Tragedy first Hand

‘Douglas College Student in Asian Flood Zone

Iain Reeve, OP Contributor

TSUNAMI INFOR

 

IN CASE OF EARTHQUAKE, GO
TO HIGH GROUND OR INLAND

 

he recent disaster that has befall-

en Southeast Asia has generated

an amazing response from the
world. News of the events hit me particu-
larly hard over winter break because a
friend of mine, Chiran Livera, also a
Douglas College student, was in Sri Lanka
as the tsunami occurred. I was pleased to
see when the new semester started that he
was safe, but severely shaken. This week I
approached him about talking about his
experiences. These are some of the things
he had to say.

The day of the disaster started off
fairly normally. Livera’s uncle took him
and his brother out for a drive to see some
of the local scenery. The town he was
staying in, and where much of his family
lives, is a town called Galle, on the south-

western coast of Sri Lanka.

hel

The town is relatively small
but densely populated, and
the ocean is visible from
everywhere. As Livera, his
brother,
stopped to refuel their car,

and his uncle
they saw something odd. A
wave, slightly larger than
usual, had washed up onto
land. Curious as to why this
was, many people began to
walk towards the beach to
examine the
Moments later, the water

occurrence.

sucked back swiftly, exposing
at least 200 yards of sand
normally underwater. Sea rocks and flail-
ing fish were visible from the beach.
Someone screamed, and while people
were frozen at first, they soon realized
what was coming. The entire area went
into a panic as people abandoned cars and
belongings and ran from the wave as fast
as they could. Livera remembers very little
of exactly what happened over the next
20-30 minutes, just that they ran up a hill,
not deliberately, but as a fortunate matter
of chance. They ran until they could not
see the ocean anymore and, on the out-
skirts of town, took refuge in a stranger’s
house.
After resting for a time, Livera realized
that the whole town had become sub-
merged in 5-6 feet of water. People were

constantly running by in a state of total
panic, asking for water. No one had any
idea of what had happened.
Helicopters began to pass overhead

just

which, he later learned, were used to take
water in to the devastated areas and bod-
ies out to fields to be identified. At this
point, Livera and his uncle made it slowly
back into town to search for their family.
When they arrived at the town they had to
trek through chest-high water. They saw
destruction and drowned bodies all
around. The reality of what Livera was
seeing had not sunk in. Eventually he
made his way to an aunt’s house on a hill
untouched by the flood and full of people
escaping the water. He used the phone to
contact his mother and another aunt who
were thankfully unharmed. That night,
rumours of more waves citculated, and
Livera had a sleepless night—checking
every noise in the dark, prepared to run at
any moment should another wave appear.

Over the next few days Livera watched
as ambulances, the military, and aid trucks
began to make their way into the town.
He says that no one there had any idea
that other regions had been affected, or
that it was an earthquake that had caused
the waves. Many, including Livera, helped
at refugee areas set up in temples, clearing
bodies and debris out of the town. After
a few days, the stench became unbearable
as the heat took its toll. He said he was
amazed at how quickly the military and

 

aid agencies arrived. After four days, he
left Galle for the capital of Colombo,
where he learned of the exact cause of
the disaster, as well as the massive aid
response that was occurring. He was, and
is, genuinely surprised and encouraged by
the attention and generosity of the people
of the world. He thinks that people have
reacted so kindly because this was not a
political tragedy. It was something that
could not have been prevented. It is not
something that has sides or ideologies
attached to it. He thinks the money will be
a good opportunity for Sri Lanka and
other countries; but their government has
a history of corruption and must over-
come this for the good of the country.

Livera has been at Douglas for six
semesters and plans to go to SFU next
semester to major in political science. He
wants to get involved in humanitarian
work with an international NGO. While
his experience was a traumatic one, he
says it has left him even more certain
about what he wants to do with his life.
He says that experiencing this type of dis-
aster first-hand, rather than seeing it on
TV or reading about it, drives him even
more. Lastly, he sees it as an example for
future responses. It shouldn’t take a disas-
ter for the world to come together, but
when one does, there should be no hesita-
tion.

Special thanks to Chiran Livera for sharing
his experiences.

 

Shooting From the Hypocrite

Some Observations from the Strike

Brandon Ferguson, News Editor

“The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to per-
ceive his deception, the one who lies with
sincerity.”

—André Gide

“Away, and mock the time with fairest show;
False face must hide what the false heart doth
now.”

—William Shakespeare

ne of the themes that seemed
to traipse through the strike last
Wednesday, and one that must

weave its way through any dispute worth a
damn, was that of hypocrisy. We are

always constantly comparing ourselves to
those who are not us. It’s the American
way...in Canada. Your neighbour has a
nicer lawn; your sworn enemy has a cuter
girlfriend; your girlfriend gives better
hand-jobs to your sworn enemy. These
examples in and of themselves are simply
jealousy. When you feel entitled to the
same goods and are not receiving them,
you are being petty—except for your girl-
friend, because that’s just fucking wrong,
man. Stand up for yourself. Demand bet-
ter.

Hypocrisy, however, exists when you
are told you do not deserve better by
someone who then lavishes themselves
with wealth they claimed was unavailable.

 

Some of the nice people I talked to at the
strike last Wednesday said that hypocrisy
was prevalent. Here, then, are some
instances of the hypocrisy that make up
this labour dispute—a labour dispute that

 

pits the holders of our money against

those who want our money—all while we
are kept from the classes that we paid too
much money for. Hey wait a minute...isn’t
that hypocrisy?

Continued next page

January = 19/2005