RIYADH, 16 January 2007 — Sri Lankan expatriates in Saudi Arabia have launched a fund to assist tsunami orphans on the island.
The fund was launched at a meeting held recently in Riyadh in the memory of those who died in the 2004 tsunami. The function, organized by the Sri Lankan Embassy in cooperation with the Sri Lankan Expatriates Society (SLES) Riyadh, observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect for the dead.
“A total of 100,000 rupees were collected on the first day of the launch and we hope to reach a target of one million rupees in the coming weeks,” SLES President Saravanaraj Nadarajah told Arab News.
He said the people affected by the tsunami still faced a host of problems even two years after the disaster. The SLES plans to help those still in need of assistance, Nadarajah added. W.S.M.S. Wijesundera, deputy chief of the Sri Lankan Embassy, called for generous public assistance for the victims.
Saifudeen Thassim, assistant general manager of Samba Financial Group, made the maiden donation of SR1000, which was followed by same amount of contributions from Cellacuddy Murugadas, accountant Absal Group of Companies, Arunagirinathan, chief accountant Kanoo Travels, Fawzan Fareed, sales manager SriLankan Airlines, and Niron Fernando, accountant Supreme Foods.
Thassim said that SLES remitted 15 million rupees and sent 10 container loads of relief materials to the tsunami-affected people.
“Sri Lankan expatriates in the Kingdom are willing to help their distressed fellow beings in times of calamities,” he said, and added that the funds collected on this occasion will be diverted to the educational needs of the tsunami orphans.
