From Sujeeva Nivunhella — London Corr.
Sri Lanka’s fifty fifth anniversary of Independence was celebrated in London by hoisting the national flag by Faisz Musthapa, High Commissioner. Religious dignitaries representing Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and Hindus were present and Chief Sanganayake of Great Britain, Most Ven. Dr. Medagama Vajiragnana said this year’s celebrations are different because there is a distant glimmer of hope for peace.

He said it is a big achievement for the present government and in the past year there had been no bombs and no loss of life. However, he said, a ceasefire is not a permanent peace and at any time any party could start the war. He questioned the sincerity of the LTTE as they are collecting weapons and training cadres while the cease-fire is on.

He said the film ‘In the Name of Buddha’ was produced to discredit Buddhism and derail the peace process. He said nobody can discredit Buddhism and he praised the high commissioner for his hard work to get the film banned.

High Commissioner Musthapa said that due to the war, Sri Lanka suffered a setback to its development but hopefully with the permanent peace looming in the horizon Sri Lanka will have a great future.

A special evening reception was held for guests at the Mayfair Intercontinental Hotel in London where the chief guest was Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando. For the first time, Sri Lankan traditional food like hoppers, kevum and kokis were served. Sri Lankan fruits were specially flown from Colombo for the occasion.

Traditional Sri Lankan dance items were also presented by a group of Sri Lankan dancers and a promotional video of Sri Lanka was shown on a giant TV screen.