News
Neglect will soon make this Peraliya tsunami memorial a memory too
View(s):- Little facilities for people who visit site on December 26 to remember their loved ones
Text and pix by Gamini Mahadura
The stone-walled plaque built in Peraliya in memory of the lives lost in the December 26, 2004 tsunami will soon be a distant memory too.
Neglected by authorities, the memorial site is cleaned only a few days before Boxing Day every year. In addition to cracks appearing on the memorial, the area has inadequate lighting at night.
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- Foreign tourists as well as locals also visit the memorial
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- Every year the memorial site is cleaned only a few days before Boxing Day
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- Cracks have appeared in the memorial due to neglect
“Many of those who visit the site have lost a loved one from the Peraliya train disaster or from the deadly tsunami waves. But there isn’t even a proper area for them to spend a little time remembering their loved ones. We need to put up a shelter for those who visit the memorial. Many tourists also visit the memorial,” Ruwan Preethi Kumara, a member of the Ratgama Pradeshiya Sabha said.
He said even for the slightest rain, the front bit of the memorial gets flooded.
More than 1200 people who died in the Peraliya train tragedy have been laid to rest near the memorial. Over 300 houses in the village were also swept away in the deadly waves killing more than 249 villagers. Another 141 people in the area also disappeared on that fateful December 26.
“This is a place of tragedy, a place of healing and a place of grief. Families and loved ones should be able to come to this place and spend time reflecting on their loss. We need to provide more facilities to those who visit the site,” said T. Nimal, Ratgama Pradeshiya Sabha chairman.
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