Buddhist pilgrims on the way to India feared missing
KUALA LUMPUR: A group of 54 Buddhist pilgrims, including a large number of Malaysians who left the country on Christmas Day, is feared missing following Sunday’s earthquake and tsunami devastation.
It was learnt that the pilgrims were on their way to India but had stopped over in Sri Lanka for two or three days.
Wisma Putra officials here said the Malaysian missions in the two countries were unable to verify if the group, which also comprised Singaporeans and a Tibetan, was in either country.
However, they confirmed that all Malaysians residing in the two countries had been accounted for.
In Chennai, Malaysian officials have checked with their counterparts to ascertain if there were Malaysian tourists who had become victims of the tragedy, but as of press time, there is no information.
Chennai mayor Karate R. Thiagarajah said he had not received any news of foreigners, including Malaysians, who either had died or were missing.
However, there were concerns that a Malaysian hotel worker cum part-time diving instructor in Sri Lanka had become a casualty of the tsunami, as his family in Malaysia had not heard from him.
A check with a Malaysian High Commission staff member in Colombo revealed that the mission was contacting Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry, the police and rescue agencies for news on the Malaysian.
The staff member said the 200 Malaysian families residing in the city had been accounted for.
He added that none of them had made trips to the affected areas, including Trincomalee, one of the popular tourist towns badly battered by the giant waves.
“We understand that the beaches are popular with Malaysian tourists, but it is difficult for us to track them down as they do not register with the High Commission when they visit Sri Lanka,” he said.
In the Maldives, it was learnt that the 10 Malaysians working in resorts there were accounted for, but Wisma Putra could not confirm this.
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