Published on - 3/7/2005
Her Excellency, the President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, in a distinct show of her motherly spirit and great concern over the military accident in Jaffna last Friday (4) that brought untimely death to a thirteen-year old school girl, has donated a sum of Rs. 500,000 (US 4901 ) as compensation to her parents.
The President's move came in the wake of an unfortunate traffic accident that caused death to Ms. Nagendran Kulasingham on Friday (4 March 2005) while she was on her way to the school, riding her newly-bought push bicycle when an Army tractor crashed. Emergency airlift for her was organized but she succumbed to injuries on being admitted to the Jaffna hospital.
Similarly, Army Officers and Other Ranks, based in Jaffna swept into action, minutes after the tragedy and raised a sum of Rs 100,000 (US 980 ) as an immediate measure of relief and consolation to the bereaved family.
Commander, 51 Brigade in Jaffna, Brigadier P. Pannipitiya, representing Commander, Security Forces Headquarters, Jaffna, Major General S. D Tennekoon, was at Wembedy Girls' School on Saturday (5) where the deceased did her studies in order to hand over those financial grants, to be later delivered to the parents by the Principal.
Acknowledging those gestures of sympathy and considerateness from the President and the Army, Mrs K. Ponnambalam, Principal, Wembedy Girls' School, Mrs K. Ponnambalam, has gone on record, saying that her dead student was used to arrive in the school on a van until 1st of March, this year but she started to ride on her newly-bought push bicycle, starting from the mid of last week.
