Lanka welcomes Myanmar junta chief

Myanmar's junta leader General Than Shwe arrived in Sri Lanka on a state visit Thursday to be greeted by a 21-gun salute and guard of honour.
President Mahinda Rajapakse welcomed Than Shwe at Bandaranaike International Airport, before the Myanmar general was driven to the pilgrim town of Kandy, where the two are due to hold talks, officials said.
Sri Lanka and Myanmar both practise Theravada Buddhism and have had cultural and religious ties since the 11th century.