What a Disaster! Honestly, when I first heard about it at day break I came to think of you. Glad to know you weren't affected by any of these.
BBC reported that many Britons in Sri Lanka were caught in the midst of the chaos. Most while in thier resorts. Phuket reported the highest number of foreign casualties. A lot of people here are worried about thier famlies in the South East parts. Is there any sign of waves building up once again?
I just cannot imagine the sea rising 30-feet high right in front of your eyes. I haven't seen any captures so far, it's so hard to believe. No wonder I hear stories that many were sleeping during waves hit the shores.

Thanks for the concern. There are thousands who actually need it badly and I mean really badly. Most organizations are trying thier best to get provisions to the affected areas. They are giving priority to medical supplies, cause many are injured and fallen ill. Only now I wish I had a considerable medical knowledge. Damn!

As for repeated waves, there actually has to be repeated quakes of the same intensity which I believe is highly unlikely to happen right now. There was this geological researcher who actually predicted this disaster few months back. He of course is satisfied with the results of his predications. However, according to him there will be another tidal wave here in our coast in the near future. But I don't suppose we are to expect one right now.

I heard some stories about foreigners, British of course, who were caught in the middle of the waves. One of the most frightening ones were at a beach resort in Bentota. There were some who were having thier breakfast when suddenly they saw the ocean heading thier way. What on earth could they do? The water had ripped off the glasses and spurted into the ones inside killing them instantly. Horrific!

how did the earthquake affect bentota beach in sri lanka

It was said that waves atleast 7-8 feet high hit the coast line at great speeds after which the sea drained completely out again. The first pic out of the two above is the sub-merged bentota beach resort. But I just heard that the hotel is still operational despite the major damdges.

Here's the incident I was refering to earlier.

"We were having breakfast at around 10 a.m. when the first wave hit. It came up into the hotel yard and broke all the ground floor windows. Then a second smaller wave came through, and this was followed by a third, even larger than the first, which washed away everything", Marie Jaakkola reported on Sunday from Bentota in the south-west corner of Sri Lanka.Jaakkola and two friends watched in shock as water flooded through the hotel. "We were wading up to our waists in water that was full of debris and broken glass." Jaakkola and the others were eventually rescued by locals and taken to higher ground. From there she was able to be evacuated out with British and German tourists.

I am interest toreceive notices on damages of tsunamis 12 dec 2oo4 on Seychelles,particulary Pralin island
sincerely

Seychelles - Praslin Island resort reports

La Reserve: "All rooms have been flooded and are full of dead fish and sand. There are no computers, or fax machines operational. The kitchen , restuarant and main buildings have been affected including all furnishings, and food stores. The hotel is now closed, and clients have been reallocated to other hotels on the island."

Paradise Sun: "Closed, and all new bookings will have to be reallocated."

Acajou: "No damage reported. The sea level did not reach the rooms or main hotel structures. The pool bar has temporarily been closed for clean up of sand and debris which had been swept up by the waves."

New Emerald Cove: "The hotel did not have any affects from the tidal waves, expect for their floating jetty which had been dislodged and swept away. Looking to have this repaired in the next few days."

Cafes des Arts: "Beach rooms flooded, clients have been relocated to Le Duc. Clients who will be arriving today, will be reallocated to other hotels."

Cote D’Or Lodge: "Hotel has been closed completely, due to the tides having affected the rooms as well as the main building. The clients have been relocated to other hotels on the island."

Palm Beach: "The hotel has been flooded, but there has been no structural damage. All the rooms on the ground floor have been flooded. Clients have been reallocated to the upper rooms and a makeshift restaurant has been prepared on the upper floor."

Beach Villa & Amite: "Beach Villa has been affected by the waves, with majority of all the rooms flooded. Clients have been moved to stay in the owners home. They are in the process of cleaning the hotel. The Amite Chalets have not been so greatly affected.

