Ranil asks for a time in P’ment to condole with Japan

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has requested time to be allocated in parliament to condole with Japan following the devastating tsunami, when the House meets next month.

Wickremasinghe has in writing requested Speaker of Parliament Chamal Rajapaksa to set aside some time to condole when parliament convenes on 22 April.

Wickremesinghe has also met the Japanese Ambassador in Sri Lanka to express his condolences over the lives lost in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami last week.

Meanwhile President Mahinda Rajapaksa also signed the Condolence Book at the Embassy of Japan in Colombo.

The Japanese Embassy opened the Condolence Book for the public to express their condolences to the Japanese people in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on 11 March.

The Embassy in a release said the condolence book will be open at the Embassy at No.20, Gregory's Road, Colombo 7, on Friday, 18 March and from Monday, 21st to Wednesday, 23 March 2011, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. each day.

The Embassy said although it sincerely appreciates the goodwill of the public during this calamity it was unable to accept donations in terms of goods towards the cause.

Financial donations towards the earthquake and tsunami affected people in Japan can be channelled through the Sri Lankan Red Cross Society or the Japan Red Cross Society.

The Sri Lankan government has announced that it will donate one million US dollars to tsunami hit Japan and also send a tri-forces rescue team to assist the devastated country in its recovery efforts.