Wickremesinghe spends New Year Day with tsunami victims

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 April 2005, 14:10 GMT]
Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and leader of the opposition, Thursday visited Tangalle, a town in Sri Lanka's South and met with tsunami-affected people, party sources said. Tangalle is one of the coastal areas destroyed by last year December tsunami.

Mr.Wickremasinghe said he was glad to be with tsunami victims who lost their loved ones and assets in recent tsunami.

Thousands of tsunami victims celebrate the New Year Day in makeshift camps while people in other parts were lucky to be in their homes, he said.

"With the dawn of the New Year we must be mindful of our own brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, devastated by the tsunami undergoing hardships in camps. Those who previously celebrated the New Year happily with family members, are today grieving their loved ones lost in tsunami. They dream of a better future, having lost everything they had, including their houses, on that fateful day," said the Leader of Opposition in his New Year message.

"All should make concerted effort to help the tsunami victims overcome hurdles and assist them in restoring normalcy to their lives. Only then could we make the New Year prosperous," said Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe in his message.