Villa de Mer: "The tides have affected the beach restaurant. They have now moved the restaurant into part of the reception. The rooms are intact and have not been affected. General cleaning on the beach restaurant and garden areas is taking place.

No damage to: Berjaya Praslin Beach, Les Villa D’Or, L'Archipel, La Vanille, Coco de Mer, Indian Ocean Lodge, Lemuria Resort, Le Tropic Villa, Maison des Palmes, Marechiaro.

Other islands including La Digue Bird Island, Denis Island, Alphonse & Desroches, have not experienced any damages and are operating as normal.

can anybody tell me what happened to Club Villa in Bentota?

TSUNAMI SRI LANKA: Autism Awareness Campaign International Appeal

The southern and east coast of Sri Lanka were devastated by the Tsunami - giant tidal waves smashed into the island killing thousands of innocent people including people with disabilities. Over a million were made homeless.Thousands of little children have died. Sri Lanka needs desperate help.

The Autism Awareness Campaign in Sri Lanka appeal for humanitarian assistance - we urge you to help the people of Sri Lanka. Please donate generously to humanitarian campaigns such as Christian Aid, Oxfam, UNICEF, Care International, World Vision and others.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has appealed to people around the world to help victims of the floods that struck Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Premier also expressed his thanks to the many countries that have pledged aid for the thousands affected by the tidal waves that followed an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia this morning.

His office at the Temple Trees has already started a hotline for relief funds and information. The contact numbers are:

Tel: 94112542871 or 94112392047
Fax: 94112321404

This operation is being coordinated personally by the Prime Minister through his Secretary Lalith Weeratunga - people around the world can also send donations to the Office of the Prime Minister, Temple Trees, Galle Road, Colombo-3, Sri Lanka.

The Rotary Club of Colombo Regency in Sri Lanka [www.rotaryCregency.org] are formulating plans to channel relief to the areas where they are most needed in Sri Lanka. At a time of this national disaster the nation and its people must stand together. Stand together to help the million victims who have been displaced from their homes and loved ones. Not only have these people lost their family/loved ones they have lost everything except for the clothes on their back.

How you can help

The Rotary Club of Colombo Regency, plans to implement the relief effort in phases in order for it to be effective.

The immediate need is for water and dry food items like biscuits, and canned fish, as displaced people are unable to cook meals just yet. In addition, basic medicines and clothing are also essential.

The second phase in a few days will be to provide dry rations, milk powder etc. as hopefully by that time people would have been moved into refugee camps.

The third phase (5 to 7 days) would be to conduct health camps to prevent/treat any outbreak in disease caused by polluted water and lack of proper sanitation etc at the refugee camps.

In the longer term, rebuilding of life and property would take an enormous effort and would need worldwide help.

If you wish to contribute by way of any items listed above or by cash or kind, please write into this site or phone/email any one of the persons below:
Mario Perumal +94 777 371204, mario@vigilant-security.com
Chamila Wicramasinghe +94 777 364618, chamila_w@yahoo.com
Shantha Warnakulasuriya +94 777 355288, shanthaw_midaya@sysnet.lk
Bary Jaleel on +94 777 300239, mcabdul@slt.lk
Altaf Ismail +94 777 741855, altaf96@slt.lk

Tharanga Gunaratne +94 777 389075, tkg_lk@yahoo.com

You can send cash contributions in the form of Cheques/Drafts/Money Orders as per the details given below:
Beneficiary - "Rotary Club of Colombo Regency"
Account No: 001-003771-002
Bank Name : HSBC
Postal Address : 24 Sir Baron Jayatilleke Mw, Colombo 01, Sri Lanka
SWIFT Address : HSBCLKLX

For items sent from overseas, The Rotary Club have arranged for duty waivers. Please make sure that you specify the beneficiary as the "Rotary Club of Colombo Regency", c/o Bary Jaleel, 15 Cambridge Place, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.

