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Melbourne reaches out to South
By Hemachandra Nanayakkara, our Galle Correspondent
Melbourne has signed a three-year agreement with the Southern Province to offer assistance to the latter to carry out educational, IT, sports, health and tsunami related projects.

The agreement was reached between the Mayor of Melbourne city John Sho, and Southern Province Governor Kingsley.T. Wickremaratne on February 2 at the Governor’s office in Galle. High Commissioner in Australia K. Balapatabendi was a witness to the agreement.

This mutual agreement which is renewable after the initial three-year period allows the people in Melbourne to visit the Southern Province and conduct programmes relating to education, IT and tsunami rehabilitation.

Mr. Wickremaratne told The Sunday Times that the agreement reached with Melbourne was very significant for Sri Lanka as the citizens of Melbourne were keen to support people in the South to uplift their standards as a gesture of friendship and goodwill.

He said that development projects under the mutual agreement are already afoot with Rs. 5 million already spent while a mobile library has also been set up.

He said that the Mayor of Melbourne and his delegation will visit the Southern Province in the first week of April to witness the progress of the projects undertaken under the agreement.

Mr. Wickremaratne said regular contacts would be maintained between the two parties to ensure that the agreement benefits the people of Sri Lanka and Melbourne.

Melbourne was one of the cities that rushed to help after the tsunami struck Sri Lanka. Approximately 100,000 Sri Lankans live in Melbourne.

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