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No tsunami pre-warning from Lanka to Maldives
By Marisa de Silva
Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has reportedly told the Italian Under Secretary Margherita Boniver that he couldn't understand why the Maldives wasn't pre-warned by Sri Lanka about the tsunami which hit Sri Lanka long before it did the Maldives.

The Maldivian President had made the comment when he met the Italian Under Secretary, according to the Italian Foreign Ministry website. In an interview Ms. Boniver had quoted President Gayoom as making the comment.

The tidal wave hit the Maldives three hours after devastating Sri Lanka and other countries. A bewildered President Gayoom stated that he could not understand the reason for them not being warned by those countries.

The complete interview was posted on the official site of the Italian Foreign Ministry www.esteri.it/eng. However, Maldivian High Commissioner in Colombo Dr. Mohamed Asim, after contacting the Maldivian Government spokesperson said President Gayoom's statement had been slightly misconstrued and that he hadn't been accusing anyone.

"The President had in fact been referring to the need for an early warning system for the region, by which many, if not all, lives of those affected could have been spared," said Dr. Asim.

"We're all sharing each other's grief," said Dr. Asim, reiterating that the President had definitely not been pointing fingers at anyone. In addition, there is only a one-hour time difference between the two countries, he said.

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