(Revised): Sri Lankan Airlines and donations

Forwarding a message from Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, whom most group
members will know as the editor of the Sri Lanka Wildlife News which
I regularly forward to OB. Obviously, the situation described applies
to one degree or another in all of the areas affected by the tsunami.
The message is that many of the areas are dependent on tourism and
would like our support as soon as they have been able to pick up the
pieces.

Best wishes

Krys

Krys Kazmierczak
orientalbirding-owner@yahoogroups.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne" Sent: Friday, December 31, 2004 1:42 PM
Subject: Post Tsunami - Sri Lanka

Dear All,

Under the circumstances, I am sure you will excuse the generic note.
I am
sorry that I have not been in contact with you'll. But I know my
colleagues have kept some of you in the loop on the tsunami which has

tragically cost a lot of lives in Sri Lanka.

The Yala-Tissa-Kirinda area experienced a heavy loss of life. The
only
loss of lives of at a Jetwing Hotel was at Yala Safari Game Lodge.
The
Yala Safari Game Lodge was totally destroyed with staff and guests
losing
lives. The total death toll could be as high as fifty. I went down
with
senior colleagues as soon as we heard of the devastation and spent
four
days working with search teams. We are still engaged in tracing
survivors
and relief is being provided to staff who are affected. The time
spent
recovering bodies of the dead, were the worst days of my life.

By the fourth day, many of the dead had been buried and the thoughts
of
the local communities turned to their future. They don't want to live
off
relief aid. Many people from park staff to jeep drivers to wayside
kiosk
owners asked me to re-start business as soon as possible. They
repeatedly
said that the best way we can help is to bring tourists back and re-
start
the local economy.

We need a week or two to come to terms with the human tragedy and to
ensure that humanitarian efforts are fully supported. After that
Jetwing
together with others wish to get the economy back on track so that
people
can re-build their shattered lives.

The Yala Village hotel is virtually undamaged. All of the hotels in
Tissamaharama are intact. In my search for survivors, I visited many
of
the properties and also reassured them that we will bring visitors as
soon
as possible. The staff of many of these properties have also suffered
the
death of friends or relatives and are also very anxious of their
livelihoods. They want the dignity and security of employment.

Many people in Sri Lanka depend on tourism for a livelihood, directly
and
indirectly. Over 70% of the tourism infrastructure in terms of room
nights
is intact and all of the hotels away from the coast are fully
operational.
One of the best ways for overseas nationals to support the local
communities is to resume travelling to the island, after allowing Sri

Lanka a couple of weeks to re-group.

All Jetwing Hotels are open for business other than the Yala Safari
Game
Lodge, which was fully damaged by the recent disaster.

Finally, I know all of you wish the best for all of us in Sri Lanka.
If I
am extremely brief in any of my replies please excuse the brevity as
we
are going through a difficult time.

Best wishes

Gehan

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne
CEO
Jetwing Eco Holidays
Wildlife & Luxury Travel
Jetwing House, 46/26, Nawam Mawatha, Colombo 02 , Sri Lanka

Tel: ++94-11-2345700 or ++94-11-2381201 Fax:++94-11-2441289.
eco@jetwing.lk, http:www.jetwingeco.com