South East Asia Appeal

There are TWO first hand accounts from a friend in Sri Lanka at the bottom of this page

Download third letter here

Bank Monday 03/01/05 - Bring and buy sale & cake stall raised £6,500 
download a poster of thanks for this event at St James Church Hall, Audley AND Halmer End Methodist Church

We displayed real examples of an Aqua Box, such as Rotary in Britain have already sent out.
Their contents are pre-packed with all the essentials for survival, such as water purification tablets, plastic sheets etc.
In 2003, one of our Disaster boxes was shipped to Iraq (see photo below).   This had been prepared thanks to generous donations from the people of Audley and neighbourhood.   Ravensmead School had also contributed to our Shoe Box appeal.   The contents vary according to need.  
COME and SEE for yourself.

More news can be found on Radio Stoke's pages at www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/features/2004/12/disaster.shtml
and  www.bbc.co.uk/staffordshire/going_out/listings/index.shtml

Ajith (a friend of Colin - living inland just South of Colombo and a former cricket umpire confined to a wheelchair for several years) writes:-

on 29th December

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Thank you very much for your PROMPT and such Understanding words and assurances, at these hours of darkness.   As debris gets cleared more and more Dead Bodies decomposed and larger number displaced.

To get the ROADS back to any extent Mobile is the main hurdle on hand.   Then COUNSELLING another task, none are experts in dealing such large numbers, as thousands now fear even to sight the sea  and  sea related work  (Fishing Industry,  Tourism, etc) are their bread and butter!

AID is coming in various forms, both from Internally (Through Business Community, Individuals like us, to many TRUSTWORTHY voluntary organisations) as well as FROM OVERSEAS in very big scale, mostly from Government to Government and other NGOs here.

BUT, we have to think not once BUT many times,  "OPPORTUNISTS" will not turn this to a lucrative business for their own personal benefit in taking major parts  of funds and material.

My humble appeal to YOU and Other Contacts you have is:  PLEASE  HOLD ON.   Let me check carefully and identify directions and resources  that  would TRULY  make your so kind generous HELP,  to be really meaningful and goes (without doubt) for meaningful and sincere hands.

The ICC (International Cricket Council) has assured very big MONEY and this I assume will go the Sri Lanka Cricket.   So that should NOT be my priority group to receive help.   May be,  as the GALLE  STADIUM  must be re-done, for that specific project something may surface and then I can let you know.

I am GOING TO STRESS, in re-building Sri Lanka, especially TOWNS like  GALLE (capital of South and because of Cricket) and Tourist famous Sea- Towns as HIKKADUWA,  why it is to think of  the BASIC FACILITIES as Ramps and Curbs for Access and Toileting and washing at all Hotels  for those Hit with Restricted Mobility, are ESSENTIAL and cannot no more be overlooked and re-building gives that vital opportunity with AID coming even from overseas.   May be we can FUND such a specific project so that large numbers can benefit in overcoming these grave Social Problems that had been surfacing here, at least in these Towns.

I wrote few days ago to a KEY ROTARIAN here,  Rtn  LUCKY PERIES.   He is married to a Japanese Lady.   Is there any way you could find out about this person here.   If that is possible, we have a GOOD LINK to channel your Support through him.

Before I FORGET,  PLEASE  Donot SEND any money for us, at this period of time.   Many thanks for that wonderful thought.   Should we run to such a need,  I can then give my BANK  ACCOUNT with Hong Kong Bank for you to Telegraph Transfer of Funds.   This mode is the most reliable.

There are few things MONEY will and cannot help us right now  and they are my present concerns.   Some of our distant relations and friends in GALLE area are missing and stranded as even with MONEY, there are NO SHOPS and other means for them to purchase Food.   We are also to much lesser running towards this, as SHOPS and Market Places are running short of material  (bought to be sent as Relief measures in very big scale) and as TRANSPORT facilities to all major town South and East bound are STILL unpassable and hence Vegetables, Rice, are NOT Coming to Colombo , etc.

 PLEASE check if Hampshire Seniors Cricket Team are Coming here?  They can still PLAY Cricket in Kandy and Colombo areas for certainty.

I know TOURIST BOARD are keen to get possible Tourists here.   BUT  Southern Bounded Tourists may have re-directed plans to visit unaffected Kandy, etc  and HOTELS may find accommodation hard for unexpected larger numbers diverting their way now so suddenly!

ON 27th DECEMBER

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On Boxing day morning an earthquake measured at 8.9 on the Richter Scale resulted in the sea around theIsland of Sumatra in Indonesia.   Named "Tsunami" it's reported the most powerful and the deadliest in the recent decades of times.   It generated a series of tidal waves in a body of sea water by an impulsive disturbance generating vertically displaced water columns.

Around 10 a.m Sri Lanka time, two hours later of its origination, it simultaneously hit 75% of the costal areas of our tiny island!!   This cataclysmic disaster of last Sunday is the WORST 'Natural Disaster' to hit Sri Lanka in living memory.

Tens of Thousand within few hours have been rendered homeless, many are distraught at having lost family members, mostly children and their homes in the tsunami disaster.   Galle Town, my place of birth, was seven feet under water and the reputed GALLE International Cricket Stadium is completely damaged.   A train Galle bound has been swept away near the popular tourist town Hikkaduwa by the emerging tides, killing all its 56 passengers.   Main highways, (rail and by car) are still not passable.   KUSHIL GUNASEKERA, manager of Muttaih Muralitharan who was at that time spending the boxing day with 30 odd poor children in that village, his home town, had run and escaped death narrowly along with these innocents chased at no prior notice by the waves coming at them.

A clearer picture of the extent and enormity of the catastrophe began to gradually emerge as the country went into seven days of mourning for the unprecedented number of victims, dead, missing and displaced.   According to Reuter reports, 10,029 people were killed, another large number still missing and further 820,000 displaced and affected along the costal areas in Sri Lanka by Tsunami tidal wave, triggering a wall of water as high as 34 feet.   Authorities fear that the number of victims are certain to soar and damage to human lives and their minds incalculable, as details of the grim picture keeps pouring in.

The Health and Judicial authorities had informed the authorities in the affected areas to expedite the disposal of the dead bodies, as the hospitals in the affected regions were finding it difficult to cope with the flood of corpses.

Diseases like typhoid and dysentery are predicted to follow in the wake of the Tsunami Disaster.   As these are the main Fishing areas of the Country, for months to come, people will not have fish.   Three Southern Town that are best known to produce the RED RICE, the high fibre rice we too eat at home, are totally destroyed!!  Vegetable prices have skyrocketed by 30% and still are a scarce.   Telephones in my areas too went dead until last evening.   Still they are the same in all these town destroyed and hence we are unable to communicate with some of our close friends and relations.

Mentally, this has taken an added enormous beating on ME and my Mother and Cousin too, as we see almost all day, from time to time on all channels of Television pictures of unbelievable damage, as various authorities are appealing for help in the form of various forms of dry material.

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