President leads, Murali, Kethesh and Parami new entrants

With President Mahinda Rajapaksa leading the Daily News Sri Lankan of the Year 2006, we have also received votes for cricket star Muttiah Muralitharan and the late Lt General Parami Kulatunga and the late Kethesh Loganathan, Deputy SCOPP chief.

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe follows the President while we have also received votes for the late Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, former UN Under Secretary General Jayantha Dhanapala, Commander, Sri Lanka Air Force Roshan Gunatilake, TULF leader V. Anandasangaree, Justice Christopher Weeramantry, Prof Harindra Fernando, Prof. Sriyal Malik Pieris, who discovered the SARS virus and Mano Ganeshan.

We will be accepting your votes right up to December 31, 2006 and announcing the winner in January 2007. You too can make your voice heard as we trust our readers to nominate the Sri Lankan most deserving of the accolade 'Sri Lankan of the Year'.

Keep reading your favourite newspaper, the Daily News, for updates on the voting patterns.

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Army, Air Force Chiefs opt out

Army Commander Lt.General Sarath Fonseka and Air Force Commander Air Vice Marshall Roshan Gunatillake has pleaded to be excluded from the Daily News Sri Lankan of the Year 2006 vote saying that it was not appropriate for Commanders or members of the Security Forces to be made participants.

Therefore, the Daily News from today will not entertain votes on behalf of members of the Security Forces.