The estimated value of destruction caused by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami was US$ 1.5 bn, Minister for Disaster Management Mahinda Amaraweera said today speaking at a media conference in view of a three day seminar to be held at the BMICH from September 24.

A three day seminar has been organised at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) starting from September 24 titled The Future We Want: Safer Sri Lanka.

Nearly 35,000 lives were lost and 100,000 houses were destroyed in the tsunami.

The Minister said that the country has recovered well from the tsunami that took more than 100,000 in South Asia.

The seminar, in which many experts from countries in the South Asian region are expected to participate, aims at sharing their best practices and lessons learnt with Sri Lankan counterparts, the Minister said.

“We have invited almost all the stakeholders in Sri Lanka along with many civil societies,” the minister said.

He said a report based on the seminar would be hand over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa on December 26 after the conference at Hambantota in view of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. (Chaturanga Pradeep)
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