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| Sunday, 9 January 2005 |
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Rehabilitation and reconstruction : All-round praise for Sri Lanka by the News Desk Top international figures including US Secretary of State Colin Powell and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan who visited Sri Lanka this week to get an eye witness account of the massive damage caused by tsunami were highly impressed stating that of all countries hit by the sea tragedy, the Sri Lankan government was the only administration that had moved in quickly to speed up the rehabilitation and reconstruction process. These world leaders including South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae Chan, World Bank President James Wolfensohn and Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Lee Jong-Wook were on a fact finding mission in the affected areas. US Secretary of State Colin Powell even during his brief visit on Friday toured the most affected Southern town of Galle after which he said that Sri Lanka had prepared the most impressive piece of assessment on the damage and had identified priorities in the correct perspective for a rebuilding process. United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan who was in Hambantota yesterday with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse pledged all support from the UN which include the establishment of a UN sub-office in Hambantota to coordinate the southern rehabilitation and reconstruction process. Colin Powell commending the manner the Sri Lankans had rallied round at this hour of a national disaster stressed the need to strengthen such a cooperation irrespective of politics to extend it towards finding a lasting solution to the ethnic problem. He reiterated that the presence of US military deployed in the South of the country was only to help relief operations and added they would withdraw once the task was performed. South Korean Premier Chan who pledged a US dollar 15 million aid to the government offered to assist Colombo in setting up a Tsunami warning system. Chan emotionally moved witnessing the aftermath of the disaster ,"I saw for my own eyes the extent of the disaster and South Korea will further provide at least US dollars 30 million in the form of loans to help your country". WHO Director General Dr.Lee said the steps taken by the government to look after the welfare of those affected had given him courage to take swift measures to help the victims while adding that the backbone of the health system in Sri Lanka was not dislocated due to the tsunami attack. Dr. Lee claimed that the government had ample stocks of antibiotics to tackle spread of diseases and the WHO team was here to assist in combating outbreak of infectious diseases. |
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