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| Tuesday, 28 December 2004 |
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Boat glides into German couple's hotel room by Channa Kasturisinghe Casey Johnson, a freelance journalist writing to the Weekly Observer, arrived in Sri Lanka on December 21 to do research on the situation of the North and East. However, had to change the agenda of his brief visit due to the tidal waves, which hit the coastal areas of the country. He had the rare experience of speaking to several tourists who were in Sri Lanka's beach hotels when this disaster took place and witnessed, the damage done to the infrastructure. "I was planning to go to Trincomalee the day this catastrophe took place. I also had, plans to visit Kilinochchi and other war-affected areas. But, instead I decided to travel to the southern coastal belt to witness destruction caused by the Tsunami as this was one of the worst tidal waves in the world's history, Johnson told the Daily News. Casey had spoken to a number of foreign tourists who were affected including people from his own country. He said he felt terribly sorry for those locals and foreigners who lost their lives. "These tourists were here because this country has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world is an ideal place to spend Christmas. One couple I met at a temporary shelter had flown here for their honeymoon. The wife, Gabiella Wiberg Billgren told me that they were having coffee in one of the Hotels in Bentota when they saw sea water reaching the lawn. And the next wave which came 15 minutes later had ruined the large glass window in front of them. They had started evacuating when the biggest wave hit an hour later sending an entire floor under water. The couple had evacuated from the back of the hotel and had barely made it through a narrow gap beside the river before it was completely flooded," Johnson said. He had spoken to another couple who were barefooted and lost most of their belongings. The husband, Rainer Gode and his wife are from Germany. They were staying at the Lihiniya Beach Hotel and had for the first time of their lives seen a boat entering their hotel room," Johnson said. Johnson who will stay here till mid January is planning to visit Batticaloa and other areas in the eastern coast to see the tidal waves victims. |
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