News

News

Queen Elizabeth inquires about tsunami relief
By Neville de Silva in London
The British head of state, Queen Elizabeth inquired about the tsunami relief operations in Sri Lanka when the new High Commissioner to the UK, Kshenuka Senewiratne presented her credentials at Buckingham Palace on Friday.

The Queen told Ms. Senewiratne that Prince Charles who visited Sri Lanka as part of a tour to tsunami-affected countries, had informed her of the devastation he had witnessed. The Queen wished to know how the relief operations were going.

Ms. Senewiratne had told the Queen that when she returned to Colombo from London on the brief transfer to the Foreign Ministry late last year, she had helped with the international tsunami relief operation. She informed the Queen that efforts were being made by the Government to set up a joint mechanism with the LTTE in order to carry out relief work.

It was an eventful Friday as Prime Minister Tony Blair had, a short while earlier, called on the Queen to inform her that he would be forming a new government. After the credential's presentation, Ms. Senewiratne and husband Suren returned to the High Commission in a ceremonial horse-drawn coach accompanied by Chris Osborne, a marshal from the protocol division of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, also in ceremonial dress.

A member of the High Commission was at hand with a silver tray when the carriage arrived at the Mission - it contained carrots for the horses. The Vin d'Honneur that followed was largely attended by members of the Sri Lankan community in the UK, diplomats including the Indian and Bangladeshi High Commissioners, the Norwegian ambassador and other notables from the Foreign Office, Commonwealth Secretariat and other London-based institutions.

Top

Back to News