Sri Lankans celebrate 67th Independence Day in Dubai
Saturday, 7 February 2015 00:00
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The Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Dubai organised the 67th Independence Day Anniversary on 4 February in the Mission premises, amidst a large gathering of Sri Lankans living in Dubai and Northern Emirates.
The country’s national flag was hoisted by Consul General of Sri Lanka in Dubai Abdul Raheem. This was followed by singing of the National Anthem, lighting of the traditional oil lamp and reading messages of President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera, which were read in English, Tamil and Sinhala.
Two minutes of silence was also observed in honour of national heroes. Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian religious dignitaries Ven. Mahamewanawe Nirodhananda Thero, Kurukkal Devanand Mahadeva, Moulavi K. Ikram and Rev. Father Vincent Wijesuriya blessed the nation and the people of Sri Lanka in Dubai on this special occasion.
In his speech, Abdul Raheem stated, “We have very cordial and friendly relations with UAE in the field of tourism, trade and economic cooperation for decades. I am confident that this will be further strengthened with the new policies of the Sri Lankan Government as the UAE is the largest trading and investment partner of Sri Lanka among the Gulf countries. We will encourage Sri Lankan companies to venture into the UAE market and the Gulf region taking the advantage of geographical locations of Dubai and Sri Lanka.”
Members of the business council, community leaders and a large number of Sri Lankan expats attended the function despite it being a busy working day in Dubai and appreciated the arrangements made by the Mission and enjoyed traditional delicacies made by Sri Lankan chefs. A live authentic Sri Lankan band played patriotic music during the reception.
