Defender of the Nation
Defender of the Nation
The Sri Lanka Army has once again proved that its soldiers are adept not only in warfare but also in mechanical and technical expertise that could be tapped for matters of phenomenally important religious and cultural matters. A case in point is the restoration of the vehicle used by Anagarika Dharmapala, the 19th century Buddhist revivalist to its pristine glory by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Regiment (SLEME), following a request made by Members of Maha Sangha and former Deputy Chief of Staff Major General H. Neil W Dias RWP RSP USP ndc IG to the Sri Lanka Army.
Twelve Tae-kwondo players from the Army are to compete at the 16th Tae- kwondo tournament scheduled between 04-11 October 2004 in Germany, announced the Army Tae-kwondo Committee before those players met the acting Commander of the Army, Major General A. M.C. W. B Seneviratne recently to receive his blessings for their challenge.
Defence Secretary Austin Fernando, during a recent visit to Vavuniya on 14 September 2002 inspected and reviewed security arrangements in the area and took part in a three-hour long meeting at Vavuniya’s Divisional Secretariat, summoned to explore possibilities for resettlement and rehabilitation of the displaced and refugees who are now settled elsewhere due to the conflict in the northeast of the country.
The Sri Lanka Army, committed to create public awareness and discipline on roads in Sri Lanka has re-commenced its Good Driver Rally Competition 2002 after an absence of fifteen years, Lt. Gen. L. P Balagalle RWP RSP VSV USP ndc IG, Commander of the Army told a media gathering on Thursday (19) evening.
The spectacular and enchanting display of Drills and Band Playing by brave men and women of the Sri Lanka Army, for the first time of its history on Wednesday (18) at Army Headquarters ground, was undoubtedly an unprecedented success of esprit de corps, demonstrated through their unfailing dedication and commitment. More importantly, this novel experience by brave soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army had not only inculcated new dimensions to their bravery in peacetime, but also opened up new vistas of drills and sports for them.
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army Engineers Regiment carried away the overall performance trophy at Inter-Regimental Wrestling Tournament 2002 (novices), played recently at Panagoda Army Cantonment indoor stadium, but the shield for Runners-up was claimed by Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment team who offered a tough resistance to their rival in all events.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Air Chief Marshal Donald Perera and Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka visited Jaffna on Saturday (02) to review the present security situation there.
Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment (SLSR) emerged overall winner at the Sri Lanka Army Cricket Championship 2003 when they battled against Sri Lanka Corps Military Police (SLCMP) amidst a large crowd of enthusiasts and cricket fans at the CCC grounds last Thursday (18).
A campaign, initiated by the Sri Lanka Army in cooperation with Marga Mithuro, to create public awareness and discipline both Army drivers as well as road-users got underway at Jayawardenepura Parliament grounds during the weekend.
Racial harmony, if not the so-called ethnic co-existence among all communities of this island-nation society, right throughout the history of Sri Lanka, remained a healthy bond of friendship and understanding, though some racial clashes over minor incidents had intermittently sparked off violence in the past. More importantly ethnic harmony is the one and only integral segment essentially needed for any nation’s forward march and prosperity. T. N. S Rajaratnam, now a resident in the Middle East was recently in Sri Lanka on holiday with his wife and members of the family but became a contributor to a unique gesture of goodwill and ethnic brotherhood.