Sri Lankan President visits quake-hit area in Sichuan Province

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse visited Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province, on Saturday to see people affected by the May 12 earthquake, after attending the opening ceremony of the Olympics games in Beijing.

In a meeting with Rajapakse, Sichuan Governor Jiang Jufeng expressed heartfelt gratitude for the relief offered by the government and people of Sri Lanka.

Rajapakse said in response that China extended great help when Sri Lanka was ravaged by a devastating tsunami in 2004. With the profound and solid bilateral relationship, he hoped the people in quake-hit areas could recover from their grief and rebuild their homeland.

During his visit, Rajapakse inspected a damaged community center in the pouring rain and listened to local officials as they provided a briefing on the current situation. He went to the largest survivors' camp and donated gifts to children who performed for him in the makeshift community center.

Rajapakse visited the Chinese Embassy in Colombo to convey his sympathy after the quake. The government of Sri Lanka also donated large amounts of relief materials such as tents, medical facilities and medicine.