Sri Lanka’s 67th Independence Day celebrated in Shanghai
Saturday, 14 February 2015 00:40
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The Sri Lankan expatriate community living in Shanghai and the neighbouring provinces came together on 4 February to celebrate the 67th Independence Day of Sri Lanka organised by the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Shanghai.
The event was held at the Shanghai Holiday Inn with the participation of the Vice Directors General of Shanghai and Zhejiang Province, senior government representatives from Jiangsu, Hunan and Anhui Provinces, the Consul General of Pakistan, the Deputy Consul General of India, representatives from the armed forces of Sri Lanka, the staff of Sri Lankan Airlines Shanghai office and over 60 expatriate Sri Lankans living in Shanghai and neighbouring provinces.
The official ceremony commenced with the singing of the National Anthem followed by the lighting of the traditional oil lamp. Messages by the President, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs were read at the ceremony.
Addressing the gathering, the Consul General of Sri Lanka in Shanghai Poornima Gunasekera outlined the progress Sri Lanka has made after the independence and reiterated on the importance of adhering to the policies of good governance, rule of law, pluralism and democracy propounded by the new Government of Sri Lanka to achieve lasting peace, unity and prosperity for all communities of the country. She also stressed the importance of strengthening the economic and cultural ties with Sri Lanka’s Asian neighbours including China, India and Pakistan.
The representatives of the Chinese Government present at the occasion congratulated Sri Lanka on her 67th Anniversary of Independence and pledged to continue the support extended to the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Shanghai in all the activates lined up for 2015 and in strengthening the bilateral ties between the two countries.
All the guests were treated to traditional Sri Lankan sweets, Ceylon tea and a sumptuous buffet lunch after the official ceremony.
