The Berlin Vihara in Germany Raises Funds and Collects Material for Tsunami Disaster

Some of the measures adopted are as follows:

1) The Berlin Vihara ( Das Buddhistische Haus ) has opened a special bank account to collect donations for Tsunami relief work, at the Deutsche Bank, Zeltinger Platz 16, Frohnau, 13465 Berlin, Germany

Bank: Deutsche Bank, Frohnau
Name of Account : Das Buddhistische Haus - Flutkatastrophe
Account No: 922079902
Sort Code (BLZ): 100-700-24
Reference: ?Flutkatastrophe?

2) The German Dharmaduta Society based in Colombo, which owns and maintains the Berlin Vihara, has also opened a Special Bank account at the Deutsche Bank branch in Colombo, Sri Lanka to collect funds intended for emergency disaster relief work in Sri Lanka.

Name of Account: German Dharmaduta Society Disaster Relief Fund
Account number: 0038398000
Address of Bank: Deutsche Bank, 86 Galle Road, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka.

3) The Berlin Vihara in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Berlin and the Sri Lanka Association in Berlin, has collected material for disaster relief. Two container loads of donated material consisting of medicine, clothes, blankets and toys for children, have been sent by ship and aircraft to Sri Lanka. More donated material will be sent by another container within the next few days.

4) On January 1st, 2005 the Berlin Vihara held a special pinkama at Das Buddhistische Haus to offer merit to the victims of the Tsunami disaster. Over one hundred people attended the function. Mr. Jayantha Palipana, the Ambassador for Sri Lanka in Germany, speaking at the ceremony thanked the German public, Sri Lankan expatriates and members of other nationalities for offering their sympathy, financial support and donations in kind for relief work in Sri Lanka. Mr. Palipana in particular thanked the Berlin Vihara for the cooperation extended in organizing the collection and shipment of the donated goods. Ven. Rathmale Punnaratana Thera administered pansil and conducted the religious component of the ceremony. Deutsche Welle TV recorded and telecast this event on its German National TV Channel.

5) The Berlin Vihara is also currently engaged in working together with organizations and public in other German cities to collect funds and material for Tsunami disaster relief operations.

In memory of the Tsunami victims an inter- religious public meeting was held on January 5th in Bremen attended by over one thousand people, mostly Germans. Members of the clergy of different religions spoke at the ceremony. Ven. Punnaratana represented the Buddhist community. He appealed to the German people for additional help to assist the victims in Sri Lanka, particularly the children, who have been badly affected by the catastrophe. Ven. Punnaratana also called for special long term relief assistance from Germany in the future.

6) The Berlin Vihara is also providing another service in response to requests from friends, well - wishers of Sri Lanka and Aid Agencies in Germany i.e. keeping them informed regularly of the current news emanating from Sri Lanka in the wake of the Tsunami tragedy.

Ven. Rathmale Punnaratana Thera, the Chief Resident monk at the Berlin Vihara, Ven. Medhayo, Mr. Tissa Weeraratna, Administrator of the Berlin Vihara, and the Vice - President of the German Dharmaduta Society, and Mr. Karunasena Sonnadara, Chairman of the newly established Society in Germany to support the Berlin Vihara, are responsible for organizing all the relevant activities at the Berlin Vihara to help the Tsunami victims in Sri Lanka.

Contact details:

Berlin Buddhist Vihara
( Das Buddhistische Haus)
Edelhofdamm 54
Berlin 13465
Germany

Tel. 49 ( 030 ) 401 5580
Fax 49 (030) 401 032 27
Email: mail@buddhistisches-haus.de
Website: http://www.buddhistisches-haus.de/
Disaster Relief Web Page: http://www.buddhistisches-haus.de/relief.php?lang=en

German Dharmaduta Society
106, Piyadasa Sirisena Mawatha
Colombo 10
Sri Lanka

Tel. 94 ( 011 ) 2676861
Tel. 94 (011) 2584083 ( Direct )
Fax 94 ( 011) 2550139
Email: senakawe@sltnet.lk