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Heavy rains ‘bless’ Thai PM’s visit
View(s):We must work to strengthen Buddhism as a religion and a way of life: Ms. Shinawatra in address to House
The heavy downpour that accompanied the arrival of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to Sri Lanka did not dampen the enthusiasm with which she was greeted when she arrived to address Parliament on Friday afternoon. Premier Shinawatra was met on arrival at Parliament by Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and Parliamentary officials and escorted into the Chamber where she was greeted by the MPs. Three television sets had been installed in different sections of the Chamber to air the proceedings live while a countrywide telecast was also done by State run television.
Engaging in religious activities in Kandy at the Dalada Maligawa and the Malwatte Viharaya. Pix by L.B. Seneratne and Indika Handuwala
Speaker Rajapaksa in his introduction to the House said he expects the visit of Prime Minister Shinawatra to strengthen the long standing relationship between the two countries. He also referred to the address made to the Sri Lankan Parliament in 2003 by Dr. Takshin Shinawatra, the brother of the present Premier when he was Prime Minister and said it was a “historic event in our Parliament.”
The Thai Prime Minister in her address to the House which lasted around 15 minutes referred to the unique link between the two countries based on Buddhism. “The reference of Thaiiwu lankawon carries a noble meaning for Thais. It means the establishment of Buddhism from Sri Lanka to Thailand some eight centuries ago. And 260 years ago, a group of monks from Thailand performed higher ordination for Sri Lanka monks. This eventually led to the establishment of Siam Maha Nikaya here in this country,” she recalled.
Premier Shinawatra said that in the rapidly changing world, with cut-throat economic capitalism, political turmoil and social disruption, the two countries must work together to strengthen Buddhism as a religion and a way of life.
Prime Minister Shinawatra met with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat shortly after her arrival on Friday morning where she held bilateral discussions with him. At the meeting, President Rajapaksa pledged Sri Lanka’s assistance for Thailand’s candidacy to the Human Rights Council in the period, 2015 – 2017 and thanked the Thai premier for the support extended to the country at the HRC sessions.
Visiting Deepaduttaramaya in Kotahena, the first Siamese temple to be established here in 1885
After addressing Parliament, the Thai premier left for Kandy where she engaged in religious activities at the Dalada Maligawa. She also visited the Malwatta Poyege, then known as the Simamalakaya where the original upasampada ceremonies in 1773 were held.
The Prime Minister and her entourage were blessed with seth pirith before they departed.
Yesterday she visited the Deepaduttaramaya in Kotahena which is the first Siamese temple to be established in the country in 1885.
School children who gathered to greet the Thai premier braved the heavy downpour and waited patiently for her arrival. She performed several religious activities here before departing for the airport.
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