Sri Lankan Prez flying to Lumbini on Friday morning, meets Maoist Chairman Dahal

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who arrived in Kathmandu on Thursday afternoon, is set to fly to Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Gautam Buddha, on Friday morning.

President Rajapaksa is scheduled to offer religious prayers to Lord Buddha according to Buddhist tradition. A special Nepal Army helicopter has been arranged to take the President Rajapaksa and the First Lady to Lumbini.

President Rajapaksa will also inaugurate a Vihar - a Buddhist monastery built by the Sri Lankan government—in Lumbini.

A 28-member VVIP Sri Lankan team has already reached to Lumbini on Thursday evening. The team comprising Sri Lankan ministers and Buddhist monks, among others, had left for Lumbini via Bhairahawa airport soon after landing at Tribhuvan International Airport.

Keeping in view of the president’s visit, local authority in Lumbini has maintained high security alert in and around the holy place. Officials at Home Ministry said Buddhists pilgrims and tourists are restricted visiting the holy place from Thursday morning to Friday afternoon for security reason.

The authority has also made it mandatory for media persons to get 'special pass' provided by local administration cover the event.

Meanwhile, President Rajapaksa on Thursday evening held a meeting with Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal at Soaltee Hotel, where he is staying in Kathmandu. It was not immediately known what transpired between the president and the former rebel leader.

President Rajapaksa is scheduled to hold meeting with his Nepali counterpart Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala after returning from Lumbini on Friday. President Rajapaksa is also scheduled to attend a function to be organized by business community on Friday.

Prime Minister Nepal will host a dinner party in honor of President Rajapaksa on Friday evening.

- Asian Tribune -