KRISHNA 2 LST

Recalling that India was the first country to arrive with
assistance to Sri Lanka during the 2004 tsunami, Krishna said
New Delhi has also taken up the reconstruction of the damaged
southern railway corridor from Galle to Matara.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G L Peiris thanked India for
the assistance while taking note of the growing relations
between the two countries.
Krishna also hailed the role of Foreign Secretary
Nirupama Rao, former Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, in
setting up of the consulates in Jaffna and Hambantota.
The External Affairs Minister was earlier scheduled to
inaugurate the Consulate in Hambantota on Friday but could not
travel to the region that day due to inclement weather.
India and Sri Lanka had agreed to establish Indian
Consulates General in Hambantota and Jaffna during Rajapaksa's
June visit to New Delhi in a bid to reinforce consular
cooperation and friendly links between the two countries.
The consulate in Hambantota would cover the districts of
Galle, Matara, Hambantota and Moneragala, which is being
transferred from the consular district of the existing
Assistant High Commission of India in Central Kandy.
The consulate in Jaffna would cover five districts of the
Northern Province of Sri Lanka -- Jaffna, Kilinochchi,
Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Mannar. PTI