The Sri Lankan community living in the Kansai region of Japan came together on April 28th to remember and pray for the victims and the injured in the terror attacks that took place on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. The memorial service which was organized by the Kansai Japan Sri Lanka National Organization (KJSNO) was conducted by a Buddhist monk and Catholic priests. The prayer service was attended by more than hundred people at the Yodogawa River Park in Hirakata City, Osaka. It was an occasion to express our sympathy and solidarity with the people back in Sri Lanka and to pray for peace in the country.
All those who attended the prayer service came forward to offer flowers remembering more than two hundred and fifty lives that were sacrificed on Easter Sunday.
A woman who participated in the memorial service said that while watching the news she was shocked to see what was happening in Sri Lanka. She also said that our coming together as a Sri Lankan community will deliver a message to the people who have lost their loved ones. A man in the congregation said that it was painful to think about the terrorist attack; at this very difficult time he would like to convey to the Sri Lankans back home the desire to live and not to give up.
Although the threat of more militant attacks has been contained, people in Sri Lanka live in fear and anxiety. Many not knowing what their future is going to be like, tend to lose hope and patience. In this situation, I think what we, living far away from Sri Lanka, can do is to pray for peace and harmony and hope for God’s intervention.
Brad Rozairo OMI
