SOS Malta decides on base siting

The SOS Malta medical team in Sri Lanka is planning to set up an operational base in the south west coast of the country, following a visit to the region yesterday.

A spokesman for the non-government organisation said the four-strong team, headed by David Grech, contacted the parish priest and the local authorities and have asked to set up an operational base in the district.

"If this is accepted, the team will drive down from Colombo with all the medical supplies and start their work alongside the local medical officers on the ground," the spokesman said.

This morning Mr Grech will attend a meeting at the Centre for National Operations at the Sri Lanka Foundation in Colombo. There he will meet up with other relief agencies and will be briefed on the situation in the various districts.

This should help the SOS team in their needs assessment report.

Contributions for the success of SOS Malta's operations in Sri Lanka should be sent to SOS Malta, Dar L-Emigrant, Castille Place, Valletta or deposited in bank accounts APS 20000245111, BOV 40013974950 and HSBC 006070932050.

The Civil Protection Department yesterday continued with its collection of supplies and CPD head Peter Cordina said the response was good.

The organisation had asked for tinned fish and water and Mr Cordina said people answered the call. He said the packing of the supplies will start tomorrow.

The Jesuit Refugee Services said equipping people with the skills to find work was essential to the long-term rebuilding process. The JRS has been at work in Sri Lanka for several years, serving people displaced by the civil war. It is now trying to help the people uprooted by the Boxing Day tsunami and working in collaboration with other organisations.

Mannar diocese parish priest Jeyabalan Croos, who was a JRS coordinator, will be visiting Malta today and celebrating Mass tomorrow at 7.15 p.m. at the university chapel, where he will be talking about the reality faced by people in his home town.

Sri Lankan Catholic Bishop Rayappu Joseph said people need help so they can start life on their own once again, the JRS said. He said: "They certainly cannot return to their villages. They have been reduced to rubble, razed to the ground; people cannot even think about going back".

The JRS said people wishing to contribute to the Church's rebuilding efforts for the people of Mullaithivu - one of the hardest hit areas in the north of Sri Lanka - can do so during Mass at the university chapel, at the JRS office in Floriana or by phoning 2122 7521.