Tsunami vigil shines on through cold

The flame would not stay lit for Greg Eugenio, or any other member of the Asian Student… The flame would not stay lit for Greg Eugenio, or any other member of the Asian Student Alliance, during the candlelight vigil Tuesday night.

But the bitter, 4-degree temperature that stopped the candles from burning did not prevent many ASA members from gathering on the Towers Patio to keep the vigil for tsunami victims.

“If it was 30 degrees warmer…” said Eugenio, president of the ASA, who remained optimistic despite the less-than-expected turnout. “This is only the beginning. This will be going on all semester.”

ASA members gave a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating the effects of the tsunami and showed before-and-after shots of some of the affected towns. Two people had to hold up the screen because strong winds kept blowing it down.

Acknowledging some corruption in the areas affected by the tsunami, group members explained that all donations raised during the semester would go to the United Nations Children’s Fund, because members believe the money would end up in the right place through the fund.

One of the members of the group sang about human suffering and related it to the tsunami victims, but the mood was not all somber.

One member of the ASA, Rhajiv Ratnatunga, referred to the tsunami as Sri Lanka’s equivalent to the United States’ Sept. 11, 2001. He explained that the country’s current civil war finally stopped and that the tsunami might bring a possibility for peace.

Ratnatunga was not the only one who believed the tsunami could unite the people of Asia. Professor Robbie Ali, a teacher at Pitt’s School of Public Health who has been making visits to Indonesia for the past three years, said the tsunami would open up an opportunity to make things in the country better, rather than to bring things back to the way they were.

Ali said that people cannot change the deaths, but they can change their response. He also explained that once the media spotlight lifts, people will naturally forget about the situation.

Ali hopes to go to the Aceh providence, in Indonesia, and identify a community to sponsor as a sister-city. But he acknowledged the potential dangers of the affected areas and said he would only want Pitt students to go if they were extremely well prepared.

Ali plans to speak about the tsunami from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Posvar Hall.

At the end of the vigil, members of the ASA thanked people for attending despite the harsh weather.

Eugenio said the tsunami was one of the worst tragedies in the last 100 years, and he explained that it was something that could not be forgotten.

Editor’s note: Rhajiv Ratnatunga was a columnist for The Pitt News during the fall semester.