Lankan expat helps tsunami victims

by E. Weerapperuma

Sri Lanka marked the first year of the tsunami catastrophe, with religious and social ceremonies in several parts of the country, specially in the 14 districts where the people were severely affected.

It was a good sign to see that religious dignitaries coming together and conducting inter-religious services to offer merits to the dead and give strength to those who live with the memories of the disaster.

When the Sri Lankans were in tragedy those living in overseas, heard the news, saw the TV clippings, footage of disaster and it was time for the Sri Lankans living in overseas to help and save their fellow men crying for help, in the hour of her greatest need.

Chandra Monarawela, Chairman and the proprietor of `The Red Book, Nationwide', a Sri Lankan domiciled in Navan, Ireland told the Daily News that he was watching the CNN news at the time of the disaster in Sri Lanka and some of the countries in the South Asia.

He said that the CNN flash stories of an earthquake in Indonesia and there was nothing reported about Sri Lanka at the time. But within a few minutes, the unexpected had happened. The tsunami had hit the shores of Sri Lanka and everything that was happening was flashed.

"I knew I had to do something. Though we lived thousands of miles away from Sri Lanka, I realised that it was my country, country of my birth and the country I so loved in my tender years that was in peril with the natural disaster. I acted swiftly", he said.

Chandra, an Engineer by profession learnt his job at the SIRACO Engineers, left the Sri Lanka shores to Belfast, their Headquarters almost 50 years ago in 1956, and ended his career there in 1983 and commenced editing a local newspaper The Weekender.

Being a very active man he spent most of the time doing his job with a nose for news, also had made several visits to Sri Lanka at intervals, to keep-in-touch with his roots in Aniwatta, Kandy.

Editing a newspaper kept him on pins. And he was watching the growing situation in his Motherland when the catastrophe hit the country. "I was watching the CNN. They spoke of Indonesia being hit by the earthquake and disaster at close but spoke nothing about Sri Lanka. However I rang my home at Aniwatta, Kandy to find out any effects of the earthquake.

"My daughter rang me having herself seen the tragedy in Sri Lanka as shown over the television channels. We should do something. "Shall I ask McCarthy whether he could allow his premises for us to use to collect funds?" I said no.

"I did not want to seek help that way. But within minutes my daughter had rung the phone, McCarthy was at my door steps. " We called a meeting of our Sri Lankan friends, on December 28 at this meeting about 50 Sri Lankans, we formed the Ireland-Sri Lanka Trust to help Sri Lanka. I became the treasurer of the Trust.

We collected Euro 30,000, McCarthy donated Euro 100,000. We also organised "Grey Hound Racing" competition and that was handled by Financial Dynamics - PR Company. The event had collected Euro 400,000 in one night, while I was in Sri Lanka on January 10, 2005 on request of the Ireland-Sri Lanka Trust, to get an overall picture of the post-tsunami situation. My Office staff had collected Euro 250,000.

On my visit, I learnt that it was mostly the fishermen that had been affected by the disaster and most of them had lost their houses and boats. As a token of my visit I decided to donate a boat.

The Foreign Minister of Ireland who was in Sri Lanka at the time of my visit to the areas affected by tsunami, joined me to donate the boat, along with Deputy Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardene, who was then handling the construction of houses for the victims.

The donation was made at the Payagala, Gomarakanda Raja Maha Viharaya. The Foreign Minister promised Euro 100,000. My donation was an indication that we wanted to relieve them of their worries.

It was just one heralding message of many more boats to come.

The ALSTER Television had a live telecast over of visit to the affected areas and that had great effects on our projects to help Sri Lanka.

In the meantime my daughter had spoken to the schools' principals to raise funds and the television programs had prepared the schools and they wanted to know what sort of assistance needed and the children were very generous in their contribution. The BBC and the Danish television crew who were in Sri Lanka had also informed of the disaster fallen on Sri Lanka.

We plan to build 50 fully furnished houses and we would donate about 1,000 fully equipped boats. He said that they select those deserving after perusing through the lists submitted by the authorities and conducting their own survey of the respective families. He said that their project had generated employment to over 3,000 persons.

A house would cost Rs. 700,000 and Monarawela said that their housing project would not use asbestos as his country prohibits the use of it, being not good for health." In European Union countries use of asbestos is prohibited by law and the removal of asbestos from site is done carefully", he said.

The housing project was expected to be complete by the end of the year and by the end of January 2006, the balance of 1,000 boats will be distributed.

Monarawela said that he regretted that due to the imposition of VAT on the donations,they were prevented from donating more houses and boats. "Your Government had collected Rs. 15 million by way of VAT but the imposition of tax on donations, by our people in Ireland made them refuse further contribution and in fact one lady was insistent that we return her money.

But my daughter persuaded her assuring that her donation would be put to good use and when she saw the pictures of the houses built and her name placard displayed, she was happy and satisfied", he said.