THE recent UN Medal Parade ceremony of Haiti-based Sri Lankan Peace-Keeping contingent drew overwhelming admiration of the attendees, present on the occasion, as it turned out to be a blend of both military and culture.
The customary UN medal parade, the prestigious military ceremony that recognizes the exemplary contribution, made by any specific contingent to maintain law and order in Haiti, saw its Sri Lankan contingent accord a salute to visiting Chief Guests, Mr Luc Duchesne, Chief of Staff to the Special Representative to Secretary General (SRSG) and Major General Luiz Guilherme, Force Commander on the eve of their completion of service and departure from Haiti.
The Sri Lankan UN contingent of 749 serving Haiti at present is expected to return to Sri Lanka shortly, enabling the next Sri Lankan contingent to take over duties. On behalf of those returning troops, Colonel of the Regiment, Sri Lanka Light Infantry (SLLI), Major General Daya Rathnayake who is also the Chief of Staff in the Army, participated in the event as a special guest of honour.
Decorations, including a gateway pandal, made of young cadjans (gopkola) brought about a spirit of celebrations. Amidst fluttering UN and Sri Lankan National flags, Sri Lankan Peace Keepers honoured their visiting Chief Guests and the Haiti-based UN Force Commander on their arrival at the venue to the medal parade ceremony after according them a Guard Turn Out plus a special Guard of Honour, in accordance with military traditions.
The ceremony commenced after the Contingent Commander Colonel K.J Jayaweera formally welcomed the invitees to the occasion, followed by observance of a one-minute silence in memory of Haitians perished in natural disasters, violence and all UN Peace Keepers who had laid their lives while in active service in Haiti.
UN Force Commander Major General Luiz Guilherme, later on delivered a brief address and extolled the services, rendered by the Sri Lankan contingent during their stay in Haiti. The Special Representative to Secretary General Mr Luc Duchesne, conveying UN Secretary General’s greetings and appreciative gestures of goodwill to all members and their families in the Sri Lanka-bound contingent.
The smart parade turned further dignified as Force Commander Major General Luiz Guilherme reached out to each and every member in the parade while pinning memorable UN Peace Keeping Medals.
Towards the end of the military segment of the ceremony, Sri Lankan troops adding elegance and colour to the occasion impressed the spectators, by presenting a string of performances that depicted our ancestral cultural ethos and heritage. Traditional ‘Pantheru Dancing’, ‘Wadiga Patuna’, ‘Lee Keli’, ‘Drum playing’, ‘Raban Netuma’ and a few other features staged on the occasion drew a thundering applause from the gathering. A special ‘perahera’ (cultural pageant) conducted had a chieftain (Nilame), dressed in traditional ‘Mul Aenduma’ of the Kandyan kingdom. The ‘perahera’ robbed the attention and was a thrilling experience to the invitees.
The visiting Major General Rathnayake shared a couple of thoughts with Chief Guests present and discussed matters of concern to future UN contingents.
Mayor for Leogane, Haiti, several senior citizens from the area and a group of distinguished senior military officers serving Haiti were associated with the day’s programme.
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