Sri Lanka has sought emergency humanitarian relief assistance from Bangladesh as the country's death toll from Sunday's tsunami has risen to nearly 22,000 Wednesday.
A Foreign Ministry official in Dhaka Wednesday told Xinhua that Sri Lanka sought the assistance through a letter handed to the Bangladeshi government on Tuesday by its envoy in Dhaka.
Sri Lankan High Commissioner Gamini S Munasinghe when delivering the letter told Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury that the island state had never faced such a massive natural disaster in the past, and it is impossible for Sri Lanka alone to deal with such a huge disaster.
This is why Sri Lanka is calling for emergency relief from the world community including Bangladesh, the official quoted the envoy as saying.
Sri Lanka on Monday appealed to the world community for aid to help the state to tackle the situation after the massive earthquake and tidal waves that swept South Asian coastline on Sunday.
The country is in need of emergency relief including food, ready-to-wear garments, drinking water and medicines for the victims of tsunami, said the appeal.
The Foreign Ministry official said the Bangladeshi government is reviewing Sri Lanka's appeal.
On the other hand, the high commissioner Tuesday also confirmed that the Sri Lankan government has not made any request for the postponement of the coming South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit scheduled here on January 9-11, 2005.
Gamini S Munasinghe categorically said the Sri Lankan president is coming to attend the summit.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia Tuesday night made phone calls to the heads of the governments of the South Asian countries affected by the earthquake and tsunamis, according to the official Bangladesh News Agency.
During her talks with Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Khaleda Zia reiterated her profound shock at the loss of life and property in the natural disaster.
She expressed sympathy and solidarity of Bangladeshi people with the people of the affected countries.
During the talks, the prime minister proposed to send necessary assistance to the affected countries as per their requirements and ability of Bangladesh to help them face the disaster.