Sri Lankans to help the Burmese
Colombo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Sri Lanka’s government is planning to ship 20 tonnes of relief assistance to cyclone-devastated Myanmar and is urging its population to make a contribution by donating food and clothes. Likewise the Venerable Madhuluwawe Sobitha Thero has urged everyone to drop off donations at Buddhist temples during Vesak celebrations which begin next Tuesday.
Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywadena yesterday spoke about the “close friendship” between the two countries. “When Tami Tigers rebels attacked the Dalada Maligawa* (see photo), the government and people of Burma helped us rebuild it and improve the Ruwanweliseya Chudamanikya (a structure that serves as reliquary in Buddhist temples),” he said.
The 2 May cyclone devastated hundreds of villages in five Myanmar provinces causing 40,000 known deaths, a figure that might go as high as 100,000.
In Sri Lanka Buddhist monks quickly mobilised to collect aid for survivors, who are in need of everything. The government itself will ship everything to destination. This assistance is even more precious since Sri Lanka is not a rich country.
For his part the Venerable Seewali Thero said he expected help from companies and factories as well as schools.
“After fruitful discussions between Tourism Minister Milinda Moragoda and the Norwegian Ambassador, the Norwegian Government donated US0,000 and air tickets,” he said.
A special commission of monks has been put in charge of organising the collection and coordinating the work with the authorities.
* The Sri Dalada Maligawa is a highly venerated temple in the city of Kandy, which was the capital of the Sinhalese Kings till 1815. It is home to the only known relic from the Buddha, a tooth. The compound was attacked in a Tamil Tiger suicide mission on 25 January 1998.
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