Delegates from over 125 countries for International AIDS Congress

Nadira Gunatilleke and Manjula Fernando

COLOMBO: Over 2,500 foreign delegates from over 125 countries will arrive in Sri Lanka for the Eighth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific to be held at the BMICH, Colombo from August 19 to 23.

Now certain parties who want to sabotage this event and tarnish the country’s image started to send fake e-mails to these foreign delegates stating that the Congress is cancelled, Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle said.

Addressing the weekly press briefing held at the Government Information Department Auditorium yesterday he said that the said e-mail had been sent under the name of Prof. A.H. Sherifdeen. He is one of the Co-Chairs of this Congress.

After receiving this e-mail, these delegates contacted Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva and inquired about it and he had explained that the Congress has not been cancelled and is going to take place as scheduled. Now the delegates have started to arrive and the UNP propaganda has failed to stop it.

Meanwhile, Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva stated that this fake e-mail had been sent to all delegates in order to sabotage the event and destroy the image of Sri Lanka just like these interested parties do all the time.