China said ready to fund statue of Sri Lanka's Bandaranaike

Asian Political News, Jan 15, 2001

COLOMBO, Jan. 9 Kyodo

Sri Lankan reports on Tuesday said China is ready to fund a project to erect a larger-than-life statue in Colombo of the world's first woman prime minister, Sirimavo Bandaranaike who died last year.

The decision to have the statue erected next to that of her husband S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was taken by Central Committee of the Freedom Party chaired by Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Bandaranaike's daughter.

Jiang Quinzheng, China's ambassador in Colombo, later confirmed his country's willingness to undertake both funding and completion of the project.

Plans apparently include bringing in a sculptor from China, but no details of the total costs involved were released.