manager and three SDOs to coordinate the welfare activities of the camps where the displaced people are temporarily sheltered. An additional woman SDO has also been appointed to look into the special needs of women in these camps and also the children who have lost their parents.

This woman SDO will also coordinate to provide necessary labour to prepare meals and provide health and other sanitary facilities to the displaced families, she said.

Britons give Disaster Emergency Committee £60 million

2005-01-04T00:15:00.000+06:00

Tsunami Earthquake Appeal

The British public have given and are giving until it hurts - the Diaster Emergency Committee(DEC) have said that the current total amounts to £60 million - it is unprecedented and speaks volumes of the compassion and generosity of the people of the United Kingdom.

YOU can donate to the Disaster Emergency Committee appeal by calling 0870 606 0900 or logging on to the website www.dec.org.uk.

Donations can also be made online to individual charities. You can use banks to give cash or cheques, payable to the DEC Tsunami Earthquake Appeal. Or donate cash or cheques, payable to Post Office Ltd, at Post Offices in the UK.

A special "999" PO Box has been set up by Royal Mail to speed donations. Post cheques, payable to the DEC Tsunami Earthquake Appeal, to PO Box 999, LONDON, EC3A 3AA.

You can also give cash or gifts at Oxfam shops in the UK.

DEC represents charities including ActionAid, British Red Cross, Cafod, Care International, Christian Aid, Concern, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision. These charities are already working in Sri Lanka.

Watch the DEC video online:

http://www.dec.org.uk/video.htm

TSUNAMI IN SRI LANKA: APPEAL FOR MORE AID AND A COMMISSION TO LOOK INTO LONG TERM PROBLEMS

2005-01-03T18:09:00.000+06:00

TSUNAMI IN SRI LANKA:

APPEAL FOR MORE AID AND A COMMISSION TO LOOK INTO LONG TERM PROBLEMS

Ivan Corea, Chair of the Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka and the UK has appealed to Prime Minister Tony Blair, Chancellor Gordon Brown, for more long term aid for Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami disaster.

‘Sri Lanka desperately needs around a billion pounds – not in ten years but in the next year for rehabilitation and re-construction. Disease and extreme poverty will rock Sri Lanka as people have lost their livelihoods, their homes, their schools and thousands of businesses. Starvation is a very serious reality for people in the south and the east.’ said Ivan Corea.

He urged Tony Blair to set up an Asia-Pacific Commission, to examine the long term issues of the region, in the wake of the tsunami. ‘Sri Lanka will have severe problems for the next ten years as a result of the tsunami,’ he added.

The Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka has also appealed the Britain’s disability organisations to reach out to the people of Sri Lanka. The disabled have also been badly affected, some have perished. There are many more disabled as a result of the horrific injuries sustained and they will need wheel chairs, crutches, medicine.

The Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka are not collecting money themselves but are working with partners – the Rotary Club of Colombo to assist the needy in the affected areas. They are also working with the Sri Lanka High Commission in London to collect medicine, food, tents etc to be despatched via SriLankan Airlines to the needy areas.

Ivan Corea gave his heartfelt thanks to the British public who have raised over £60 million, the donations are flooding the Disaster Emergency Committee in London. Her Majesty’s Government have also contributed £50 million. Sri Lanka will need a billion to stave off poverty and disease. He said the British public have been magnificent – they are giving until it hurts and the donations from the public might well top the £100 million mark.

The Autism Awareness Campaign urged Chancellor Gordon Brown to look into cancelling Sri Lanka’s debts in the wake of the tsunami disaster – without debt relief Sri Lanka will go deep down into the depths of poverty in the next ten years.

For further particulars please see:

Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka International Appeal

http://member.tripod.com/autism_srilanka
www.ukautism.com

Tsunami in Sri Lanka: Urgent Needs

2004-12-29T05:58:00.000+06:00

TSUNAMI IN SRI LANKA : AUTISM AWARENESS CAMPAIGN SRI LANKA'S INTERNATIONAL APPEAL

SRI LANKA'S URGENT NEEDS

The tsunami has devastated Sri Lanka - also affected are Sri Lankans with disabilities.

Ten of thousands of Sri Lankans have died and thousands more will die through disease - Sri Lanka urgently needs doctors and medicine from overseas to cope with outbreaks of typhoid, dysentery, cholera.

The Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka are not collecting money ourselves but we are working with partners all over the world to reach out to all Sri Lankans including the disability community who have been affected so badly by this deadly tsunami whgich struck the island on the 26th of December 2004 and has caused so much devastation.

How you can help in London:

Sri Lanka urgently needs:

Tents, blankets,linen, clothing.
Food - pre-cooked or ready to eat meal packs
Water purification tablets - approximately 2 million
Wheat, flour, pulses, rice.
Drugs: paracetamol, antibiotics, dressing, suture material, disposable syringes
Intravenous infusions - saline and dextrose.
Portable generators.
Disabled people will need wheelchairs.

