Trincomalee's First Time Achievers In A/L Rewarded &;amp; Varied Humanitarian Projects Launched

Scores of students, civilians and the disabled during a mammoth event, organized by the Army for promotion of goodwill, harmony and reconciliation among all three major ethnicities in Trincomalee, received accolades, incentives and varied forms of humanitarian assistance on Saturday (28).

The occasion at Trincomalee Vivekananda Vidyalaya auditorium assumed greater significance with the participation of the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya as the Chief Guest, at the invitation of Brigadier Dharshana Hettiarachchi, General Officer Commanding, 22 Division, the driving force behind this mega community-oriented project in the eastern port city of Trincomalee.

The ceremony’s highlights, graced by the Chief Guest included the award of 16 three year-long scholarships to  students with highest aggregates, qualified for university entrance from the district, free offer of four laptops to four students who achieved the first places in Science, Mathematics, Commerce and Arts streams, presentation of ten volumes of Pansiya Panas Jathaka (550 previous life stories of Buddha) books to ten remote temples in the district, donation of wheelchairs to five disable youngsters and stocks of medicine to Gomarankadawala Hospital, distribution of exercise books among 500 students and the opening of a new clock tower at the main  entrance to the 22 Division Headquarters.

Four of those scholarship awardees will receive Rs 3,000 each on a monthly basis for three years while 12 other achievers will receive Rs 1,000 each for three years during their university education following sponsorships, extended to the 22 Division

After a lapse of so many years, this was the first historic occasion the Trincomalee district was able to produce such a considerable number of student achievers of all three ethnicities in the recent G.C.E. A/L examination.

Donation of ten Pansiya Panas Jathaka books by the Chief Guest to remote Buddhist temples for the use of trainee novice monks during the ceremony came about as a part of the religious development work, being supported by the 22 Division. To this date, 54 remote temples in the district have received these gifts from the Army as vital tools for Dhamma learning.

The brief ceremony, coloured by a few intermittent dancing features of Trincomalee students was made possible, thanks to the overwhelming support the 22 Division received from various good-hearted philanthropists, well-wishers and donors, belonging to all three major communities after the intended project was brought to their notice by its General Officer Commanding.

Trincomalee in the East, surrounded by serene seas and ancient colonial remnants had remained badly affected owing to the thirty-year long terrorism that brought about immense misery to the people in very remote areas before 2009. Its impact caused irreparable damages and setbacks to educational progress in all areas since children for fear of terrorist attacks kept off from attending their schools until peace dawned to the East.

Saturday’s ceremony was attended by Clergy, Major General Lal Perera, Commander, Security Forces Headquarters  East, Brigadier  Dharshana Hettiarachchi 22 Division General Officer Commanding, , other General Officers Commanding in the East, Brigade Commanders, Director of Education for Trincomalee, Zone Directors of Education, Principals, Teachers, Parents and a large gathering of civilians.