Ex-pat Sri Lankans with first-hand experience of the Tamil conflict are helping those caught in the crossfire. Joseph Barratt reports.
They left the military and moved to New Zealand but these men remain proud to serve the country of their birth.
The Sri Lanka Returned Services Association of New Zealand has collected
a container-load of medical supplies to help those whose lives have been torn apart by decades of civil war between that country's government and Tamils.
Nalin Wickremashinge and Mangala Rathnayake were both in the Sri Lankan military.
Mr Wickremashinge spent 22 years in the Sri Lankan Air Force, rising to the rank of wing commander before he moved to New Zealand in 2001.
Mr Rathnayake was a major in the Sri Lankan Army and has lived here since the 1980s.
More than 30 members of the association have launched Project Appreciation to send aid to their home country.
After appealing to donors across the city and fundraising, they have filled a container with medical supplies. In their first event - a food fair at Panmure District School - the association raised about $8000 in the first two hours.
"It was great, a mix of all cultures that wanted to help a worthy cause," says Mr Wickremashinge. "Nearly 1500 people came in the first two hours. More kept coming but we had run out of food."
He says they have ensured that all accounts will be audited so people can feel confident their money is going to the cause.
The money is being spent on medical supplies for civilians caught in the conflict, and the donated goods have gone into the container.
"Doctors have been helping supply wheelchairs and walkers, and one person even donated the freight cost," Mr Rathnayake says.
The association is also helping fund a scholarship scheme for children of families affected by the war. He says the aid will go to the people who need it most.
"It doesn't matter if they are Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher or Veddha," Mr Rathnayake says. "We want to help unite and get past any divisions."
The association was formed one year ago. At first the members went to their local New Zealand Returned Services Association but then they decided there were enough Sri Lankan ex-servicemen to establish their own branch.
"When you come to a new country you have hardly any friends, but you have a natural connection with servicemen," Mr Rathnayake says.
For more info, email: slrnz1@gmail.com
