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Courtesy Call on Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Makiko Kikuta by the Sri Lankan Disaster Relief Team

June 3, 2011
Japanese

(Photo:Courtesy Call on Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Makiko Kikuta)
(Photo:Courtesy Call on Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Makiko Kikuta)
  1. On Friday, June 3, Ms. Makiko Kikuta, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, received a courtesy call from Mr. C. D. Wickramanayake, Team Leader and Mr. Anura Kumara, Deputy Team Leader of the Sri Lankan disaster relief team dispatched by the government of Sri Lanka to assist Japan following the Great East Japan Earthquake.

  2. Parliamentary Vice-Minister Kikuta extended her heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the government of Japan to Mr. Wickramanayake and Mr. Kumara for devoting themselves with other members of the team to engage in debris clearance operations in Ishinomaki for about three weeks. Ms. Kikuta also expressed her appreciation to   H.E. Admiral(Rtd.) Wasanta Karannagoda, Ambassador of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to Japan for his contribution to the arrangement of receiving the team. She stated that this cordial interaction would be remembered forever by the people of Japan including the people of Ishinomaki, and the team made a great contribution to the exchange of goodwill between Japan and Sri Lanka.

  3. In response, Ambassador Karannagoda noted that Sri Lankans could show friendship and solidarity with Japan which had provided assistance to Sri Lanka following the Tsunami disaster in 2004, and he was confident that the bond between our two countries would be further strengthened.

  4. In addition, Mr. Wickramanayake mentioned the story of a house owner, who at first had told the team that he would have to abandon his house but decided to continue to live in it, as the Team thoroughly cleaned it up.

(Reference)
A disaster relief team comprising 15 officials from the Ministry of Disaster Management of Sri Lanka arrived on May 12 and they engaged in cleaning works in Ishinomaki from May 14 to June 1, in cooperation with 'Peace Boat', a Non-Governmental Organization.

    • (*This is a provisional translation. The above date denotes the date of the issue of the original press release in Japanese.)
(END)

Related Information(Great East Japan Earthquake)
Related Information(Japan-Sri Lanka Relations)

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