Sri Lanka celebrates 61st Independence anniversary in Beijing

The 61st Independence was celebrated on February 4 at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing with the participation of a larger gathering of Sri Lankans and Chinese well-wishers.

The ceremony began with the hoisting of the National Flag to the playing of the National Anthem and observing of a two minutes silence in commemoration of the war heroes.

This was followed by the lighting of the oil lamp and religious dignitaries of the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and the Muslim communities invoking spiritual blessings on the country for peace, harmony and prosperity.

The Independence Day messages of the President, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister were read out and copies were distributed amongst the invitees.

A special feature of the celebrations was the live telecast to the audience of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s address to the Nation from Colombo, through internet facilities taking advantage of the two and a half hour time difference between Beijing and Sri Lanka.