The Ministry of External Affairs is closely following up on the case of Ms. Ariyawathi, who has alleged ill-treatment and physical harm by her employer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Governor of the Yunnan Province of China Qin Guangrong arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday 31st August on a three day visit, at the invitation of Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne. The Governor of Yunnan is accompanied by a delegation comprising of senior officials and businessmen. The Chinese delegation arrived in Sri Lanka by the maiden flight of China Eastern Airways.

Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa undertook his first visit to India, since his election and assumption of the current portfolio, from 24th – 26th August 2010. During the visit he called on Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Minister of External Affairs S.M. Krishna, Minister of Finance Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation & Tourism Kumari Selja, and National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon.

Presiding over a well attended Road Show held in New Delhi today (25 August 2010) Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa invited Indian entrepreneurs to invest in tourism related infrastructure development to cater to the 2.5 million tourists, a target expected to be achieved in the next few years. A large gathering of tour operators and potential investors participated at the Road Show titled ‘Sri Lanka as a Destination for Tourism and Investment in its Infrastructure’.

The new Charter of the Asian Institute of Technology was signed today (25th) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand in Bangkok. Twelve countries including Sri Lanka and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) signed the new Charter as founding members. Hon. Gitanjana Gunawardena, Deputy Minister of External Affairs who attended the signing ceremony as a witness is seen here talking to Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand during the group photo session which followed the ceremony.

As directed by His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka, Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa, a 16 Member Sri Lankan Medical Team arrived in Pakistan, with a cargo of medicine and surgical equipment, on a medical relief mission for the flood affected victims of Pakistan. The Medical Team has been treating the flood affected patients in the Charsadda District Hospital in North West Pakistan, close to the Afghan border.

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in The Hague took part in the biggest habour festival in the Netherlands held in the habour of Ijmuiden in Velsen. Velsen is a port city in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands with which the city of Galle in Sri Lanka has a twin city programme since 1976. The twin city programme was established to preserve the historical ties between the two countries and to develop the city of Galle which was a stronghold of Dutch occupancy in the 17th century. The Dutch government provided assistance to restore many Dutch heritage monuments, infrastructure and sites in Galle. At the invitation of the Mayor of Velsen Franc M. Weerwind and the Queen’s Governor for North Holland J.W. Remkes, the Ambassador Grace Asirwatham attended the “pre-sail Ijmuiden” onboard a Tall Ship for the main event “Sail Amsterdam 2010” on 18th August.

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. -- Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya served as “Chief Guest” at the recent “Sri Lanka Day Expo 2010” in Santa Monica, Calif., a festival that celebrates Sri Lankan culture, heritage and community.

The Nalanda College Old Boys Association of America (NCOBAA) donated a sum of US$ 6,156 (Rs. 700,000) to “Ranaviru Dudaru Scholarship” to educate the children of Sri Lanka War Veterans.

Sri Lanka and India exchanged Notes to establish two Indian Consulate General offices in Jaffna and in Hambantota on 20th August 2010 at the Ministry of External Affairs. The proposed Consulate General of India in Jaffna will cover the five districts of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, namely, Jaffna, Killinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Mannar. The proposed Consulate General of India in Hambantota would cover the districts of Galle, Matara, Hambantota and Moneragala.

Sri Lanka, having rid itself of terrorism and embarked on the course of accelerated economic development with determination, should receive the support of the international community in achieving its objectives, Mr. Yang Jiechi, China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, told Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs in Beijing.

Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the State of Kuwait Sarath Dissanayake, who is concurrently accredited to the Kingdom of Bahrain, presented his Letter of Credence to His Majesty Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain on 3rd August at Al – Sakhir Palace in Manama, Bahrain.

China welcomes the current situation in Sri Lanka, characterized by durable peace and stability, and looks forward to intensifying its initiatives to offer Sri Lanka every assistance in developing its economy and strengthening its infrastructure, Mr. Li Keqiang, Vice-Premier of China, told Prof. G.L. Peiris, Sri Lanka’s Minister of External Affairs, in Beijing on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka has deep appreciation of the understanding and support extended by China during our country’s sustained effort to eradicate terrorism, and now looks forward to a strengthened and expanded relationship in responding to the economic challenges which lie ahead, Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, said in Shanghai on Tuesday.