RIYADH, 7 January 2006 — More than 500 Sri Lankan men, women and children gathered recently at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh and its consulate in Jeddah in a somber mood to pay homage to those who died in the tsunami last year and pray for the welfare of its survivors.
The meetings were organized by the island’s missions to commemorate the first anniversary of the tsunami which killed more than 40,000 Lankans and rendered a million homeless last year.
“We shudder to think of this fateful day which swallowed some of our relatives, friends and family members. The support and assistance given by the international community made us recover from the impact from this natural calamity,” A.M.J. Sadiq, Sri Lankan ambassador told his people following a two-minute silence observed as a mark of respect for those who succumbed to the killer waves. “On this occasion, we salute Saudi Arabia and the Lankans living here for their unprecedented response to help the tsunami victims,” the envoy said, recalling that the Kingdom was one of the friendly countries which sent relief aid spontaneously. The community members lit tiny oil lamps to pay respect to the dead in their traditional way.
The Kingdom sent eight plane loads of relief materials and is currently building 1,000 houses for the tsunami victims. The Saudi Red Crescent donated 15 ambulances.
