Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday evening put up a heartwarming video of a Latvian woman sending her love and prayers for the people of Kerala who are suffering due to the devastating floods that have hit the state yet again after a year. Ilze Skromane, whose video the CM had posted, is none other than the sister of the Latvian woman who was sexually assaulted and murdered in Kerala in March 2018.
“Hello my dear Keralites,” Ilze begins her video and goes on to say, “I haven’t forgotten you and I have been closely watching the hard times you are going through. Please know that you are there in my thoughts and prayers and I really hope that this hardship will be behind you.”
While hoping that everything will be back to normal soon in Kerala, Ilze added that she will visit the state.
According to the CM, Ilze had sent this message lending support to the state of Kerala after she donated a share of her salary from Ireland to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). “This experience is priceless. Appreciate the mind Ilze had to stand with the state of Kerala during such hard times. Her message will definitely boost the self confidence of the people of Kerala,” added Pinarayi.
Ilze’s sister had gone missing on March 14, 2018, from the Dharma Ayurvedic Healing Centre in Pothencode in Thiruvananthapuram, where she was undergoing treatment for depression.
She walked out of the centre and hired an auto rickshaw on March 14. The driver, who was later traced by the police, said that he had dropped her off near Kovalam beach. She remained untraceable for over a month, after which, her decomposed body was found. Her murder had caused outrage in Kerala, and brought into focus the lack of safety for foreign tourists in the state.