However, send an email The Rotary Club with your full name, contact details and your contribution amounts and modes, so that they could keep a track. You can also log onto http://www.lankafood.com/ and select the items you would like to sponsor, and pay for on line. Details of items needed and their rates will be published on this site within the next 24 hours.

Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka
http://members.tripod.com/autism_srilanka
autismsrilanka@hotmail.com

I have recently returned from Sri Lanka, staying in Lihinya surf hotel in Bentota. Anyone know what has happened to it?

I also became friendly with two brothers when I was there - Emil Gayan, and Emil Charminda, both taxi drivers, anyone know of them? I also got to know the local shop owners quite well, what has happened to the shops just behind the railway line?

i was recently staying in the Club Bentota hotel. is there any news as to the state of the hotel and its area. i am very worried as the hotel is on the small island seperating the ocean from the bentots ganga.

Can someone tell me what has happened to the Club Villa in Bentota ?
Thanks

I tried to contact them using thier number +94 34 275312, but couldn't make it through. They haven't been in the news either.

Thanks Graham.
I've read in Lemonde.fr (the main French newspaper) that another Bentota hotel - Serendip Hotel - was ravaged. As it is not far from Club Villa, I'm quite worried.
Any news on them is welcome.

I was wondering about the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Isn't that right in the tsunami's path? The US operates a major military base there but there seems to be a news blackout about it. Hmmmm. Any news?

due to visit bentota beach next year how demolished is the area

Jim, amazingly Diego Garcia seem to have been spared from any damadges related to the tsunami. More here

Bentota was badly hit. I heared that 4 of the main resorts suffered severe structural damadge. Not sure about the situation in Club Villa, but it would have surely suffered an impact. Everything is a mess over there, the Tourist Board published some information which states that they don't recommend any visits during the next couple of months.

Sewa International, USA is soliciting your tax-deductible contribution for the relief and rehabilitation of Tsunami victims. Sewa International will channel your generous contributions to the above mentioned and other voluntary NGOs providing relief and rehabilitation to the affected families.

Kindly make your donation payable to
“Sewa International”, write “Tsunami” in the memo and mail it to, Sewa International USA. 3535 McClure Woods Dr., Duluth, GA 30096

this is so terrible. my feelings go out to all those affected. it does not seem real.

its really strange i had a dream about a whale that caused a tsunami the day before this happened. i told my dad about it, next morning he woke me up to show me the news.

I was looking for news of Club Villa too and I found this on a bbc blog:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_4125000/4125619.stm

"I see some messages from people asking about the situation in Bentota, Sri Lanka. Although we were on the south coast when the tidal waves struck, I later spoke to people who said the area was bad, but not as bad as the south or east. The particular hotel we had stayed in earlier in the holiday, Club Villas, was apparently lucky and not a drop of water got inside. Other hotels positioned nearer to the beach were more severely affected with the ground floor being totally devastated.
Madeleine Lees, Stansted, UK"

Hi, My mother is living in Bentota and although as some people said that the low lying hotels next to the beach were badly affected most of Bentota got away fairly well (by comparison) and although she had 30 people staying in her house which is on a hill, houses were only flooded - something they are familiar with.

My mum and many of the locals from this area have been helping people in Galle with direction from the temples.

Es realmente lamentable lo ocurrido en Asia, ruego a Dios por la pronta recuperacion de la zona. Colaboremos todos para q eso pase.

Sí Karinna, Espero también que todo se convierta bien..

and thanks for the news, nice to know that Club Villa is safe. However the beach resort was one of the 4 which were badly damaged. There's another account from Bentota here.

Does anyone know if the Hotel Neptune at Beruwela was damaged?

Yes, Neptune had some serious damadges in the ground level. But most of the upper parts were safe. There's some info here

Is there any news of the workers (and tourists) at Serendip Hotel, Bentota? I heard it was badly damaged, I desperately hope they survived - they were such wonderful people.

I believe most of them managed to find thier way out. They are so wonderful people, that it seems they didn't want to leave anyone behind.

