PLA of China-Gifted Vaccine Doses to their Sri Lankan Counterparts Accepted at Airport

The consignment of 300,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines, gifted to the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka by the People's Liberation Army of China arrived in Sri Lanka this morning (28) along with 2 million more doses for Sri Lankans.

General (Retd) Kamal Gunarathne, Secretary Defence, General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff, Commander of the Army and Head, National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), Rear Admiral Nishantha Ulugethenna, Commander of the Navy, few senior Tri Service Officers and Chinese Embassy officials, including its Defence Attache, Senior Colonel Wan Dong were at the Colombo International Airport to receive the stock.

On behalf of the Ministry of National Defence of China, Colonel Wan Dong, Defence Attaché at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China symbolically handed over documents, pertaining to the gifted stock, earmarked for Sri Lankan Armed Forces to General (Retd) Kamal Gunarathne, Secretary Defence, extending best compliments of the Chinese counterparts in the presence of General Shavendra Silva and Rear Admiral Nishantha Ulugethenna.

The Sri Lankan Embassy in Beijing coordinated the air freight of the stock with Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence. Several State Officials were present at the airport for the occasion.