Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, Commander of the Army in a special tribute ceremony, held at the Army Headquarters on Tuesday (12), applauded the Sri Lankan relief contingent for its invaluable commitment and expedition to Nepal as one of the firsts to arrive there from a foreign nation for rescue and relief operations.
The Sri Lankan contingent, comprised of 14 officers and 127 other ranks of the Army, Navy and Air Force, together with four civil medical consultants, released by the Ministry of Health in less than a day after the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated many mountainous regions, flew to Nepal on April 26, 2015 and returned home on Monday (11) late evening to be received in a red carpet welcome at the airport. (See separate story in Highlights).
At Tuesday’s tribute ceremony, the Commander in a brief speech hailed the team members for their dedication and timely action, providing relief instantly and praised them for keeping the Sri Lankan National Flag flying bringing credit to the image of the country and the Armed Forces as they engaged serving the victims continuously for 16 days despite torrential rains and inclement weather conditions.
“It is a special day for me because our tri-servicemen displayed the world that they were not only skilled in warfare but also in other spheres in a professional manner. This was a very special assignment which is exceptional in nature and entrusted to us by HE the President and fully supported by the Prime Minister since they have the fullest confidence in us over daunting tasks of this magnitude,” the Commander said.
“With limited resources and the speed with which our relief team undertook this mission is really remarkable, and our contingent members proved once again that as dependants of public funds, they are able to rise to the occasion whether it is in Sri Lanka or elsewhere. As one of the firsts to have arrived in Nepal, all of you contributed to a humanitarian cause despite all challenges as professionals, particularly together with four civil medical consultants who joined the contingent from Ministry of Health, for which we are very proud. You all through the discipline you acquired in our services, showed that your professionalism has many facets other than the military. Even diplomatic channels were full of praise for what you had been performing in Nepal. Not only that, all senior state officials in Sri Lanka commended your services there with pride and dignity. I am proud of you and very thankful to you as the Commander of the Army,’ the Commander added.
The ceremony saw each and every participant in the rescue and relief mission was honoured, presenting a scroll containing a special citation of appreciation as the highlight of the ceremony by the day’s Chief Guest, Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva.
At the same time, three mementoes of appreciation, presented to the Sri Lankan contingent by the Commander of the Nepalese Army, Minister of Internal Affairs in Nepal and the incumbent of the Buddhist temple in Dolalghart area while serving the victims, were subsequently delivered to the Commander of the Army by the contingent Commander Major General Maithri Dias and the Deputy Contingent Commander Brigadier Jagath Gunewardena respectively.
At the outset, a documentary that showcased the challenging roles and tasks, performed by the contingent in Nepal, refreshed the catalogue of preparations that went into action soon after the green light for the mission was received. A group photo of the contingent culminated the day’s ceremony.
Major General E.M.M Ambanpola, Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe, Adjutant General, Major General Mahesh Senanayake, Military Secretary, Major General Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Director General, Army Health Services, Major General L.N Wickramasuriya, Chief Field Engineer, Major General B.A Perera, Director General General Staff, Major General A.K.P Wickramasinghe, Director Supply and Transport, Rear Admiral N.K.D Nanayakkara, Naval Commander, West, Senior Air Force officers, Brigadier M. Mudannayake, Director Movement, Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera, Director Media, senior officials of the Ministry of Health and several other tri-service senior officers were present at the tribute ceremony.
Earlier, hours after the tragedy occurred, HE the President Maithripala Sirisena, instrumental in providing relief, directed the Armed Forces to undertake the mission in close coordination with the office of the Prime Minister, and wanted the Commander of the Army to get the contingent organized at the earliest, considering the gravity of the disaster in Nepal.
Here is the full list of the contingent members;
The Sri Lankan contingent, comprised of 14 officers and 127 other ranks of the Army, Navy and Air Force, together with four civil medical consultants, released by the Ministry of Health in less than a day after the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated many mountainous regions, flew to Nepal on April 26, 2015 and returned home on Monday (11) late evening to be received in a red carpet welcome at the airport. (See separate story in Highlights).
At Tuesday’s tribute ceremony, the Commander in a brief speech hailed the team members for their dedication and timely action, providing relief instantly and praised them for keeping the Sri Lankan National Flag flying bringing credit to the image of the country and the Armed Forces as they engaged serving the victims continuously for 16 days despite torrential rains and inclement weather conditions.
“It is a special day for me because our tri-servicemen displayed the world that they were not only skilled in warfare but also in other spheres in a professional manner. This was a very special assignment which is exceptional in nature and entrusted to us by HE the President and fully supported by the Prime Minister since they have the fullest confidence in us over daunting tasks of this magnitude,” the Commander said.
“With limited resources and the speed with which our relief team undertook this mission is really remarkable, and our contingent members proved once again that as dependants of public funds, they are able to rise to the occasion whether it is in Sri Lanka or elsewhere. As one of the firsts to have arrived in Nepal, all of you contributed to a humanitarian cause despite all challenges as professionals, particularly together with four civil medical consultants who joined the contingent from Ministry of Health, for which we are very proud. You all through the discipline you acquired in our services, showed that your professionalism has many facets other than the military. Even diplomatic channels were full of praise for what you had been performing in Nepal. Not only that, all senior state officials in Sri Lanka commended your services there with pride and dignity. I am proud of you and very thankful to you as the Commander of the Army,’ the Commander added.
The ceremony saw each and every participant in the rescue and relief mission was honoured, presenting a scroll containing a special citation of appreciation as the highlight of the ceremony by the day’s Chief Guest, Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva.
At the same time, three mementoes of appreciation, presented to the Sri Lankan contingent by the Commander of the Nepalese Army, Minister of Internal Affairs in Nepal and the incumbent of the Buddhist temple in Dolalghart area while serving the victims, were subsequently delivered to the Commander of the Army by the contingent Commander Major General Maithri Dias and the Deputy Contingent Commander Brigadier Jagath Gunewardena respectively.
At the outset, a documentary that showcased the challenging roles and tasks, performed by the contingent in Nepal, refreshed the catalogue of preparations that went into action soon after the green light for the mission was received. A group photo of the contingent culminated the day’s ceremony.
Major General E.M.M Ambanpola, Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe, Adjutant General, Major General Mahesh Senanayake, Military Secretary, Major General Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Director General, Army Health Services, Major General L.N Wickramasuriya, Chief Field Engineer, Major General B.A Perera, Director General General Staff, Major General A.K.P Wickramasinghe, Director Supply and Transport, Rear Admiral N.K.D Nanayakkara, Naval Commander, West, Senior Air Force officers, Brigadier M. Mudannayake, Director Movement, Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera, Director Media, senior officials of the Ministry of Health and several other tri-service senior officers were present at the tribute ceremony.
Earlier, hours after the tragedy occurred, HE the President Maithripala Sirisena, instrumental in providing relief, directed the Armed Forces to undertake the mission in close coordination with the office of the Prime Minister, and wanted the Commander of the Army to get the contingent organized at the earliest, considering the gravity of the disaster in Nepal.
Here is the full list of the contingent members;
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