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Saturday, Feb 26, 2005

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Indian aid tremendous: Kadirgamar

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 25. The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, today thanked India for the "tremendous assistance in the greatest hour of need" and hoped that India's helping hand during the tsunami would bring the two countries closer.

Speaking at a book release function at the Sri Lankan High Commission here, Mr. Kadirgamar said he had come as a special envoy of the Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, to thank India.

Within hours of the tsunami striking Sri Lanka at 9.40 a.m. on December 26, 2004, the first Indian planes and ships arrived. Though the eastern coast of India was also devastated, the aid continued to pour in spontaneously and generously.

"Ships, medical teams, engineers, helicopters, mercy missions, field hospitals and debris clearing missions were all put in place and, most importantly, the Indian Navy dredged the harbour of Galle and undertook the hydrographic surveys of Galle and Colombo, which we had been planning for many decades, in just two days."

Stating that the aid and relief work not only demonstrated the closeness of India to Sri Lanka but also its "enormous capacity to bring disaster teams to a spot very quickly," Mr. Kadirgamar said.

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