Sri Lankans in Italy launch 'Ranaderana' Fund
Special pujas will be held in every temple and church, where there is
a concentration of Sri Lankans, in Italy, Cyprus and Greece, on Sunday,
January 11, 2009, to commemorate the victory of the Armed Forces in
Kilinochchi and invoke blessings on the President and the Armed Forces.
On an appeal made by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Italy, Hemantha
Warnakulasuriya, the Sri Lankan diaspora assembled at the Embassy in
large numbers on January 03, 2009.
At the meeting of the Sri Lankan Diaspora, the following resolutions
were passed:
1. The Sri Lankan Diaspora in Italy will support our heroic soldiers,
who had decided to sacrifice their lives in order to protect the
sovereignty of Sri Lanka, and the families of the soldiers.
Therefore, it is the duty of the Sri Lankan Diaspora living in Italy
to support them financially and in any other manner that will benefit
them. This will clearly indicate that they are fully supportive and
understand the sacrifices of the Sri Lankan soldiers.
2. Support will be extended to the families of the soldiers who lost
the limbs and to the families deprived of their breadwinners.
3. It was resolved that because the victory of Kilinochchi will help
eliminate terrorism from Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Diaspora must help,
both financially and materially, the internally-displaced Tamil people
living in the Northern province. It was also decided that all Sri
Lankans would contribute to this endeavour and reactivate the previously
created fund titled 'Ranaderana Fund'. The collections and payments of
the fund will be supervised by the Embassy, by order of the Ambassador.
4. It was decided to invite the Army band to perform in Rome and
Milan, to collect funds for the 'Api Wenuven Api' programme, established
by an Act of Parliament, to provide housing for the soldiers, and that
the Sri Lankan Diaspora should be in a position to collect 100,000
pounds (Rs. 20,000,000) for the fund.
All the temples in Italy agreed, with the suggestion of the Embassy,
to hold a special Ashirwada Puja on Sunday January 11, 2009.
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