Hotel Serendip, a pretty wooden two-storey property sitting on the beach, was destroyed after being submerged in water.People cruising in the nearby Bentota Ganga river were forced to abandon boats in crocodile-infested waters and attempt to swim to the banks. People driving in the area told how they had abandoned cars to run from the advancing expanse of water.Amid the chaos and devastation, staff at the hotel worked tirelessly and courageously to help those in trouble. Some attached themselves to the tallest palm trees by ropes while clutching surfboards in their attempts to help those carried out to sea.

we are very sorry about your trouble with tesonami in your country and neibours . we are geologist( I and my wife) and followed its news from the first day and became very surprise and sorry. we light a candle for all of peoples that dead with tesonami.

we spent 16 days in Sri Lanka-Bentota,Kandy, and the Maldives just a couple of months ago and have been searching for news since the Tsunami to make sure all staff ok.

Emailed Serendib but it was returned by mailer demon, emailed Athuruga but have heard nothing.

so i was glad to hear the excellent staff at the serendib are ok. not surprised to hear they helped others, they helped to make our holiday a dream, nothing was too much for them. a shame that the hotel has gone we had hoped to go back. also looking for news on Athuruga island maldives and hoping the staff there are also ok. anyone got any info? it was paradise.

Hi Lisa, posted it 4 u. I don't think Serendib would be checking mails for a while. Most are probably still recovering.

Anyway, this german article states that there are no major damadges caused in Athuruga, except some minor casualties. To put it right: "it is not a disaster condition".

does anyone know how the kosgoda beach resort hotel and its staff have fared?

Kosgoda was one of the badly hit areas, just like its neighbouring villages in the Galle beachfront. The beach resort suffered structural damadges. The only survivors from the resort that I know of is the South African junior cricket team.

There were many casualties from the resort area. The papers reported around 40 dead. But hopefullly we might get more news on survivors soon.

Iam iranian an dwhen i hear this disaster felt very sorry I hope the help of counteries can be sufficient

has anyone any news on Club Bentota in Sri lanka yet? made alot of friends in the staff and have been unable to contact any of them.

Can anyone tell me if the Serendib Hotel in Bentota was badly damaged as we were there in August & met lots of lovely people

Yes, Serendib suffered structural damadges and so did Club Bentota, Lihinya surf and others on lower ground. But not all parts were taken down by the waves. However, there's still no information on survivors. It'll take time as all of them have scattered and communication is low on some areas.

Hi!
Your blog is very informative. I have lists of links for people to use to donate if you are interested in taking a look. Also have addresses and such stuff. Currently vacationing in Sri Lanka - it ain't good at all is it? Where were you when it occurred?
- Marisa.

I was staying at Club Villa when the Tsunami struck. The water didn't touch the hotel. We felt extremely lucky. However, the hotels North of us such as Serendib, Lihinya and Club Bentota were all damaged. As far as I am aware no one was killed in those hotels and people were evacuated quite swiftly. I travelled to Beruwala and thet appeared to have been quite badly affected - their tuna fishing fleet was decimated. Also managed to get down to Kosgoda to hand out some food and clothes etc. and Balapatiya and the damage there seemed horrific, particularly in Kosgoda which had been flattened. Many dead. Didn't make it further South where the damage is far worse.

I am a musician and was staying at the Bentota Beach Hotel in 2003. Whist there I met a local band called 'Breeze', the were great lads and I played with them one night. I have tried to contact them by email to see if they are ok, but no response. Anyone know them & if they are ok?

So much to do. Let's all do something to help. I speak french, spanish and English. Let me know how I can help.

did anybody else readabout loud explosions/bangs heard around indonesia on 19/12/04 these were assumed to be an undetected meteorite, im just curousif there .could be a possible link.

