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President honoured with Sama Lakmatha award

by Anjana Gamage

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was honoured recently with a special award titled " Sama Lakmatha" (Motherland of peace) for her dedicated service to achieve peace in the country, by the Institute of Peace Energy Lamp Gem Palace International.

On behalf of President Kumaratunga, her brother, Minister of Industries, Investment Promotion and Tourism Anura Bandaranaike received the glittering award from the Director General of Peace Energy Lamp Gem Palace International, Chethiya Badra at a ceremony held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI)last week .

A special feature of the award was that it was embedded with six varieties of precious gemstones unique to Sri Lanka. It was created by Chethiya Badra, a former graduate of the Moratuwa University.

Minister Bandaranaike accepting the award which was in the shape of the Sri Lankan map and a lamp as an added feature said that the sole aim of presenting this award to the President was to wish that her contribution would eventually lead to world peace.

Appreciating the work of young Chethiya,the Minister said: " At this moment when we are being honoured with an award of such magnitude at a function of this nature we never expected a tsunami disaster to hit the country at all. It is also significant that Chethiya will re-present this bejewelled award and lamp to the United Nations Organisations to denote hope for world peace .

He will present the award to the General Secretary of the UN, Kofi Annan at the next United Nations General Assembly in September", he said.

"Due to the tsunami disaster in the country, we lost about 40,000 human lives.A large number are missing still, while more than 200,000 families were rendered homeless and more than 500,000 houses were damaged.

The UN General Secretary Kofi Annan, visited Sri Lanka and had a first hand glimpse of the devastation . We should show our appreciation to him for this kind gesture and the sentiments expressed by him to outside world concerning the disaster", he further said.

" Let us rise from this adversity and rekindle our spirit and courage through the symbol of this lamp and reunite to rebuild this land forever", Minister Bandaranaike appealed.

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