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COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, February 28, 2005: Britain’s Prince Charles arrived in Colombo on Monday morning on a six-hour brief visit. Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, Power and Energy Minister Susil Premajayanth and Deputy Foreign Minister Prof. Viswa Warnapala received the Prince at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) amidst tight security. From the international airport, Charles flew to the Eastern Batticaloa district in a special military helicopter and visited Navalady and Thiruchendoor, two coastal suburbs of Batticaloa town, which were completely devastated by the Tsunami. Diplomatic sources in Colombo said that the Prince had insisted to visit Batticaloa as he wanted a first-hand account from one of the worst affected areas by the tsunami. The Sri Lanka government, according to media reports in Colombo last week, had initially objected Prince Charles’s plan to visit Batticaloa, offering a visit to Trincomalee instead. Charles, who arrived in Sri Lanka en route on a planned visit to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji islands, was scheduled to meet President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to discuss reconstruction assistance at the President’s House, Janathipathi Mandiraya at 11.00 am. HPI note: The article includes a photograph of Charles being received at a Hindu temple.

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