I am writing from Chile and I´m trying to find a lady who was spending her honeymooon at the Princess Resort in Phi Phi island. Her name is Francisca Cooper, she is caucasian, blond wavy hair, 1.70 mts tall, athletic, 26 years old and her husband´s name is Aurelio Montes, both chilean. Any information is welcome. Thanks.

Does anyone know if Ajith Prasanna from Alughgama is OK - he worked at a watersport centre near Bentota and regularly came to the Serendip Hotel. We met him and his family 2 years ago and have been writing ever since but have no other way to contact him.

I am trying to find out if the Mount Lavinia, Earls regency, Kandalama and Tea Factory Hotels in Sri Lanka are OK. And Reethi Beach in the Maldives, as well. Anyone know? And how are these areas coping?

Have been concerned about staff and beach lads at the 'Neptune'in particular (Syd & Bob) and Dumby the barman who were all fantastic people who we remember fondly as we were married there over the christmas period 6 years ago Does anyone have any idea whether these people are safe? We were going to visit again on our 10th wedding anniversary but have decided to go this year as I'm sure they need the economy boosting and we can take what we can to help.

Im searching for information about Bentota Beach Hotel. I was married there and met so many kind and lovely people. Any info on how badly it and surrounding area was affected?

This is a great blog....thanks.

I am desperately trying to find out about the Kosgoda area and in particular a man called Mr Rathnasiri de Zoysa, he had a small, basic (but wonderful) restaurant just on the beach in Kosgoda called the Lagoon View Restaurant. Rathnasiri walked with a limp and had a wife and three children. His house was situated just opposite the restaurant.

I read above that the Kosgoda area was badly affected, if anyone has any further news aboutt eh area I would very much like to hear it.

My best wishes and thoughts for everyone affected by this tragedy.

Hi everyone!

@gail: Possibly a UFO. Them triggering earthquakes might be new to scientists.

@Lucy: The shores of Mount Lavinia did experience tsunamis. Many coastal houses and shanties were destroyed and completely covered with water. However, the hotels were unharmed. Kandalama and all inland areas were on safe grounds. It was only the coastal areas that suffered all the damadge.

@Lisa: As I said earlier Bentota Beach Hotel did suffere damdges. But it was one of the very few in that area which kept operational even after the tsunamis hit. I hope we get to know more about it soon

@Linda: Kosgoda was one of the worst hit areas in the Galle coastline. Galle itself has accounted for around 4,000 deaths. I'm not aware of the restaurant you were refering to. But i'll let you know if I get any info.

For all who are looking for information on Sri Lankans, I suggest you make an entry at LAcNet's Find Them. They are doing a great job trying to connect the locals. It's probably your best chance online. Hope it helps.

thanks Zeus, i will try the link. keep up the good work.

please, anyone who knows about kosgoda, the beach resort hotel staff and the neighbours, especially the family of swineetha (sunita) perere, the small shop/restaurant just in front of the hotel - let me know!!!!!!!!! sibea

Tsunami in Sri Lanka

The Autism Awareness Campaign Sri Lanka have launched a new blogspot with information on the tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka:

http://autismsrilanka.blogspot.com

We are working in partnership with the respected Rotary Club Colombo Regency who are reaching out to victims in the disaster areas of the east and the south of Sri Lanka

I am also wondering about the Bentota Beach Hotel, grounds and elephant! Our daughter learned to walk there, we were frequent guests while living in Saudi Arabia as expats, and it holds many wonderful memories. More info is appreciated! We were returning this spring!

We stayed in Club Palm Garden hotel (beruwala) in August 2004.! We would really like some news on how badly the hotel was hit..!

