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03/08/2005:// A survivor of the Asian tsunami which killed hundreds of villagers in the Sri Lankan village of Arugam Bay is visiting Cornwall to thank the surfers for helping the aid effort.
The area bore the full brunt of several tidal waves in the aftermath of the earthquake on Boxing Day last year.
The small fishing community was swamped by 40 feet waves which caused devastation three miles inland.
More than a 1,000 villagers were made homeless and many are still living in a tented compound eight months after the tragedy.
Badurkhan Atham Bawa, Secretary of the Tsunami Aid Foundation will visit the Rip Curl Boardmasters surf contest at Fistral Beach to express the thanks of his fellow survivors to the British people.
Surfers across Britain raised more than £10,000 for victims of the Asian tsunami by supporting fund-raising events around Surf Relief Day.
Various surf-related initiatives were held across the UK including surf contests in Cornwall, Devon and Wales and London.
The relationship between Tsunami Surf Relief UK (TSRUK) and TAF began when Dave Manley, TSRUK's chairman, met Badurkhan in Arugam Bay in February 2005.
The fact-finding visit, supported by Sri Lankan Air, sought to establish the situation on the ground in the wake of the disaster at A-Bay.
In June, Badurkhan reported that with the help of British donors, his Tsunami Aid Foundation (TAF) had purchased a piece of land for a local school which was destroyed by the tsunami, distributed fifty bicycles among the survivors and appointed 24 teachers to affected schools - leaving the local area with an 88 teacher shortfall still to make up.
Badurkhan said: "We the trust members of TAF, Arugam Bay and Pottuvil, express our sincere thanks to all the members of TSRUK who spend their valuable time and energy fundraising to help the survivors of the tsunami."
Arugam Bay has become a regular stop on the Cornish-run British Professional Surf Association tour.
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