Bishop of Sri Lanka: Local Ngos better equipped to assist the survivors
Trincomalee (AsiaNews) - The Catholic Bishop of Sri Lanka's battered eastern province has appealed for support for local humanitarian organisations struggling to assist quake survivors.
Bishop Kingsley Swampillai said no government or international aid had reached the area as yet and donations of food and clothing were pouring in from private individuals from the area itself and from around Sri Lanka.
The eastern diocese of Trincomalee and Batticoloa has been hard hit by the deadly Tsunami waves which swept across southeast Asia after a massive sea quake, leaving tens of thousands of victims in their wake. Violent waves entered villages located up to 3 kilometres from the coast in these Sri Lankan districts.
At latest count, the overall death toll in Sri Lanka stood at 18,706. Bishop Kingsley Swampillai said that in Trincomalee and Batticaloa, at least 2,600 dead have been counted so far. Thousands are still unaccounted for.
And an estimated 255,000 people have lost their homes, flimsy constructions which had lined the shores of this coastal zone. These people are now sheltered in makeshift refugee camps, so-called "welfare centres" and they are being cared for by local organisations, both church and other.
"It is already the fourth day that we are experiencing the aftermath of this terrible disaster. People are now getting into welfare centres where they are being cared for by the church and local non-governmental organisations. They are sheltered in schools, temples, churches and other public places," said Bishop Kingsley.
"So far we have not received government aid that would normally be provided in such a situation. We hope it will come soon. 90% of survivors have lost everything of their homes which were constructed along the seaside, so they will be here in the welfare centres for some time. The government must make some plans for relocation."
Bishop Kingsley said much time and paper work was needed for international aid to reach the area, which it had not done so far.
Asked if an optimal solution would be to fund local organisations, Bishop Kingsley replied: "Yes, for the time being, the best thing would be to support local NGOs. They are already on the ground, they are on the spot and can react immediately. They are distributing goods and money donated by people of the place."
He emphasised this appeal: "The international community should turn its face towards our plight and respond to the appeal of local NGOs."
The diocese is doing its part in the aftermath of the quake, currently looking after some 3,000 people displaced in its churches and schools. "We are giving food and clothing. It is private individuals who are sending help, many are coming from Colombo with lorry-loads of clothing and other things to give."
The survivors need all the help they can get. Amid the ruins of their homes and villages, each is seeking to come to grips with devastating personal losses suffered. "People are traumatised, they have lost their kith and kin, some have lost their parents, others their children, in some families there is only one member left," said Bishop Kingsley.
The UN has warned that disease may double the death toll of the quake. But the lethal threat of swiftly-spreading epidemics does not seem to pose danger in the Trincomalee-Batticaloa diocese as "so far people are safely sheltered in welfare centres", according to the Bishop.
The underlying message of Bishop Kingsley was clear: Rebuilding will take a very long time, and much support from the international community is needed to cope with the aftermath of this terrible tragedy.
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08/01/2005
