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Lankans in Harmony with UB40 on December 14

by Tharika Goonathilake

'United Colours of Peace, Sri Lankans in Harmony,' will be the official logo and theme for Sri Lanka's mega Peace Concert on December 14 featuring the internationally acclaimed reggae band UB40.

Bhathiya and Santhush, the Lankan duo with the international touch, will also perform at the concert, seen as one of the biggest publicity draws for Sri Lanka given UB40's popularity as the 'Kings of Reggae' and the interest generated over their visit here.

"The logo will be used in the promotional material as a countdown to the mega event, which has already generated a fantastic response from both local and foreign advertisers," a committee official appointed to handle the Peace Concert told the Daily News yesterday.

Discussions are also on to change the venue name - Parliament Grounds- to Freedom Park to celebrate Sri Lanka's epoch making peace initiative, he said.

According to the official, commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Ravi Karunanayake, who has been instrumental in bringing the band to Sri Lanka with the backing of the private sector, is holding discussions to rename the Parliament Grounds, popular among locals for rest and recreation.

"The Grounds can accommodate up to 200,000 people and is a vast area but measures are now being taken to re-develop the site to ensure international standards that will guarantee maximum sound and quality," he said. However, the committee has decided to limit the tickets to 50,000.

As part of the peace theme, the committee also hopes to seek the services of a dance troupe to perform during the concert interlude. "We are still in the process of selecting a troupe given the need to ensure international standards," he said. Ministry of Commerce spokesman Jumar Preena said the Ministry has had a tremendous response from advertisers and that the demand for tickets is "overwhelming".

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