A nation-wide two minute silence will be maintained from 9.25 am to 9.27 am on Sunday (26) as a mark of respect for all those who died in the 2004 tsunami, the Disaster Management centre said.

The National Safety Day that is to be held to commemorate tsunami victims will be held at the Weerasingham Hall in Jaffna this year under the patronage of the Prime Minister D. M Jayaratne.

The Center said that this would be the first occasion that the National Safety Day is be held in the North and said that soldiers who had lost their lives during the war would be commemorated as well.

Minister of Disaster Management, Mahinda Amaraweera asked all citizens in the country to observe silence from 9.25 a.m to 9.27 a.m as a mark of respect for those who died in the tsunami.

The Minister said that many tsunami warning centers had been set up throughout the coastal areas of the country and more will be set up in the coming year. He also said that the warning centers had been connected internationally to ensure that information was received in a fastest manner. “As they are well connected we will be able to evacuate the people if another tsunami was to occur and we will be able to reduce the loss of lives through this,” he said.   

The Disaster Management Center said that according to reports they had received all who had been affected by the tsunami in 2004 had been provided a house or had been given compensation. The Minister also asked any person who had not been given compensation to come forward as they would correct the unfortunate mistake. (Nabeela Hussain )