'RISGO' International Scout Jamboree in Kandy

Wehelle Piyathilake - Maharagama Special Corr

President and Chief Scout of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa will be the chief guest at the Rajans International Scout Gathering of Centennial 2013 (RISGO 2013), the largest ever scout jamboree in Sri Lanka, to be held from February 18 to 22, at the Lake View Park International Scout Centre in Kandy. President Rajapaksa will grace the occasion at the main rally on February 22.

There will be representatives from all 161 countries of the region with over 6,000 scouts and girl guides including Sri Lankan participants from all districts.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa met officials of the RISGO organizing committee recently at President's House in Kandy.

The first RISGO Badge was pinned and the scarf was garlanded on the President by RISGO Chief and Principal Dharmaraja College, S. M. Keerthiratne. President Rajapaksa has extended his fullest support and co-operation to hold the Jamboree at the highest international level and advised the committee to take necessary steps with relevant government institutions and authorities to obtain the infra-structure facilities needed for all participants, totalling over 6,000 local and overseas scouts. RISGO 2013 will be a historical event organized by the 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group and Old Rajans Scout Association with the Sri Lanka Scout Association, to commemorate 100 years of scouting at Dharmaraja College which was started in 1913 by the late J. H. De Saram. The memorial statue of the founder will be unveiled by his son Henry de Saram at the RISGO.

The jamboree's theme is 'Towards Global Leadership' and there will be attractive and adventurous events such as hiking, water activities, sight-seeing, forest expedition, adventure activities, leadership building activities, campfires, cultural presentations and colourful opening and closing ceremonies.

The tour organized for the foreign participants to witness Sri Lanka's development projects and historical values will be a main feature in the RISGO program.

Asia Pacific Region Scout Commissioner, Abdullah Rasheed will open the RISGO World Jamboree on the 18th and Namal Rajapaksa MP will be the chief guest at International Night to be held with all the overseas participants on the 20th.