Houses, treatment for tsunami traumatised
 

E.Weerapperuma

Asian Conference on Peace and Religion (ACPR) headquartered in Korea has donated around Rs. one million for the purchase of two houses and for a programme to treat the people still suffering from the trauma caused by the December 26 tsunami.

The National Conference on Peace and Religion (NCPR) recipient of the financial aid on its request from the ACPR, working in collaboration with the Centre for Society and Religion (CSR-Maradana) purchased a house with 26 perches from Payagala at a cost of Rs. 325,000 to be donated to a family severely affected by the tsunami catastrophe.

Ven. Matugama Vangeesha Thera, Chief incumbent of the Purana Raja Maha Viharaya has said that R. P. Sarath, a fisherman and his family, who had found shelter at the temporary camp at the Veherahalakanda Purana Raja Maha Viharaya having lost his house at the tsunami disaster, deserve help and CSR Director Rev. Fr. Anslem Silva OMI responded favourably to the request of the Ven. Thera. At the ceremony organised by the CSR and held at the Ananda Samarakoon Memorial Studio at the Sri Lanka Boardcasting Corporation recently with Western Province Chief Minister Reginald Cooray as chief guest, NCPR President Bogoda Premarathne, a former Commissioner of Examinations handed over the deeds of the house to Sarath and his family.

Among those present on the occasion were Oblate Provincial (Colombo Province) Very Rev. Fr. Clement Waidyasekera OMI, Rev. Frs. Tissa Balasuriya OMI, Rev. Fr. Rohan Silva OMI, Director St Vincent's Homes, Maggona, Rev. Fr. (Dr) Mervyn Fernando, Director Subodhi Institute, Ven. Rambukkana Siddhartha Thera, Ven. Matugama Vangeesha Thera, the Chief incumbent of the Purana Raja Maha Viharaya and Western Province Minister Hector Bethgamage.

At this ceremony a cassette and a CD with 12 songs composed by Shanthi Shirani de Silva with Visharada Sarath Ovitigala's music were also released by the CSR.

The Chief Executive Officer of the CSR and Secretary of the NCPR Newton Fernando told `Daily News' that the second house will come up in a piece of land purchased by the Salvatorian Sisters and once the house plan is approved by the Payagala Pradeshiya Sabha, construction work of the house will begin.