Sri Lanka - tsunami aftermath - In Quotes

2005-12-26T14:05:00.000-05:00

Fifty three year old Lily Nona Galmangodaguruge lost her daughter, grand daughter, mother and sister in law last year this day She says that she is not blaming the sea for what has happened, instead she is blessing the sea. More Pictures: humanityashore-rathgama.blogspot.com/

"When the tsunami hit I ran to the church and begged for the life of my son,"

2005-03-27T20:14:00.000-05:00

Tsunami sufferers question faith: Yet this year the throngs are absent. Many thousands are too afraid to travel to this tsunami-affected area, scared off by frenzied rumours that another disaster is about to beset the shores. Perhaps others have cause to question their faith: BBC

"Every day, we were getting 30 to 40 e-mails from Burghers living abroad offering help"

2005-03-27T07:28:00.000-05:00

"Every day, we were getting 30 to 40 e-mails from Burghers living abroad offering help. Suddenly, we feel that we are a bigger community," says Sunny Ockersz, president of the Burgher union in Batticaloa. Earlier, the community was divided as Burghers in Batticaloa, Dutch Burghers and the "affluent" English-speaking Burghers in Colombo, BBC

"It was like someone had dropped an atomic bomb on Sri Lanka's coastline."

2005-03-26T12:13:00.000-05:00

During my three decades in the humanitarian field, I have seen war, famine, and natural disaster wreack unimaginable suffering on innocent civilians on a massive scale. But I had never seen such total destruction before in my life. It was like someone had dropped an atomic bomb on Sri Lanka's coastline: - David Crawford Oxfam Country Programme Manager - Sri Lanka; BBC

"Our needs are greater."

2005-03-21T22:58:00.000-05:00

The Tamil Tigers argue that the area under their control has received almost no government aid and is neglected when compared to the Sinhala-dominated south. "We are happy with the support we are getting from the aid agencies, but not with the government's efforts," Tamil Tiger spokesman Daya Master says. "This is an area which has suffered heavily because of the war and now with the tsunami. So our needs are greater." : BBC

"There is no-one at home to go back to."

2005-03-21T07:08:00.000-05:00

Antony had been married for 17 years and still struggles to come to terms with his loss. "My wife used to wait for me every day with a cup of tea when I would come in from the sea," he says, his eyes brimming with tears. Observers say the trauma of losing their wives has left a deep psychological scar on these men, and many of them are quite simply unable to cope. "The question of family formation has been deeply affected. In these social set ups, it is the woman who runs the family as a unit," says Professor Sivathambi, a Tamil scholar at Colombo University: Loss of women haunts fishermen: BBC Dilemma of the disproportionately high percentage tsunami widowers: "How do we face the future?"

"We are pleasantly surprised and greatly relieved that they have done so"

2005-03-19T17:58:00.000-05:00

"Given the LTTE inflexibility on the Interim Self - Government issue few expected the tigers to agree on a watered down version of what the organization originally demanded", Western diplomatic circles told "TamilWeek". "We are pleasantly surprised and greatly relieved that they have done so" the sources added.

"Not seen any promissed foreign government money yet.."

2005-03-19T17:55:00.000-05:00

The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, has told the BBC that his country has not yet received any of the money promised by governments - although people all over the world had been generous in their contributions: BBC

"Things don't look very good for Sri Lanka at the present moment."

2005-03-17T12:55:00.001-05:00

"Things don't look very good for Sri Lanka at the present moment." Rohan Edrisinha, a law professor at the University of Colombo and director of the Centre of Policy Alternatives said. Bob Rae, president of the Forum of Federations, which sponsored Edrisinha's talks, said one of the barriers delaying a federal solution to the conflict was LTTE's difficulty in transforming itself from a guerrilla operation to a political party.

"Wife plays an important role in the life of fisheries workers..",

2005-03-13T18:41:00.000-05:00

A High percentage of tsunami deaths were among children and women, leaving behind widowers such as Anthony Benedict of Mullaitivu. Photo by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai "The wife plays an important role in the life of fisheries workers...she makes all the endeavors to sell that day's catch that were brought ashore. In the meantime she takes care of all the household chores as well..Its very appalling to see so many widowers in the fishing communities," - Professor K. Sivathamby, in Thinakkural

"what is left?'"