Matthew

matthew and i stayed at Club Palm Gardens together on the more amazing holiday of my life. i am so worried about their lovely staff and the friendly and caring "beach boys" that we met. particulaty Sam, who ran Sam Tours on the river and Eric, who owned a 'tuc tuc' taxi. any news is much appreciated as i can stop worrying about them, thanks vicky

We married in the beautiful gardens of the Serndib Hotel, Benetota on 29th February 2004. The lovliest elephant carried us down to the waters edge as man and wife. How sad that our beautiful paradise and the fantastic people we met have been devestated in such a way. Leon the manager, Sammy our wedding co-ordinator, Sampath the tut tut driver, the waiter, watiresses, room boys and all the clourful characters we met are constantly in our thoughts. If tears could help how good that would be. We await news of those who made our first few days of married life so wonderful!

did anybody know about this persons:
Premalal Abrew: he was living in Kosgoda as a fisherman. he has 5 or 6 children
Sulochana Abrew: She is 29 or 30 years old and stayed in Pinwatta. She has a younger brother and an older sister
Saman Priyanka Mandis. He was one of the "beachboys" which are normally in front of the Kosgoda Beach Hotel. His home was in Balapitiya. He`s 29 years old and small:
Thank´s for your evidence !

Reference Serendib Hotel, Bentota - We have been in touch with Sampath (tuc tuc driver) via mobile text. He and his family are safe and healthy.

Reference Serendib Hotel, Bentota - We have been in touch with Sampath (tuc tuc driver) via mobile text. He and his family are safe and healthy.

HI there in November 2004 myself husband and two friends stayed in the lihinya surf bentota, we shopped in the shops just over the railway line, does anyone have news of the owners and a man called Indie, we then went on to Lohufushi resort in the maldives, does anyone know how that faired?

i am very sorry with your this cuntry people

@yvonne: Lohifushi Resort is OK, it took a big hit but its not destroyed just badly damaged and will be rebuilt with ease soon. (more here)

Today the Tangerine Group announced that all their hotels in the south, including Tangerine Beach Hotel & Royal Palms Beach Hotel, which were affected by the tsunami are back in operation. The only one held down was Nilaveli Beach Hotel, which was badly hit and is known to take an estimated 6-12 months to commence operations.

Additionally, the Tourist Board said that of the 7,682 rooms affected by the tsunami, 3,626 were back in operation and 3,931 would be ready within the next seven weeks.

However, the 24-room Club Bentota, the 101-room Bayroo Beach Hotel, the 160-room Triton Hotel, the Nilaveli Beach Hotel and properties in Arugam Bay will not be restored by the end of next month.

If you need specifics, call the Tourist Board using their dedicated hotline: +94 11 4740219.

We stayed in Kosgoda Beach Resort, november 2004.
Can anyone tell about the situation there.
There was a little store: Latha Tailors (Lasanthasiri de Silva & Ujithasiri de Silva.
We wrote them a letter and received a letter, dat 22-12-2004. We want to known how they are.

Sonja

http://www.contactsrilanka.org/

We have visited kosgoda beach resort 2 times and we would like any news about the hotel and it's staff it is a great shame and a great loss. We would like to find out if Sydney,Bob the beach boys are safe Jeffery the head engineer and the boat man on the lagoon at the hotel are all safe any news please. The link above is usefull.

We want to know more about a waiter in Kosgoda Beach Resort. We called him "Bob Marley" because he loved that music so much. We don't know his real name. He was about 18 years old, curly hair, and loved to sing and hear Marley-songs. Does anyone knows more about him?

I found this link to an account of what happened in Kosgoda, it mentions the 'village tailor' - i am not sure if this is the same tailor whose business was located just at the front of the Kosgoda Beach Resort.

http://www.libadu.com/tsunami

Again, if anyone has information about a Mr Rathnasiri De Zoysa from the Lagoion View beach restaurant please let me know.

Thank you.

Did Indian Scientist fail to Predicting Tusnami?
Of course not...
Here is an example of two of the Indian's Who proposed the model over the earthquake prone zone of andaman arc.

In their model they predicted an earthquake within a radius of 25Km from the trench axis"...
Unfortunately the thing comes out to be true and it happened just 27.5 km away from the trench axis. According to USGS the intensity is 8.9 to 9
The Indian School of Mines- Dhanbad, India is having an earthquake observatory facility and the intensity calculated from these data is 8.59 (it’s a good approximation).

