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| Thursday, 1 July 2004 |
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Balagalle bids farewell to Army by Ranil Wijayapala Lieutenant General Lionel Balagalle bid adieu to the Sri Lanka Army and also the three Security Forces as the 16th Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and also as the Chief of Defence Staff yesterday at a simple but solemn ceremony held at the Army Headquarters. The Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment to which the outgoing commander was posted following his commissioning as a second lieutenant in 1967, on behalf of the Sri Lanka Army accorded a guard of honour at the Army Headquarters yesterday. Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army Major General Shantha Kottegoda who is scheduled to assume duties as the new Commander of the Army handed over the 'Sword of honour' to the outgoing Army Chief for his dedicated service to the Sri Lanka Army at this ceremony. Addressing the Army officers and other rankers, the outgoing Army Commander said the time has now come for them to share their wide experiences and knowledge in the name of the world peace. "That opportunity for us, as members of peacekeeping missions, has been granted to us, none other than an organisation like the United Nations", Balagalle added. He said the despatch of Sri Lankan army personnel as UN observers and founding of the Kukuleganga Institute of Peace Support Operations Training Sri Lanka, can be cited as the initial steps taken in this direction. "Our troops obtained a host of novel experiences subsequent to the successful completion of the Multinational Platoon Exercise, and we must realize that this sphere of experience and knowledge could be further strengthened after their planned assignments in Haiti in the near future", he added. He said the Sri Lanka Army has undergone the cruel realities of the long-drawn war for over 20 years. "In the wake of it, two years ago our hopes were rekindled after signs of peace dawned on us as the nation looked forward to it with much admiration", he said. In creating that atmosphere, the great sacrifice, dedication and efficiency of you all have shown, is well understood by the whole of the country now. "My overwhelming tribute at this moment of significance goes to all those war heroes who paid the supreme sacrifice and were disabled in effecting that national task", he added. He said at global level, it was clear that no other army in the world is so committed to wage a cruel war of this nature that lasted for over two decades uninterruptedly. "In the course of two-year long ceasefire, we were orientated towards reviving our training capacities and also getting our strength reorganised for the sake of our tomorrow", the outgoing Commander added. |
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