Sunday Times 2
Sri Lankans in UK invoke blessings on President, PM
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A special religious ceremony to invoke the supreme blessings of the Triple Gem on the newly appointed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and New Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was held on December 1, 2019 at the Sri Lankan Buddhist Vihara at Chiswick in London.
Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner Manisha Gunasekera and the Deputy High Commissioner attended the ceremony as special guests. Addressing the gathering, the Head of the London Buddhist Vihara and the Sangha Nayaka of Great Britain, the Ven. Bogoda Seelawimala Thera said the Sri Lankan people elected Gotabaya Rajapaksa as their seventh executive president, placing their trust on the policies he put forward.
The Ven. Seelawimala Thera said it was due to Mr. Rajapaksa’s commanding position as Defence Secretary and his wise, fearless and steady efforts that Sri Lanka was able to root out the thirty year long terrorism successfully in 2009. The Maha Sangha chanted Paritra to bless the new President, the Prime Minister and the whole nation and country of Sri Lanka.
On behalf of the organisers of this religious ceremony, Dr. Amal Gunasena, Senior Researcher and Lecturer at King’s College and SOAS, University of London, delivered a speech. He said that on November 16, 2019, the people of Sri Lanka without any doubt, without fear and without any hesitation elected the leader who they believed would protect them and their long cherished culture, religion, and the country’s sovereignty and who would lead the country to global prosperity.