These two Indian's are none other than the Dr P k Khan, Dr P P chakrabarti, faculty of Dept of Applied Geology, Indian School of Mines-Dhanbad,India who led their study and reached so close to the natural calamity.
Their paper is being published this month from MIT-US-ELSEVIER.

If these paper is brought into the eyes of the Indian Government may be they might had taken some positive steps to prevent the catastrophe of death. One of the possible way is implementing strictly the supreme court orders for the residents in the coastline(not to stay within the 500mt of coast)and this scale of disaster might be low.

So government should take appropriate steps to make these scientific research works fruitful.

With prayers for the victims of Tsunami,

Ravi

I have recently returned to the UK from Sri Lanka. We have a house on the beach in Waikkal / Negombo next to the Club Hotel Dolpin, of which I have some news about in case anyone was interested.

I was at the pool bar in the Dolphin when the waves hit. There was no warning and it was a terifying experience for everybody. Congratulations have to be said for the hotel staff who reacted so quickly in evacuating all their guests as quickly as the did. Because the Dolphin is raised up from the actual beach with its own breakwater (and the recently constructed breakwaters further out) The damage is minimal really. The pool was filled with lots of soil and sand but has since been totally cleaned out - Some of the cabanas were flooded but have sine been repaired as were the ground floor rooms around the pool, again all of which have been repaired. The conference rooms under the Miami area were damaged and are in the process of being repaired. the lagoon area by the restaurant was flooded and is in the proces of a deep clean. Amazingly the new pool and surrounding area was not affected at all. The hotel is open as usual, although with no one allowed to fly there on a package deal it is mostly aid workers and transit guests which is not good for the non permanent staff as you can imagine. All the staff are ok but a lot of them have lost friends and a few have lost members of their family that live down south. There are also a lot of staff whose familys have survived but houses have not so if anyone knows anybody and wants to help it really is needed. I know pretty much all the staff in this hotel - so if anybody is concerned about someone in particular then feel free to email me at chrissparkie1024@hotmail.com and I would be glad to let you know how they are.

My husband and I have stayed twice at The Bayroo Hotel,Berawela and had some wonderful holidays. We were wondering if any of the staff had died as they were all such a lovely bunch of people. We made friends with a few especially Sam,Fred,Felix does anyone know if they are safe and need any help?We were looking forward to out trip in March but have been told the hotel is closed until Jan 2006 can anyone tell us any more information about this?

We were staying at Club Bentota when the Tsunami hit. From what we have been told by the Manager, 1 German lady fell victim of the sea and 2 people were seriously injured and everybody else escaped unhurt.

We are told little remains of the hotel and it will be demolished and rebuilt on stronger foundations. Also Club Bentota is now a separate island and the distance across the river has drastically reduced due to sand being washed in.

"Nimal Mendis composes Tsunami Song

Nimal Mendis is one of Sri Lanka's outstanding singer/songwriters. He is a composer with dual nationality of Sri Lanka and Britian. He was 'discovered' by Radio Ceylon during an era when the oldest radio station in South Asia ruled the airwaves. They plugged his song 'Kandyan Express' and all his songs turning them into hits. At present Nimal Mendis is living in France. He had 22 songs recorded in Britain in the sixties and appeared on the popular TV show “Top of the Pops " in 1968 with my own song " Feel like a Clown ". It was with his singing partner Sandra Edema as Ranee and Raj. It was a guest appearance. He is among a handful of Sri Lankan artistes ever to go on the 'Top of the Pops' TV program during the height of the the BBC program's popularity in the Swinging Sixties.

One of his songs " Master Sir " has been a popular song in Sri Lanka for many years. He also wrote " Ganga Addara " for the late Vijaya Kumaratunge, the Sri Lankan President's husband who was assasinated in 1988 . He has written these and many other popular film songs for our country’s foremost filmmakers Lester and Sumitra Pieris 's . The two songs mentioned are still played often in Sri Lanka.