2005-03-12T21:46:00.000-05:00

"People directly impacted by the tsunami lived by the sea and thought they knew it. They had felt the effects of conflict but discovered they are not safe from nature either. They now are asking,`what is left?'" In terms of psychological and physical health, some of the significant issues now threatening the communities of the north in the aftermath of the tsunami are an increase in depression, sleeping disorders, suicide, and alcoholism. Women and children constituted a large number of those killed and in many cases men witnessed their demise, helpless to save them. In a society where gender roles are clearly defined, men now find themselves confronting a double burden as heads of single parent households. Their personal loss, combined with the destruction of their boats and livelihoods, leaves them at greater risk of suffering from the psychological impact of the disaster. Dr. Daya Somasundaram of Jaffna University confirms that psychosocial assistance is a priority need for people impacted by the tsunami. He notes that children and youth are also suffering, as shown by nightmares, fears and heightened emotions. But the head of the psychology department for the faculty of medicine stresses that well-meaning organisations must take into account the type of psychological assistance required as well as the cultural context in which it is delivered; reported in The Toronto Star

"Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Thank you for all that you do,:

2005-03-11T21:40:00.000-05:00

Former President Bill Clinton Recovering from Successful Surgery [VOA News] Doctors in New York say they expect former U.S. President Bill Clinton to make a full recovery from a surgical procedure, lasting almost four hours, to drain fluid from his left lung and remove scar tissue. The doctors expect Mr. Clinton to be walking within 24 hours. President Clinton while visiting Sri Lanka with President Bush Sr. in Sri Lanka: "There was a lot of emotional damage here that's not visible to the eye, and it's most pronounced for these children."

"A climate like this can open the door to sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse,”

2005-03-09T21:48:00.000-05:00

"A climate like this can open the door to sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse,” she said. “Exploitation of women and children can include trafficking. Fortunately, incidents of trafficking following the tsunami did not occur in hard-hit areas of Indonesia because of the great attention paid to the issue and the efforts that were quickly put in place by the media and organizations like Save the Children. The time is now. These legislative efforts must be passed. The lives of women and children depend on it." Sri Lankan Tsunami Family, Baby, Visit US Congress: VOA News

“Mr. Solheim was optimistic a joint mechanism for aid distribution could be established soon,”

2005-03-09T21:14:00.000-05:00

Mr. Solheim, accompanied by Ms. Solfried Lien, an Executive Office at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, met with Mr. Balasingham at the latter’s London residence Wednesday for two hours of discussions on the political situation in Sri Lanka and the outlook for Oslo’s long-running peace effort in Sri Lanka, the LTTE Chief Negotiator told TamilNet. “Mr. Solheim was optimistic a joint mechanism for aid distribution could be established soon,” Mr. Balasingham said.

"The lifestyle and customs of the residents of this village markedly differs from those of other traditional Tamil villages,"

2005-03-07T20:37:00.000-05:00

Residents of Alikambai, an ancient tribal village in Amparai coast, from a community of 231 families were delivered relief supplies including clothing Sunday by the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), a Sri Lanka Government registered NGO which works exclusively in the NorthEast, sources said. The Grama Sevaka of the district assisted in distributing the supplies to the villagers. Head of the Amparai district TRO, P Aathavan and Special co-ordinator Mr Selvarajah participated in the delivery of supplies to the residents. The lifestyle and customs of the residents of this village markedly differs from those of other traditional Tamil villages, officials said: TamilNet

"..hope president Bill Clinton will be able to bring the two sides together to work towards rebuilding of the devastated areas,"

2005-03-06T21:57:00.000-05:00

While stressing the importance of "the Norwegian effort to create a joint government-LTTE mechanism to be successful" for Sri Lanka to recover from the tsunami disaster, and expressing hope that "UN special ambassador and former U.S. president Bill Clinton will be able to bring the two sides together to work towards rebuilding of the devastated areas," Professor Oberst pointed out that "[The] sad reality of the Sri Lankan conflict has been the remarkable ability of both sides to allow opportunities for peace and reconciliation to slip away from their grasp," when he talked to TamilNet this week commenting on post-tsunami development in Sri Lanka: TamilNet

"This natural disaster has made all of us even more committed to our goal,”

2005-03-05T17:44:00.000-05:00

“We could have protected our people more effectively if we had had the necessary resources and, mainly, the sovereignty in our own hands. This natural disaster has made all of us even more committed to our goal,” - SP Thamilselvan, on CBC

"No proposal from GOSL regarding the matter of establishing a joint mechanism to implement tsunami relief yet,"

2005-03-05T09:45:00.000-05:00

Talking to the journalists after the meeting, Mr Brattsakar said that he had not brought any proposal from the Government of Sri Lanka regarding the matter of establishing a joint mechanism to implement tsunami relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction programme in the northeast: TamilNet _____________________________ Clinton expresses hope on joint mechanism for Tsunami reconstruction: Expressing hope on a joint mechanism for reconstruction of Sri Lanka's tsunami-shattered coastal areas, US ex-president Bill Clinton Monday said that he was informed Sunday night that the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and the Sri Lanka Government were working together to create such a mechanism for tsunami relief: TamilNet

"Somewhere, in the long forgotten histories of the human race, we know there have been previous tsunamis."

