SL foremost in tsunami reconstruction -Azwer

Sri Lanka takes the foremost place in completing the reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by the tidal waves out of all the countries affected by the tsunami, said A H M Azwer M P and Member of Parliament Council, speaking at a religious ceremony conducted jointly by the Madrasathul Aroosiya and the Borella Ahadiya Association held at the Aroosiya hall, Maligakanda, Colombo 10 on National Safety Day.

The ceremony marked the recital of Yaseen, Fathiha and Du'a in memory of all the people who lost their lives as a result of the tsunami.

Azwer said when the tsunami hit the country in 2004, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the Prime Minister. "Even against many obstacles placed on him at that time, he travelled in all affected areas and gallantly afforded all assistance to the suffering masses.

"Hambantota is a glaring example of how he galvanized international support and put up several housing schemes to accommodate a large number of people who were rendered homeless," he said.

Two or three families occupying a single unit prior to the tsunami were given separate houses. Muslim families in Hambantota were beneficiaries of this well-planned resettlement scheme of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

"Certain political forces were spreading rumours in the country during elections alleging that the President denied Muslims of their entitlements. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Muslim community, as much as other communities, were the true beneficiaries of the benevolent services of the President," he said.

He said, "seeing is believing, and if anybody visits Hambantota, they would surely believe the facilities now being enjoyed by the people occupying these newly planned Tsunami housing schemes."

Azwer also paid a tribute to the pioneers of the Aroosiya Madrasa, namely Dr Shuhaib Thaika Alim Saheb and the late Munsoor S Deen, Marzook S Deen, M S M Hamza, T K Marso Quraish and Buhary Hamza.

Al Haj Shibly Hashim presided. Hassim Omar, Director, I T N, Al Haj Maulavi Hassan Mowlana, President, Co-ordinator of Islamic religious affairs were also present.

A two minutes silence was observed in memory of the Tsunami victims. Religious recitals were conducted by Moulavi Ahamed Shab and Moulavi A J M Aadil.