The Sri Lanka High Commission in London have appealed for donations of the above and donors can take these items to the Sri Lanka High Commission at 13 Hyde Park Gardens, London W2 2LU. Those who wish to contribute may contact Mr.Y.G.Amaradasa (Administration) of the Sri Lanka High Commission in London. He could be contacted on the telephone: 020 7262 6721/020 7262 1841 extension 225, Fax: 020 7262 7970 and on e-mail: mail@slhc.globalnet.co.uk

With regard to the rapid conveyance of drugs and items such as water purification tablets and intravenous infusions, the Sri Lanka High Commission are exploring the possibility of facilitating airlifting these items through SriLankan Airlines to Colombo but please inform the Sri Lanka High Commission the full details of these drugs before and during delivery.

You can send donations to the Rotary Club of Colombo - the Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka are working in partnership with the Rotary Club, a well respected international organisation who have teams working in the diaster areas.
The Rotary Club of Colombo Regency, plans to implement the relief effort in phases in order for it to be effective.

Please contact:

Tharanga Gunaratne +94 777 389075, tkg_lk@yahoo.com

You can send cash contributions in the form of Cheques/Drafts/Money Orders as per the details given below:
Beneficiary - "Rotary Club of Colombo Regency"
Account No: 001-003771-002
Bank Name : HSBC
Postal Address : 24 Sir Baron Jayatilleke Mw, Colombo 01, Sri Lanka
SWIFT Address : HSBCLKLX

For items sent from overseas, The Rotary Club have arranged for duty waivers. Please make sure that you specify the beneficiary as the "Rotary Club of Colombo Regency", c/o Bary Jaleel, 15 Cambridge Place, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.

However, send an email The Rotary Club with your full name, contact details and your contribution amounts and modes, so that they could keep a track. You can also log onto http://www.lankafood.com/ and select the items you would like to sponsor, and pay for on line. Details of items needed and their rates will be published on this site.

Sri Lanka desperately needs help. They say the island needs 1 billion pounds to cope with this terrible disaster. Whole communities have been wiped out. Schools and homes have been devastated and scores of little Sri Lankans have perished. Please support Sri Lanka in her hour of need.

Ivan Corea WRC FRSA
Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka
http://members.tripod.com/autism_srilanka
autismsrilanka@hotmail.com

2004-12-28T05:50:00.000+06:00

TSUNAMI SRI LANKA: Autism Awareness Campaign International Appeal

The southern and east coast of Sri Lanka were devastated by the Tsunami - giant tidal waves smashed into the island killing thousands of innocent people including people with disabilities. Over a million were made homeless.Thousands of little children have died. Sri Lanka needs desperate help.

The Autism Awareness Campaign in Sri Lanka appeal for humanitarian assistance - we urge you to help the people of Sri Lanka. Please donate generously to humanitarian campaigns such as Christian Aid, Oxfam, UNICEF, Care International, World Vision and others.

The Rotary Club of Colombo Regency in Sri Lanka [www.rotaryCregency.org] are formulating plans to channel relief to the areas where they are most needed in Sri Lanka. At a time of this national disaster the nation and its people must stand together. Stand together to help the million victims who have been displaced from their homes and loved ones. Not only have these people lost their family/loved ones they have lost everything except for the clothes on their back.

How you can help

The Rotary Club of Colombo Regency, plans to implement the relief effort in phases in order for it to be effective.

The immediate need is for water and dry food items like biscuits, and canned fish, as displaced people are unable to cook meals just yet. In addition, basic medicines and clothing are also essential.

The second phase in a few days will be to provide dry rations, milk powder etc. as hopefully by that time people would have been moved into refugee camps.

The third phase (5 to 7 days) would be to conduct health camps to prevent/treat any outbreak in disease caused by polluted water and lack of proper sanitation etc at the refugee camps.

In the longer term, rebuilding of life and property would take an enormous effort and would need worldwide help.

If you wish to contribute by way of any items listed above or by cash or kind, please write into this site or phone/email

Tharanga Gunaratne +94 777 389075, tkg_lk@yahoo.com

You can send cash contributions in the form of Cheques/Drafts/Money Orders as per the details given below:
Beneficiary - "Rotary Club of Colombo Regency"
Account No: 001-003771-002
Bank Name : HSBC
Postal Address : 24 Sir Baron Jayatilleke Mw, Colombo 01, Sri Lanka
SWIFT Address : HSBCLKLX

For items sent from overseas, The Rotary Club have arranged for duty waivers. Please make sure that you specify the beneficiary as the "Rotary Club of Colombo Regency", c/o Bary Jaleel, 15 Cambridge Place, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.

However, send an email The Rotary Club with your full name, contact details and your contribution amounts and modes, so that they could keep a track. You can also log onto http://www.lankafood.com/ and select the items you would like to sponsor, and pay for on line. Details of items needed and their rates will be published on this site within the next 24 hours.

Ivan Corea WRC FRSA
Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka
http://members.tripod.com/autism_srilanka
autismsrilanka@hotmail.com