His Holiness saddened by quake-tsunami in Indonesia
DHARAMSALA, Oct 1: The Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has expressed his sadness at the loss of life and magnitude of destruction caused by earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia.
“I wish to express my deep sadness at the tragic loss of life and devastation of property, as well as the hardship caused to so many people due to the major earthquake and tsunami that killed many people and injured even more on the island of Sulawesi,” the Dalai Lama has said in a missive addressed to the President of the Republic of Indonesia.
The Dalai Lama who visited Indonesia in 1982 and offered prayers at the historical Borobudur Stupa has further stated that he felt a profound connection with the people and culture of Indonesia during his visit.
The Tibetan spiritual leader has further donated fifty thousand US dollar from his trust towards the relief and rescue efforts.
“I understand that everything is being done to treat the injured and that rescue and relief efforts are underway. As a token of my sympathy, I would like to donate USD 50,000 from Dalai Lama Trust towards relief efforts,” the Dalai Lama said in the missive.
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake and 3-meter-high (10 foot) waves crashed onto the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, a city of 350,000 people on Friday and left the island in ruins killing over 830 people.
According to media reports, Indonesian Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho has said that an estimated 2.4 million people were affected by the disaster while hundreds were badly injured and at least 17,000 people left homeless.
