Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM Spokesperson, United Sri Lanka Association.New Zealand.

Rt Hon Bill English MP,
Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Dear Mr.English,

Thank you for your acknowledgement of my letter of 12th December offering our thanks and best wishes to your predecessor Mr.John Key on his retirement from a very successful tenure as Prime Minister during which time New Zealand and it’s people enjoyed a happy and a economically prosperous period .

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you similar success and and an equally long tenure as you commence the new parliamentary year as his successor. We also wish that New Zealand would enjoy similar economic prosperity and happiness as we did under Mr Key.In saying that we do appreciate that you were a major contributor to this economic prosperity as the Finance Minister during this entire period, so inspiring confidence in us. This was reinforced by the success you had in your first public appearance this year at the Ratana Church.

Sri Lankans remember Mr.Key fondly among other for the support he showed to Sri Lanka . Attending the CHOGM in Colombo in 2013, his subsequent visit to SL in 2016, his fostering closer ties with SL and decision to establish a high commission in SL, and his firm stand against terrorism demonstrating among others, by his firm stand against accepting boat people from Sri Lanka with possible links to Tiger Terrorists, are some of his actions in this regard.

We lookforward to similar cordial interactions between our community and yourself and entertain the hope that you would be able to grace one of the many social occasions our community hosts in Wellington , most particularly the the annual Cultural Show & Dinner hosted by the United Sri Lanka Association in September r /October each year. For the past several years the local national MP’s  Chris Bishop , Paul Foster Bell & Bret Hudson have had regular and prominent presence at this event and so hope for your presence  at this years event.

In fact, last evening (Saturday  4th of February) Hon Chris Bishop, figured prominently in another such event, the celebration of Sri Lanka’s independence day falling on the 4th of Feb. and the Waitangi day falling on the 6th Feb., organised by the Wellington based Sri Lanka Dance Academy of four decades stranding. The academy and the SL community were pleased and proud to feature dances and music combining Sri Lankan and Maori tradition specially choreographed for the event which also signified the commitment of the Sri Lankan community to integrate with the wider New Zealand community while adding to it’s richness.

If there is one thing I could identify as being most missed by the SL community in NZ ,it is the difficult access to SL from NZ, having to go via Singapore or Hongkong adding unnecessary time and distance to this travel. The irony is that there are five planes ( four from Emirates airlines and one from Quatar airways) that leave Auckland every evening and night and fly over Colombo on their way to Dubai and Quatar respectively .If any of them could be persuaded to stop off in Colombo it would make travel to SL from NZ significantly easier.This would be a significant way to advance the intentions announced of NZ & SL ’ s  joint commitment to progress trade and investment between the two countries that Trade Minister Mr. Todd McClay  announced on the 20th of January, following his meeting with the SL Prime Minister at the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland.

We thank you very much for giving consideration some of these thoughts and sentiments and once again wish you  the very best as  Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM

Spokesperson,

United Sri Lanka Association.

Wellington, New Zealand.