2005-03-02T21:56:00.000-05:00

Fishermen at beach during sunset in Galle: Photo by by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai "Somewhere, in the long forgotten histories of the human race, we know there have been previous tsunamis. Maybe, this was how ancient civilisations suddenly vanished — on a similar, idyllic Sunday morning. And yet, those of our early ancestors, who survived that manifestation of the ocean's wrath, went on with their lives." - Nirupama Menon Rao, High Commisioner of India writing in The Hindu.

"He's a very good boy"

2005-03-02T09:17:00.000-05:00

It just makes us feel that there's hope, and there's hope for everyone," the infant's father, Murugupillai Jeyarajah, told ABC News through a translator. Surrounding us, everyone's lost people," Murugupillai told ABC News' Charles Gibson. "It is hard to have joy, because there is sadness all around us." "The baby is basically asleep," said Lisa Sharkey, a "Good Morning America" senior producer who met them as they landed. "He's a very good boy."

"Both establishments (Tamil and Sinhalese) do not reflect the views of ordinary people,"

2005-03-01T13:50:00.000-05:00

Sunset in Galle: Photo by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai "Both establishments (Tamil and Sinhalese) do not reflect the views of ordinary people," Post-tsunami, Sri Lanka will never be the same again, says filmmaker and writer Tissa Abeysekara from the island country. "I am too close to the tragedy to write about it. The wounds are still raw and the scars are fresh in memory," said the author of the novel "Bringing Tony Home", of the havoc wreaked by the Dec 26 tsunami." Writing a novel was like coming home for me as I have always felt creatively renewed by the process of writing. Myths and legends have always inspired me and influenced my narrative style," Abeysekara told IANS in an interview here. Here to attend the South Asian literary conference, Abeysekara sees himself as first and foremost a storyteller for it is the sorcery of the written word that mesmerises him. His autobiographical "Bringing Tony Home" elicited lavish praise from celebrated writer Michael Ondaatje who described it as a "lost classic". A distrust of power is another defining feature of his writing. Wary of all power structures, Abeysekara prefers to speak for the common man."Both establishments (Tamil and Sinhalese) do not reflect the views of ordinary people," he added: IANS Links about "Bringing Tony Home": Guardian, Barnes & Noble, & NorthWest Passages.

"We take the incident very seriously, it just shows how vulnerable the eastern situation is,"

2005-03-01T09:26:00.000-05:00

"[The] attack took place in an area very close to a Sri Lankan army checkpoint, so there is no doubt in our mind that it is the Sri Lankan military," S Puleedevan, head of the Tiger's peace secretariat, told Reuters. "If these attacks continue, it will be very difficult for us to remain patient," he added: BBC

"It's a disgrace,"

2005-03-01T09:17:00.000-05:00

A shipment of aid, bound for Sri Lanka's tsunami victims, will be subject to a 30% import tax, according to the founder of a Guernsey charity. Linda Garnham from Aid Reaching Children says the Sri Lankan government is making delivery difficult: BBC "Purifiers were finally cleared Saturday after a payment of $10,000 to the Government of Sri Lanka Customs".: TamilNet

"Karuna is now a brand name taken under a bizarre franchise by loyalists."

2005-02-28T13:41:00.000-05:00

The hapless Eastern Tamils have suffered a military tsunami and a natural tsunami. Now they are in for a third tsunami of intra - tiger violence: D.B.S. Jeyaraj, in Sunday Leader Tamilnet: A senior political official and two of her colleagues were shot and seriously wounded around 6 p.m.Monday near Akkaraipattu by gunmen suspected to be from a paramilitary working with the Sri Lankan armed forces, LTTE sources in Batticaloa said. "This could not have happened without the knowledge of the Sri Lankan armed forces in that area", charged an LTTE commander in Batticaloa.

"95% of the relief we have passed out have been to hindu people..."

2005-02-27T22:25:00.000-05:00

A Missouri pastor who has spent the last year in Sri Lanka trying to spread Christianity, until the tsunami happened over this past Christmas weekend. Villages originally did not receive him well, but since the tsunami, as he helps to recover, he's also been developing a new relationship with the village: NPR Weekend Edition