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To all our business partners
Sri Lanka is the worst affected of all the countries hit by
tidal waves which were triggered by the 9.0-magnitude undersea
quake centered off the Indonesian island of Sumatra which
occurred on Boxing Day. The Tsunamis affected over two thirds
of coastal areas ranging from the far north of the island
all the way round to the eastern, southern and western coasts
and the death toll, which presently stands at 18,000 is expected
to rise further as the full scale of the disaster becomes
apparent. Over 1 million people are estimated to have been
displaced by the flooding that took place in the aftermath
of the tidal waves.
Our 16,000 strong workforce remains largely unaffected. The
company has taken all necessary steps to ensure that the needs
of those employees who are affected by the crisis are met
promptly and that all required assistance will be dispatched
without delay. A 24-hour helpline has already been set up
for any employee requiring assistance to call in and make
their specific requests, which will be addressed promptly.
All of our manufacturing plants, based mainly in the outskirts
of Colombo, remain unaffected and our business will continue
uninterrupted. The Colombo port is also now fully functional.
One matter of concern is the degree of absenteeism that we
could expect at our manufacturing plants. A number of our
employees who have gone to their distant homes during Christmas
holidays will find it difficult to return to work due to the
large scale disruption to the rail and road transport services
in the country.
The Government, Non-Governmental Organizations and the Private
Sector have joined the relief effort, but assistance is still
required in the form of shelter, drinking water, food and
clothing etc. We at Brandix have a social responsibility to
make a concerted drive to join the relief effort and have
pledged to provide temporary shelter in the form of one thousand
tents to house some of the displaced and where possible, to
provide drinking water for the needy. |
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