"These people - these are truly gentle people,"

The Capital Online: Locals travel to tsunami-hit areas to provide relief Though large relief organizations including the American Red Cross, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders are not accepting new volunteers in the devastated areas of Southeast Asia, some locals have found other ways to get there. J. Thomas Giunta, an Annapolis lawyer, traveled to Sri Lanka last week after his vacation plans fell through.Stunned by the mounting death toll of more than 150,000, including 30,000 in Sri Lanka, he left on Jan. 3 after hearing about Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation. It was founded in 1985 to provide relief and rehabilitation for people in northeast Sri Lanka. Now back in Annapolis, Mr. Giunta described the Sri Lankans as the "lotus flowers of the Earth.""These people - these are truly gentle people," he said. "I've never felt more comfortable anywhere I've traveled, and I've traveled all over the world. I've never felt so safe."