Brunswick Remedial Massage: Melbourne’s Sri Lankan community gathers to pay respects at St Paul’s Cathedral

Ravi Harshana, a practising Buddhist who organised the vigil, mentioned a lot of Victoria’s 55,000-strong Sri Lankan group had been grieving.

“On Sunday, myself and lots of Sri Lankans deliberate to get dinner with our Christian associates,” he mentioned.

“As soon as we heard the information, we felt unhappy for the entire night time. Our smile went out. Our faces had been wanting unhappy. We didn’t share any attention-grabbing tales – solely unhappy issues.

“No happiness, no enjoyment, no leisure.”

Extra vigils had been held at Sri Lankan Buddhist temples in Keysborough and Berwick, within the metropolis’s south-east, on Monday night time as Melbourne City Corridor and Flinders Road Station had been lit up within the colors of the Sri Lankan flag.

Prayers at St Paul's Cathedral on Monday. — Prayers at St Paul’s Cathedral on Monday.Credit score:Eddie Jim

Greater than 50 per cent of Australia’s Sri Lankan-born inhabitants stay in Melbourne in line with the final Census.

The Australia Sri Lanka Catholic Affiliation was internet hosting 250 individuals at its annual Easter camp at Halls Hole, close to the Grampians, when information of the tragedy broke on Sunday.

Treasurer Samaka Fernando mentioned attendees – the vast majority of whom hail from the predominantly Catholic space of Negombo in Sri Lanka, the place one church was focused – had been “completely devastated”, with many leaving the camp instantly.

“At first we did not consider it was true, as a result of nothing occurred in Sri Lanka the final 11 or 12 years. Then everyone was calling their mother and father and kinfolk to test if everyone is OK,” he mentioned, including that the continuing blanket social media ban in Sri Lanka made communication with kinfolk tough.

Ravi Harshana, the organiser of Monday's gathering at St Paul's Cathedral, said her community was grieving. — Ravi Harshana, the organiser of Monday’s gathering at St Paul’s Cathedral, mentioned her group was grieving.Credit score:Eddie Jim

“After that time we cancelled all of the occasions we had. It is a form of despair. That’s the worst factor, as a result of we don’t know what’s occurring over there.”

Mr Fernando mentioned a Catholic vigil can be deliberate for later within the week.