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| Thursday, 27 January 2005 |
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The Foreign Ministry yesterday said the Hawaii Centre did not give advance warning of the tsunami that hit Sri Lanka. The Ministry was responding to news reports published recently in this regard. Barry Hirshoim, the Geophysist on duty at the Hawaii Centre stated very clearly that he and Dr. Stuart Weinstein were on duty on December 26 and the Hawaii Centre did not issue an advance warning of the impending tsunami to anyone in Sri Lanka, the Ministry said. It said: "The Ministry's attention has been drawn to a box report appearing on the front page of the Sunday Observer January 23 titled 'Tsunami warning how Foreign Ministry official failed to comprehend message', and the same 'story' appearing on the front page of the Dinamina of January 24. The report flags to the reader a news item in the Khaleej Times dated 10th January. The Ministry wishes to express its disappointment and deep concern at this factually incorrect report published without ascertaining its veracity either from the Ministry or from the US Embassy or from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii. There was no question of the Hawaii Centre have stating that anyone at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 'failed to comprehend' any telephone message warning of a tsunami. In fact, Hirshoim said that the Hawaii Centre itself at the time of the earthquake was not in a position to conclude that the earthquake would generate tsunami waves capable of reaching Sri Lanka as the Centre did not have the necessary water gauges and required data for the Indian ocean to make such a determination. Following the tsunami tragedy, the Foreign Ministry and the US Embassy were in constant touch with the Hawaii Centre in order to ensure that there would be sufficient warning in case of a follow up tsunami formation due to after shocks or fresh seismic activity. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs can only characterise this gross misrepresentation of facts as unfortunate, it said. |
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