Following the destruction and horror of the Tsumani that struck Sri Lanka Nimal Mendis composed a new song. It is based on the unprecedented sadness that the entire island of Sri Lanka is experiencing. The song will be translated into Sinhala and also to Tamil.

Nimal Mendis needs sponsorship for a recording of this song by an organization who could do it like the Band Aid effort by British artistes that collected a huge sum of money for charity. He does not want anything for the song. Money collected should be sent to the President’s fund directly.( copied below )

To contact Nimal Mendis:
Tel: ( 0033 ) 5 45 65 17 66 - nimal.mend@wanadoo.fr
His son ( Paulmarie Mendis ) contact details: in London. Tel: ( 0044 ) 207 272 5748 - datamyst@aol.com
In Sri Lanka - Varadatta Aravinda - mobile: Tel: ( 00941 ) (0) 777 749420 -saman_li@yahoo.com

TSUNAMI RELIFE IN SRI LANKA - THE PRESIDENT'S FUND DETAILS:
Name of the Account : “ President’s Fund for Disaster Relief”
Bank : People’s Bank- Head Quarters Branch
Account Number : 204 100 190 136245
Type of the Account : Current Account
Swift Code : PSBKLKLX
Sort Cord : 204-7135
Online Transfer : Facility not available

THE COMPOSITION BY NIMAL MENDIS:
1st Verse
Oh see the foam
The foam-crested wave
Everyone is dying
No one to save
Rising terror thirty feet
Crashing on the shore
Rolling horror on the land
Destroying door to door
Did you need the tsunami
To leave war behind
To come together
Love each other
My child I cannot find.

CHORUS
Tsunami Tsunami
Can I forget this day
My hand has lost its grip
My child is washed away
Tsunami Tsunami
From the bottom of the quake
Why have you done this?
Hundreds and thousands to take
The sea speaks to you man
The sea speaks to you
I’m cleansing your sins man
And all of your motherland.

2nd Verse
I was watching the sea gull
Diving for the fish
It caught the swimming eel
Out of the deep
I remembered the bullet
Past my ear with a swish
I grabbed my child, saved ourselves
With one mighty leap.
Give me an answer
You transgressed the law
What is in your mind now
My child is no more.

CHORUS

For further information please see the tsunami information site:

http://autismsrilanka.blogspot.com"

sorry for all of persons who died there.........
just this
i never forgot that day

Hello folks nice blog youre running

Has anyone any use of the beach shops in Berawela?In particular Noble, Sri Lankan artist and Divra, dressmaker.

I know I didn't know anyone, But I hope everyone is safe and being cared for and love.Love Miss. Shawna Horton
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There is an absolutely astonishing story, entitled 'The CIA's OSS forerunner proposed using a nuclear bomb on a fault line to cause Japanese tsunamis and earthquakes!' in the 'News You Need To Know On The Dollar, The Economy, And The New World Order' section of SurvivalistSkills.Com.

To quote from the introduction to it...

The astonishing 1945 wartime document below, now declassified, outlines an astounding scenario.

Written as a secret operational proposal by the OSS, the forerunner of today's CIA, it was not put into efect - then, at least.

The chilling suggestion: "If we could could get (an atom) bomb within a mile of a point on a fault line destined to break within 90 years we might set it off ..."

It might well raise some suspicions in your mind regarding the recent and horrific Asian tsunami, which - amazingly for an 'earthquake'-caused event - registered no aftershocks whatsoever.

We present it here and leave you to form your own conclusions.

Nice site. You are doing a great service to the web.

looking to make contact with saman indika silva of sam tours who worked outside the club palm garden on beruwela beach. need to know if he and family are okay and contact address if possible.

For those people enquiring after the Kosgoda Beach resort, more info can be found here: http:/www.dogscoff.co.uk/kosgoda.htm