TAMPA - She held out hope that her sister was alive, perhaps lying in a hospital somewhere in Sri Lanka. But Yasanthi Wedande learned Tuesday that the bodies of her sister and her sister's 3-year-old son had been found.
They were vacationing in a hotel along the coast when the waves came, Wedande said.
Jayantha Mallikarachchi's first cousin and his family were driving along the coast in Sri Lanka when the tsunami hit. Their car was swept away. Only one body was found.
Wedande and Mallikarachchi were among several dozen mourners at a special service Tuesday night at the Florida Buddhist Vihara in Tampa. They carried flowers and offered prayers for the more than 58,000 people who died in Sunday's disaster.
"We are grieving for the entire nation," said Vinita Witanachchi, 45, of New Tampa.
Sitting cross-legged on a rust-colored carpet, they chanted and prayed for the dead, who came from more than 11 countries.
"That's the only thing we can do now," said Renu Mallikarachchi, 37, who lost two relatives when their vehicle overturned. "What else?"
They poured water from a jug into a glass until the glass overflowed. By doing this, the good deeds they have performed in this life will transfer to their relatives who were killed.
Shanthi Paranawithana's sister in Sri Lanka got caught in the waves but was rescued. But her sister's mother-in-law and sister-in-law were washed out to sea.
The home she grew up in was flattened. Bodies were hanging from the branches of trees.
Her sister "lost everything but her cell phone; that's all she has," said Paranawithana, of Clearwater, who said she can't bear to turn on her TV. "Hearing about it was enough for me."
A plastic container in the corner of the room held several folded $1 bills. Others pledged what they could: $50, $100. The money will go to Kande Vihara, a temple that is being used as a disaster shelter for the affected region.
"We've never had this kind of disaster," said the Rev. Kokkavita Wipulasara. "We are a Third World country. We don't have anything. Everything is lost."
Checks made out to "Florida Buddhist Vihara Inc., Disaster relief fund" can be sent to the temple at 2208 Maydell Drive, Tampa, FL 33619. Other groups also are involved in fundraising.
The Hindu Temple of Florida, at 5509 Lynn Road in Tampa, will collect donations at a special prayer service Jan. 8. The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Florida is receiving funds. Donations can be sent to CAIR at 8056 N 56th St., Tampa, FL 33617.
The Royal Palace Thai Restaurant in Hyde Park plans to stay open Mondays for at least the next month to raise money for disaster relief in Thailand, its owners said Tuesday.
Everything the restaurant earns on Mondays, including tips, will be deposited into the Royal Palace Thailand Tsunami Relief Fund set up at Bank of America, said co-owner Tapanee Damrongwatanasuk. Employees have volunteered to work for free on Mondays.
Her husband and restaurant co-owner Randall Knowles were supposed to be in Phuket, Thailand, over the Christmas weekend with an old college friend. But Knowles twisted his knee in the bathtub on Thanksgiving, forcing him to cancel the trip.
He could have been on the beach getting a massage when the tsunami hit, he said.
"We could have been standing there taking a picture just like this," Knowles said, pointing to a photo of himself and his friend in front of water and white sands from a previous visit. "It could have been me, and I feel so bad for everyone."
The Islamic Society of Tampa Bay Area, 7326 East Sligh Ave., will hold a special prayer Friday for those killed in the disaster. Wat Mongkolratanaram, a Thai temple in Tampa, plans a prayer Saturday.
"This is a time to seek prayer and a time of reflection that life is so precious but at the same time very fragile," said Ahmed Bedier, CAIR's communications director.
Staff writer Saundra Amrhein contributed to this report. Shannon Tan can be reached at shtan@sptimes.com or 727 445-4174.
