Clinton arrives, visits Kalmunai today
 

BY MANJULA Fernando

FORMER US President Bill Clinton who arrived here last night, making his first trip to Sri Lanka as the UN Special envoy for tsunami reconstruction, was received by Finance Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

He will travel to Kalmunai this morning to inspect the reconstruction activities in progress there.

He will meet Eastern Muslim leaders during his tour of this worst affected part of the Eastern Province, in the December 26 tsunami which devastated one third of the country's coastline killing nearly 40,000.

The visit made as part of a lightening tour of four tsunami affected countries in the Indian Ocean rim, the Special Envoy will also meet representatives of the donor community based in Colombo and civil society leaders this afternoon.

He will be hosted to lunch by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at her residence today prior to which she will brief him on the post tsunami reconstruction program of the Government.

After hosting a media conference in Colombo at 4.30 pm, Clinton will leave for the Maldives. He started his tour from Chennai and will end it visiting Aceh province.