Sri Lanka to send further aid to Japan

A Sri Lankan medical team comprising doctors, nurses, family health workers, pharmacists and paramedics is ready leave for Japan.

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had instructed him to send a medical team to Japan to treat the injured and displaced persons. He had instructed the Secretary to the Ministry Dr. Ravindra Ruberu to keep a team on standby.

The Minister said that the President had also asked him to send adequate stocks of medicine for 3 months with the team.

The President on Sunday instructed the Treasury to release one million US dollars as a donation to tsunami hit Japan and advised the Defence Ministry to send a combined-forces rescue team to assist the devastated country in its recovery efforts.

The group of specially trained tri-forces rescue team will be dispatched immediately along with the medical team.  The President has also directed the Sri Lankan Envoy in Japan to coordinate all possible assistance to Japan.

According to Japanese officials, more than 1,400 people were killed by Friday’s 8.9 magnitude ocean earthquake that hit the eastern coast of Japan and the tsunami that followed.

The officials however, estimate the death toll to rise over 10,000 as rescue efforts continue.

The 23-foot tsunami triggered by the earthquake in the sea 80 miles off Sendai swept away ships, planes, homes, boats and cars.

Japan is the single largest donor to Sri Lanka providing about two-thirds of the total donor contribution.

Radiation fears spark panic, evacuations in Tokyo

Reuters) - Scores of people fled Tokyo on Tuesday and residents stayed indoors over fears that radiation from an earthquake-stricken nuclear plant could waft over one of the world’s biggest and most densely populated cities.

Despite assurances from the city government that low levels of radioactivity detected in Tokyo were for now “not a problem”, residents, expatriates and tourists decided staying in Japan’s capital was simply too risky.

Several companies evacuated staff. Visitors cut short vacations. Some airlines cancelled flights and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it was preparing to possibly reroute flights if the nuclear crisis worsened.

Those who remained in Tokyo hoarded food and supplies, fearing the worst from the radiation threat that spread panic in this bustling, ultra-modern and hyper-efficient metropolis of 12 million people.

At the city’s main airports, hundreds of people lined up, many with children, boarding flights out.