- On May 21 (Wed), the Government of Japan decided to provide the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, which has suffered serious flood damage, emergency assistance equivalent to about 19.8 million yen in kind, such as tents, plastic sheets, plastic canteens, and electric generators.
2. From May 17 to 18, torrential rains hit a wide area in the southwestern part of Sri Lanka, causing landslides and flooding. Both human and material damages were severe: as of May 21, at least 237 persons died and more than 400,000 families were afflicted, with many houses partly or completely destroyed, farm crops damaged, and infrastructure ruined.
3. At present, the affected people whose houses were lost due to landslides and flooding are forced to take shelter in uncomfortable surroundings as evacuees. The Government of Sri Lanka has been making rehabilitation efforts on its own, but further assistance was needed from the international community, so emergency assistance was requested to the Government of Japan.
4. The Government of Japan has decided to extend this emergency aid from a humanitarian point of view, in light of the seriousness of the disaster and the friendly relations between Japan and Sri Lanka.
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