Presidential staff honour soldiers

Rohan Mathes

Marking the capture of the main bastion of Kilinochchi from the LTTE terrorists, the staff of the Presidential Secretariat gathered to felicitate the heroic soldiers at a ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday.

Similar ceremonies were held simultaneously islandwide, by the staff of the Government institutions, to bestow the nations highest tribute to the valiant soldiers who have shattered Velupillai Prabhakaran's dream of 'Eelam'.

Following the hoisting of the National Flag and singing of the 'National Anthem' at 8.30 am, two-minutes silence was observed from 8.35 to 8.37 a.m., to commemorate the war heroes who had sacrificed their lives for the cause.

Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga said the best tribute the 1.2 million Government servants would pay to appreciate the sacrifices of the valiant Forces, who have liberated the land from the LTTE, is to re-double their efforts in working towards the country's welfare and development.

"There are many lessons which the staff of our State services could learn from our heroic soldiers who took our country forward. The making of a productive and an efficient Government sector which would contribute to a glorious and truimphant year 2009, would undoubtedly be the

highest accolade the nation could bestow to the heroic Armed Forces", Lalith Weeratunga said.

He had pointed out that this great victory under the able and astute political leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Chiefs of the three Armed Forces and the Inspector General of Police, and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, had indeed been an inspiration and a shining example which the world could well emulate.

The Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera who was part of a multi-religious group which participated in the ceremony making special Anusassana pointed out that President Rajapaksa had now liberated the innocent civilian polity who for 30 years had suffered in silence, under the bondage of Prabhakaran.

A War Hero of the 57th infantry Mahesh Narangoda, who had laid down his life in the victorious Kilinochchi battle, had also been remembered at this ceremony. The late Narangoda had been the spouse of Shoba Dissanayake, an employee of the Strategic Enterprise Management Agency (SEMA), which is under the Presidential Secretariat.