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Sri Lanka Disaster - Two Teams Deployed to AssistDate: 02/01/05Securewest International, the global security company with principal offices in Norfolk, Virginia, USA and the United Kingdom is responding directly to the urgent requirement for humanitarian assistance in Sri Lanka. Today, the first of two six-man teams of former British Army Gurkhas and Indian military personnel left the company’s offices in India and Nepal bound for eastern and southern Sri Lanka. These areas in Sri Lanka were affected the most by the devastating tsunami.
On New Years Day, John Casson, President of Securewest International received a telephone call from members of the British expatriate community in Sri Lanka. They advised that little aid had reached the southern city of Galle, which has been particularly badly damaged and nothing at that time had reached the Tamil areas of eastern Sri Lanka.
“I was shocked to hear this and that the British expatriate community were raising their own money to purchase life saving essential items and distributing aid every day amongst the thousands and thousands of people who had been left homeless as a result of the tsunami”. John Casson said. “They sounded totally exhausted. They are doing a marvelous job but they need immediate direct help”.
In response to this, all Securewest International offices around the world were called in on New Year’s Day morning to help organize an urgent deployment with the objective of moving one six man team of former Gurkha soldiers from each of the offices in Nepal and India as soon as possible.
The first team of fully equipped Securewest International Security Officers departed from the Indian office early on Monday morning, arriving in Colombo early the next day. These experienced Security Officers have much needed skills including communications and engineering. They will be working from the Galle area of Sri Lanka to assist in the distribution of food and essential supplies.
“We took the decision to deploy these teams at our own expense,” explained John Casson, “everyone is aware from the press coverage of the devastation and human suffering in the countries affected and as an international company with interests in this and many other parts of the world we could not stand by and do nothing particularly when we could identify a direct and useful role.”
The second team of six former British Army Gurkhas depart from the Nepal office early on Tuesday morning, having been briefed, inoculated and equipped with all necessary supplies to carry out a similar role in eastern Sri Lanka.
Securewest International’s aim now is to be able to send a further two teams and a team leader who will assist in the coordination of all the team’s activities in the area. To achieve the deployment of further teams and purchase essential supplies, Securewest International has launched an appeal both locally and globally, hoping to raise a minimum of $40,000 to fund the next two teams.
“This represents the chance to make a very real difference right now. Much of the aid is there and in the country – the daunting task is having people with the experience and skills to get it to where it is needed safely and fairly, which is something we intend to do and make happen” concluded John Casson. |