Clinton visits Kinniya
[TamilNet, November 29, 2005 18:13 GMT] United Nations Special Envoy, President Bill Clinton, Tuesday visited Kinniya division, which had registered highest number of deaths and displacement due to tsunami disaster in the Trincomalee district last year. During his two hour-stay in Kinniya President Clinton visited tsunami destroyed areas and consoled the victims, sources said.
Clinton arrived at 2.25 p.m. by a special helicopter with Ms Ferial Ashraff, a cabinet minister in the UPFA government. Mr. Mohamed Najeeb Abdul Majeed, a non-cabinet minister and also one of the four parliamentarians of the Trincomalee district, Mr.S.Rangarajah, Chief Secretary of the North East Provincial Council (NEPC), Mr.K.G.Leelananda, Trincomalee Government Agent, Mr.M.Ashraff, Kinniya Divisional Secretary and representatives of UN agencies received President Clinton at the Kinniya playground where the helicopter landed, sources said.
Thereafter President Clinton was taken to a house in Annal Nagar, a Grama Sevaka division in the area along the coastline where he talked to the members of the affected family. He then went further inside the village and met a group of Tamil and Muslim fishermen and farmers. He was briefed about their plight after tsunami disaster, sources said.
Mr. Clinton then walked to the ruins of the tsunami destroyed Al-Matheena Mosque. Forty-one Muslim children who were attending Arabic classes in the mosque on December 26 last year were consumed by tsunami waves. Mr. Clinton consoled the two children and the teacher who escaped death in tsunami. President Clinton observed one-minute silence at the site in the name of children and others died in the disaster, sources said.
Finally he visited the tsunami-destroyed Kinniya hospital where Dr.T. Thavakodirajah, Deputy Provincial Director of Health Services, Dr.Sameem, Medical Officer of Health (MOH) and Dr.Nazeer, District Medical Officer received Mr. Clinton and briefed him on the forty patients and others who were found dead in and around the hospital on December 26 after tsunami, sources said.
Mr. Clinton then addressed a press conference held in the premises of the destroyed Kinniya hospital. Mr. Clinton said he will be visiting Sri Lanka again in the near future and will be submitting a report on tsunami relief regarding Sri Lanka to the Secretary General of United Nations.
Mr. Clinton said he met with Sri Lanka's President and that Mr Rajapakse had told him that he is giving peace process top priority and that he is committed to taking the peace process forward.
Mr. Clinton left Kinniya by air around 5 p.m. to Colombo.
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