Rajapaksa expected in Nepal again
October 5th, 2009 - 6:11 pm ICT by IANSKathmandu, Oct 5 (IANS) Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had to cut short his visit to Nepal this spring after an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan, is expected to arrive in the Himalayan republic once more this month to complete his itinerary.
Rajapaksa, who had arrived in Kathmandu on a three-day visit in March, curtailed his trip by a day after gunmen fired on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.
It meant abandoning his plan to visit Lumbini in southern Nepal, the birthplace of the Buddha.
However, the president intends to visit the birthplace of the founder of Buddhism and plans a second visit this month.
Sri Lanka is the current chair of the eight-member regional bloc SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) of which Nepal is a member.
Sri Lanka, a predominantly Buddhist nation, has pledged to construct a monastery complex in Lumbini and help Nepal promote religious tourism.
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Tags: buddha, buddhist nation, founder of buddhism, gunmen, himalayan, itinerary, lahore, lumbini, mahinda rajapaksa, monastery, oct 5, president mahinda rajapaksa, regional bloc, religious tourism, south asian association, south asian association for regional cooperation, southern nepal, sri lankan cricket, sri lankan cricket team, sri lankan president
