Indonesia donates rice to drought stricken Sri Lanka

Indonesia has dispatched 5,000 metric tonnes of rice to Sri Lanka as over 700,000 people remain affected by severe drought in many parts of the country.

A Foreign Ministry statement said here Wednesday that the President of Indonesia Joko Widodo launched the dispatch of the rice to be donated to Sri Lanka after a request from Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena.

Widodo said he responded quickly because the situation in the island country required immediate action.

"As a friend and as one of the biggest countries in Asia, it is deservedly for Indonesia to join together with Sri Lanka to face this situation," the statement quoted Widodo as saying.

The consignments which are to be shipped in a few days are expected to arrive in Colombo in March, the Ministry said. Endit