Japan to provide tsunami early-warning system to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 February 2005, 10:58 GMT]
The government of Japan, the largest donor country to Sri Lanka, has agreed to a request made by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to provide with the technical assistance to set up a tsunami early-warning system here as soon as possible. Visiting Senior Vice-Minister Foreign Minister for Japan, Shuzen Tanigawa, reveled this at a press conference held at the Hilton Hotel on Tuesday at the end of his fact finding mission in Sri Lanka. "President Chandrika Kumaratunga has asked for Japanese assistance to set up a tsunami early-warning system. But it depends on the government of Sri Lanka's ability to absorb it," Minister Tanigawa said.

Expressing the Japan's willingness to provide maximum assistance to rebuild tsunami-hit Sri Lanka, he said that country should progress and turn this tragedy to build mutual confidence with the LTTE and to further promote the stalled peace process.

During the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe, Japan during the third week of January, a special focus was made on "Indian Ocean Diaster" on the request made by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumui.

He said that the government of Japan has pledged USD 500 million to Sri Lanka for post-tsunami relief efforts, of which he said USD 250 has been pledged through the UN agencies.

The Japanese Minister during his stay in Sri Lanka, visited Matara and Hambantota and held extensive discussions with President Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama.