GALLE (Sri Lanka): Legs folded, smiling serenely, several Buddha statues of cement and plaster sit unscathed amid collapsed brick walls and other tsunami debris. To many residents, the survival of the 3m-high figures is a divine sign.
“The people are not living according to religious virtues,” said Sumana, a Buddhist monk in an orange robe who sheltered from the sun under a black umbrella. “Nature has given them some punishment because they are not following the path of the Lord Buddha. The people have to learn their lesson.”
